The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet [LWN.net]

The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Jul 31, 2012 20:04 UTC (Tue) by rfunk (subscriber, #4054)
Parent article: The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

I've been someewhat tempted by the Nexus 7, but I'm having trouble figuring out what I'd do with it. I already have an e-ink reader that's the same size, and a phone with a 4.7" screen. I may just hold out for a Nexus 10.

However, the fact that it's unlocked and open for developers may convince me that it's worthwhile get a Nexus 7 just to see how it becomes more useful in the future.

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The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Aug 1, 2012 7:38 UTC (Wed) by LawnGnome (subscriber, #84178) [Link] (1 responses)

My feelings also. A friend has a Nexus 7, and I've played with it a couple of times: while it's a nice piece of kit, I really can't figure out how I'd fit it into my life as someone who already has a reasonably sized smartphone and a 10" tablet.

It obviously works really well for some people, but it's a form factor in search of a question for me.

The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Aug 1, 2012 10:51 UTC (Wed) by quintesse (guest, #14569) [Link]

For me it's exactly the other way around, I have a 10" tablet but I always found 10" too big. I had a rooted Nook Color for a while which was just perfect in size, but it's just too under powered as a tablet.

The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Aug 3, 2012 18:55 UTC (Fri) by daniel (guest, #3181) [Link]

The N7 is a great on-the-road device. I mostly leave my network in the backpack these days and just use the tablet. It does video chat (Google Talk) perfectly. I haven't tried Skype, but I do use Skype on the larger Xoom. I use Skype less and less now because of instability, dropped calls and laggy presence notification. I generally use Skype only if the other end can't use Google Talk, which is getting pretty rare.

I also ssh from my Android devices to various places. A Bluetooth keyboard makes this quite pleasant, and soon I will add a Bluetooth mouse. I will need to find some equivalent of the Xoom's portfolio case, which stands the tablet up in a laptop-like position. And much better apps for such things as code editing would be much appreciated. Free and open please. If nothing shows up soon I plan to improve my Java skills by writing something.

The Nexus 7: Google ships a tablet

Posted Aug 10, 2012 8:41 UTC (Fri) by aigarius (guest, #7329) [Link]

7 inches is the size that fits into most inner suit jacket pockets, that is why the Kindle is that size and that is a very, very imprtant portability feature. You do not have to have a bag for this, it can be in your standard suit pocket.