Hands on with the Nexus 7

With the influx of tablets in the market the last 3 years, I’ve never been able to pull the trigger on a purchase, because I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money (close to the $400-$500 range) on a device that I believed would be used only sparingly. My money would have been better served on building a new PC or even a gaming console. I had also considered an e-reader, as I want to start reading more, but again couldn’t justify shelling out the money for what was essentially a one trick pony. So when the Nexus 7 was announced, I was intrigued, as both the software and hardware offered were top tier, especially at the price it was being sold at. For those who don’t know what the Nexus 7 is, it’s a Google branded, ASUS built 7″ tablet that features some slick specs, including an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and a display screen that rivals the quality of the best tablets on the market.

Having used my Nexus 7 for over 3 weeks, I will say that I am absolutely enamored with it. I use it on a daily basis, and consider it one of my best gadget purchases in a long time. From using it on the train to/from work to play games, read a book or catch up with friends,  to using it at home while watching a movie or tv for more in depth info, its size and weight are perfect and don’t strain my arms/hands after extended use. I haven’t taken it on vacation yet, but with my next trip, I plan on taking only the Nexus 7 and my smartphone, and not taking my notebook with me. Less weight, less hassle.

All in all, I’m loving the Nexus 7 and can’t wait for more optimized apps to come out in the Google Play store. With the success of how well it’s doing, hopefully that will spur the development of more Android apps. If there was one other knock on the Nexus 7, it’s the lack of 3G/LTE, but with most of the places I use it having free internet (or I can tether through my phone) the “Wi-Fi only issue” is in essence, a non-issue (although I will admit I would *love* an LTE version of this thing).