I finally went out and picked up a Nexus 7 to see what it’s all about. I finally have the full range of devices: iPad, MacBook Air, iPhone, Lenovo laptop with Windows 8, and now a 7″ Nexus. My goal isn’t to be exclusive to one ecosystem, to to illustrate a world where these devices play well together.
Keyboard – I don’t believe in keyboards for tablets. It defeats the purpose and appeal of the tablet. For input intensive work, I’m going to do it on a laptop. On a 7″ screen, it is very difficult to touch type. My small fingers have to cram to fit in the keyboard. On a 10″ iPad, I can type close to physical keyboard speed. My impression is that these smaller devices, in the mini 7-8″ range are consumption devices, not a work tool.
Apps – Nearly every major app is available for Android. The user experience is not as intuitive as iOS. It works really well but I have to think about what to do next. It doesn’t feel natural. My biggest peeve so far is the home button sits just underneath the keyboard and conflicts with the space button.
The store is well stocked but the quality of the apps in general are second to iOS. Even Google apps are slightly better on iOS than Android.
Utility – At this size, I’m not sure there’s a business case to carry this with my phone. It’s not a viable laptop substitute nor does it provide functionality above the phone.
When Steve Jobs asked if there was a new category between a phone and a laptop, he was right in paving the way for the iPad. He was right that there wasn’t room for a mini. Even though the market demanded a low cost mini, I still think it’s a long term mistake.
It sits in a weird middle ground between a real tablet and a mobile phone/computer.
First impressions:
Android and Chrome is a real viable operating system. The integration of services like mail, search, and storage is first class.
Apps are second to iOS for the time being.
Google Now is amazing. The power of Google shows here with predictive search.
Voice input is reaching real usefulness.
This post was written exclusively on the Nexus 7. The app lacks formatting functionality to do bullets.