Google nexus 7

                
                     Google nexus 7



Built by Asus, Google’s own-brand Nexus 7 was the first high-end tablet with an affordable price tag, giving a boost to the Android platform’s popularity .

“Google’s Nexus 7 sets the benchmark for inexpensive 7in tablets”

  
● Price From £159 ● comPany GooGLe 
● WeBSiTe    play.google.com

 Google’s Asus-manufactured Nexus 7 is still the benchmark for  inexpensive 7in tablets. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and has a   7in (1280x800) screen. It’s relatively thin and light at 10.9mm and 336g. Designed to be predominantly used in portrait mode, we found   one-handed use in either orientation comfortable. Its compact 120x199mm chassis makes the Nexus 7 pocketable, too. The front takes the form of a single sheet of glass, surrounded by a silver metal frame. 

                               On the rear is a dark brown textured cover with a rubbery feel. It aids grip and feels nice to the touch. Buttons and ports are kept to a minimum: on the right are a power button and volume rocker, while a Micro-USB port and headphone jack are found at the bottom. A four-pin side dock will be useful for accessories; speakers are concealed behind a long slot.


 Build quality

 We’ve come to expect sub-£200 tablets to display lousy build quality. The Nexus 7 bucks the trend, and this well-made slate feels like a premium product. Scratch-resistant Corning glass lies flush with the  metal frame, and the buttons and ports feel solid. The Nexus 7 has a surprisingly good specification for the money.  It uses the same 1.3GHz nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor found 
in many top-spec Android devices, backed with a healthy 1GB of RAM. As such, the Nexus 7 scored highly in Geekbench 2, with 1,452 points. This result was refl ected in its smooth operation. The Nexus 7’s in-plane switching (IPS) panel is a highlight, and provides excellent contrast, brightness and viewing angles. A 1280x800 resolution and 216ppi pixel density translates to very good detail levels. We found the screen good for web surfi ng and playing games, but even more so for watching fi lms. The 16GB Nexus 7 costs just £159 but, since you can’t add to this capacity, it makes more sense to opt for the new 32GB version for £40 more. And for a further £40 you can add cellular connectivity. Note that the Android OS gobbles up around 2GB. Bluetooth, GPS and near-fi eld communications (NFC) are included, but there’s no rear-facing camera for quick snaps. A 1.2Mp front-facing camera is adequate for video chat.

Software

 The Nexus 7 runs the very latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. Google has improved the OS’ performance and responsiveness. Jelly Bean is slick, and closes the gap between Android and iOS. 
          
                                We experienced no lag when moving between home screens, navigating menus and scrolling through video. Web surfi ng with the default Chrome browser is smooth; pages load quickly, while zooming and scrolling are similarly speedy. Enhancements have been made to the Notifi cation bar, now showing more information about each alert and letting you carry out tasks without launching the associated app. 

                                                  For example, Gmail notifi cations group emails and display subject lines. Widgets automatically resize to fi ll the available space, while app shortcuts and other widgets tidy themselves out the way when you place a new widget over the top. Few are preloaded, but the Play Store offers plenty. Dictation is now available offl ine, and Google Search gives results in information cards – you can ask questions and receive answers in spoken form. Google Now is another addition, and taps into the data Google holds about you.

                                           It aims to stay a step ahead, predicting the information you need before it’s requested. For example, it might offer train times. We found Google Now very useful, offering us the information we’d usually search for and more, including local attractions based on our location. Its downfall is the need for an active internet connection; when you’re on the road and out of range of a Wi-Fi hotspot you’ll need to tether the Nexus 7 to your phone. Missing from Android 4.2 is any Flash support. 

                                 The free BBC Media Player app offers a workaround for iPlayer content, but it won’t assist you with inline video content on websites. Google touts a 10-hour battery life when browsing the web, and we recorded a whopping 9 hours 40 minutes in our video-looping test.

Bottom line

 Google sets a new standard for budget tablets with the Nexus 7. It’s an unbelievably well-equipped device for the price. Silky-smooth performance and a high-resolution IPS screen are highlights in the best budget tablet we’ve seen yet. The Nexus 7 remains one of the best choices for those who don’t want or need a 10in tablet.

Specifications

 7in (1280x800) capacitive multitouch screen; Android 4.2 Jelly Bean; 1.3GHz quad-core nVidia Tegra 3 processor; Quad-core ULP GeForce graphics; 1GB RAM; 16/32GB storage; 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz); Bluetooth 4.0; 3G optional (32GB model only); 1.2Mp front camera, 720p video; GPS; Micro USB; 3.5mm headphone jack; 16Wh battery; 120x199x10.6mm; 336g