My Nexus 7 was syncing more than I liked!
Even browser tabs and such, so I had to tone that down a bit. But yes, as a Google device, it focuses strongly on sharing data between your devices and makes heavy use of the cloud, if allowed. It is all transparent and customizable.
As mentioned, if you want an iPad, I would really recommend to wait a few weeks or month. The next mini is very likely to have a retina display. Personally, I can warmly recommend the new Nexus 7. I use it for all the things mentioned, and also for streaming video and music to it. I still can't get over how amazing the display quality is.
If you have the chance, look at different tablets in a store. It is a personal device, so how it feels to you is important.