Since its inception, the Nexus brand has been something of a flagship for Google and Android. Whereas the Motorola Droid line emphasizes power over finesse, the Galaxy Nexus is the only Android brand that has effectively married the two into one sleek device. Two, if you count the Nexus that comes in 4G LTE flavor. Well, now there’s a Nexus tablet to round out the family.
Announced just after Microsoft splashed into Apple-infested waters with the $200 Surface, the Nexus 7 tablet hopes to reignite the passion of enthusiasts who tearfully remember the first time Google announced its own phone.
The Nexus 7 is a portable tablet with a 7 inch screen that is compatible with all of Google’s most popular applications. Powered by “Jelly Bean,” the latest version of Android, the Nexus 7 offers users access to a wider array of applications than any of its competitors. Below are some of the tablet’s specifications.
Performance
So then, let’s do the numbers. The Nexus 7 features a one million pixel, 7 inch screen protected by Corning glass. Apple’s Retina Display has changed the game for mobile devices, especially tablets. The N7’s rocks a 1280 x 800 high-resolution display that looks good, but will probably not blow your mind. That’s because the unit is lighter and thinner than the Kindle Fire, and it delivers graphics using a 12-core CPU, something of a power horse. In addition, the Nexus 7′s NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor allows it to load multiple pages and applications quickly and smoothly (we hope). Furthermore, Google claims the Nexus 7 will play 9 hours of HD video, browse the web for 10 hours and stand by for up to 300 hours without running out of battery, none of which anyone will ever do, but impressive numbers nonetheless.
Storage
The basic Nexus 7 comes with eight gigabytes of storage, an attribute that some users criticize. However, though the Nexus 7′s storage capacity is relatively small, most of its applications utilize the cloud for storage, thus making its lack of space inconsequential. Besides, part of the magic of a tablet is its ability to tap into any of the cloud services you undoubtedly have set up. Naturally, all of Google’s cloud applications will be tied into the Nexus 7 and you can download Android applications for third party cloud storage services to augment your storage capacity. That eight gigs is really just space for apps and that copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles you keep on deck just in case.
Media Content
The Kindle Fire introduced the idea of a sub-$200 tablet with a rich media delivery system. Google took note and rolled together Google Play as a content delivery system that offers music, movies, books and other media to all Android devices for a fee. The Nexus 7 is compatible with Google Play, offering users access to more than 600,000 games and applications, thousands of TV shows and movies, millions of songs and an expansive collection of e-books. TV shows and movies are available in high definition. Games and applications can be browsed by name, category and popularity. The Nexus 7 runs exclusive applications, as well as many that are available on other tablets.
In spite of its small storage capacity, Google’s Nexus 7 offers a lot of features tech junkies crave. Its resolution, processing speed and application diversity make it the “tablet to beat” in the eyes of many. However, the final decision with regard to this new tablet is up to the individual buyer. What do you think of the Nexus 7? Will you buy it?
About Author:Cameron Tyler is a tech enthusiast that uses the cloud storage of YouSendIt.com to keep up with his multi-device life. Follow him on Twitter @camerontyler87 for tons of tech tidbits
