[Nexus 7 General] angermeans:
Great review. I am in the same situation. I own the new iPad and love it. It is simply the best display I have ever seen/used. I've been waiting for years for the high pixel density display tech that we are now seeing. My iPad is not going anywhere especially after spending last year with the Motorola Xoom (worst screen I have ever seen or used) and Transformer Prime. I really didn't not like the OEM version of Android tablets and waited eagerly for Google to create an experience I am sure we will get with the Nexus 7 (according to your review it seems that is exactly what I was waiting for). I dumped my Xoom and Prime mostly for the retina display and felt that I would just put up with iOS, but I've been extremely happy with it and Apple has done a lot with iOS since I dumped my 3GS so many years ago for the Nexus One and kept on the Android road since then with numerous phones a year. I found myself really getting sick of Android in general after owning numerous skinned Android devices and so after my iPad I went and bought me an iPhone 4S which I use for my main device. iOS is just smooth and works great. The apps are second to none and their hardware is unmatched by any Android device on the planet. I even began leaving my Galaxy Nexus at home or using it primarily for the 4G LTE Hotspot.

All of this until Google announced the Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean. The next day I flashed an early JB build and I haven't looked back sense. I hear all the time that JB is not much of an update from ICS (I am willing to bet that is because most have not used JB, or are simply trying to make their skinned devices seem better). In my opinion (and the main reason I did the unthinkable and switch mainly to iOS especially on the iPhone 4s) Project Butter is the single best improvement that Andy Rubin, Matias Duarte, and the Google Android dev team have ever added to Android. It is still not quite up to par with iOS, but it is leaps and bounds better than ICS and especially Froyo, Gingerbread, and Honeycomb. I kept my Galaxy Nexus because I just couldn't get rid of it and knew that I will always prefer stock Android over iOS despite how it runs and that applications are miles behind what you will find on the iPad or iPhone. I am so glad that I did and now I am back on Android as my daily phone (although I still carry my iPhone 4S as it is the better music device, phone, Siri, and text). You just can't beat that beautiful 4.65 inch display.

Anyways, even months ago when the N7 was just a rumor I always knew I would pick one up as the price was just too good to pass up. What I didn't expect is that the N7 would be as nice as it is and the price still as low as it is. I've spent the last 2 weeks reading and watching every review I can about the Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean and enjoying it on my Galaxy Nexus device. Fromt the videos I have seen it is very smooth and looks great. I've always been a huge fan of Matias and one can tell that ICS/JB are his babies and that Google and the Android team really gave him full reigns to redesign Android from the ground up. It is an absolute shame seeing OEMs like Samsung and Motorola completely ignore the minimalism and beautiful design in favor of their old and horrible looking skins. HTC seems to have toned it down and it is the only skin in the past I have been able to handle, but even that was getting old and I couldn't handle waiting for updates (even though the first thing I do when I get a device is root and flash a custom ROM).

Anyways, I appreciate your review it really seems that you like this device and I am expecting a lot when I get it hopefully early next week. Also it is nice to see this review from someone like me that has given up on Android tablets in general as they dont compete in the slightest to the iPad and Apple's eco system. I purchased this device primarily because of a few things. One, the price. Two, it's a Nexus, Three, and most importantly the development that is sure to come, and four, I love the 7" form factor and really plan on using it as an eReader. I will still primarily use my iPad and I wont get rid of it anytime soon, but I can see via your review that you had pretty much made your purchase for the same reasons and it seems that you have been happy enough with it that it is now your primary device. That surprises me and frankly it gets me excited. Thanks again man I am sure I will see you around. I really got a chance to live vicariously through you this weekend and all of your points and opinions seem to be on par with mine. Enjoy your N7!