I'll try to cover the things that made an impact in my purchase and in my daily usage. A little background; I'm a advanced user, i own a Samsung Galaxy S3, Iphone 4, Windows PC, and a few other gadgets. I read a lot about the mobile industry, Android, Apple, Microsoft, etc. This is just to let you know guys, where i'm coming from. So here we go. -_-.
Like a lot of you, i was undecided between the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and the Asus Google Nexus 7 (The Kindle Fire HD, wasn't in my options, it's because i live outside the US, so no amazon content for me. Also, i don't like the forked Amazon OS). The reason i choose this, was meanly for this aspects: Screen Resolution, Faster Processor and Graphics Card. One main disadvantage, as all of you may know by now, is the lack of SD-Card. But there are so many options, including attaching a flash drive using a OTG USB Cable. I know that it isn't the ideal solution, but if i found myself needing more space (and trust me, i will) it's nice to know i have options.
OS:
The first thing i did was root my device and put it a Custom ROM. Yes i know that one of the reason people buy Google "official" devices, it's to have the "pure android experience" as well regular and fast updates. But for me, i particularly don't like the direction Google it's taking with the OS on the nexus 7, it looks more like a BIG Phone, instead a Small Tablet. That's the reason i put a Custom ROM in it. I want to use my tablet as a tablet and my phone as a phone. I like to have the dual-pane, that categorizes the tablet market, so after a lot of youtube's videos, and homing around the XDA forums, i did just that.
Design:
It's light, beautiful packaged and nice rubber-ish texture on the back. It's portable, it can fit in a back pocket in your jeans, but if you are going to use it without a cover, i would recommend getting a screen protector at least. Even though, it has corning glass protection, it is best to prevent for any unwanted scratches.
I use this also for work. it's a great companion to take notes, record meetings, and show presentations. Also, as a market researcher, in my company we use an android app to conduct our surveys.
Miscs:
For me, this is the best 7" tablet around. First, it's cheap. Secondly, top-of-the-line specs. Third, nice looking HD screen, watching movies or just surfing the web it's amazing. Also, playing games in this tablet it's great. I don't care if you are a hardcore gamer, or just some casual gamer that plays from time to time, it is awesome. There are so many reasons to buy this, for some the lack of a back camera may be a deal breaker, but for me, it wasn't. As i usually have my phone around, it doesn't affect me. Besides, you wouldn't look so sexy, holding your tablet in portrait mode to take a picture outside, while you are in the subway or in the street.
Here are my two cents. i tried to make a compact and short review. There are so many things you can say about this device, for me it's the perfect size for all the things i just described above. If you are planning on getting one, go ahead, i'm pretty sure you won't regret it.
I hope you like this review, i'll be coming with more updates to let you know other aspects of this tablet.
Any comments or if you think i can help you with something, put it on the comments section, i'll reply as soon as possible.
Update 11/05/2012:
I just noticed the screen flickers a little bit when it's on a white page, most commonly on the browser (it's only noticeable if your brightness is set to low) and the WiFi it's getting data. I've search online and found out that is an issue with the WiFi position in the device. Nothing major though, as this only occurs if you have the brightness set to minimum and you are in a dark room. You just move the brightness to 30% - 40%, and it fix the issue.
| Standing screen display size | 7 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1280_x_800 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| RAM | 1 GB DDR3 |
| Hard Drive | 16 GB |
| Wireless Type | 802.11bgn, 802.11b, 802.11b/g |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 8 Hours |
