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Nexus 7 Tablet $199 ($209 CAD)


Mr. Anderson

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  • Quad-core Tegra 3 processor: This is top notch. Usually, budget tablets skimp on the processor, but Google and ASUS decided to go all out and put real power behind the scenes. Bravo.

  • Back-lit IPS LCD 7-inch 1280 x 800 HD display (216 ppi): It’s no fancy “Retina” display, but this screen is quite nice and sharp with great color reproduction and wide viewing angles. The brightness can go pretty high if you need to see it outdoors, but it’s really not that great in the direct sun. To top it off, the screen is made from scratch-resistant Corning glass. The only issue I have had with the screen is when auto-brightness is on. For some reason, it gets a little wonky and the constant fade in and out of the backlight is annoying. I just shut it off and manage my brightness manually. Hopefully, this can be fixed in software.

  • 1.2MP front-facing camera: This is the one and only camera on the Nexus 7, which is one way they cut costs. It’s good enough for video chats, which is what it’s made for, but you won’t be using this camera for much else. There’s not even a camera app installed, though a 3rd party camera app for the Nexus 7 has already made its way to the Play Store.

  • 8 GB or 16 GB internal storage: The 8 GB unit costs $199, while the 16GB goes for $249. The $50 difference nets you twice the storage. Since there is no microSD slot (another cost cutting measure) you may want to spend the extra dough if space is important to you.

  • 1 GB RAM: Standard for all tablets today, and seemingly more than enough for the Nexus.

  • 4325 mAh battery: The battery has plenty of juice to carry you through the day with normal use.

  • NFC (Android Beam): Google could have saved a few more bucks by cutting something as cutting edge as NFC support, but thankfully they have included full Android Beam compatibility, as well as Google Wallet support. This is a huge plus as we’re starting to see more and more NFC-enabled devices coming to market. It’s great to see both Google and ASUS working to bring us the important features that help future proof this device.

  • Wireless: The 7 supports WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 (though we’re not totally sure how much of the 4.0 Bluetooth spec is actually supported).

  • GPS: This is another area where they could have cut a corner to save money, like Amazon did with the Kindle Fire, but Google/ASUS gave it to us anyway. Another check mark in the “wow, still only $199?” column.

  • Sensors: The Nexus 7 comes with the full compliment of sensors, including two microphones (for noise cancelling), an accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a gyroscope. What else could you possibly need?

  • Sound: The tablet has a fairly good rear speaker that is certainly good enough for watching videos or listening to the occasional song. To get the most from the tablet, however, you really should plug in headphones.

Anyone thinking of picking up one of these tablets? Seems to be the best deal out there right now for a tablet of this quality/power..

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I'm somewhat sceptical of the price versus specs.

I'm rather annoyed that they chose not to add an SD slot.. it's not just for the sake of storage but one of a few means of transferring files to your device, and installing your own APK files. The camera is a joke, why add one at all? 1.2MP is terrible nowadays as a sole camera option. No point in using it unless doing video chat.

What type of GPS are they talking about with the Nexus? Assisted? Unassisted? If it's unassisted GPS it might possibly pull me away from getting a Samsung Note, pending more details on specs. Unassisted GPS is pretty much an essential for me when buying a tablet so I can use it as a navigator when driving throughout both Canada and the US. Also, I wanna see how quickly it's in Canada, and how it does for accessories. Best Buy, Futureshop, and so on are horrendous with tablet accessories if it isn't an iPad. I might have to drive to Buffalo otherwise if I decide to buy it.

Right now I need one of the smaller tablets to convince me not to buy a Samsung Note and use it as a tablet and phone.

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I'm rather annoyed that they chose not to add an SD slot.. it's not just for the sake of storage but one of a few means of transferring files to your device, and installing your own APK files.

I think they didn't add the SD card slot because otherwise no one would buy the 16gb model for $259. They make a mcuh bigger profit on the 16gb model then the 8gb model. If you were able to throw in a cheap sd card and expand your storage that way I don't see anyone buying the 16gb model from them.

The camera is a joke, why add one at all? 1.2MP is terrible nowadays as a sole camera option. No point in using it unless doing video chat.

I think the only reason they added it was for Skype and other video chat software. Very few people are going to be using their tablets for taking pictures anyway, so I really don't see that as something terribly bad about the device. I would assume most people who buy a tablet already have a cell phone with a camera that can take better pictures then most tablets, or at least don't want to use a big slab to take photos with.

What type of GPS are they talking about with the Nexus? Assisted? Unassisted? If it's unassisted GPS it might possibly pull me away from getting a Samsung Note, pending more details on specs. Unassisted GPS is pretty much an essential for me when buying a tablet so I can use it as a navigator when driving throughout both Canada and the US.

I was actually looking into that and it is an unassisted gps that is included in the tablet. I think you just have to download/buy a gps app that has offline maps.

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^ To the above post, thanks for the response. We got my wife a tablet this year, a Samsung Galaxy Pro 7.0 Plus or something, it has unassisted GPS, we downloaded maps for free which works perfectly with it's own app and even integrates with Navigator after a few tweaks. The simplicity of using it as a GPS makes it great and not need to waste paper printing out directions. To reiterate, I see this feature as a must for any tablet I get, Note aside.

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I have a problem with the display size. I bought a Acer A500 10.1" display simply because since its too big to put in a pocket why not get the bigger display. You need a pack or bag to lug it around anyways. If your using it just to read books then fine but for web browsing or especially for movies the 7" display just doesnt measure up.

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