[Nexus 7 Accessories] lactardjosh:
I'm going down the shore (to the beach, for those not in the New Jersey USA tri-state area) this weekend and am definitely taking my Nexus 7 with me. I wanted to get a case and screen protector to protect against sand from the beach.

I wanted a folio-type case and I don't like the kind that cover the bezel, so choices are a little limited on such short notice. Most of the cases specific to the Nexus 7 are shipping starting a bit too late for my trip. I decided to go with the YooMee Kindle Fire folio case. One of the reviews mentioned that the Nexus 7 fit in the case and for $7.99 shipped two day (thanks Amazon Prime), I decided it was worth the risk.

I also wanted screen protection. I don't like wet installs, so I picked up the amFilm Clear and amFilm Matte screen protectors. Each are two packs. The Clear version is $5.99 with Prime and the Matte version is $4.99 with Prime. I've only received the Clear version so far. The Matte version is out for delivery as I type this.

First the case:

YooMee Black Amazon Kindle Fire 7 Inch Android Tablet Leather Case Cover Folio with Multi-Angle Stand and Hand Strap (Black)

I am generally pleased with this case in the 15 minutes I've had it on the Nexus 7. It does not quite fit, the Nexus is just a tad big. You can see air between the corner of the case and the tablet. But it isn't loose and there doesn't seem to be any risk of it falling out.

Another small thing I don't like is the way the multi-angle stand works. It actually took me a couple minutes to figure out how it worked. You actually take the left half of the part of the case the tablet is attached to off of the tablet and use that to create the angle. It works fine, I just don't particularly like the way it works. That's really just my opinion. The headphone, charge port, power button, and volume buttons are all exposed and easily accessible. There is no blockage. The clasp works well.

EDIT: I realized after I wrote this that the speaker is blocked, but the sound is still strong and plenty loud, at least for my purposes at the moment.

This does not have the sleep/wake magnet. I didn't really care about it for this case.

Initial feelings:

I bought this case because it was cheap, in stock, available for Prime shipping, and I was in a time crunch. I originally did not expect to use this case for more than the short term until specific cases came out, but I think I'll be using this for a while. I'm generally surprised with it. We'll see if that holds up during my vacation.

More pictures:

The other part of my protection plan was a screen protector:

amFilm (TM) Premium Screen Protector Film Clear (Invisible) for Google Nexus 7 Tablet (2-Pack) [in AM Retail Packing]

amFilm (TM) Premium Screen Protector Film Matte Clear (Anti-Glare) for Google Nexus 7 Tablet (2-Pack) [in AM Retail Packing]

I don't want sand to get in the folio cover and then scratch the screen when I close it, so a screen protector is a must. I bought both the clear and matte versions of the amFilm screen protectors. (I haven't yet received the matte version, but I'll update this when I do.)

The screen protector is a dry install, so no soapy hands, no waiting for the screen to dry. Most importantly, no rainbow effect and the screen protector is generally pretty smooth. I say "pretty smooth" because there is a slight amount of drag, but nothing like compared to a wet install screen protector.

The screen protector says it is a "perfect fit" and it's pretty close. Close enough that if you're off by a little bit, even a millimeter, the screen protector won't sit right because it'll be over the lip of the silver frame. It took me a couple tries to get it just right. I got a small piece of dust at the very top right of the top bezel, which I'm not worried about since I'll be taking this off to try out the matte version anyway. Even so, a little scotch tape should fix that right up. Also, each pack comes with 2 protectors, so if you royally mess one up, you've got the back up right there. The card they give you to smooth out bubbles is a dinky little 1x1.5 inch piece of cardboard. You'll be better off using a credit card or another squeegee type smoother-outer. I used a small rubber squeegee I had laying around.

The clear version of the amFilm is just that...clear. It does not degrade the screen quality at all, so far as I can tell. In fact, if anything, the "Clear" version of the screen protector actually seems to make the surface more reflective. There is also no degradation of the touch sensitivity. I have not used it extensively yet, but I don't see any problems at all.

UPDATE: I finally had some time to install the matte screen protector and I've updated the comparison photo below. You can clearly see the difference in reflections.

(Ignore the bubbles in the bottom right and right side middle, they're my fault from the installation. When you're installing the screen protector, just make sure you don't crease it if you're peeling it back to get rid of dust! Haha...luckily it's a two pack

Here's a comparison with the screen on, clear vs matte finishes.

And then this comparison is with both screen protectors on the screen at the same time. Accounting for the distortion from the camera (slight crosshatching in all three parts of the screen), you can clearly see how the matte finish diffuses the reflection, also causing the screen image to be diffused. I don't think it's that drastic and I believe the trade off would be worth it in the bright sun. Also important, you can clearly see how little the clear screen protector distorts the screen. It's pretty impressive actually.

Click "show content" to show the picture. It's a big photo.

The "show content" button isn't working for me, so here's a link to the comparison photo:

http://db.tt/b1zvhbdZ

Overall, I'm very happy with both the case and the screen protector. For the price and the timing, I think these will work very well.

I hope this helps others trying to make a decision about cases and screen protectors.

For the purposes of my trip down the shore, I'll be using the matte screen protector, for sure. I'll see if I switch to the clear when I get home, but I don't think you'd be disappointed with either screen protector, depending on your usage, and considering the trade offs.

As always, your mileage may vary.