Living with the Nexus 7

When the thirty two gigabyte version of Googles Nexus 7 hit retail outlets in November it soon found its way into many Christmas stockings. Good or bad the Nexus is here to stay but is it as good, or bad, as some would have you believe?

Well, having bought a Nexus 7, it's time to dispel some of the myths...and confirm others.

For those who have no idea what a Nexus 7 is, it's a seven inch tablet built for Google by Asus with a 720p high resolution display, up to thirty two gigabytes of storage space and running the latest version of the Android operating system.

So....let's start with the bad points. No hdmi output, no sd card slot for extra storage, no ability (unless rooted) to mount usb sticks and of course a slightly ugly default launcher.

Lack of video output is annoying, but if you have a dlna compatible tv you're in luck. You can use an app from the play store to stream video music or pictures from your tablet (or any other Android device) to your television.

After trying all those I could find I personally settled for an app called ArkMC. There are other applications available but testing revealed most to have problems when streaming to my particular brand of TV such as the irritating "unsupported media" error.

Another problem with the Nexus is its lack of expandable storage. The built in thirty two gigabytes of the newer version should be enough for most people but more would of course be better. While you can root your tablet and use a third party app called stickmount to read usb flash drives this invalidates your warranty, but fear not for there is in fact a way to do this without rooting.

If you have a USB flash drive and want to use it with your new Nexus simply buy a USB OTG (On The Go) cable and download an app from the play store called Nexus Media Importer. It costs a couple of pounds but for that low price you have an app that lets you read flash drives and memory cards without rooting so for those who prefer to leave their tablet unrooted this is a good alternative.

Now, that launcher.

While it is a matter of taste the default launcher doesn't impress with its looks but again, this being Android, you can easily replace the launcher with one of your own. I use Nemus Launcher because it uses little memory but does everything I want it to, but you can install any launcher you like and of course being Android it won't invalidate your warranty in any way, because you won't have to hack your tablet to do so.

So we've seen that there are quick and easy fixes to the key negatives about the Nexus 7 but there is of course one negative that can't be fixed no matter how hard you try, the lack of a rear camera.

Now to be fair that really is a matter of personal preference, while it would be nice to have a rear camera the truth is that it would increase the production costs for Asus and mean Google would have to sell the 7 at a higher price point.

Not that many people use their tablets to take photographs, yes there are some who do but being able to buy a decent tablet for under two hundred pounds that has great hardware and good manufacturer support in regard to updates (the Nexus is already running version 4.2 of the Android operating system) is worth the minor annoyance of not having a rear camera.

The good features of the Nexus are its Tegra 3 processor, which handles even the most demanding of applications, the inclusion of NFC, bluetooth and decent GPS hardware, a decent high resolution screen that is easy on the eyes and of course the magnetic lock.

Magnetic lock? Yes, you can buy cases for the Nexus 7 which will turn the screen on when opened and off when closed thanks to a small magnetic lock built into the tablet.

Design wise The Nexus looks good, the tablet is thin and easy to hold in one or two hands, some argue it may not be very durable although tests against the Apple iPad suggest that when it comes to durability the 7 may in fact be the better option.

The problem with the Nexus 7, and Android tablets in general, is the mistaken belief (thanks primarily to years of misinformation from key rival Apple) that, unlike the iPad range of tablets, Android models have to put up with scaled up phone apps which will look stretched and blurry because, again unlike the iPads, Android apps aren't designed for tablets whereas Apple developers release specific versions for Apples tablets.

Well the truth is that Android applications can be coded so they adapt to whatever size of screen you are using so, yes, an app you have on your phone can also be the exact same app you have on your tablet - but it won't look the same because the graphics can be different, the look can be changed to suit the higher resolution of the tablet and add new features or extra detail.

There are of course still apps designed only for Android tablets, but why?

Well aside from the obvious benefit of producing extra revenue for developers tablet specific apps can dispense with the support and code for things lower resolution devices with slower hardware will need and instead focus on much more detailed and processor intensive features and graphics without having to worry about trying to support the multitude of non tablet Androids that proliferate in retail stores around the world.

So yes many apps on Android tablets are indeed essentially scaled up phone apps, because the operating system is designed in such a way that one application can easily support multiple screen resolutions. Apple very cleverly turned what in reality is a positive feature of Android and successfully spun it as a negative, so should you be considering buying an Android device it's something worth being aware of.

Battery life is good at around eight hours of use per charge, graphics are as you would expect excellent as shown by any high end Android game although my favourite is currently a less obvious but still graphically intensive one, Zen Pinball HD which should you turn all possible effects in the game on will still run flawlessly while providing a visual treat to the eyes.

The rear speakers are decent, loud enough for most purposes and clarity is very good as you would fish expect.

Wait a minute, fish expect?

You weren't expecting that fish, I just slipped it in there out of the blue and essentially Google have done exactly the same with the Nexus 7, slipping a high end well designed tablet into the market at a budget sized price.

Mine is used for gaming, sometimes, but primarily web browsing, watching films, creating ebooks and checking email so while these don't really tax the processor it is nice to have the hardware that, when I want to play a high end game or stream a high def movie while doing something else at the same time, can easily handle it.

The original Nexus 7 first came out six months ago and continues to hold its own as a decent capable and user friendly tablet, a seven inch tablet is great for everyday use and the smaller size makes it much more portable than larger rivals but ultimately it depends on what you really need a tablet for and what your budget is.

For those on a budget the 7 is undoubtedly one of the best tablets, and suitably portable, beating even some much higher priced challengers such as the iPad mini. But then for those already used to Apple products the mini may warrant the extra outlay despite having slightly lower specifications.

In everyday use the 7 is a more than competent tablet, its decent battery life means it can be left on all day (or night) and used at any time which, with its portability, makes it a handy device to have around. The screen is sharp and easy on the eyes and the choice of applications on offer from the play store certainly varied enough to keep you from being bored.

Overall the Nexus 7 then is an easy to use tablet which, while not likely to quite challenge the larger and more expensive fourth generation iPad, is an impressive and, more importantly, wallet friendly device.