Asus Google Nexus 7

 Google's new 7 inch android pad is welcomed competitor to this size series. 

 At a short, it's a really solid device. (I bought one myself, and I like it.) Its soft-touch back is comfortable to hold, and everything from text to movies look good on the 7-inch, 16:10, 1280 x 800 display. The awesome part about this tablet is the size. Being used to the size of the iPad, this was actually a welcomed change.  I can easily carry it. It would fit well into the inside jacket pocket of a many men's suit jackets. I can also type on the keyboard with my thumbs while holding the tablet rather than having to hold it with one hand and type with the pointer finger of the other. The keyboard isn't nearly as good as the iPad's in my opinion even though I can use my thumbs (changed better for Android 4.2 version).  

 Screen have a respectable viewing angles and it’s very crisp and text is quite clear. The Nexus 7 display have not fair well when I tested it outside under the sun and I found it have difficult to read under the sun glare. Video playback, either through viewing the free copy of Transformers: Dark of the Moon (comes free with device) or downloaded movies, delivers as promised: seamless video playback without any lag. That’s likely due to the 1Gb of RAM and the fast quad-core processor. NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor is very capable of doing where the tablet is designed for and it had no problems handling to web browser, playing videos or running various apps or games. Everything performed without a problem. Specifically, I have tested Mass Effect Infiltrator, Rayman Jungle, Hunters etc. and I felt at overall  games run smoothly, graphics were good, and the game control reaction was quick and responsive.  
 HD-display lends itself as a great video component and displays videos beautifully. I also found it is pleasing to look at while reading course materials. The text is crisp on the 1280 x 800 display, but just as important, holding the tablet felt natural and didn’t feel straining on my hands or eyes. Nexus 7 would certainly be more attractive if Google and Asus had provided a microSD slot for adding additional storage. Considering this device is focused around media consumption, it seems be funny that it’s only available with 16Gb or 32Gb, which is welcomed expansion of storage capacity, before 8Gb or 16Gb.  Thinking of throwing on a few HD movies, a few hours of music and plenty of apps to get you through a long plane ride or road trip? You would do it well over the  16GB model...

 The new update
There are quite a few new features in Android 4.2; some interesting and useful, others just kind of cool. First, the Gesture Type feature is Google's native OS answer to Swype. I'm not a Swype user, but I was impressed by Gesture Type's ability to accurately interpret my finger sliding and determine, for the most part, what I wanted to type. It did, however, have trouble with the word "badass," which is kind of unacceptable to me.Tablet settings can now be accessed much more quickly. Simply swipe down from the top-right corner to reveal a tray of shortcuts, including brightness, Wi-Fi settings, general settings, battery life, airplane mode, and so on.

The good:  

Nexus 7 features are sharp screen, a comfortable design and really long battery life and a low price. Android 4.2 update adds some welcomed and useful features.

The bad:  

Missing microSD slot place. Android still need more tablet-optimized apps, newer games have frame rate issues. 

The bottom line: 

With its excellent design, useful software features, and low price, Nexus 7 is the cheapest way to experience best that the Android OS has to offer.

Rating 5/5