Google Nexus 7 and Android 4.1 - Mini Review(anandtech.com)
anandtech.com
Google Nexus 7 and Android 4.1 - Mini Review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6054/google-nexus-7-mini-review
106 コメント
Contrary to a lot of opinions, I think the 7" form factor is actually pretty interesting. I find the iPad large enough that I often just reach for my Macbook Air because it's far more useful and not really much larger.
But something closer to the size of a book is less cumbersome and more comfortable for reading and browsing, which is what I'm doing with a tablet 90% of the time anyway.
I'm going to go out on a limb a bit here and predict that Apple will regret ignoring this segment and that they're going to eventually have to shake up their developer tooling to deal with varying form factors.
But something closer to the size of a book is less cumbersome and more comfortable for reading and browsing, which is what I'm doing with a tablet 90% of the time anyway.
I'm going to go out on a limb a bit here and predict that Apple will regret ignoring this segment and that they're going to eventually have to shake up their developer tooling to deal with varying form factors.
I also think the size is an advantage for a whole bunch of use cases.
I don't have a tablet right now, but I do have a Kindle. I think it's about the same size as the Nexus 7. I find it to be very convenient: I can easily hold it with just one hand when I'm laying on the bed, it fits into my tiny laptop bag and I can even put it in a coat pocket (great for commuting by train). Anything bigger would be less convenient.
I don't have a tablet right now, but I do have a Kindle. I think it's about the same size as the Nexus 7. I find it to be very convenient: I can easily hold it with just one hand when I'm laying on the bed, it fits into my tiny laptop bag and I can even put it in a coat pocket (great for commuting by train). Anything bigger would be less convenient.
For a fullpage 2 column PDF, I find even the 10" 16:9 to be a bit small. 4:3 is way better.
How would you read PDFs on a 7" 16:9.
How would you read PDFs on a 7" 16:9.
It's hard to build a single device that suits all these use cases equally well. That's why I think in the long run all the big players are going to have to support multiple formats.
I completely agree with you. For something that would use Google currents, I can see myself using a 7-inch tablet. But I think it's going to be quite a while till everyone supports reflowable PDFs.
I don't see PDFs running away anytime soon, unless someone comes with a better format that can support print and screen simultaneously.
I don't see PDFs running away anytime soon, unless someone comes with a better format that can support print and screen simultaneously.
I use Latex, and with some tinkering you can render your documents to both PDF and epub. The problem would be with designers and people working with tools that are not as flexible as Latex.
I've found an even better solution for my LaTeX documents: I have several different sty files for different screen sizes. However, critically, they all generate PDFs. Why? Basically, it looks much better than an epub file (at least on my Kindle). The text is justified properly, it uses a nicer typeface and math looks great (actually, I have no idea of what math looks like in epub form).
Also, (once again Kindle-specific), epubs are bad for languages that are not English. Particularly, I'm thinking about Russian: I have some Russian books in epub and they look horrible. The problem is that words are never broken between two lines which leads to an absurdly jagged margin. Since Russian often has longer words than English, this is actually a big problem. I think something like TeX's automatic hyphenation would make the experience much better.
However, generating epub files also seems like it has merit. I'll have to try it some day. Is there some special tool that just extracts the content but not the style information, or do you have a special style for epub files? It would also be great if you could provide some relevant links.
Also, (once again Kindle-specific), epubs are bad for languages that are not English. Particularly, I'm thinking about Russian: I have some Russian books in epub and they look horrible. The problem is that words are never broken between two lines which leads to an absurdly jagged margin. Since Russian often has longer words than English, this is actually a big problem. I think something like TeX's automatic hyphenation would make the experience much better.
However, generating epub files also seems like it has merit. I'll have to try it some day. Is there some special tool that just extracts the content but not the style information, or do you have a special style for epub files? It would also be great if you could provide some relevant links.
Nit: It's 16:10, but I agree that 4:3 is a great aspect ratio for tablets, especially if it is being used for reading. I really wish there were more 4:3 tablets around.
I really like the 4:3 ratio on my 8 inch Vizio tablet; so much so that I've been avoiding upgrading to Honeycomb. Android 3's onscreen toolbar would definitely throw off the usable aspect ratio.
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PDF is a pain to read on the majority of mobile devices. Even Kindle. Its lack of reflowing makes it impossible to adapt to various smaller screen sizes and efficiently use screen space and change text size. It's becoming a real pain point.
PDF is pain to read anywhere, including wide screen desktop monitors.
Haha, true, though at least on my laptop I can full-screen it zoom the content to the screen edges, and invert the colors to get dark bg/light text. It's at least serviceable that way. Nothing like it (or at least that easy) on Kindle, Android, etc. that I know of.
There are some PDF readers on Android that are much better than stock. "Night Mode" on ezPDF Reader (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=udk.android.re...) might do what you want.
I can totally vouch for nightmode on ezPDF. The only place it borks out is around equation boxes which, I think are images anyway.
I don't find PDFs to be a problem on an iPad unless the PDF publisher has done something wacky (nonstandard paper sizes is a big one).
Well on my low DPI 1680x1050 (16:10) 22" monitor I can fullscreen PDFs and two pages are visible in one go. It's readable.
Never had an android device, but I would imagine vertical scroll on landscape orientation would be perfect.
I had the original 7 Galaxy Tab and absolutely loved it. I have Transformer Prime now and consider getting this smaller tablet again because the 7 inch form factor is absolutely perfect imo.
Agree. 7" is the best size for a tablet. It's really portable, very handy. If I were to buy a larger tablet, something like Surface with its fancy keyboard cover is far more appealing than a tablet that is only partially functional.
I agree.
I use my Fire at least 2 hours a day (at home and the gym) for reading and surfing. However, it has two major defects.
1) Amazon appstore only (I haven't bothered rooting it).
2) Wonky interface. It's android and you can tell. It's like using a cheap android phone, unpleasant and slow. (I have a droid bionic that is much faster, but obviously more expensive).
At this price point I can easily buy another $200 table and not feel bad about it. Plus I still get the kindle app, my amazon apps will all move over.
I use my Fire way too much not to upgrade to something better. I do this for the 7" form factor, the 10" tablet (android or iOS) simply would not be as useful.
I use my Fire at least 2 hours a day (at home and the gym) for reading and surfing. However, it has two major defects.
1) Amazon appstore only (I haven't bothered rooting it).
2) Wonky interface. It's android and you can tell. It's like using a cheap android phone, unpleasant and slow. (I have a droid bionic that is much faster, but obviously more expensive).
At this price point I can easily buy another $200 table and not feel bad about it. Plus I still get the kindle app, my amazon apps will all move over.
I use my Fire way too much not to upgrade to something better. I do this for the 7" form factor, the 10" tablet (android or iOS) simply would not be as useful.
I am not a big fan of the Fire. It's not bad, but it feels like it could be a lot more with just a few extras. It's alright for 'consuming' content, but for much else it's suboptimal:
* Amazon appstore means no The Economist app! I already paid for the magazine, dammit, and I don't want to pay again to read it on Amazon.
* No Google apps hurts, especially Gmail and Maps. The web-based alternatives are just not as nice as having the native apps.
* It's nice to have a camera - I'll get one of these to use as a video phone with my parents.
Anyone know if it'll be possible to get some kind of add-on keyboard for Google's tablet? Trying to type anything on the Fire drives me crazy.
* Amazon appstore means no The Economist app! I already paid for the magazine, dammit, and I don't want to pay again to read it on Amazon.
* No Google apps hurts, especially Gmail and Maps. The web-based alternatives are just not as nice as having the native apps.
* It's nice to have a camera - I'll get one of these to use as a video phone with my parents.
Anyone know if it'll be possible to get some kind of add-on keyboard for Google's tablet? Trying to type anything on the Fire drives me crazy.
Have you considered at trying something like the Swype keyboard? I don't know if it's available for the Fire, but I'm sure there's a tablet version, and it should work on the Nexus 7.
I only have it on my phone (a Galaxy Nexus, coincidentally), but it's really great there. I think it would be very good for a tablet as well.
I only have it on my phone (a Galaxy Nexus, coincidentally), but it's really great there. I think it would be very good for a tablet as well.
I agree with all of the above, but as has been said before, getting Android Market on the Fire is not terribly complicated. Yes, it's probably not a viable solution for everyone, but if you already have a Fire and are somewhat technically inclined it's almost a no-brainer.
I agree. I am "resisting" to buy a tablet for years, but this hardware with pure Android (I have made a rule to buy only Nexus devices when buying Android phones, I hate the stress to get the updates on non Nexus) at this price point made it hard to resist.
I bought one for my sister. She doesn't have a lot of disposable income and has to support two children. The cost was low enough that it's not a significant burden (£159 + shipping)
Are they going to aggressively market and retail this device? If not most people won't even know it exists.
It's the top banner on Google Play. If you already own an Android device, you will know.
unless, of course, if you don't happen to live in the US? (for one, I can't even see it on the Web from here in Asia)
I think the big question is if Google is actually serious in advertising and selling the device to customers.
Google does not often run aggressive advertising campaigns, and so far they are not selling the device anywhere but in the US.
Google does not often run aggressive advertising campaigns, and so far they are not selling the device anywhere but in the US.
Nope, the Nexus 7 is getting sold in a number of different countries to start.
It's the Nexus Q that's US-only right now.
It's the Nexus Q that's US-only right now.
Google definitely do run aggressive ad campaigns, although so far it's been limited to Chrome.
They are selling the device in almost all English speaking countries.
They are selling the device in almost all English speaking countries.
And it's only available from their store, which doesn't have the same reach as Amazon.com or even Best Buy.
(There's a link on google.com, but that clearly worked so well for the Nexus phones)
(There's a link on google.com, but that clearly worked so well for the Nexus phones)
I can answer that: they aren't interested in advertising and selling the device to consumers. If they were, they wouldn't have been announced at a developer conference. Although oddly, they are advertising the Nexus 7 off the Google homepage.
By that logic, Retina Macbook Pros are only for developers too.
Do you really think that's so clear cut? I/O has visibility well outside the developer community, it gets covered in the mainstream media. Just today I read about it on the website of the most widely read German news magazine (an article is linked prominently on the front page and it's the lead article in the technology section).
Like Apple, Google can and probably is using their developer conference keynote to announce things to consumers.
Like Apple, Google can and probably is using their developer conference keynote to announce things to consumers.
Full page ad in the A section of the WSJ today.
This seems like the Kindle Fire done right. High quality components, good build quality, competent software and despite that still only $200. It's nice to finally see Apple get some competition.
I personally prefer the 10inch form factor but I can see arguments for both.
But I'm still not willing to predict whether this will be a success. I think Windows Phone 7 is extremely attractive – yet it continues to fail. This is really hard stuff to predict.
I personally prefer the 10inch form factor but I can see arguments for both.
But I'm still not willing to predict whether this will be a success. I think Windows Phone 7 is extremely attractive – yet it continues to fail. This is really hard stuff to predict.
Hardware-wise, this is competitive with the very best Android tablets that are currently out. Only the Transformer Prime Infinity seems to best it, and that isn't available for order yet.
This is certainly a case of 'price as a signal'. The Nexus 7 is being repeatedly compared with the Kindle Fire in spite of its specs. This must be Google's intention. It's likely that is the only (large) market that remains for Android tablets.
This is certainly a case of 'price as a signal'. The Nexus 7 is being repeatedly compared with the Kindle Fire in spite of its specs. This must be Google's intention. It's likely that is the only (large) market that remains for Android tablets.
The Nexus 7 is being repeatedly compared with the Kindle Fire in spite of its specs.
By the tech media, most of whom simply want to avoid the whole boring iPad market only argument. In the real world this is direct competition for the iPad, with a very significant draw of price. People aren't generally suckers, and they don't want to pay more if a less expensive product satisfies their needs.
By the tech media, most of whom simply want to avoid the whole boring iPad market only argument. In the real world this is direct competition for the iPad, with a very significant draw of price. People aren't generally suckers, and they don't want to pay more if a less expensive product satisfies their needs.
Do you guys think it is pleasent to read structured documents (e.g. scientific papers or program code in PDFs) on a 7 inch device with 1280x800?
That's a serious question, not a complaint: I have made bad experiences with 7 inches readers for this kind of stuff, but then the Nexus 7 has a lot of pixels.
That's a serious question, not a complaint: I have made bad experiences with 7 inches readers for this kind of stuff, but then the Nexus 7 has a lot of pixels.
I used my orignial Galaxy Tab a lot for reading PDFs. Works great for me. Get the ezPDF reader and you have everything you will want. The usability of the reader is what makes it stand out imo.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=udk.android.re...
I agree with apl, just not the right size. The resolution is great, but the screen size is just too small, IMO.
With that said, maybe it's just the readers and file formats that suck. I can read Dover books just fine and the size of the paper is about the same as a 7" screen... Go figure.
With that said, maybe it's just the readers and file formats that suck. I can read Dover books just fine and the size of the paper is about the same as a 7" screen... Go figure.
Reading two-column 10pt/letter-size PDF (most academic papers are formatted this way) on 1280x800 is not a pleasant experience, whatever the physical size. The only way you can read all those tiny footnotes is using the landscape mode at full-width (otherwise there won't be enough pixels to render), which means you'll have to scroll to finish just one page.
Trust me, Retina iPad's 2048x1536 is what you want. That gives you a crisp-clear and better-than-average laser-printer quality in portrait mode for one whole page on the screen. Especially true if the papers you read contain anything with color or vector graphs.
Plus iOS has the best font/PDF rendering engine in my opinion. YMMV, though.
Trust me, Retina iPad's 2048x1536 is what you want. That gives you a crisp-clear and better-than-average laser-printer quality in portrait mode for one whole page on the screen. Especially true if the papers you read contain anything with color or vector graphs.
Plus iOS has the best font/PDF rendering engine in my opinion. YMMV, though.
Judging from previous 7" devices, no. The constant zooming disrupts my reading flow to the point of it not being worth the hassle. Third iPad iteration is great, though, unlike its two predecessors.
Not every device is for every use case. I would rather a 10 inch device for that, but would prefer 7 for reading a novel. Everything is tradeoffs.
It's striking how Android devices keep improving CPU power, even though graphic smoothness is acknowledged as a key issue - while Apple focuses on GPU performance.
Tegra 3 has quad CPU; Apple's A5X (iPad 3) has quad GPU. (the GPU cores aren't exactly equivalent, but Apple's is more powerful.) Apple also runs its CPUs slower - giving better battery life. This is because CPU lack of power isn't a problem (isn't even noticeable); but GPU lack is noticeable and a concern when you're using it.
Also: you get more bang per buck from GPUs than CPUs - simply because graphics tasks are generally far easier to parallelize. In result, so you can have many graphics cores running at lower clocks, to get great performance with less battery drain.
In the long-term big picture, the tablets with more CPU power will have more powerful applications written for them. This might be key for which tablets are the ones that end up replacing laptops/desktops. (In the background, a countervailing factor is that computation is moving to the GPU... so it could be that the tablet with the better GPU performance will win...)
All that said, the Nexus 7, getting the below is very impressive:
Tegra 3 has quad CPU; Apple's A5X (iPad 3) has quad GPU. (the GPU cores aren't exactly equivalent, but Apple's is more powerful.) Apple also runs its CPUs slower - giving better battery life. This is because CPU lack of power isn't a problem (isn't even noticeable); but GPU lack is noticeable and a concern when you're using it.
Also: you get more bang per buck from GPUs than CPUs - simply because graphics tasks are generally far easier to parallelize. In result, so you can have many graphics cores running at lower clocks, to get great performance with less battery drain.
In the long-term big picture, the tablets with more CPU power will have more powerful applications written for them. This might be key for which tablets are the ones that end up replacing laptops/desktops. (In the background, a countervailing factor is that computation is moving to the GPU... so it could be that the tablet with the better GPU performance will win...)
All that said, the Nexus 7, getting the below is very impressive:
quad-core 1.3GHz CPU
340 grams
8 hour battery life (advertised...)They spent a whole section talking about the Nexus 7 GPU and another talking about software improvements to FPS. They're obviously not taking it lightly.
You're comparing apples to oranges. Different OSes and devices have completely different requirements. iOS have no true multi-tasking like Android does. So Android naturally is more CPU intensive since you'll usually have more stuff happening in the background. The new iPad has a larger resolution. So it's understandable it needs a powerful GPU for smooth graphics.
You can't just compare the bang for the buck you get from CPU vs GPU looking at different OSes. The optimal point will be different for each. I'm sure google tried different setups that would fit the $200 budget. At the end of the day. All the matters is whether it can display smooth UX with a long battery life and good price. And it seems they got there.
You're comparing apples to oranges. Different OSes and devices have completely different requirements. iOS have no true multi-tasking like Android does. So Android naturally is more CPU intensive since you'll usually have more stuff happening in the background. The new iPad has a larger resolution. So it's understandable it needs a powerful GPU for smooth graphics.
You can't just compare the bang for the buck you get from CPU vs GPU looking at different OSes. The optimal point will be different for each. I'm sure google tried different setups that would fit the $200 budget. At the end of the day. All the matters is whether it can display smooth UX with a long battery life and good price. And it seems they got there.
This tablet is a killer device—love its form factor, check this real-size views of the Nexus 7, it's really slick:
Compared to an iPhone 4s: http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-vs-apple-iphone-4s-64g...
Compared to an iPad 3: http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-vs-apple-ipad-3-64gb-w...
(You have to click in the top-right corner to calibrate your screen)
Compared to an iPhone 4s: http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-vs-apple-iphone-4s-64g...
Compared to an iPad 3: http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-vs-apple-ipad-3-64gb-w...
(You have to click in the top-right corner to calibrate your screen)
http://versusio.com/en/google-nexus-7-vs-samsung-galaxy-note
I can argue that it doesn't provide enough benefits over the Galaxy Note! It's big enough and it's a phone, so you don't need to carry anything else. The only issue is the battery life, obviously Nexus would be of a significant advantage here.
I can argue that it doesn't provide enough benefits over the Galaxy Note! It's big enough and it's a phone, so you don't need to carry anything else. The only issue is the battery life, obviously Nexus would be of a significant advantage here.
It's also three times the price, which you will either pay in your phone bill or up front.
Not sure why they didn't include the option of 4G as being an advantage of those Apple devices.
The size advantage of the Nexus 7 is great for mobility (honestly dislike carrying an iPad in my bag) but the majority of areas are not going to have wifi, hampering a bit of it's advantage.
The size advantage of the Nexus 7 is great for mobility (honestly dislike carrying an iPad in my bag) but the majority of areas are not going to have wifi, hampering a bit of it's advantage.
Just use wifi tethering (or what it's called in english) and share the phones 3G/4G. That's what I'll be doing at least
It would push the price up too much to compete with the iPad. You can always tether.
I don't see inclusion of 4G on any tablet devices as a plus. It drives up the cost slightly more and it has never really made sense for each device to have their own cellular connection.
Most people who buy tablets are likely to have a smartphone so it would seem more appropriate to have tethering and use that one connection for multiple devices.
I realize that's a personal choice, but I currently own an iPad 2, Kindle Fire, 2 Kindle Touches, and I just bought the Nexus 7. I'd rather pay for one connection and tether all those devices to that connection than each one have their own.
Most people who buy tablets are likely to have a smartphone so it would seem more appropriate to have tethering and use that one connection for multiple devices.
I realize that's a personal choice, but I currently own an iPad 2, Kindle Fire, 2 Kindle Touches, and I just bought the Nexus 7. I'd rather pay for one connection and tether all those devices to that connection than each one have their own.
"I don't see inclusion of 4G on any tablet devices as a plus."
For you.
For people like me, it IS a plus. That's why Apple makes two versions of the iPad. Not to mention tethering drains the battery.
For you.
For people like me, it IS a plus. That's why Apple makes two versions of the iPad. Not to mention tethering drains the battery.
Drains the battery of what? Wifi is more battery friendly than 4G. I just don't appreciate paying an extra $50 a month for a tablet I use twice a week
I believe jaems33 is referring to the phone being used as a hotspot. I can, almost literally, watch the battery drain when I put my wife's Android phone in hotspot mode.
Also, there are more popular 4G data plans now, such as T-Mobile's "No Annual Contract Mobile Broadband Passes" that you can enable on-demand, only requiring once-year usage to keep the account active. I'm not sure if other carriers offer similar plans.
Also, there are more popular 4G data plans now, such as T-Mobile's "No Annual Contract Mobile Broadband Passes" that you can enable on-demand, only requiring once-year usage to keep the account active. I'm not sure if other carriers offer similar plans.
The experience of using a hotspot just plain sucks. That’s why it’s so stupid that hardly any notebooks include 3G/4G.
I used to think that has something to do with stupidly expensive and restrictive US data plans, but you have some decent ones. The situation in Europe is still better, though.
I used to think that has something to do with stupidly expensive and restrictive US data plans, but you have some decent ones. The situation in Europe is still better, though.
If you've already got a Nexus phone, you don't need 4G/3G on your tablet. You've got a mobile hotspot already. The Nexus Phone + Nexus Tablet + Nexus TV products fit each other very, very well.
Given that existing Android tablets from OEMs are not selling greatly, if this tablet is a success will it not be to the detriment of these OEMs already taking a hit on Android? So basically Samsung etc. are now competing with Google in the Android tablet space :-(
My personal feeling is that it was released in reaction to the Amazon Fire, which Google must be pretty pissed-off about given that it has sold well and is firmly on it's own Android branch, further deepening fragmentation. It's no coincidence that they are both 7" tablets for $200.
My personal feeling is that it was released in reaction to the Amazon Fire, which Google must be pretty pissed-off about given that it has sold well and is firmly on it's own Android branch, further deepening fragmentation. It's no coincidence that they are both 7" tablets for $200.
Does Google get a share from the sale of Nexus devices? I think it's samsung competing with asus rather than with google.
> Does Google get a share from the sale of Nexus devices?
You mean they don't? News to me.
> I think it's samsung competing with asus rather than with google.
But Asus partnered/supported/whatever with Google, not Asus on their own clearly.
You mean they don't? News to me.
> I think it's samsung competing with asus rather than with google.
But Asus partnered/supported/whatever with Google, not Asus on their own clearly.
Not really. Andy Rubin said this is being sold at cost, so either Google is paying for Asus' margin or none of them is getting a margin on this device, setting a price point even harder for manufacturers to match.
It would make more sense to me that "at cost" is relative to Google. Google pays Asus to manufacture these devices. I'm pretty sure that the payments to Asus include Asus' margin. The point being that Google is getting no margin.
the point is that it makes no difference: either way the other manufacturers will not get the subsidization, so they can't match the price point.
So basically Samsung etc. are now competing with Google in the Android tablet space :-(
A big reason the Android tablet space has sputtered is the ecosystem (not enough tablet apps, etc). By supercharging the Play store and subsidizing a product that I confidently feel will sell in the tens of millions if they can produce them quickly enough, this will be great for the entire Android ecosystem.
Already have a household with two tablets -- an iPad and an Acer A500 -- but I preordered the Nexus 7. It is perfect to give the kids in the car for them to play music/movies/games like Minecraft. That price point is simple brilliance, and it was that or an iPod Touch. I choose that.
I think the most baffling thing about this release is the constant commentary that has this only competing with the Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire competed with the iPad -- if you wanted something to read books, look at some websites, and maybe use a couple of apps, the Kindle Fire provided a somewhat competitive alternative to the iPad. Now the Nexus 7 provides a pretty serious alternative.
With the huge sales of the GS3, the incremental but overdue improvements in 4.1, and the killer Nexus 7...this is the first time in years I truly feel bearish about Apple's sales over the next year.
A big reason the Android tablet space has sputtered is the ecosystem (not enough tablet apps, etc). By supercharging the Play store and subsidizing a product that I confidently feel will sell in the tens of millions if they can produce them quickly enough, this will be great for the entire Android ecosystem.
Already have a household with two tablets -- an iPad and an Acer A500 -- but I preordered the Nexus 7. It is perfect to give the kids in the car for them to play music/movies/games like Minecraft. That price point is simple brilliance, and it was that or an iPod Touch. I choose that.
I think the most baffling thing about this release is the constant commentary that has this only competing with the Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire competed with the iPad -- if you wanted something to read books, look at some websites, and maybe use a couple of apps, the Kindle Fire provided a somewhat competitive alternative to the iPad. Now the Nexus 7 provides a pretty serious alternative.
With the huge sales of the GS3, the incremental but overdue improvements in 4.1, and the killer Nexus 7...this is the first time in years I truly feel bearish about Apple's sales over the next year.
Really would have preferred they found a way to have the rear facing camera. If anything I would take it in preference over the front facing one.
With experience around the iPad (both generations) and the Kindle Fire I found outside of games the kids were having way too much fun making videos. Adults tended towards pictures but kids tended toward videos, many about tormenting each other. Which mean the old iPad and Fire sat relatively unused - there were like "if I have too".
I do like the size of seven inch tablets, its easier to one hand use them while reading at the table and eating, like a modern day paper. You would be surprised how ungainly feeling the larger iPad feels being used this way. The Fire became my table reader simply because of its form factor.
With experience around the iPad (both generations) and the Kindle Fire I found outside of games the kids were having way too much fun making videos. Adults tended towards pictures but kids tended toward videos, many about tormenting each other. Which mean the old iPad and Fire sat relatively unused - there were like "if I have too".
I do like the size of seven inch tablets, its easier to one hand use them while reading at the table and eating, like a modern day paper. You would be surprised how ungainly feeling the larger iPad feels being used this way. The Fire became my table reader simply because of its form factor.
I disagree.
I've been to concerts and football games where people are holding up iPads up high to record videos / take photos. It's a distraction and a nuisance. I say good riddance.
I have my phone / DSLR to take photos, but I regularly video chat with friends and family and appreciate the front camera more. A 7" tablet seems more suited for the latter.
I've been to concerts and football games where people are holding up iPads up high to record videos / take photos. It's a distraction and a nuisance. I say good riddance.
I have my phone / DSLR to take photos, but I regularly video chat with friends and family and appreciate the front camera more. A 7" tablet seems more suited for the latter.
Google hangouts with a rear-facing camera would be a disaster.
Maybe the next version will have two cameras.
Maybe the next version will have two cameras.
Anyone notice this has a GPS and Magnetometer (compass).
How useful will this be as a GPS without internet connectivity (wifi only)?
A 7" tablet would be a fantastic GPS device form factor.
How useful will this be as a GPS without internet connectivity (wifi only)?
A 7" tablet would be a fantastic GPS device form factor.
A new feature in Jellybean allows you to download city maps for offline usage.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/27/google-maps-offline-andro...
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/27/google-maps-offline-andro...
I think I just found my reason (if I needed any) to get this tablet.
Thats been a Labs maps feature for a while in ice cream sandwich. Very useful when visiting places you dont want to spend money on expensive bandwidth, use it a lot...
Offline Google Maps in the next iteration of Android would mean that you could download the maps offline for the area you usually travel to/around and be able to use it as a GPS (not sure how the new offline maps would work w.r.t. re-routing and all that)
I would love to see this for iOS, although I guess it's not likely.
Offline Google Maps in the next iteration of Android
This is actually in the next iteration of maps...or rather the last iteration as it was released yesterday. If you upgrade Maps on an Android device, you get this functionality.
This is actually in the next iteration of maps...or rather the last iteration as it was released yesterday. If you upgrade Maps on an Android device, you get this functionality.
ICS has had this for a while now.
The mapping application is simply an app, having been decoupled from the OS back in, I think, 2.3? The labs functionality for offline access has been around for a while, but has been baked into the core app now.
The point being that it isn't an 2.3, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 feature. It's a Google Maps feature.
The point being that it isn't an 2.3, 3.0, 4.0, or 4.1 feature. It's a Google Maps feature.
I think routing requires a data connection.
Partially. It can reroute some roads without a data connection, but not major changes.
You could tether your phone's cellular data.
You can always tether from your companion ssmartphone. Or use Google maps's offline which were launched yesterday too.
I really could have used Google Maps offline a year ago when I was trying to get around Osaka. The GPS worked, but the map display didn't... unless I was around one of Japan's rare, free Wifi hotspots.
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I'm disappointed that there's no microsd slot to expand the internal storage. I appreciate that they want us to use Google Drive, but thats only an option if you're somewhere with wifi.
Apart from that, I'm very tempted. And I await Apple's reaction with interest.
Apart from that, I'm very tempted. And I await Apple's reaction with interest.
I keep hearing that, but honestly, 16gb is quite a lot of space IMO. Obviously if you feel the need to carry around 64gb of videos at all times then you'll scoff, and I'm not saying 16gb is more than you'll ever need, but you'd be surprised at just how much you can do with that storage.
Anyone with experience on 7" tablets, is it practical to take notes with in math lectures?
Not with the onscreen keyboard. If it can use a stylus like the Note then maybe. Although I'd probably go for an iPad 2. It's twice the price (at $399), but will be a lot more usable.
Yeah, with a stylus of course, I was hoping this would be suitable for taking in class notes - a lot of writing equations and whatnot as oppose to typing with the on screen keyboard. The new iPad is $519 for cheapest one. :(
I wouldn't worry about it. I have used several styluses and note-taking apps on the iPad and in the end the handwriting experience is still horrible compared to pen and paper. It's just not happening on hardware that assumes input is coming from a finger many, many times larger than a natural pen point.
iPad is a great buy for lots of reasons but handwritten note taking isn't one of them.
iPad is a great buy for lots of reasons but handwritten note taking isn't one of them.
Can someone tell me if it is WebGL capable?
From: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/burnette/google-io-2012-android-fi...
Q: As a developer, WebGL is great. Chrome doesn’t support it on Android yet. When?
A: It’s working internally. Issues are denial of service and GPU availability. There’s some work in Chrome OS to make it safer, and we’re looking at that right now to see if we can release it in a safe way. Some GPUs are more stable than others.
Q: As a developer, WebGL is great. Chrome doesn’t support it on Android yet. When?
A: It’s working internally. Issues are denial of service and GPU availability. There’s some work in Chrome OS to make it safer, and we’re looking at that right now to see if we can release it in a safe way. Some GPUs are more stable than others.
The latest version of Opera Mobile supports WebGL, even on devices still running Android 2.3.
Does anybody know if the Nexus 7 can read pdfs?
I ordered one yesterday as soon as it was available, but I'm a little disappointed at Google forcing me to pay $14 for two day shipping on something that "delivers in 2-3 weeks".
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It's the first android tablet that I'm considering, and at this price-point that means I'll probably buy it. I have a hunch I won't be the only one with that train of thought.