[Nexus 7 General] _MetalHead_:
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Disclaimer: You are going to see me mention the iPad a LOT here, and that's because I have been an iPad user since day 1 when the first iPad came out. I have HATED every single Android tablet up till the N7. My hatred for Android tablets was exacerbated by the fact that I love Android and so dearly wanted one that could compete with the iPad and they all just fell short. Now that I have my N7, I am THRILLED with it, and haven't touched my iPad once since getting it. So you may think from reading this that I am an iPad fanboy, which I most definitely am not. I have just been patiently waiting for a comparable Android tablet to come to market and now one finally has. Happy day.

Read on.

Those that know me know that I just don’t like Android tablets. They have never appealed to me. I have always found many things wrong with them (both hardware and software), and have always preferred the iPad for my on-the-go digital consumption and gaming needs. Even the highest end Android tablets have always left something to be desired- from the terrible screen, weight and heft of the Motorola Xoom all the way to the Transformer Prime which while being the best Android tablet ever when it arrived on the scene, failed to live up to the hype. Android just wasn’t quite ready for the tablet scene and the iPad always overshadowed even the best Android tablets. Argue with me all you want about how much better your Prime is than the iPad but the fact is (yes, I said FACT), it’s not. The iPad has better hardware, better software, better build quality, and MUCH better apps. Because of this, there was no reason whatsoever to buy any Android tablet over the iPad- until now.

In comes the Nexus 7, the second Android tablet I have owned (the first being the Samsung Galaxy tab 7.0 Plus that was returned after 4 hours), and easily the best Android tablet ever made. Now when I say that, I don’t mean that it has the best specs, the best screen, the slimmest profile, or the sexiest looks. What I mean is the package as a whole is the best Android has to offer, and for the price you just can’t beat it. In fact, after owning one for about 24 hours now, I’d be hard pressed to try to come up with a better way to spend $250. Pretty much all the complaints I have had about Android tablets in the past are completely moot now with the Nexus 7.

Lets start with the hardware. For $250 ($200 if you got the 8gb version), Google has managed to squeeze incredible performance out of this thing. The Tegra 3 processor just screams here. Now, the Tegra 3 is not the most powerful SOC (system on a chip) out there, but it is definitely a respectable powerhouse, and Google has clearly optimized Jelly Bean to run on it and that makes all the difference in the world. Apps open fast, games run flawlessly with nary a frame rate stutter, and scrolling is buttery smooth (more on the butter later). The 1280x800 screen on it isn’t the greatest. In all honesty, it is the N7’s biggest shortcoming. It feels rather outdated, especially coming from an iPad 3 and an HTC One XL, but for the price, you just can’t beat it. It’s an IPS LCD that has decent color reproduction, acceptable indoor brightness levels, and a great viewing angle. At the most extreme angles the blacks do get washed out but hey, who uses tablets from the side? At every USABLE viewing angle however the screen is great, as long as you don’t use it side by side with the previously mentioned devices. My only real complaint about it is its outdoor performance. Maybe the breathtaking SLCD2 on my AT&T One XL (best phone ever, shut up about your plasticky SGS3 already) has spoiled me, but I was very disappointed with the way the screen looks outside. Even at its maximum brightness it is barely viewable even on an overcast day like today. But the good thing is that disappointment was quickly diminished when I reminded myself how much I paid for this thing.

Build quality is superb, but that shouldn’t be a surprise considering ASUS manufactured this thing for Google. The front is a solid slab of Corning scratch resistant glass (not Gorilla Glass), it is bound by a very tasteful silver frame, and the dimpled rubberized back is a joy to behold. This thing is absolutely solid, not a creak or squeak anywhere, and it feels like a much more expensive device than it is. I expected decent build quality but what I got was way beyond whatever preconceived notions I had had. Seriously, the craftsmanship on this thing is belied by its diminutive price tag. I think all other Android tab manufacturers need to take note here (*cough*Samsung*cough*)- THIS is how you build an Android tablet. I have played with practically every other major Android tablet on the market and none of them conveyed a sense of quality that could hold its own against the build of an iPad. This bad boy right here goes toe to toe with Apple’s offering in this regard. They have completely different design aesthetics but there is no denying that Google and ASUS meant business here.

On to the software. The Nexus 7 is Google’s first device to ship with its latest version of Android, version 4.1 Jelly Bean. It isn’t a major leap forward from Ice Cream Sandwich but more of an evolutionary step. They have optimized the performance of it so it feels a lot faster, and added quite a few features such as Google Now which I haven’t really played with all too much so I’m not going to comment on it further. The biggest change to me, at least from a users perspective, is what Google calls Project Butter. This is Google’s attempt to finally match the “buttery” smoothness of the UI and other operations of the iPad. Whenever any Android device is compared to an iOS device, be it a phone or a tablet, one cannot deny that Apple’s offerings offer a MUCH smoother experience across the UI. People who love their Android devices will surely say that their Galaxy S2s are as smooth as the iPhone and that their Transformer Primes are just as smooth as the iPad- well I don’t care what you say because they aren’t. There just is no argument. Sure they are smooth as hell compared to other Android devices but iOS smooth they are not. That is because Apple sets the UI animation renderings as the priority for the CPU/GPU which makes them incredibly smooth. That smoothness conveys quality. Project Butter is Google’s answer to that and while I can’t quite say that they have matched that smoothness, they definitely succeeded in conveying that same finished product level of UI quality that iOS devices have. They do this with a combination of significantly smoother scrolling, great app opening animations, and various other tweaks throughout the system. Couple all the software tweaks with the single most responsive touchscreen on any Android device to date and you have one incredibly fluid experience. Bottom line- it’s awesome.

Now a lot of people, myself included, complained about Google’s choice to use more or less a phone UI for the Nexus 7 instead of the standard ICS tablet UI. I was very disappointed when I found out, that’s for sure. But I decided that Google made a conscious decision to do this, and that I needed to trust them so I went into it with an open mind. Now, my biggest complaint about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus was the UI. I absolutely hated it. I’m not referring to the Touchwiz modifications that they made, but the actual Honeycomb UI design choices that still showed through. It just didn’t work on the 7” form factor, at least not for me. I am happy to report that the hybrid phone/tablet UI that Google decided to use on the Nexus 7 not only works, but does so famously. Long story short, any disappointment I had about it was quickly washed away when I started using it. It just makes sense to me now to use the phone UI here. Everything is within reach, nothing is cluttered, no buttons are too small making them hard to press, and I think it looks beautiful. My only complaint is that Google locked the homescreen UI to portrait mode only, but that is easily remedied by installing a 3rd party launcher like Nova which I use and recommend.

Now, where I think Android really needs to pick up the slack is with their tablet-optimized app selections. iOS simply blows Android out of the water here. A tablet is really only as good as the apps that can run on it and the apps alone make the iPad the best tablet out there. The nice thing here, is that since the Nexus 7 is a 7” tablet, it can handle tablet optimized apps AND phone apps and make it seem like they were all designed specifically for this size screen. Apps of both varieties feel right at home here. Quite frankly, it’s awesome and it makes a HUGE difference. When I am using an app that was only designed for a phone on the N7, it doesn’t feel like there is any compromise. This right here opens up a whole world of apps that while are a pain to use on a 10” tablet, they are great on the 7” one. With the N7 we get the best of both worlds.

The main reason why I got this thing was for gaming. Aside from browsing the web whilst sitting in the throne room, my iPad is used almost exclusively for games. The problem is, it’s just way too big for some. Playing a first person shooter like NOVA 3 or Modern Combat 3 is just way too cumbersome on a 10” tablet. On a 7” tablet, it’s flat out perfect. I have been waiting for a great 7” gaming tablet to come along and I couldn’t be happier with this thing. Right now, some of my favorite games just don’t run on it, like NOVA 3, but others do and they are AWESOME to play on this bad oscar. The Tegra HD games like Shadowgun look flat out gorgeous here and the fact that the screen isn’t massive makes them a joy to play. I haven't spent too much time yet with emulators, but I can say that N64oid works great and Starfox 64 is a blast to play on it. Most of the games I have played so far have run incredibly smoothly here, and it is obvious that the Tegra 3 was built with gaming in mind.

One thing I haven’t touched on so far is the battery life. I’m on the fence with it. It seems like the battery drops faster than I was expecting it to, but I have only had it for 24 hours and that just isn’t long enough for me to give an accurate review of it. If I am just swiping through the screens it seems to hold pretty well, but as soon as I start browsing the web or playing games the battery seems to drop fairly quickly. I have yet to run this thing through a complete cycle so I dunno. Google states that we should be getting about 8 hours out of it with “active use” and that seems fairly accurate, as long as that “active use” isn’t 8 hours of straight Shadowgunning because I promise you it won’t make it that long.

So that about sums up what I have taken from this thing in the 24 hours that I’ve owned it. I am thoroughly impressed with what Google and ASUS have done here and I am FINALLY a fan of Android in the tablet world. One thing I know for absolute certain is that my iPad will see a significant drop in usage now that I have my Nexus 7. I think used to think 10" was the perfect size for a tablet but the Nexus 7 has me convinced otherwise. The 7" form factor is SIGNIFICANTLY more comfortable to hold and use. I am in absolute love with the Nexus 7 and I know it is not just a honeymoon thing. Do I think it is better than the iPad? Nope, not really. Do I think it is as good as the iPad, in an apples to oranges sort of way? Absolutely. Do I think it is the best Android tablet to date? Without a doubt. Is it worth the $200-$250? Don’t be stupid, of course it is. The bottom line is, if you have been waiting to pull the trigger on an Android tablet like I was, this is the tablet to get. It simply cannot be beat for the price.

I know I left some things out here so feel free to ask any questions that you may have.

EDIT: It's official, I have decided to sell my iPad 3. The N7 is everything I ever wanted in a tablet, no need to hang on to the iPad if it's just going to be collecting dust.