Tablet pros and cons from someone who has owned and used many

Posted by Casual Browser on August 10, 2012 12:00 pm 9

I have owned an android phone, and iphone 4s, ipad first generation, ipad third generation, nook color, as well as other devices. Though i have never owned a nexus 7 i have done my research and this combined with my experience with other products has led me to compile a list of true pro's and con's with the devices.

Ipad (third generation) (owned)

• Amazing Screen > Double the battery usage, double the charging time, and a hot device (no exaggeration)
• Big screen which is useful for tablet apps > lack luster and uncustomizable homescreen leaves for wasted space
• Ton's of great apps (the main selling point) > cost of apps, space for apps (accounting for retina graphics, and universal apps needing to have iphone, ipad, and retina versions downloaded regardless of model) which are minor problems at the most. not bothersome to most users.
• Other flaw = no choice. I can't change my default browser and other things which annoy me... on a daily basis
• Other benefit = everything just... works. not to sound like a cheesy commercial but i never worry about random problems, app viruses, and more. I know android is cracking down on this, but i feel like the ipad has the user friendly category won. Ontop of this accessories such as cases, docks, and more are so plentiful that they really enhance the device.
• Recommend = yes. I love it and use it all the time. In my opinion the pros out way the cons. My top day to day use device. I went for a month out of the country (sans laptop) with just my ipad and found it to be more than suitable for all but typing (which can be solved with a keyboard)

Nook color (owned)

• Love the form factor for reading. I prefer reading on this over my ipad any day. It feels more natural because of the size > Small screen causes issues with app friendliness. i'd rather use any app on the ipad over apps on the nook color
• Price was great (especially after it dipped when the nook tablet was announced) > cheap feeling materials when compared to other tablets (especially the screen and responsiveness)
• UI was great for reading > not really for anything else. It was the android tablet that was watered down to a point of ... bleh.
• The store had tons of books, magazines, free trials, and free samples > All content in the store is overpriced. The apps which are free or even $1.00 on my ipad were $5.00 or more on the Nook Color. They also ran glitchier and had a less user friendly layout. Limited apps since it was a controlled store (not the standard google play/ android market). The same books, magazines, free trials, and free samples could be found through downloading the nook ipad app or android app
• Basically it was a cheap tablet that felt cheap. It was great for reading but bad for browsing and .... everything else. I love the form factor but hate the way that the apps ran on it.
• recommend = yes and no. Yes at the time i bought it, no now. Go with a dedicated E-reader if thats what you want or a nexus 7if you want a tablet.

Nexus 7 ( Used and researched)

• Beautiful layout and ui and just.... wow is all i could say. It polishes all that i hated with the old android tablet UI and made it more user friendly
• Awesome form factor for one handed use, reading, walking, etc. > Small space for apps when it comes to utilizing a tablet to its fullest
• Tons of apps available on google play > not alot of dedicated tablet apps. I know android apps are meant to scale but coming from an ipad i expect a much petter tablet app ecosystem. IMO biggest drawback
• Home screen use is something i love. I feel like the elements of an android tablet were meant to be on a 7inch tablet rather than a large tablet. I don't get the feeling of empty space i get from the usually android tablets. I also did not get the feeling that it was an "overgrown phone" like other 7inch android tablets feel. I feel like the perfect balance and design was reached with this tablet.
• One major draw back is the support in terms of docking, accessories, and more. I know this is because it is a new product and it has to catch on before it gets consideration for those sort of things, but since the ipad does have a countless accessories, docks, cases, and more.... the nexus needs them too. The nexus 7 may be new to the scene, but the market is far from new.
• My other problems include bad front facing camera (skype) and non existant back camera and no 32 or 64 gig options and no upgradeable memory to compensate for it. The 8 hour battery also seems small compared to the ipad. The price more than makes up for this in my opinion and it surpasses all other 7inch tablets.
• Quoted from Jared Newman since he can explain it better than i ever could = , "Android Can Still Get in the Way

  As I wrote in my Android 4.1 Jelly Bean overview, Google’s operating system makes some big leaps forward in usability and smoothness. Sometimes I catch myself just scrolling back and forth on the home screen admiring the responsiveness. But things can still get weird. In one instance, an app caused everything to get choppy and slow until I dug into system settings and force-closed the offending program. I’ve experienced a few app crashes, and some websites can get laggy, particularly desktop-optimized ones. Granted, I’ve had some of the same issues on the iPad, but in general iOS still seems a little better at getting out of the way" (http://techland.time.com/2012/07/26/30-days-with-googles-nexus-7-tablet/#ixzz239pxrrJf).

• Recommend it = hell, i'm selling my nook color and buying this as soon as i can. It perfects the 7inch tablet mold. With a little more support, apps, and more it could be perfect. It has it's flaws but its price more than makes up for it.

Winner?

• NONE: The iPad and Nexus 7 are completely different in use, style, and everything else. They both fit their own niche without needing to compete. Both are great options and both have flaws.

Summary of my dream tablet through my experience.

• IOS apps, apps store, etc. Nexus 7 lock screen, home screen. Siri, IOS icons that would replace the look of the android icons.

1. The ipad perfected the apps, polish, and user friendliness
2. the Nexus 7 perfected the homescreen , lockscreen, and customization

• The ipad is too big but the nexus is too small for a well balanced all around tablet

1. The ipad is awkward for reading books, and feels too big at times
2. The Nexus 7 is not preferred size wise for web browsing, videos, and some apps
3. the prefect tablet will be inbetween these sizes but i'm not sure exactly what size would be the best. The aspect ratio of the ipad shrunken down would be perfect.