Review: Google Nexus 7

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I recently got my hands on a Google Nexus 7 tablet, and I must say I am in love. I’ve previously owned three Android phones (Motorola Devour, Droid 1 and Droid 2 Global) and an Archos 101 tablet, but the Nexus 7 takes the cake. Even though it touts 4″ less screen than the Archos, I enjoy the smaller form-factor for both holding and view; it also feels more durable than the Archos. The phones don’t even compare. They are so much slower than the Jelly Bean OS that comes installed on the Nexus. And, thanks to Google’s commitment not to load any “Motoblur” crap on the device, I haven’t had a deep desire to root the device and install a custom OS!

Here is an excerpt of the specs:

SCREEN

  • 7” 1280×800 HD display (216 ppi)
  • 1.2MP front-facing camera

WEIGHT

  • 340 grams

MEMORY

  • 8 or 16 GB internal storage
  • 1 GB RAM

BATTERY

  • 9 hours of HD video playback
  • 10 hours of web browsing
  • 10 hours of e-reading
  • 300 hours of standby

CPU

  • Quad-core Tegra 3 processor

WIRELESS

  • WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth

USB

  • Micro USB

OS

  • Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

FEATURES

  • Microphone
  • NFC (Android Beam)
  • Accelerometer
  • GPS
  • Magnetometer
  • Gyroscope

Something to note is that the OS takes up about 2GB of storage, so in my case I have about 6GB remaining for applications and media (I have about 30 downloaded apps with still 5.3GB free).

The two things that I would change about the Nexus is the lack of expandable memory and any broadband wireless capabilities. Although the latter could be remedied with a wireless hotspot, it still shouldn’t sway anybody from purchasing a Nexus 7 tablet at just $200!

Now if only I could figure out a cool way to use it with my Raspberry Pi…I’m open to suggestions :)