This is my personal review about the new Google's Nexus 7.
I received my new toy yesterday (8GB version) and I have to say it is very nice, this is what I have to say about it:
Things I like:
Fast: Yes, that puppy is fast, for example, apps install in a few seconds, the uninstall also is very fast.
Light: You can hold the device in your hand for a long time without getting tired, the non-slip back keep it secured in your grasp.
OS: Jelly Bean looks good, it looks a lot like ICS but there are some subtle changes, I cannot really pinpoint them since this is my first Jelly Bean device, I own other devices running ICS but have some manufacturer modifications (HTC EVO), so in my case Jelly Bean looks kind of "plain", but nevertheless, Jelly Bean looks good.
Apps: Since Nexus 7 runs the stock version of Android, you will get just the "Google" apps, which is a good thing.
Things I Don't like:
Camera: The Nexus 7 comes with a front facing camera, which can be used to unlock the device via face recognition, and to video conference using Skype, however, some apps that support front facing cameras might not work, for example, video call using Yahoo Messenger. You will also notice the lack of the "camera app" on the device, not a bad thing, but it would be nice that the device had 2 cameras (front and back) but for the price I guess it's ok.
Some glitches: These glitches happen with B4A apps, I have found a couple so far, one is the WebView, if you have a webview that needs to reload content often it will "flicker", I found the same issue on another device running ICS and only that device, but that's a matter of another thread.
The other glitch happens when your app changes the activity orientation from portrait to landscape using SetActivityAttribute(SomeActivity, android:screenOrientation, "landscape") in your Manifest and you hit the "BACK" key, for some reason, the "Google Search" opens up, I have a couple of apps that have that and this happens.
They have also removed some system directories permissions in Jelly Bean, you were able "Read" the contents of certain directories, such as "/data/system" for example, now you can't, which means that if you have an app accessing those directories it will display a "Permission Denied" error.
Note: One "weird" thing is the density of this device, it is 213dpi which translates to scale=1.33125
Conclusion:
Overall, I'm really enjoying this Nexus 7 tab, in my case, I will use it primarilly for development.
I guess Google is targeting the Kindle and Nook market, or perhaps, the personal entertainment market, since the size and performance of this device in my opinion is perfect to watch videos, listen to music or read eBooks on the go, also, the "business" market, the device is light enough, powerful enough and has the right size to become your indispensable digital assistant.
Thanks.
I received my new toy yesterday (8GB version) and I have to say it is very nice, this is what I have to say about it:
Things I like:
Fast: Yes, that puppy is fast, for example, apps install in a few seconds, the uninstall also is very fast.
Light: You can hold the device in your hand for a long time without getting tired, the non-slip back keep it secured in your grasp.
OS: Jelly Bean looks good, it looks a lot like ICS but there are some subtle changes, I cannot really pinpoint them since this is my first Jelly Bean device, I own other devices running ICS but have some manufacturer modifications (HTC EVO), so in my case Jelly Bean looks kind of "plain", but nevertheless, Jelly Bean looks good.
Apps: Since Nexus 7 runs the stock version of Android, you will get just the "Google" apps, which is a good thing.
Things I Don't like:
Camera: The Nexus 7 comes with a front facing camera, which can be used to unlock the device via face recognition, and to video conference using Skype, however, some apps that support front facing cameras might not work, for example, video call using Yahoo Messenger. You will also notice the lack of the "camera app" on the device, not a bad thing, but it would be nice that the device had 2 cameras (front and back) but for the price I guess it's ok.
Some glitches: These glitches happen with B4A apps, I have found a couple so far, one is the WebView, if you have a webview that needs to reload content often it will "flicker", I found the same issue on another device running ICS and only that device, but that's a matter of another thread.
The other glitch happens when your app changes the activity orientation from portrait to landscape using SetActivityAttribute(SomeActivity, android:screenOrientation, "landscape") in your Manifest and you hit the "BACK" key, for some reason, the "Google Search" opens up, I have a couple of apps that have that and this happens.
They have also removed some system directories permissions in Jelly Bean, you were able "Read" the contents of certain directories, such as "/data/system" for example, now you can't, which means that if you have an app accessing those directories it will display a "Permission Denied" error.
Note: One "weird" thing is the density of this device, it is 213dpi which translates to scale=1.33125
Conclusion:
Overall, I'm really enjoying this Nexus 7 tab, in my case, I will use it primarilly for development.
I guess Google is targeting the Kindle and Nook market, or perhaps, the personal entertainment market, since the size and performance of this device in my opinion is perfect to watch videos, listen to music or read eBooks on the go, also, the "business" market, the device is light enough, powerful enough and has the right size to become your indispensable digital assistant.
Thanks.
