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2012 Nexus 7 Discussion Forums (1st Generation) => Nexus 7 General Discussion => Topic started by: samalex on July 17, 2012, 12:50:44 PM
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For anyone who has their N7 what did you find unexpected, good or bad... I've read LOTS of articles highlighting the major features, but is there anything you noticed that works better than you expected? What about geewiz features you've found that you think aren't getting enough attention? Or on the flip slide is there anything you expected to be amazing that ended up being bunk?
Just curious --
Sam
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Just curious --
Sam
Wut up Sam,
I responded to your Q on the other thread... as for the N7, it was incredibly easy to root and unlock. It took about 10 min lol other than that it runs like a champ , but I have only had it for 2 days. there was 2 small problems I found. Its sometimes very annoying to copy a URL it just refuses to work... and the expansion of your notifications is retarded. Its solo hard to expand them mainly because you have to pinch out on the notification itself and my fingers are 2 big... I can mange to get the 3rd notification to expand but that's it : (
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Some notes from my end after using the N7 for a few hours:
Pro's -
Beautiful!
I love the new revamped Google apps like Gmail and G+
It's super fast
GPS is great! Google Sky Maps works like a champ
Microphone seems to pickup very well
The display is amazing
Con's -
No way to make calls through Google Voice - bummer
USB Mass Storage (UMS) has been removed, only MTP and PTP are supported, both of which are crap protocols. This was hugely unexpected since Calibre and some other apps don't support these protocols.
Amazon Prime/VOD doesn't work on ICS or Jellybean - to be expected I guess
Camera is rather week and is horrid with skype -- though will probably be fixed soon (hopefully)
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Some notes from my end after using the N7 for a few hours:
Pro's -
Beautiful!
I love the new revamped Google apps like Gmail and G+
It's super fast
GPS is great! Google Sky Maps works like a champ
Microphone seems to pickup very well
The display is amazing
Con's -
No way to make calls through Google Voice - bummer
USB Mass Storage (UMS) has been removed, only MTP and PTP are supported, both of which are crap protocols. This was hugely unexpected since Calibre and some other apps don't support these protocols.
Amazon Prime/VOD doesn't work on ICS or Jellybean - to be expected I guess
Camera is rather week and is horrid with skype -- though will probably be fixed soon (hopefully)
I think if you unlock and root you there is probably a way to turn USB mass storage on.
Pros:
-Chrome is super fast, wow
-The screen is really good
-its fast, as expected
Comments: I am really glad I got the 16GB version, I put my 3GB of music onto it and i also downloaded the free transformer movie, this along with all my apps leaves me with 7GB Free.
Cons:
- I am struggling to come up with any cons, LOL
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I think if you unlock and root you there is probably a way to turn USB mass storage on.
Pros:
-Chrome is super fast, wow
-The screen is really good
-its fast, as expected
Comments: I am really glad I got the 16GB version, I put my 3GB of music onto it and i also downloaded the free transformer movie, this along with all my apps leaves me with 7GB Free.
Cons:
- I am struggling to come up with any cons, LOL
I'm a contrarian of sorts, I can find con's on anything I guess :-D Most of the things I noted are gotchas I pretty much expected (except for no UMS support), but in all the N7 is an amazing little device for sure. Also I'm with you, I'm glad I went with the 16 Gig unit too. I'll probably drop a few gigs of Music on it as well, plus I'm a fanatic Podcast addict so I'll probably download a few hundred megs a week on it from that.
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got mine 16gb yesterday.
My suprise was that it was DOA.
hit the power button and the Google logo appeared for a second, then vanished and nothing.......
Called customer support and the said that they would pass the issue to a supervisor and get back to me....haven't heard anything since
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got mine 16gb yesterday.
My suprise was that it was DOA.
hit the power button and the Google logo appeared for a second, then vanished and nothing.......
Called customer support and the said that they would pass the issue to a supervisor and get back to me....haven't heard anything since
Wow, that sucks about the N7 and the customer support, although with the experiences I have had with them it does not surprise me. It is funny that when I asked customer support what advantages we had for preordering through GP vs getting one at Gamestop or Staples, his reply was if you get it and there is a problem we will be there to help you. Well, not so much I guess.
Hope it gets taken care of for you. Sorry to hear you are having problems.
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You did try charging it didn't you?
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I love the android Beam with my galaxy nexus. I also really like the build quality. My only coins are no rear camera, no expandable storage, and no mass storage devices. And those are actually all easy to work around so this may be the tablet I was looking for.
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Yea, charged it up, did nothing. Heard from customer service yesterday, i should charge another 249.00 to my card and order a replacement and then send back the broken one and
if they determine that i didn't break it, they will take the second 249.00 off my credit card.
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Gee, that sounds like a terrible way of supporting a product.
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Yea, charged it up, did nothing. Heard from customer service yesterday, i should charge another 249.00 to my card and order a replacement and then send back the broken one and
if they determine that i didn't break it, they will take the second 249.00 off my credit card.
I would have said "I'll send it back and you can replace it or refund my money. Please give me an RA number."
Have you tried the old "hold the power button for ten seconds" trick?
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Yea, charged it up, did nothing. Heard from customer service yesterday, i should charge another 249.00 to my card and order a replacement and then send back the broken one and
if they determine that i didn't break it, they will take the second 249.00 off my credit card.
I would have said "I'll send it back and you can replace it or refund my money. Please give me an RA number."
Have you tried the old "hold the power button for ten seconds" trick?
got ahold of tech support on the phone, they walked me through the hold for 10 sec, and a couple other things. Still doesn't work.
he said that he would pass the problem on to someone else and they would get back to me, 3 days later they told me to order another one and send the broken one in so they could verify it was broken and refund the money. Another 3 days passed and no word on when replacement will ship.
i am writing them a letter asking for refund and forget the replacement.
target has ipad 2 for 399 with a 25.00 target credit, so for about 125.00 more that the Nexus I can get an Ipad, but more importantly, i will get customer support..
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Yea, charged it up, did nothing. Heard from customer service yesterday, i should charge another 249.00 to my card and order a replacement and then send back the broken one and
if they determine that i didn't break it, they will take the second 249.00 off my credit card.
I would have said "I'll send it back and you can replace it or refund my money. Please give me an RA number."
Have you tried the old "hold the power button for ten seconds" trick?
got ahold of tech support on the phone, they walked me through the hold for 10 sec, and a couple other things. Still doesn't work.
he said that he would pass the problem on to someone else and they would get back to me, 3 days later they told me to order another one and send the broken one in so they could verify it was broken and refund the money. Another 3 days passed and no word on when replacement will ship.
i am writing them a letter asking for refund and forget the replacement.
target has ipad 2 for 399 with a 25.00 target credit, so for about 125.00 more that the Nexus I can get an Ipad, but more importantly, i will get customer support..
Can't blame you. Such a shame that this wonderful tablet has what is in my mind the worst customer service I have ever experienced. Good luck with the Ipad.
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Comments: I am really glad I got the 16GB version, I put my 3GB of music onto it and i also downloaded the free transformer movie, this along with all my apps leaves me with 7GB Free.
I downloaded the T-r-a-n-s-f-o-r-m-e-r-s movie (hyphenated to confuse that damn V-i-g-L-i-n-k) as well, but can't locate it using ASTRO FILE MANAGER
Is it in a hidden (locked) folder somewhere ??
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The big surprise for me was that after a few minutes it turned off, and then all I could get was a big LOCK icon. I must have hit and banged the icon 100 times with no success. There are no instructions anywhere about how to unlock the N7, other than that there are options for unlock such as password and face unlock. The factory-setting unlock is not explained. The unlock instructions should be in in the Quick Start guide.
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Sounds like you have no experience with android, simply drag the lock outside the circle that appears when you tap it.
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Mine came with a movie and tv app version for gb (Great Britton)...not the US...so when I try to watch a movie, it gives me an error message saying (not avaliable in your country)....can't figure out how to change the setting....
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1 big surprise to me was how resistant it is to fingerprint smudges. It seems like with my kindle fire I was wiping fingerprints off every 5 minutes. With the n7, once every hour is good enough.
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I was expecting my Galaxy S2 to shrink after using the N7. What I wasn't expecting is for this tablet which seems the ideal size in my hands to shrink right down when I put it in the soft (Kindle) sleeve I bought for it.
One second I've got this nice big screen a few inches from my short-sighted eyes, the next it's shrunk down to --dinky. Yes, yes, I know...
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Sounds like you have no experience with android, simply drag the lock outside the circle that appears when you tap it.
The Nexus 7 is so popular that there are going to be large numbers of purchasers like me who don't know anything about Android. Can you suggest something a beginner should read?
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@chaikenj - have a read of the Nexus 7 book you get free in the Play Store.
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Surprises? None that I can think of right now.
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I got unexpected surprize :)
Yesterday I purchased a 8 gb Nexus 7 from local store that had only 1 left and I could not wait for a 16 gb.
After playing with this tablet for 10 hours or so I started to explore in details and to my surprise it is in fact a 16 gb and states so on the box in the code- 1b/t30l/16/1g/v
They had trouble scanning the sku numbers and did in fact take 5 extra minutes getting the thing to take and when I paid for it I was happy that I settled for a 8 gb version but now it seams to be 16 gb
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So you are going to do the right thing and go back to the store and tell them they mistakenly sold you a 16GB for the price of a 8GB?
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After 2 weeks of calling and driving and emailing and only answers I got was you will not find one.
This is their mistake not mine. If I bought a 16 gig on eBay it would be 330. Or higher
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It is my guess that the store would spend more in time trying to correct it than it would be worth to them, not to mention the time you would invest in trying to correct. it.
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Every store I know of would tell him it was his fair and square. He bought what they sold him at their price.
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They were very close to me walking out with out the nexus as they could not get the SKU to work.
I thought it as a bad sign and almost left but now I am just grinning ;D
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Every store I know of would tell him it was his fair and square. He bought what they sold him at their price.
Not all stores. Maybe this store won't see it as fair and square. If he wants a 16GB then he should pay for it. Personally, my conscious would be gnawing at me if I didn't contact the store and make it right with them regardless of the outcome.
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I downloaded the T-r-a-n-s-f-o-r-m-e-r-s movie (hyphenated to confuse that damn V-i-g-L-i-n-k) as well, but can't locate it using ASTRO FILE MANAGER
Is it in a hidden (locked) folder somewhere ??
The file which can only be played through Play Movies & TV is located under the following path...
/sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.videos/files/Movies/....
Mine came with a movie and tv app version for gb (Great Britton)...not the US...so when I try to watch a movie, it gives me an error message saying (not avaliable in your country)....can't figure out how to change the setting....
I have no problems using it and I'm in the UK.
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My understanding is that only Google has 8 gigabyte models for sale. All the other retailers received only 16 gigabyte models. That explains the stores inability to find an 8 gigabyte model in its computer database.
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Well I can see why you have a +1 on your Karma score Zell, but I say, lucky him!
r
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Well I can see why you have a +1 on your Karma score Zell, but I say, lucky him!
r
For me, I'd be stoked if I got a 16 for the price of an 8 but only after the store said, keep it our mistake. To each his own.
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One thing that has surprised me about my N7 is the display, at times, is not as responsive as I'd like it to be when I tap and scroll on the screen. It's nowhere near as bad as the Kindle Fire but sometimes it's not immediately responsive and silky smooth like my iPad2 and iPhone4 either. I'm a little disappointed with this but maybe it's just a glitch with my particular device that a future OS update will fix. Anybody else notice this compared to an iPad? There are times when it's slow to respond to scroll and tapping a button.
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Just to add, I called this store many times checking on stock and they kept saying they only had three 8 gb units and after many days of this I decided to drive down there and just buy what they had preached to me about what was in stock :(
Thats my luck and now I am ;D
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+1 for me. :-)
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I must say I was very surprised to discover there was no way to do a Google Search on the Nexus. I touched what I thought was a search bar (it doesn't say what it is) and wound up on my way to Google Now! After having the Nexus 7 for a week, I finally had time to touch the search bar on the home page and study all the questions I got asked. After giving my responses, I now have a Google Search bar just where I thought it should be at the beginning.
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Yes, major unexpected surprise! I was THRILLED with it - until the screen decided to crack. Didn't drop it, didn't bump it hard, didn't even push on the screen hard, kept it in a protective case - and nonetheless, within a couple weeks of getting the tablet, the screen cracked. If you look to the left of the crack, you can clearly see that the glass is raised above the edge of the device on that side. Google says it's a user-caused error (alright, fine, who's to say I didn't drop it, I suppose); but ASUS is charging $160 to repair the screen. Even if it's a manufacturing error. I am seriously not happy, and cannot recommend that anyone purchase the tablet until the screen issue is fixed (google "Google Nexus 7 screen cracked" for other tales of woe).
*sigh* Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned customer service??
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Sorry to hear that happened SageAndScribe. For the record we've had very few reports here in the forum of the screen lifting issues that apparently have occurred to some Nexus 7s and yours is the first I've heard of actually 'cracking'. Generally most have found their tablets to be well made. Did you notice any screen lifting or separation issue before the crack or just after? Was it noticeable from outside the unit or only 'through the glass' of the screen?
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Thanks, Babyface. I'm glad there aren't too many folks - apparently I am just one of the unlucky few! :( I didn't notice anything serious before it cracked - just a little unevenness in the height of the screen as compared to the edge of the tablet. I didn't think anything of it until it magically cracked and I began scouring the 'Net for solutions.
I've attached a photo of one side of the crack - you can see the unevenness of the glass, minor though it is.
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Either I am a bit slow or the 'hotword' facility has been omitted. It doesn't appear on the Now settings menu.
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Hi all
Got my nexus 16g for my birthday today and guess what its faulty!!!!!
When I first turned it on there are thin white lines across the screen which don't disappear even with the latest update and a reset.
So its going back tomorrow (from Tesco) and they are sending another.
Funny thing is I had a feeling it was going to be faulty weird!
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I purchased a 16 GB version and loved everything about it! So much so, that I bought an 8GB version for my GF. We both can't say enough good about them. We were using Xoom tabs, but have since shelved them until we decide to sell them or give them away to relatives.
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@ JesusChrysler
Lucky you. I purchased a 3G iPad for my GF and I hate everything about it. Well maybe not everything, I do kind of enjoy it when I do something on my Nexus 7 and then have her ask, "Why can't my iPad do that?" ;D
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I do kind of enjoy it when I do something on my Nexus 7 and then have her ask, "Why can't my iPad do that?" ;D
Oh my, the system limitations of iOS... lol
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Not trying to insult your intelligence (because I did this), but did you press and *hold* the power button? This drove me crazy for my first 15 minutes of Nexus ownership.
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My unexpected surprise was that I ordered and paid for an 8GB unit but they sent me a 16GB one - certainly not complaining though!
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My unexpected surprise was that I ordered and paid for an 8GB unit but they sent me a 16GB one - certainly not complaining though!
Wow, what a pleasant surprise!
...and welcome to the forum.
radio
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Sorry to hear that happened SageAndScribe. For the record we've had very few reports here in the forum of the screen lifting issues that apparently have occurred to some Nexus 7s and yours is the first I've heard of actually 'cracking'. Generally most have found their tablets to be well made. Did you notice any screen lifting or separation issue before the crack or just after? Was it noticeable from outside the unit or only 'through the glass' of the screen?
Well, consider yourself as having heard another report. Mine cracked yesterday, didn't drop it or anything, dropped in side "cargo" pocket of my pants on my drive to work, when I arrived it had a spiderweb crack emanating from the middle of the left/bottom (long) side. There might have been a little stress on it from pressing against my leg when sitting in my car seat, but not much -- the pants leg ispretty baggy. The touchscreen is compeltley unresponsive now. In the last few days before the crack, I was also getting increasingly annoyed that it seemed to be "dropping" things more frequently as I dragged them across the screen; in hindsight I now wonder if this is related. I was not aware & never checked for the "raised glass on the middle of the left side" that I now see so many have encountered, and some have attributed their cracks to.
The more I read, the more I think this common flaw in the glass on the middle of the left side is a serious design issue, a ticking time bomb.
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@madman84: Thanks for the heads-up. This is exactly how I carry my Nexus 7 around, though not while driving. I'll have to keep my awareness on my left cargo pocket a lot more from now on.
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@ MadMan84
I would try for warranty coverage; Google may eventually recognize an issue. Keep us posted on your warranty progress.
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For anyone who has their N7 what did you find unexpected, good or bad... I've read LOTS of articles highlighting the major features, but is there anything you noticed that works better than you expected? What about geewiz features you've found that you think aren't getting enough attention? Or on the flip slide is there anything you expected to be amazing that ended up being bunk?
Just curious --
Sam
Mine has the screen lift issue and a little scrape on the silver paint but all in all it runs like a champ. It was also faster than my old tablet ( Galaxy Tab 10.1 ) which is now getting some dust and dirt but my mom now uses it. It is also great in gaming especially in high graphic games such as Frontline Commando because of the beautiful display ( 7 inch IPS display ) and it also doesn't lag unlike my old tablet. It was also smoother to operate than my old tablet which is laggy as HELL. It was also easier to hold than my Galaxy Tab 10.1 which made me look like an idiot for bringing it in public places. Battery life is so-so in the first weeks ( experienced this in my old tablet last year ). It also has a super premium feel on the back unlike my Galaxy Tab which was plasticky and flimsy. It was also better in updating software because when i unboxed it is asking for an update already. So overall it is a great tablet except for some quality issues. : )
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Personally I'm getting a little hacked off with the complete wipe a factory data reset does and the lack of getting into recovery from off....Grrrrrr
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I downloaded the T-r-a-n-s-f-o-r-m-e-r-s movie (hyphenated to confuse that damn V-i-g-L-i-n-k) as well, but can't locate it using ASTRO FILE MANAGER
Is it in a hidden (locked) folder somewhere ??
I see you're using Astro, have you tried ESfile manager? Depending on your preference, I found this free app and it makes moving files around into different folders very very easy, like on Windows. For what it's worth... ;
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You can see Transformers Movie file in Astro. JayJ posted the location in another topic. It is /sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.videos/files/Movies. Remember it will only play in the Google player.
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YES; tho I've messed with computers since the days of Dos, have a PC running XP and netbook running Win7 Basic, I am totally frustrated with this Android tablet. Not finding it intuitive at all. No, I'm not blonde, just gray. Is there a 'Dummy' book available that leads me beyond turning the thing on??? :-[
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The Nexus 7 Guidebook by Google is available on the Play Store and is free:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Google_Inc_Nexus_7_Guidebook?id=gKmQD47OvCYC
The Google Nexus 7 Survival Guide is also available on the Play Store and doesn't cost very much:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Toly_K_GoogleNexus7SurvivalGuide9781611982343?id=Ts9w9b7BytoC&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImJvb2stVHM5dzliN0J5dG9DIl0.
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We have the Nexus 7 Guidebook stickied and linked here (http://nexus7forum.com/index.php?topic=267.0) in the help forum.
While there are actually a bunch of different Nexus 7 'books', available through Amazon and the Google Play store, all of them are 3rd party and I can't really vouch for the quality of any of them. Some look pretty hastily put together to capitalize on the hype. In my opinion your best source for info is probably the official Guidebook, the Nexus 7 support page (http://support.google.com/nexus/?hl=en&topic=2565937) and this forum. :)
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Already had the guide book, just purchased the survival guide. THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK, GUYS.
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Would just like to note that this lends credence to the validity of the earlier thread; "Better Documentation !!!" Just sayin'...
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Seems good so far.
Fitbit App doesn't install (says not compatible).
WeFarm seems to load but with no picture.
Otherwise pretty impressive.
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Seems good so far.
Fitbit App doesn't install (says not compatible).
WeFarm seems to load but with no picture.
Otherwise pretty impressive.
http://www.knowyourmobile.com/blog/1457756/android_jelly_bean_easter_eggs_revealed.html (http://www.knowyourmobile.com/blog/1457756/android_jelly_bean_easter_eggs_revealed.html)
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USB cord only good for rooting and charging, no access to /root from pc (WiFi file transfer work around) this blew my mind :o
Kinda left a bad Apple taste.
USB otg cable on its way no other real issues so far.