Google Announces the Nexus 7"

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by pata

Update:

oh sweet. i hope that means we can come up with some kind of chat camera attachment so i can have an outfacing camera. maybe on some kind of case that docks to the usb port...

[Marseille]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Yes, I think the higher density will make a difference, but I don't think it needs to be >300dpi like iPad/iPhone. And given the tradeoff in terms of CPU/GPU power consumption I'd prefer it to be only as much as it needs to be so my eyes don't register any lack of smoothness at normal viewing distance, and no more than that.

We have similar priorities. The iPad and macbook pro for that matter actually use different densities. Apple's calculations do account for different viewing distances between device categories, but the iPad 3 (260ish ppi?) still runs significantly hotter and weighs more, both due to the significant battery increase necessary to support the resolution. Sadly, some like Samsung followed suit chasing a marketing gimmick instead of nailing down a good balance.

I approve of Asus' approach more. Early reviews of the prime infinity -- which carries a pixel density comparable to the n7 -- are positive. And indeed, density itself isn't the only issue and higher quality displays like IPS, AMOLED etc, bringing better viewing angles, brightness levels or higher contrast have a role to play as well.

[The Terminator]

The 8GB has 5.92GB free out of the box, more than enough in my opinion to have a reasonable amount of apps and a couple of movies (Estimating movie's at 1GB), you'll just have to switch your movies out when you want to watch another. And given the price difference, having to switch movies for offline viewing is totally fine, plus you get a more powerful processor, more RAM, and an awesome screen.

[ScotiaBurrell]

Is google play the only store selling this? Google Play is not Amazon...

[VaporPunk]

Originally Posted by HarryT

My point was that it requires hardware support - it's not merely a software issue.

Ah, got it. Looks like your question has been answered.

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

the cost of an sd slot is a fee to microsoft to license the FAT file system on top of the hardware. hence no slot on this device.

If they can read external USB storage, then they've already had to pay. Microscum's VFAT is the standard there, just as it is for SD cards.

[Scarpad]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

I have to agree, although there may be other noteworthy small tablets in that price range coming soon.



That would be the 7" Acer A110, which was announced earlier this month. It's scheduled for release late this year and has ICS, Tegra3 (quad core), microSD, microUSB, and HDMI. The price will be at (or under) $200.

My 7" Acer A100 has a problem at one viewing angle. It's not a big deal for me; I just flip it around the other way when I'm viewing it from the wrong angle. The Nexus 7's screen does have nice specs, and I assume it is superior to the A110 (Nexus 7 has a 1280x800 IPS display versus A110's 1024×600). That said, my A100 has the same screen resolution as the upcoming A110, and I don't have a problem reading on it. I also read on my larger A500 tablet. I do, however, prefer reading on an eink Kindle over any backlit device.

Very on the Fence also The Fire not having an SD Slot I don't feel is as big of a deal, it's a reader with a very locked down ecosystem, but a full blown android Tablet, it should have an expansion slot if not then at least offer it with 32gb as an entry point, why do these companies keep putting out 8gb models, what is this 2009? 32 gb cards are under $30. My A100 has 16gb built in, but 32gb on board also so 48 full gb is a nice roomy experience in a tablet that small. But it does'nt compare in screen or processing power, Why must companies gimp their products. I guess google is moving more toward Apple having no expansion. Guess it will be worth waiting for the Fire 2 and Prob the smaller Ipad coming in the fall.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

the cost of an sd slot is a fee to microsoft to license the FAT file system on top of the hardware. hence no slot on this device.

The only thing good about that abomination of the file system is that it is recognized by Windows boxes. Google is big enough to bite the bullet and write the piece of software that will solve the cursed Windows problem and make that insanity read something else. To "do no evil" is not enough, not anymore.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ankh

The only thing good about that abomination of the file system is that it is recognized by Windows boxes. Google is big enough to bite the bullet and write the piece of software that will solve the cursed Windows problem and make that insanity read something else. To "do no evil" is not enough, not anymore.

Don't you think that's just a tad melodramatic? The FAT/FAT32 file system isn't so very terrible and, whether you like it or not, it's actually a part of the SD card specification that it uses that file system.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Don't you think that's just a tad melodramatic?

No, it is just fine. Paying royalties for any file system is an abomination in this day and age. There are free alternatives, and Google most certainly knows about them.

Originally Posted by HarryT

The FAT/FAT32 file system isn't so very terrible and, whether you like it or not, it's actually a part of the SD card specification that it uses that file system.

"Isn't so very terrible" does not cut it for something that I am forced to buy. It has to be "superior" to the free alternatives. I don't have issues with divergence from the spec as long as the user is clearly warned when he formats his SD card. Just pass the decision to the users, and let us see what happens.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by Scarpad

The Fire not having an SD Slot I don't feel is as big of a deal, it's a reader with a very locked down ecosystem, but a full blown android Tablet, it should have an expansion slot if not then at least offer it with 32gb as an entry point <snip> Why must companies gimp their products.

Keep in mind, the $200 Nexus 7 is the same price as the Fire and also comes with 1280x800 display, Tegra 3 quad-core processor, front facing camera, microphone, GPS, NFC, gyroscope, bluetooth which the Fire doesn't have. This isn't a premium tablet but there's a lot of hardware packed given the price point. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 at $249 is the Nexus 7's closest competition and does come with an expansion slot. However, it only has 1024x600 display, OMAP4 1GHz dual-core processor and 8GB vs the 16GB on the $250 Nexus 7 model. To get to the $200 price point, something had to give.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Ankh

The only thing good about that abomination of the file system is that it is recognized by Windows boxes. Google is big enough to bite the bullet and write the piece of software that will solve the cursed Windows problem and make that insanity read something else. To "do no evil" is not enough, not anymore.

And how clever would it be to release a product that had an SD card slot but which couldn't read SD cards created by anything else?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

And how clever would it be to release a product that had an SD card slot but which couldn't read SD cards created by anything else?

Not to mention the fact that they wouldn't even be "SD cards". The SD standard specifies not only the hardware, but also the filesystem.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

And how clever would it be to release a product that had an SD card slot but which couldn't read SD cards created by anything else?

IMHO, definitely more clever than releasing the product that does not have SD card slot at all.

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Not to mention the fact that they wouldn't even be "SD cards". The SD standard specifies not only the hardware, but also the filesystem.

Why would you care?

The SD card would not be destroyed, one can take it to another device with SD slot, format it there and continue to use the device. I don't know about the others, but my SD cards, these days, rarely leave their slots.

What, these days we still depend on standardization of the SD file system as means of transferring data from one platform to other that it is better to have no SD slot at all than non-standard SD file system?