Google Nexus 7 - Cream of the Crop
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Overview and Design
Overview
In December 2011, Google chairman Eric Schmidt ignited speculation of a Nexus-branded tablet when he revealed that the company planned to "market a tablet of the highest quality" in the next six months. It was hardly any surprise since Android as a tablet platform hasn't gained much traction despite the flood of Android tablets in 2011. Apple and its iPads still managed to dominate and Google needed a new strategy to move forward or risked leaving the lucrative tablet market entirely in the Cupertino company's hands.
Six months later at Google I/O 2012, the company unveiled its latest Android 4.1 operating system, codenamed Jelly Bean. While the version number jumps a mere 0.1, the new features and enhancements are nothing short of staggering. The flagship bearer for Jelly Bean is the Nexus 7, Google's first Nexus-branded tablet. Is the Nexus 7 the magic bullet that Google needs to break Apple's stranglehold on the tablet space? Well, read on to find out: -
Key highlights of the Google Nexus 7
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Design
While there is a general rule that you get what you pay for, the Google Nexus 7 is probably an exception. Despite its lower than average price point (check out the prices for the current crop of 7-inch tablets), the Nexus 7 boasts quite a solid build that is comparable to the more expensive 7-inch tablets such as the BlackBerry PlayBook.
One striking design aspect of the Nexus 7 is its rubberized back, which gives a nice textured feel and offers good grip of the device in your hands. Furthermore, its non-glossy surface makes sure that fingerprints and smudges do not spoil the sophisticated look of the Nexus 7.
However, we cannot say the same for the 7-inch display. As with most tablets in the market, it attracts fingerprints and smudges very easily. We recommend getting a matte screen protector or the official screen protector from ASUS, which is specifically designed to minimize these problems.
In terms of handling and physical dimensions, the Nexus 7 competes favorably against other tablets of its class. Even though its side profile of 10.45mm positions the Nexus 7 a far cry from the thinnest tablet, the Toshiba Excite X10 at 7.6mm thin, the Nexus 7 is by no means bulky.
The Nexus 7 is one of the lightest tablets at 340g, and this is a huge plus point especially when portability is considered an important aspect in this product segment. For those who want to compare the Nexus 7 with the other tablets of its class, here's a quick run-down:
- Google Nexus 7 - 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm, 340g
- Acer Iconia Tab A100 - 195 x 117 x 13.1mm, 410g
- Amazon Kindle Fire - 190 x 120 x 11.4mm, 413g
- BlackBerry PlayBook - 194 x 130 x 10mm, 425g
- Huawei MediaPad - 190 x 124 x 10.5mm, 390g
- HTC Flyer - 195.4 x 122 x 13.2mm, 420g
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) - 193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5mm, 344g
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus - 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96mm, 345g
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 - 196.7x 133 x 7.89mm, 335g
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