First Impression on Nexus 7

[lopri]

is.. somewhat of a mixed bag. Admittedly my expectation was high - but I think I can be spared a blame considering the rave reviews Nexus 7 received. Then again, I have no tablet experience other than original iPad prior to Nexus 7, so some of the expectation could have been lowered had I researched a bit more on existing Android Tablets. Also my opinion is based on extremely limited experience of Nexus 7 - I literally got it 2 days ago.

Another obvious factor is the price - Nexus is half the price of iPad at the time of its debut. However, 2 years is a LONG time in this industry as we know it. And we know where iPad 3 stands compared to the origianl iPad. So let's get the pricing out of the way for now.

1. First of all, colors. I have not been happy with NVIDIA GPU's color reproduction on desktop for a long time (along with unsuccessful attempts at correction, including registry hacks), but I did not foresee that I would encounter the same on Tegra. D: The excessive red and overall garish or bleached tone, depending on brightness, makes Nexus 7's screen look dull and aged compared to that of iPad 1. (Forget iPad 3 and Retina Display). The 2-year old iPad has more vibrant, warm and accurate color than Nexus 7 which is brand-new, boasts higher-resolution, and has a higher density panel.

Some might consider this isn't a big deal, and and to be frank I myself don't think color accuracy on tablet is as important as on desktop. But it was one of the very first impression upon booting the Nexus 7, and I couldn't help but disappointed.

2. Nexus 7's Wi-fi performance is, at least in my home, worse than that of iPad 1. Using 802.1g, iPad rarely loses connection and comfortably be able to stream 720p material. On the other hand, Nexus frequently loses signal or complain about low bandwidth, and often drops the quality of stream, only to hang eventually. I have walked around every corner of my house with them and concluded it couldn't be the signal issue from the router. So I am somewhat baffled by this 2-year old iPad providing better multimedia experience over brand-new tablet of the day. (also of note is that iPad has support for 802.1n which Nexus 7 doesn't, despite the 2-year gap)

Whether this is an OS issue or a hardware issue is hard to tell without further investigation but for now I am kind of worried it's a hardware thing, and if that's the case I won't be very happy.

3. Nexus 7's performance outside multitasking/task-switching is very underwhelming for its faster CPU and GPU. The problem is likely multi-factored. Not-so-hot Wi-Fi, memory/disk controller/drivers, and Android not-so-mature handling of backgroudn tasks, etc. Video plaback glitches, hickups while gaming, and mysterious hangs/crashes. This simply doesn't make sense if you compare the hardware specs (Heck the iPad's got mere 256 MB of memory), so on this matter I am thinking of immaturity of specialty applications, which will gradually be ironed out.

Now onto the advantages of Nexus 7,

1. Nexus 7's faster CPU and more memory completely squash iPad when it comes to application launch time, task-switching. On iPad, I can barely keep 2~3 tabs open without refreshing, using a low-footprint browser like Opera Mini. With Nexus, Chrome completely dominates iPad's Safari, thanks to its sheer speed and vastly large memory. Not only can I go back and forth to multiple tabs without waiting for refresh but also can I jump around multipledifferent apps without delay. For iPad, things take a while to get going, not to mention frequent lags.

2. While I haven't tried many apps, many of the generic apps I have tried behave better with Nexus 7. Such as PDF viewing, zooming in/out of text/photos, or other basic/popular stuff are way more responsive and lag-free on Nexus 7 than on iPad 1.

3. Last but not least, Nexus 7 gives me much more freedom, starting with small things like accessaries to compatibility and inter-operation among different platforms. (most obvious one being Windows) You stay with Apple, you will probably need to stay with it forever. (and pay Apple tax) I wanted to get away from it before I invest too much on it, and at just about the right time Google and Amazon both jumped in the tablet market with compelling products. And I did contemplated over the vast library of multimedia contents of Amazon offered by Kindle Fire HD, but quickly recognized the similarity between it and iTunes, so the decision was an easy one between Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD.

So if you've read this wall of text by me, the you realize that I do not have a specific agenda. I just wanted to grumble a bit upon unboxing the Nexus 7. It turned out my expectation was too high, and the Nexus 7 wasn't what I hoped it to be. But will it drive me back to the next iPad? Highly unlikely.

If anyone else has had different experiences, feel free to share. Also if someone could shed light on abysmal Wi-Fi performance I experience on Nexus 7 (hopefully with workarounds), I would appreciate that very much.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I am surprised you were disappointed compares to the original iPad' I know
several long time iOS users who got Nexus 7's and absolutely loved them.


If you don't mind rooting there should be apps that can adjust the color calibration.

 

[lopri]

I've already rooted my Nexus 7. Haven't looked for a calibration app, but from my past experience with NV GPUs, calibration can only help to an extent.

But as I said, It's a no biggie, either way, since Tablets aren't really meant for content creation (at least for now).

 

[lopri]

Right now my biggest concern is Wi-Fi performance because that's my planned and preferred method of data transfer between different platforms as well as contents consumption.

 

[Mopetar]

Right now my biggest concern is Wi-Fi performance because that's my planned and preferred method of data transfer between different platforms as well as contents consumption.

Try downloading a WiFi analysis app to see if you can narrow down the issue. Could just be a one-off hardware fluke as I don't think that the Nexus 7 has been reported as having WiFi issues.

 

[mikegg]

I got the Nexus 7 for my dad. He loves it. I guess you did expect too much. To the average user, they will never care about color calibration.

 

[Eug]

1. The screen on the Nexus 7 isn't the greatest, but it's not bad. As for colour calibration, it's good enough that it doesn't annoy me when I'm watching Netflix.

2. I get great WiFi speed on my Nexus 7.

3. The speed of the Nexus 7 isn't perfect, but it feels way, way better than the iPad 1 IMO. In fact, the reason I ended up not buying the iPad 1 was because I just felt the thing was too slow. I waited until the iPad 2 came out, and the iPad 2 is an enormous improvement over the iPad 1 for speed, as is the Nexus 7 IMO.

 

[RockinZ28]

My N7 had the worst WiFi range out of 2 smart phones, my TF101, laptop, PS3 and built in wifi TV downstairs in the living room. In the downstairs bathroom no signal, and outside forget it. Returned it.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Haven't looked for a calibration app, but from my past experience with NV GPUs, calibration can only help to an extent.

FYI- The Nexus 7 doesn't have a CRT display and hence no need for and no presence of a RAMDAC. If you can't tune the colors through calibration, then there is something you don't like about the display. Neither nV nor AMD nor PowerVR have different versions of 1s or 0s when it comes to displaying colors

 

[lopri]

I did some searches on the WiFi issue, and there are some people (including devs) who are having similar experiences.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1783175
http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...problem-connect-wifi-home-nexus-7-tablet.html

What's interesting is that some people testify that the issue doesn't present itself in public places, but does at home. So others recommend changing settings on home router (but what exactly?) I have no idea why that has to be the case when dozens of other wireless devices get along well with my router at home, but if that does the trick I will definitely look into it.

My router is this: Verizon Fios Router by ActionTec

P.S. I mean, I only have like 10 days left before the store warranty expires so I need to find it out soon so that I could get a replacement if the issue boils down to my Nexus 7.

 

[lopri]

Try downloading a WiFi analysis app to see if you can narrow down the issue. Could just be a one-off hardware fluke as I don't think that the Nexus 7 has been reported as having WiFi issues.

Any specific app you could recommend?

 

[God Mode]

Try changing your router. That actiontec was a POS when I had fios. Too bad they still require that junk for "moca" or whatever.

I also think the display is good for what you pay. I would gladly pay 300 if it had an Amoled display. Have you tried any other tablets on display in local stores like bestbuy and looked at the color reproduction? IMO, IPS/LCD look washed out and grainy when you raise the brightness and that includes my ipad 3.

 

[Tom]

the nexus 7 display is not good for what you pay. The Kindle Fire HD costs less and has a much better display.

It also is supposed to have better wifi although I haven't had problems with our Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD so I can't comment on that.

If we had access to the Google Play store on the Kindle without rooting, it would be my clear favorite.

Which as a newcomer to Android is one of my biggest gripes, seems everyone has their own content store and makes their devices only work with their content. Being old school, I figure an Android device ought to run all Android apps, not be deliberately designed to not work.

 

[God Mode]

I disagree with "much better display". Reading this at Ars Technica simply reaffirms my first assumption. I have never used the Kindle Fire but it has too many negatives to even consider over a Nexus device. It's basically a Amazon advertising platform.

 

[Tom]

I disagree with "much better display". Reading this at Ars Technica simply reaffirms my first assumption. I have never used the Kindle Fire but it has too many negatives to even consider over a Nexus device. It's basically a Amazon advertising platform.

Yea..I'm talking about my own impressions owning both. Kindle Fire HD has a much better display, better build quality, and much, much better speakers, But if you want to read about the displays..

http://gizmodo.com/5944679/kindle-fire-hd-vs-nexus-7-whats-the-best-7+inch-tablet-display

Nexus 7 has advantages too, but in terms of hardware the only one is the cpu, but its debatable if that makes much real world difference.

 

[ponyo]

Which as a newcomer to Android is one of my biggest gripes, seems everyone has their own content store and makes their devices only work with their content. Being old school, I figure an Android device ought to run all Android apps, not be deliberately designed to not work.

Android device will run all Android apps. Sometimes app might require certain version of Android OS but how is that different from iOS app requiring certain OS version to run? I can run install Amazon App Store on Nexus 7 and run the apps from Amazon App store on the Nexus 7. So how is that designed not to work?

Kindle Fire is running forked Android. You knew what you were getting when you bought the Fire. It's silly you're complaining about having to root to gain access to Google PlayStore. Being old school, you should be familiar with various forks and hacking and having stuff not working properly.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Display...
Unfortunately I have to agree with the OP. The Nexus 7 display isn't as good as it should be. DisplayMate analyzed it and they say the display itself is good, but it's just suffering from poor calibration. The Kindle Fire HD definitely as a much better looking display in my opinion.
http://www.displaymate.com/Tablet_7inch_ShootOut_1.htm

There is an app called Screen Adjuster. I does kinda help improve colors. But unfortunately it adds very noticeable lag to the entire UI.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netmanslab.sa

Wifi...
The wifi seems to be a weak point on this tablet. I have a pretty good and strong router and haven't had issues with dropped performance. But just going to the backyard the signal strength gets pretty weak. I'm disappointed by the lack of 5GHz support. The 2.4GHz frequency is quite crowded around me. The Kindle Fire HD by comparison has dual band, MIMO, and 5GHz support.

Performance...
I've been very pleased with the Nexus 7 performance. I've had no glitches, hiccups, hangs or crashes. It's been quite speedy and reliable. Only exception for me is Chrome, it seems a little slower than it should be and lags a bit. But it's usually fairly minor.

 

[Tom]

Android device will run all Android apps. Sometimes app might require certain version of Android OS but how is that different from iOS app requiring certain OS version to run? I can run install Amazon App Store on Nexus 7 and run the apps from Amazon App store on the Nexus 7. So how is that designed not to work?

Kindle Fire is running forked Android. You knew what you were getting when you bought the Fire. It's silly you're complaining about having to root to gain access to Google PlayStore. Being old school, you should be familiar with various forks and hacking and having stuff not working properly.

I am familiar with it, that doesn't mean I have to like it. I don't think its silly I'm complaining, I think its stupid that a device can call itself an Android device and be blocked from running Android apps.

 

[ponyo]

I am familiar with it, that doesn't mean I have to like it. I don't think its silly I'm complaining, I think its stupid that a device can call itself an Android device and be blocked from running Android apps.

Amazon doesn't say Kindle Fire is an Android device. Amazon doesn't even mention what version of Android their device is running. So it is silly you're complaining Amazon deceived you by calling it an Android device and blocking it from running Android apps. Kindle Fire runs Android apps from Amazon App Store. I don't understand how you can say it's blocked from running Android apps. So what are apps on the Amazon App Store? iOS apps? WP7 apps? You're saying it's not Android apps?

 

[Tom]

Amazon doesn't say Kindle Fire is an Android device. Amazon doesn't even mention what version of Android their device is running. So it is silly you're complaining Amazon deceived you by calling it an Android device and blocking it from running Android apps. Kindle Fire runs Android apps from Amazon App Store. I don't understand how you can say it's blocked from running Android apps. So what are apps on the Amazon App Store? iOS apps? WP7 apps? You're saying it's not Android apps?

I said nothing about Kindle or Amazon and this subject, I am talking in general terms about the state of Android and the practice of deliberately limiting Android devices, and apps for that matter.

Something you complain about yourself in another thread, the practice of some vendors in delaying upgrades to the os, sometimes to encourage sales of newer devices.

 

[Kenmitch]

I did some searches on the WiFi issue, and there are some people (including devs) who are having similar experiences.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1783175
http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...problem-connect-wifi-home-nexus-7-tablet.html

What's interesting is that some people testify that the issue doesn't present itself in public places, but does at home. So others recommend changing settings on home router (but what exactly?) I have no idea why that has to be the case when dozens of other wireless devices get along well with my router at home, but if that does the trick I will definitely look into it.

My router is this: Verizon Fios Router by ActionTec

P.S. I mean, I only have like 10 days left before the store warranty expires so I need to find it out soon so that I could get a replacement if the issue boils down to my Nexus 7.

Try the Wifi Analyzer and see what it shows. https://play.google.com/store/apps/...SwyLDEsImNvbS5mYXJwcm9jLndpZmkuYW5hbHl6ZXIiXQ..

I have that router and the signal strength isn't the greatest. It's possible your issues on the outer part of the range are caused by overlapping signals from other routers.

If you use the Wifi app and walk around the range of your router most likely you'll see other routers with greater strength at the edge of your range and you'll be able to see what channel they are on. If FIOS is popular in your hood then most likely everyones is still set on the default channel. Switching to the least populated channel may cure your issues. Worth a try and see if it helps or not.

My Nexus 7's range is pretty much the same as other tablets I've tried. On the edge of my network it seems to like portrait mode better than landscape mode for some reason.

 

[lopri]

Which as a newcomer to Android is one of my biggest gripes, seems everyone has their own content store and makes their devices only work with their content. Being old school, I figure an Android device ought to run all Android apps, not be deliberately designed to not work.

That's the thing. The market will have 4 main competitors, Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, each with some advantages/disadvantages. It feels almost like the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray war years ago and I did not want to make an investment that's going to be a waste in the future. As much as I am wary of every-increasing size and power of Google, it seems to me the most safe option going forward. (I expect WinRT tablets to be DOA)

Try changing your router. That actiontec was a POS when I had fios. Too bad they still require that junk for "moca" or whatever.

Appreciate the advice but I don't think that's a reasonable option for me. I know there are better routers out there, but my current router had no problem handling a lot of loads (both wired/wireless) with multitude of devices. Besides which, Verizon doesn't give you choices - the router comes with the service plan.

Try the Wifi Analyzer and see what it shows. https://play.google.com/store/apps/...SwyLDEsImNvbS5mYXJwcm9jLndpZmkuYW5hbHl6ZXIiXQ..

I have that router and the signal strength isn't the greatest. It's possible your issues on the outer part of the range are caused by overlapping signals from other routers.

If you use the Wifi app and walk around the range of your router most likely you'll see other routers with greater strength at the edge of your range and you'll be able to see what channel they are on. If FIOS is popular in your hood then most likely everyones is still set on the default channel. Switching to the least populated channel may cure your issues. Worth a try and see if it helps or not.

My Nexus 7's range is pretty much the same as other tablets I've tried. On the edge of my network it seems to like portrait mode better than landscape mode for some reason.

I will definitely try that. FIOS isn't actually that popular here because when it first arrived in my town I told my neighbors that it's horrible. (after I got mine :biggrin: ) Most popular in my neighborhood is Optimum Online, followed by (shudder) DSL/Satellites. But I will definitely try changing channels. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[zerocool84]

That's the thing. The market will have 4 main competitors, Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, each with some advantages/disadvantages. It feels almost like the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray war years ago and I did not want to make an investment that's going to be a waste in the future. As much as I am wary of every-increasing size and power of Google, it seems to me the most safe option going forward. (I expect WinRT tablets to be DOA)


Appreciate the advice but I don't think that's a reasonable option for me. I know there are better routers out there, but my current router had no problem handling a lot of loads (both wired/wireless) with multitude of devices. Besides which, Verizon doesn't give you choices - the router comes with the service plan.


I will definitely try that. FIOS isn't actually that popular here because when it first arrived in my town I told my neighbors that it's horrible. (after I got mine :biggrin: ) Most popular in my neighborhood is Optimum Online, followed by (shudder) DSL/Satellites. But I will definitely try changing channels. Thank you for the suggestion.

I bought a Netgear N router and hook it up to the FIOS router. I use my Netgear exclusively for N wifi though.

 

[lopri]

I bought a Netgear N router and hook it up to the FIOS router. I use my Netgear exclusively for N wifi though.

That's actually a brilliant solution. And it makes me wonder why Google did not include N. As I noted earlier, the first iPad came with 802.11N two years ago.. I would think the cost difference between G and N in manufacturing were negligible in 2012. Maybe ASUS had tons of G chips sitting in the warehouses for years and had to get rid of them?

Anyhow, I think I could try out your suggestion as well if all else fails. Since my home is hard-wired I have extra outlets to branch out a new network.

 

[Ravynmagi]

That's actually a brilliant solution. And it makes me wonder why Google did not include N. As I noted earlier, the first iPad came with 802.11N two years ago.. I would think the cost difference between G and N in manufacturing were negligible in 2012. Maybe ASUS had tons of G chips sitting in the warehouses for years and had to get rid of them?

Anyhow, I think I could try out your suggestion as well if all else fails. Since my home is hard-wired I have extra outlets to branch out a new network.

The Nexus 7 has 802.11n. It's only the 2.4GHz band though. Would have been nice to include the 5GHz band as well.