Played with whatever the latest Galaxy 10" tablet is at work today. Dig the stylus, don't dig the cheap-feeling plasticky construction. Really, really, really don't dig the stupid-ass Samsung skin over stock. Android 4+ really is a great UI on its own, much moreso than 2.2 or 2.3, and OEMs shitting it up is doing the whole platform a major disservice.
Maybe this is a Canada thing? The N4's been perpetually sold out, but the N7 and N10 have been available. The store right now shows "shipping soon (less than a week)", but when I ordered over the weekend, it was in stock. As far as I know, the only stores that will be selling N10s right away are Wal-Mart, and that's only the 32GB $499 version.
Yeah, it's probably a Canada thing. Also, Google charges $10 more in Canada, something even Apple finally stopped doing with the iPad, so boo Google.
I'm sure mkozlows gets them for free - he's a viral marketer for Android and Broken Forum is the most important site on the internet by far.
This isn't constructive (or funny, if that's what you were going for) and I'd like to think I'm intelligent enough to decide on my own if someone has gone from being passionate about a product to blind fanboyism. Canuck, the $10 premium rankles in part because it's so small. Why even bother? On the other hand Google is asking $209 for the 16 GB Nexus 7 in their store vs. the $239 I've seen it for at retail (though I don't know how much shipping costs add). If the impulse to buy strikes me when I'm within range of an iPad the deal may be done, anyway. Sometimes you get the itch and you just gotta scratch. Either tablet would meet my needs.
Eh, I very much tend to share mkozlow's preferences for mobile hardware, and Hanzii's post didn't strike me as mean-spirited so much as a little jab about how the man likes him some Android. Because hey, if Hans can still detect humor from that dark place deep within the reality distortion field he calls home, I for one can throw him a like now and again ;)
I figured it was just some iOS-style humor. You know, limited in scope, a bit dated... #ohsnap Sadly, I do not get tablets for free. In fact, I may have ordered the N10 after my third rum and coke one night and been subsequently irritated that Google Play won't let you cancel an order the next morning. (It's possible that admitting I got drunk and ordered a tablet may push me over the edge into blind fanboyism?)
I was actually thinking of a reply playing on that, but was afraid that I couldn't make it funny enough to warrant the risk of you feeling insulted - which I have no interest in. It was a simple joke. Mkozlows has been known to play the fanboy card, so I was pretty sure he could take it. (and if I wasn't so lazy, I would have posted this from my free iPhone 5) No, drunk gadgetshopping just pushes you into sad geekdom.
At least you have the booze as an excuse. I still don't know what exactly was going on in my brain that triggered my unnecessary tablet purchase. I'm blaming Black Friday, the weird gas that they pump into Apple stores, and your earlier hypothesis that Apple devotees only buy Apple. I've got a perfectly cromulent iPad 3 like Lum does, and I never saw the point of a ~7" tablet. A few weeks ago I went into an Apple Store just to see what all the fuss was about, and the iPad mini triggered that I want this right now I never want to stop holding it impulse that I haven't had since he original iPhone. I figured that once they came out with a less chumpy and low-res version of the mini, it'd be a no-brainer. But then while all the Black Friday hubbub was going on, I got this weird urge to go to the Fry's just to take a look. They had a Nexus 7 on display (but were sold out of everything), so I finally got to see one in person. I like the build of it fine, the back is cool, and the screen is perfectly nice. And of course they priced it just right. Still, while it seemed like it'd be great for a first-time tablet buyer, for me it seemed completely superfluous. So I became irrationally obsessed with getting a mini. Every place in Georgia was sold out, but I found one store that had the 16GB version still in stock when I got back to California. And I love the thing as much as a man can love a chunk of aluminum and glass that he has absolutely no use for. It's the perfect size for reading books. I'd been making jokes about people who would complain that the iPad was too big or too heavy, but the joke's on me since the mini is much easier to hold for extended periods of time. (I've been having to prop the iPad on the tray table on flights, and having to constantly readjust it as the person in front of me moved his seat back and forth). With the cover wrapped around the back, it feels natural to hold one-handed. The screen is noticeably lower-resolution than the iPad 3, but it doesn't matter in the slightest; everything looks sharp until you get to very small text sizes. And using Tweetbot and Flipboard on it is as close as I'll come to being on the Enterprise in my lifetime. So yeah, "Apple Fan Likes New Apple Product" isn't exactly news, but I can relate to the brand loyalty and ill-thought-out purchase-making-but-who-cares-because-the-thing-feels-great. I'm still trying to convince myself that the mini has sold so well that it makes perfect sense for me to have one for development and testing of this iOS app that I'll totally finish any day now honest.
There's nothing wrong with loving the iPad mini. It's a great little piece of hardware. If I didn't have a hate-on for so very many things about Apple and/or the Nexus 7 didn't exist, I can totally see myself with one.
Please, I haven't seen the borders of sad geekdom for decades now. (The really sad thing is that, having the N7 and N10, part of me wants the N4 just to Collect All Three. I manfully resist.) So re the N10, after more use I will say that I've been surprised at how fast it is. On the one hand, I shouldn't be, because it's the first Cortex A15 out there and objectively it is very very fast. But the tenor of reviews was mostly of the "performance is good, but not as fast as we were hoping for considering," and I was afraid that the 2560x1600 screen would strain the thing in the same way that the 1920x1200 screen of the TFI apparently strains the Tegra 3. But no, it's just really really fast. Now I am all excited for next year's N7 successor, with a higher-res screen and faster processor. Man, technology is awesome.
Where do people buy their Nexi anway? I just saw one (1) demo unit for a Nexus 7 at the local electronics store, it looked pretty neat and cost only €199 but there were absolutely no other units and they didn't know when they'd get any. Amazon Germany has 3rd party offers from €260 on up, and the €260 seller claims only one device in stock -- the rest are €300. And the Nexus 10 does not exist anywhere, as far as I can tell.
The base Nexus 7 is, as far as I can tell, only sold through Google. Presumably due to lack of profit margin for a retailer. The more expensive one is sold through a bunch of different places (Staples, Office Max, Wal-Mart, etc.), as well as Google directly. The base N10 is only at Google. The expensive N10 is allegedly sold through Wal-mart, according to their press release, but I've never tried to verify that.
Oh hey, I can buy directly from Google! I didn't realize that. Of course all Nexus 10 variants are completely sold out there, too, but they do have the basic Nexus 7 in stock for €199. Sold!
I bought my Nexus 7 at the local Wal-Mart -- $199 for 16G (w/camera) about a month ago. During a recent visit to the Apple Store played with the iPad Mini (and used v1 iPad for a long time before giving to Mrs. Naum back in spring), and while it pretty sweet (plus runs a lot more polished apps and games), quite pleased about opting for a Nexus 7 -- at 60% of the price, with better resolution, and it does Google stuff much better than the iPad does IMV. I never thought a 7" tablet would be appealing either (actually desire a bigger, legal size tablet!) but it provides an excellent form factor -- easy to hold, slides into back pocket (or jacket/hoodie pocket). Also, Kindle Paperwhite has sat idle and even do Kindle reading on it (not pleased with Kindle lighting in dark room whatsoever nor the notion that now I need the backlight on even in lit rooms).
I already have an iPad 3 anyway but I figured it's about time to check out this newfangled "Droid" thing, and the Nexus 7 has great hardware for a very cheap price. I also hope that I'll finally be able to use a real browser for Google+ instead of that horrible iOS app, or the even more horrible mobile website.
You're probably out of luck with G+. I like the app just fine, but I don't think it's much different than the iOS version; and while you can get the non-mobile website in Chrome, and it works, it is very much not optimized for touch at all (which is why a mobile version and an app exist), and I can't imagine you'd prefer it to alternatives.
I've got absolutely no reservations about the mini; it's about perfect for a tablet (until the next version comes along, anyway). All my rationalization and justification is purely trying to come up with a reason for me to have one when I've already got an iPad 3.
Big tablets suck for reading. Really, I think of the N7 as the "default" tablet and the big one as the special-purpose one, even though it's better in every way.
Anandtech has a review of the iPad 4 up. I love Anand-written reviews because even if you're not interested in the particular device, you can learn stuff about the tech and the market. If you're interested in the subject (and if you're here, you probably are), the whole thing's worth a read. For the iPad4 vs. N10 question, Anand addresses it directly at the end:
Man, Google is worse than Sony with online updates. Just got my brand-new Nexus 7, it comes with Android 4.1 -- and I immediately get an update notice for version 4.1.1. Then for 4.1.2. Then for 4.2. And then for a nameless patch for 4.2! Are you kidding me? How about downloading the latest version in one go, if it can't be installed directly?
Okay, got all the updates and Firefox. I'm running Google+ in Firefox because Google decided to be assholes and only offer the mobile site in Chrome. Firefox works quite nicely, though. What a relief to have a proper browser that doesn't request websites to send crippled mobile versions like stupid Safari. Now I wish I had a bigger tablet... but I plan to get a Windows 8 hybrid next year anyway, so probably no Nexus 10.
Chrome is a better browser overall so I think I'll mostly use that -- except for Google+ ironically. Anyway, a question: is there some way to remove those obnoxious gigantic RECOMMENDED banners from the home screen?
Even if you click the "request desktop site" checkbox? Because that gave me the full site when I tried it out.
What checkbox.... oh, THAT checkbox! Yes, that's working, thanks. Curiously, Firefox has the same checkbox but always seems to show the desktop site regardless.
Probably because websites don't recognise the user agent for Mobile Firefox and send it the desktop version.
I think that really illustrates the point Anandtech (and some of us) is making in the quote above. Apple might have some real competition and is even surpassed on some points in hardware, but when it comes to the OS they're a much better choice for the average user. I might pick up a Nexus 7, when I go to the US if I can find one, at that price an extra tablet could be cool (and I can try keeping up with Android).
Good point, I believe Firefox on Android is still a fairly new thing. I checked the desktop option in both browsers, just in case. As a random thought, "mobile" versions of websites don't really make much sense on tablets, all that needs adjusting are complex input elements which aren't touch-compatible. Layouts for tiny phone displays with slow primitive browsers are inappropriate here. Hopefully Windows 8 will compel web developers to check for touch compatibility in all website versions so tablets can just default to desktop versions. So far Android reminds me of Windows rather than iOS... it works and lets you do stuff that iOS doesn't, but it's relatively clunky and incoherent. For people with simple requirements who aren't already experienced computer users I'd rather recommend an iPad. You can order online from Google in Europe, it's €199 + €10 shipping.
Exactly my experience with the N7 I had for review. Yeah, but since it's not something I need, but just a for fun toy adding an extra $85 to the price puts it outside impulse buy range for me. It is however €80 less than it sels for in stores here, which makes me wonder why any store would even take it home.
Okay, another question: Google accounts on Nexus offer a long list of sync options. I understand some of them, e.g. Chrome would share tabs & bookmarks between installations. But what's the point of sync options for pure online services like Gmail and Google Reader? Those get synchronized automatically just by using them since all data is stored on the central Google server. What else is there to sync?
Settings -> scroll down to Accounts -> Google -> tap on your account. Long list of sync options comes up.
So it does. I have no idea what that actually syncs, but I could imagine it might be preferences for the app across devices, or other such metadata not related to the actual data itself. But no idea.
What I will say is: Do not trust judgments that you make when you're first using a new OS and are deeply familiar with another one, because you're basically inevitably going to be used to the UI conventions of the thing you've been using, and the conventions of the new one will be weird and awkward and unfamiliar. When I switched from WebOS to Android, I had long threads where I was bitching about the stupidity of long-pressing things, and complaining about all these things that I couldn't figure out because they weren't like what I was used to. But at this point, having used Android for a while, all that stuff is second nature to me and is literally just invisible matter-of-course UI that I never think about at all. If you write down a list of what is confusing/frustrating/weird to you about Android right now, and then use it for a year and come back, your list will probably be 80% things where you're like "wtf, why was I so fussed about that," 10% things that Google improved on over that year, and 10% things that were valid concerns and remain valid concerns.
I have become an expert at shopping for but not purchasing tablets. Of late I've been looking at the Nexus 7 again even though it's officially off my list because I've spent enough time with Android to get used to most of the differences between it and iOS. I also have a gift card that can be used toward a purchase that makes the Nexus 7 so much cheaper than an iPad that I ought to at least consider again the value argument. What I really want is both a 7" and a 10" tablet so I don't have to decide. But that's a bit silly and beyond my budget so I'm weighing how much I could tolerate a smaller 7" tablet. To me it's a superior size in terms of comfort, for traveling and as an ereader if you're sticking to primarily text books (like novels) but it's inferior for writing and web browsing, though the latter is dependent a lot on how individual sites are designed. Many look fine on a 7" display, others look too small and yet the mobile versions end up being goofy big. Basically I don't know what I'm going to do, so I'll just sit back and keep reading the experiences of people who can actually make a decision and buy something. :P
Or if you're well versed in working with different operating systems over the years, you learn how to compare and contrast... which is probably why Chris came to the same conclusion as 99% of professional reviewers. Android is a great but somewhat kludgy OS, not as intuitive or easy to use as iOS, but also allow the user to do more - not everybody want or needs that last bit.
