With the Nexus 7 tablet, Google just gave notice to the Amazon Kindle Fire: You will not be the only media-centered Android tablet in town. The widgets on the Nexus 7?s home screen are gateways to Google's media apps, and the new system software, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, has a number of tricks the Fire can't touch.
One of the key ones is simple usability. Google put a lot of work into making Jelly Bean's user experience seamless, with a revamped interface, "Project Butter." The system's animations got a boost in frame rate, making them appear extremely smooth, and there are a couple of tweaks to make touch input more responsive. By contrast, the Kindle Fire has been criticized for its software's lack of polish.
To get users' feet wet with experiencing media from the Google Play store, Google preloaded the Nexus 7 with a few titles. Right off the bat you get issues of Conde Nast Traveler and Popular Science as well as the book The Bourne Dominion. There are also songs from Coldplay and the Rolling Stones, plus a free download of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Many of those appear on the home screen, in the main Library widget. The Library and its animations are very slick, but once you go one level deeper, the familiar Android interface is there, and it comes across as just another Android tablet — albeit a powerful one that's very comfortable to hold.
Google's apps are, of course, front and center on the Nexus 7. The main Google search app — Google Now — launches when you unlock the device, and it's always a flick away from the home screen. With Jelly Bean, notifications and widgets got an upgrade, too, letting users more easily respond to notices and better tailor their home screens.
If the Nexus 7 has a killer feature, though, it must be the price: $199. While that makes it equally matched cost-wise, with the Kindle Fire, if you pre-order one of them, you will also get $25 to buy media on Google Play. The Kindle Fire also only provides limited access to the Google Play store, while with the Nexus 7 you'll have full access to download whatever content you want.
What's your favorite feature of the Nexus 7? Will you buy one? Let us know in the comments.
A power button and volume rocker are on the side of the tablet.
The Nexus 7 is super light and thin, making it easy to throw in a bookbag or purse for your commute or on a trip.
The tablet has a textured back with 'Nexus' carved in.
The Nexus 7 can play high-definition videos, play music, and display books and movies.
The Nexus 7 is the first device to use Chrome as its dedicated browser.
The Google Play store has a number of television shows and movies available for you to download and watch on the tablet. Pre-ordered Nexus 7 tablets come with a $25 credit for the Play Store.
Books are front and center on the Nexus 7. the tablet would be ideal to use as a e-reader.
Text is crisp and easy to read and can be zoomed in by pinching the screen.
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