I Got It! - Nexus 7 New Owners/Unboxing/First Impressions Thread

[Zell]

Got it last Tuesday and first impression was: "Wow".

I bought a Kindle Fire earlier last month and played around with it for about 3 weeks and I was, overall, unimpressed.  I did not like the looks of the KF (no sex-appeal).  It was heavy.  The OS processing was fairly slow and jerky.  I hated the carousel home page.  And, the touch screen was almost always unresponsive to taps.  On June 28 I heard about the N7 and on June 29 I pre-ordered one.  I was still within the Amazon 30-day returns window so I sent the KF back and got a full refund.

So, now I have a N7, which compared to the Kindle Fire -- well, there really isn't much of a comparison -- is a much better tablet all the way around.  Especially compared to the things about the KF that I mention above.

The weight of it is not noticeable to me.  It has sleek looks.  A fast processor and responsive touch screen.  And I like the Android OS -- even though I've never had an Android device.  Since I have an iPad2 and iPhone4, it's been kind of fun exploring Android.

Some of the things that disappoint me are:

1) The display isn't as sharp as it was hyped-up to be, though I still like it.  I don't find it much different than the KF's display -- although I've been spoiled having used an iPad2 for over a year.

2) The process of setting up wallpaper flat out sucks.  That makes me wonder what other surprises about Android OS that I'll find.

3) I do not like Chrome at all on the N7 (even though I'm a devoted Google fan and use Chrome on my non-Apple laptop).  But, not liking Chrome on the N7 is a Google software thing.  I'm using Dolphin now.

4) The speaker is tinny sounding, but so is the iPad's.  No bid deal.

5) AND, the N7 looks and feels a lot like an iPad (kind of like a smaller version) with a black, grippy back.  This kind of takes away some of the novelty and uniqueness of the N7 for me because I'm used to an iPad.  Despite that, as with the iPad, I like the looks of it compared to other devices.  It's not a big issue for me in the slightest.

I really hope the glass screen is scratch-resistant (does it have Gorilla glass?).  I don't want to put a screen protector on because I think they diminish the clarity and true colors of a tablet display.  They also hinder touch-screening.

Like the iPad2 that I have (which I now find boring to use these days -- hence the N7), I'm sure after the novelty of the N7 has worn off for me I will be looking for the next latest and greatest gadget.  But that probably won't happen until Google comes out with a Nexus 8.

[birdastrompgman]

It'll be a Nexus 10.

My second impression is the voice assistant is absolutely awesome, perhaps the best feature of the N7.

[edhunter]

I'm looking forward to testing the voice assistant out as I abandoned siri on the iphone as it was so frustrating. These things are a complete waste of time if they rarely work properly but fantastic if they do.

[Undo]

I'm surprised Zell doesn't think the N7 screen is much sharper than the Kindle Fire. I've used a Fire and I own a Nook Color which both have 1024 x 600 resolution. In comparison, the Nexus 7 screen at 1280 x 800 is much sharper and, to me, the best feature/improvement compared to my Nook.

I've ordered a silicon skin for my Nexus 7. The tablet's rubber back is not very grippy and with the glass front, it seems too slippery to hold for hours while I'm reading. If the bezel around the screen was narrower, it would be easier to palm the device while using it. I guess my hands are a bit too small.

Those are my second impressions. 

[coolbreeze]

I'm surprised Zell doesn't think the N7 screen is much sharper than the Kindle Fire. I've used a Fire and I own a Nook Color which both have 1024 x 600 resolution. In comparison, the Nexus 7 screen at 1280 x 800 is much sharper and, to me, the best feature/improvement compared to my Nook.

I've ordered a silicon skin for my Nexus 7. The tablet's rubber back is not very grippy and with the glass front, it seems too slippery to hold for hours while I'm reading. If the bezel around the screen was narrower, it would be easier to palm the device while using it. I guess my hands are a bit too small.

Those are my second impressions. 

Undo- Which silicon skin did you order? I have one for my Razr and like it very much. I think I would prefer the same for my N7.

[Undo]

Undo- Which silicon skin did you order? I have one for my Razr and like it very much. I think I would prefer the same for my N7.

The only one I could find...from casesbuy.com. It's coming from Hong Kong and won't get here for a while so I have no idea of its quality. I'll post again when I get it.

I expect in a few weeks there will be more available.

[coolbreeze]

Undo- Which silicon skin did you order? I have one for my Razr and like it very much. I think I would prefer the same for my N7.

The only one I could find...from casesbuy.com. It's coming from Hong Kong and won't get here for a while so I have no idea of its quality. I'll post again when I get it.

I expect in a few weeks there will be more available.

I like it. Might be the one for me. Thanks.

[radiocycle]

It'll be a Nexus 10.

My second impression is the voice assistant is absolutely awesome, perhaps the best feature of the N7.

And what do you use it for birdman??

r

[birdastrompgman]

Here you go, radio.  Oh, this is what I use the N7 for.  I use the voice assistant to satisfy my curiosity.  If I get curious whether Mickey Rooney is dead, it's easier to push the microphone icon and ask, than to open Chrome, go to the Google web page, and type in the question.

[DaveS]

Been using it for a day now. Love it love it love it. Predictive text keyboard is best I have ever used. More to follow.