As great as the Nexus 7 is, one feature that was arguably sacrificed in order to bring us the goods like a Tegra 3 and IPS display at 1280 x 800 was a rear camera. While the front camera can work in a pinch and is serviceable for Skype and the occasional snapshot, good quality cameras front and rear will have to wait till the 2nd generation Nexus 7...or will it? Well it looks like at least for the front camera, it's received an unexpected 'upgrade' via a software Mod created by XDA Member hillbeast that gives you 720p video recording capability through the front camera. Now you'll have to have your Nexus 7 rooted and have ClockworkMod Recovery installed and it should work on any stock Rom on your Nexus 7. Android Authority was nice enough to write up a nice step by step which I've quoted below. If you do it let us know in the comments if you're happy with the results and as always, do a full backup of everything before you try it just in case.
This guide shows you how to enable 720p video recording on the Nexus 7.
Warning
The instructions in this guide are intended for use with the Asus Nexus 7. Applying these instructions on another device or model may produce undesired outcomes.
The information in this guide is provided for instructional and educational purposes only. There is no guarantee that these instructions will work under your specific and unique circumstances.
Use these instructions at your own risk. We shall not hold any responsibility or liability for whatever happens to you or your device arising from your use of the info in this guide.
Read and understand the whole guide first before actually performing the instructions.
Requirements
Asus Nexus 7 with root access and ClockworkMod Recovery installed.
For help, you can check our guide on how to root and flash ClockworkMod Recovery on the Nexus 7.
Download the 720p video recording mod (N7-720p_camera_mod-tl-aosp.zip, md5sum: d55c92364a7fe14a25ad633d41d3feb1)
Backup all personal data on your tablet to make sure you have a copy of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the like) in case the procedure in this guide erases such data.
For backup tips, check our guides on how to sync your data to the cloud and how to create local backups of your mobile data.
Instructions
Copy the mod’s ZIP file to your tablet’s internal SD card.
Switch off the tablet.
Boot the tablet into Fastboot Mode. To do that, press the Volume Up, Volume Down, and the Power buttons until Fastboot Mode boots. Select Recovery to boot into ClockworkMod Recovery.
Create a NANDroid backup of your current ROM. Select Backup and Restore > Backup.
Select Install ZIP from SD Card > Choose ZIP from SD Card > select the MOD file > Yes.
Select Go Back > Reboot System Now.
Congratulations! You can now take and record 720p videos using your Nexus 7′s front camera.
AndroidAuthorityXDA
