I decided last week that I needed a tablet to test my upcoming Android app that I’ve been working on over the last few months. After writing several pro/con lists, I settled on Asus’ Nexus 7.
The main reason I decided to go with the Nexus 7 for app development was that it is running the newest version of Android (4.1.1) which is brilliant for testing my app. Being the flagship Google Tablet I expect that it will get all the major revisions of Android almost as they are released.
When I was looking at tablets in stores, 7″ seemed way to small as my netbook is 11″ and there never seems to be enough room on the screen. Once I’d sat down and used it for a few hours I actually understand why 7″ is so much better than a 10″ iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. 7″ means I can hold it in one hand easily, leaving the other free to swipe and tap away.
Weight wasn’t something I had considered when looking for a tablet, but it’s probably something I should of, weight dictates how many hours you can hold something for until it gets uncomfortable. I have a Kindle Touch with a case which weighs about 500g and I can hold it in one hand for about an hour to an hour and a half until it starts to irritate me, where as I can hold the Nexus 7 (340g) for about two to three hours.
Heat is another thing you probably want to consider, while the Nexus 7 lacks HDMI out, USB ports, ect. I have found though that the tablets I tested got extremely hot near the port areas even when the ports were not being used. Personally I don’t like holding a small volcano in my hand, so I’m really impressed how cool the Nexus stays even after a few hours usage.
I only really have two disappointments with the Nexus, first is the lack of support for a SD Card or model with more storage, even with the 16GB model I’m already filling it up fairly fast. The second issue, which isn’t major, is the lack of a physical home button. Though this is something that I’m getting used to, I just dislike giving up precious screen real estate.
Overall I would give the Nexus 4 out of 5 hot potatoes and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy a tablet.