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Nexus 7

Last year, Asus launched the second Nexus 7 tablet. This is an all black device that catches your attention from the get-go. I got a chance to experience the tablet and I am definitely considering adding it to my collection of gadgets. It runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS.

The Nexus 2 has slimmed down from the original to a mere 8.7mm thick. It also dropped from 340g to 290g. This change in size makes it so convenient to carry around. You don’t feel the bulkiness that would be experienced with other tablets.

I’m undecided about how the screen seems to blend into the sides. The sides curve round to create an uninterrupted back panel. The screen extends all the way to the edges making it a bit difficult to hold the Nexus 7. The natural act of curling your hand around the tablet and resting your thumb on the bezel is impossible without touching the screen and causing all kinds of annoyances. Instead, you have to rethink how you hold the tablet. I ended up holding the tablet like a giant phone (which isn’t strange coz I own a large phone) resting my pinky at the bottom and the thumb on the side. Once this was done, I fell in love with the screen design all over again.

The screen display is something i wish all tablets would implement. It’s razor sharp, text pops out and images look almost inexpressibly crisp. With no gap between the glass and screen, viewing angles are amazing.

The tablet comes with a 32GB internal memory. You however do not get the whole 32GB. The OS takes up a huge chunk of it leaving you with about 26GB to play around with. This isn’t too bad as you still get to download all your favourite apps and games form the Google play store.

When it comes to speakers, Google opted to have them in the rear. The stereo speakers are placed at the far left and right ends of the tablet. They’re loud enough that you won’t need to reach for a pair of headphones and I liked that as its annoying having to wear earphones all the time..

The camera is simply amazing. I am not a phone of photos, but the resolution on this tablet could have me turning into a professional photographer. It takes some good photos using the front camera as well. It doesn’t have a flash, but includes tap-to-focus and a simplified user interface that lets you adjust white balance, pick a scene pre-set, change exposure and press the shutter with one finger.

Just like all other Android devices, the Nexus 7 tablet is a device that is easy to use and handle. If I had to recommend a tablet to go for, this would be the one I choose.