EEVblog #322 - Google Nexus 7 Tablet Review - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 12:26:53 pm
content: Dave.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 06:09:33 pm
content: Interesting review; especially the fact that the app store works overseas (with family and friends in Brazil that is an important thing).I would love to have one of these, since to me the $199 price feels right for a tablet. However, I still need to find a real use for me, as my small 11 inch windows-based netbook still is a great lab companion as "datasheet display", "Rigol's screen capture" and the eventual TINA circuit simulator and small schematics adjustments in Kicad...In this week's Amp Hour you seemed to have a similar concern to find a good use for fully featured tablets... What changed? Was that the peer (wife) pressure? I got a similar scenario here...A few interesting comparison points between this and the Kindle Fire review:- Interesting to see how certain innovations change us bit by bit... Back in the Kindle Fire review you were talking about "the cloud" with a bit of suspicion/caution, but with the Google you are now completely immersed in it (Google Docs, Google mail, Google this, Google that...)- In the Kindle Fire review you were upset by the fact the damn thing pulled 1,6A (or something like that) to charge itself, but your impression was milder with the fact the Nexus has a 2,0A charger... Just like me, I guess we all end up "giving in" to the fact these little things are true power hogs! How wouldn't they? All in all they are multi-GHz-core-HD-accelerated-GB-crammed supercomputers!- The weight of the Kindle Fire is only 70g more, but it is very interesting to see how it affects the impression of a product... Obviously when we get used to something as light as the regular Kindle, anything above that becomes very annoying.- The "real" buttons for volume control are definitely a big plus when compared to the Kindle, as well as the position of the power button and the main screen (I wasn't convinced by the bookshelf screen of the Fire as well). Also, it is nice to see the rotate window can be disabled so easily (only in rare occasions I like the gyroscope to take control).Anyways, great stuff. Thanks!

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 06:50:31 pm
content: Since it's the original untouched OS, you get updates and an interface that is exactly the same as your android phone ( If unadulterated OS )Dave, the update you got was the 4.1.1, from the stock 4.1 in the tablet itself

author: ee851
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 06:51:40 pm
content: Thank you for the teardown video. I enjoyed that.What are the metal squares in the power supply, marked 1R0 and 2R2 ? Pretty strange looking resistors, if that's what they are!

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2012, 07:20:04 pm
content: Inductors not resistors. Part of the buck boost power supply and the battery charge controller.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 27, 2012, 02:51:14 am
content: Quote from: rsjsouza on July 26, 2012, 06:09:33 pma) The wife was talking about a tablet because her netbook is quite slow, and not the ideal form factor for just browsing with Sagan in tow.b) The price was low enoughc) I got caught up in the frenzy and just decided I wanted one :->Given that I spend 15+ hrs/day within a few steps of a real desktop/notebook, and rarely get out of the house these days, and when I do I don't care about surfing. I'm still finding it hard to find a use for the thing personally, but the wife loves it.QuoteI've been a huge fan of "the cloud" in terms of mail and simple docs for a few years now, because it works across multiple machines. But when it comes to other stuff like video/books on demand for example, I still prefer to have that content stored locally and available instantly.For some things the cloud is useful and essential, for others, it's not the right solution IMO.Dave.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2012, 11:30:17 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 27, 2012, 02:51:14 amYep. My netbook is slow as molasses as well - when I boot in Linux it helps a bit, though I can't use some tools there. Although my wife ended up landing on a 13'' ultrabook (with SSD and all bells and whistles), I foresee the tablet will be back into discussion when kids arrive.Quote from: EEVblog on July 27, 2012, 02:51:14 amI feel the same. To me this factor also blocks me to purchase internet connectivity for my smartphone - I use mine as a PDA-only, syncing it offline with the PC (from that you can tell how much I look forward for your teardown of the PDAs you received the other day).Quote from: EEVblog on July 27, 2012, 02:51:14 amThat's right. This same reason also prevents me from fully accepting the concept of a Google Chromebook as well - what if you have a network outage for any reason? Can't watch or listen to anything...

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2012, 02:22:58 pm
content: Yes, netbooks are impressively .... wait for it, slow.Single core that is.At least it got much better shifting to dual core and placing 2GB of RAM on it.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2012, 01:08:48 pm
content: I got one of these as a pdf reader, its finally decent both for rendering speed and readability.Everyone is aware Apple's strategy of forcing users to go through its apps and stores to buy and use their applications. Of the 3 top players, the most restrictive being Apple, Amazon is a not too distant second but Google is a distant 3rd, so far.With Android is you have the freedom to go elsewhere and get stuff, such as non-Google vendors. I just spent several hours removing Google's apps to its product and replacing it with less integrated ones. For example, I use Firefox for some sites, and Chrome for others [ Google related apps exchange data between themselves, such as location data even with GPS and location turned off, but not with Firefox.]E.g. The manual for the Nexus 7 is in the Google Books, but the format is less portable. A pdf also exists, and you can download that from any browser. Both are very readable but the Google book app just adds bells and whistles. When booted, the Google app is on the desktop, and your impluse to to use it for searching and locating reading material. You can install a Kindle reader, but you are on your own [ I did it, and removed it just as a check.]I checked public domain books like Sun Tzu's Art of War, or Ceasar's Gallic Wars; both are available free via project Gutenberg yet Google charges $2 for Art of War [ which is popular in business circles.] Both can be downloaded via a web search for free.