05
Jul
wm_IMG_2353

Nexus 7 Review: The Android Tablet, Rebooted

Posted by in ASUS, Jelly Bean 4.1, Nexus 7, Reviews, Tablet Reviews, Tablets
Last Updated: July 15th, 2012

Android tablets, for the last year plus they've existed, haven't been anything to get excited over. At least that's my opinion on the matter. And even if you've wanted one (a good one), most of them have been sort of expensive. But now that Google has unveiled the first true Nexus tablet (XOOM who?), for a mere 200 of your dollars, you can get in on the computing revolution. At that price, Google isn't shooting for the premium market. It's targeting first-time tableteers, boldly going where only Amazon and various Chinese knock-offs have gone before - into the sub-$200 slate market.

04
Jul
google-nexus-7-2

[Update: Winners!] Fourth of July Giveaway: Win One Of Two 8GB Nexus 7s From Android Police And Handy Apps

Posted by in Contests / Giveaways, News, Nexus 7
Last Updated: July 10th, 2012

The contest is now over. Here are the winners, selected at random:

  • Leon
  • Roderick Cross

Congratulations - you will be contacted for your information in the near future!

Everyone else - keep participating and stay tuned to Android Police so that you don't miss our upcoming giveaway announcements. You can follow AP on Twitter Facebook, Google+, and RSS.

The Nexus 7 was undoubtedly the biggest announcement to come out of Google I/O. And for good reason, too: it's the new face of Android. This next-gen Android slate is the future of things to come for our favorite OS, as it finally puts an incredibly powerful, yet affordable tablet in the hands of the masses.

03
Jul
wm_IMG_2284

[Update: Affecting Only Some Units] The Nexus 7's Screen Has Surprisingly Bad Image Retention - Just Take A Look At These Photos

Posted by in ASUS, News, Nexus 7, Tablets, Tips & Tutorials

ASUS Response: We've received a response from ASUS that they're unable to replicate the problem on production units (I/O units are, technically, pre-production), so this may have been sorted out in time for the initial consumer run. It appears, then, that this problem is at least affecting only some units.

Update: Here are some more comparison photos from a different Nexus 7.

wm_IMAG0132 wm_IMAG0133

wm_IMAG0134 wm_IMAG0136

wm_IMAG0138 wm_IMAG0139

wm_IMAG0141 wm_IMAG0142

Some have suggested this is a native behavior with IPS displays called "image retention." I did a side-by-side of the same image with a Transformer Prime and Trasformer Pad 300 - both of which have IPS displays.

02
Jul
image

Jelly Bean Bumps Contact Photos To Hi-Res 720x720 But Google Sync Continues To Clobber It With Low-Res Mush

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News

One of the most starred Android issues of all time, currently #20 of 21363 from the top with 1191 stars, is the absolutely awful quality of synced contact photos (issue #3870, opened in 2009). ICS attempted to resolve the issue by bumping the quality to 256x256 pixels, but Google sync would without mercy squash it right back down to blurry pixel dirt (96x96).

To recap, there are actually a couple of issues:

  1. Contact photos set in Gmail.com are downsized to 96x96. That continues to be the case, and this isn't really even an Android problem - it's up to the Gmail team to fix it.

29
Jun
image

Google Releases Full Factory OS Image For The Nexus 7 "nakasi" Tablet (Android 4.1, JRN84D)

Posted by in ASUS, Development, Google, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7

Google just dropped the full OS image for the recently announced at Google I/O Nexus 7 tablet. The image allows you to restore the tablet back to full stock Android 4.1 (build JRN84D) in case something goes wrong. This way, developers can tweak its internals without fearing a brick and users can always go back to something stable if a flash goes awry.

There are no surprises here - the Nexus 7 is a true Nexus device after all. Great job publishing the image promptly, Google!

image

It's interesting to note that the page name switched from "Factory Images for Nexus Phones" to "Factory Images for Nexus Devices" which made me realize and allow to sink in yet again just what exactly happened in the last 3 days.

28
Jun
nexus-7-logo

Nexus 7 Arriving In The UK Mid-July For £159 Through Google Play, 16GB Version To Be Stocked At Retailers, Available July 27th For £199

Posted by in News, Nexus 7

Good news for those of you in the UK; according to Engadget, you will be able to pick up a 16GB Nexus 7 from your local store on July 27th for £199, with the 8GB model being sold exclusively through the Play Store for £159.

The 16GB model will be stocked by retailers such as PC World, Comet, Tesco and Ebuyer, with contracts available through Carphone Warehouse if you can't bring yourself to splash £200 on a new tablet straight away.

Considering how little attention Android tablets get in UK stores at the moment, this is big news for both Google and ASUS, who will be hoping to get the attention of consumers with a sleek, fast device and a very attractive price point.

28
Jun
nexus-7-guidebook

Google Releases Free Nexus 7 Guidebook On The Play Store

Posted by in Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7

Have you already pre-ordered your Nexus 7 and just can't wait to know everything there is to know about Google's brand new Jelly Bean tablet?

Luckily for you, Google has just released a free guidebook on the Play Store, which covers everything from how to turn the device on to fine tuning performance and optimizing battery life.

The book is 84 pages long, and packed with information about not only the Nexus 7, but new features that you will come across in Jelly Bean, too.

There are lots of screenshots and little tips throughout each chapter, so you will be able to get a feel for the new version of Android before the Nexus 7 even arrives at your front door.

27
Jun
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Google I/O Day One Roundup – Jelly Bean, Google Glass, Two New Nexus Devices, And So Much More

Posted by in Android OS, ASUS, Google, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7, Nexus Q (Steelhead), Tablets, Videos

Google's I/O conference, in usual form, kicked off with an explosive start.  The day's news saw the revelation of things we've been waiting to see for months. Things we've heard rumor of, wished for, and even (quite accurately) predicted. With all the things we saw, it only seems right to round up all the day's news in one place. Grab a snack, because we've got a lot to talk about.

Jelly Bean

jb-android-4.1

One of the day's I/O show stoppers was undoubtedly the announcement of Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean. I have to be honest, with a ".1" update, I wasn't expecting too much improvement, but I was certainly wrong in that estimation.

27
Jun
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[Video] Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Boot Animation (As Seen On A Nexus 7)

Posted by in ASUS, Google, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Nexus 7, Videos

It's kind of a tradition now for the Android team to create different boot animations for every Android release, and Jelly Bean is definitely no exception. Here's the boot animation from the Nexus 7 which is, as you all should know by now, the first device running Android 4.1:

If you need a refresher, here's the one from ICS, for comparison purposes (for science!):

27
Jun
2012-06-27_12h53_24

The Nexus 7 Is Official - Here's Everything We Know

Posted by in News, Nexus 7

We've been hearing about waiting for Google's first tablet, the Nexus 7, to become official for what seems like an eternity. Google just made the official announcement (finally!) - here's everything we know so far:

Specs:

  • 7" 1280x800 IPS display
  • Quad-core Tegra 3 processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • Super thin and light: only 340 Grams
  • front-facing camera
  • Wi-FI, Bluetooth, NFC
  • 4325mAh battery - 9 hours of video playback, 300 hours of standby time
  • Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Along with ASUS, Google designed the Nexus 7 with Google Play in mind. Everything from the homescreens to the way content is consumed, the N7 was designed with these things in mind.

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