Nexus 10?

I've been reading a lot here about different tablets, and it's all been very informative. I don't have a tablet and have only seen one from a distance. The Nexus 7 seems to be a very popular android tablet, and I see now that the Nexus 10 has come out. Anyone have one, and do you think there is much advantage to having a larger screen size? Thanks for any info you have to offer!!

Don't have the Nexus 10 but do have a 10" Asus Transformer Android tablet and I honestly think 10" tablets are fine for general use when you are sitting at home where you can rest them on your leg or an arm chair but out and about they tend to be awkward and bulky. I bought a Nexus 7 specifically because of this and I have enjoyed it much more than my 10" Asus simply because I can grab it and go and slip it in a jacket pocket or back pocket. Though if you're planning on using it for astronomy base apps and what not there are a few vehicle mounts I've seen that could easily be converted/adapted to be mounted in some way on a Dob rocker box or even just use a portfolio case if you utilize a "work table" with your observation set up.

My advice is go to your local electronics store and lay hands on one or at least one the same form factor size. Weigh what you're wanting to use it for, strictly astronomy or if you're gonna play games, read, watch movies or other media. Plus, weather or not you'd utilize the differences in hardware. The Nexus 10" has only a dual core processor but does have twice the ram as the N7 so apps would probably load and be more responsive. The N10 has a micro HDMI out so you could hook it directly to a HDTV and "mirror" your screen on the device. The N10 has a rear facing camera and a front camera where as the N7 only a front. Is portability a significant factor. Another important factor to keep in mind is storage. Both the N7 and N10 have 16 and 32 GB models. My personal recommendation is to go with the 32GB model if you can afford it as neither of the Nexus tablets have MicroSD card slots so what you buy is all the storage you're gonna have. I've been a avid Android fan since my first Android phone, the Original Droid, and I've noticed as Android has grown in development so has App size as well as the data downloads sometimes attached to the functionality of the apps. Also consider if you're gonna store pics, music, movies or documents. You can fill up 16Gb faster than you think.

Ultimately I don't think you'd go wrong either way. But definitely go Nexus if you get an Android tablet because they are the direct "Plain Jane"/"vanilla" version of Android that apps are designed to work on. They don't have any of the custom "skins"/launchers other manufactures slap on Android that cause lags in updates and suck up system resources. Since the updates come from Google directly, when they announce an Android update you get system software updates in a matter of weeks(if not days) not MONTHS as typical with other manufactures that have to adapt their skin/launcher to work with the new update.

Thanks, Sean. I hadn't really thought about the weight and overall size factor. Since you have devices with both 7" and 10" screens, is there much difference in being able to read things on the screens? My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, and as I get older, it's harder to read smaller print. I plan to use this for astronomy apps, an ereader, and general portable "laptop" use.

A tablet will never be a true laptop replacement. Well that really kind of depends on the level of the end users expectations and use. General every day use for most people they would probably suffice well enough.

For most things,web browsing, magazines&books the pinch to zoom functions take care of pesky small print though zooming and shifting the page around the screen does get a tad tedious. Most reader apps like Google Books App, Kindle and the Barnes and Nobel app allow you to custom set the text size.

As I said previously though. The 10" might be fine if your predominant use would be at home and "field" use intermittently. If you plan to travel or use it a lot "on the go" I'd go 7" but that's just my personal prefference.

Hi Carol,

My best advice would be to go to a local store that carries both sizes and compare them directly. When I started looking for a tablet, I was pretty sure I'd be getting a 10". However, after seeing them in person, I noticed that a 10" tablet is physically almost twice the size of a 7". If I'm going to carry around something that big, it may as well be my laptop. The larger tablets are considerably more expensive as well.

Ultimately, I wound up buying the 32 Gb version of the Nexus 7. I mainly use it to run SkySafari which has a comprehensive database, and is capable of controlling my CPC scopes via Bluetooth. It's a great combination!

Don:usa:

Thanks for all the suggestions. I haven't had the time to actually look and hold one, but I'm beginning to lean toward the Nexus 7, 32 Gb with the ATT sim card. That would give me the option of internet access at my remote site and other places. The smaller size does sound appealing. It would not replace my 17" laptop, but it would be a lot more portable.

Well, I've decided to go with the Nexus 7, 32 Gb, ATT version. I want to root my device before I install any apps. Are there any "easy" tutorials out there on how to root a nexus 7? What android ROMs would you suggest I flash onto the Nexus? I read Snorkler's thread about his modifications and he used Paranoid Android ROM. Any suggestions on modifications are appreciated!!

If you go with the version that is wireless enabled you'll have to stick specifically to ROMs that support that specific hardware. Best place to start would be the XDA Devlopers forum or RootzWiki Nexus 7 page. There may not be as many ROM variants, not sure as I just have the wifi version. Also, I have rooted and ROM'd some of my previous Android devices yet I really haven't found need to with my N7. The only benefit I can see is to get rid of or change the color of the on screen buttons. BUT.. I remedied that by using a red plastic screen cover. I personally use red film that is used for wrapping baskets/gifts. I bought a 20' roll at the local Dollar Tree for a buck. You just have to make sure it's capacitive screen conductive. I used my cell phone and just pealed a bit of the packaging off then put the film over my screen and did a screen swipe. If it registers your touch you're golden. I cut a piece and tape it tightly over the edge of the device. It kinda also protects against dew on the device.

Thanks for the links, Sean!! I'm just beginning to learn about rooting a device. Can you root a device and keep the stock ROM, like 4.2.1 Jelly Bean?

Great idea about the red wrapping!! Sounds like it's thin enough to still use the touch screen-perfect !

Some of the films would NOT work at all... some would... I don't think it's a matter of thickness as much as actual materials.

And YES you CAN root a device and leave it stock. The main purpose in rooting to begin with is to be able to install a custom Recovery so you can load custom ROMs. Typically the stock recovery doesn't support loading non manufacture authorized firmwares.

Android by default has critical system files locked out as most end users don't really need to make changes to them to have a decent end user experience. The process of rooting is really the equivalent to giving you similar to Admin rights on a Win based system but since Android is in essence a custom version of Linux the term "root access" applies, hence "rooting". This means you have rights to make changes on a base system level and having that means you can really screw some stuff up if you don't know what you're doing or aren't careful (just as you can Win).. Ha Ha Ha.

I finally got my Nexus 7 yesterday, and I've been busy today "customizing" it with apps, music, etc. All I can say is WOW!! This little device is amazing in what it is capable of doing. One of the first apps I downloaded was Sky Safari Pro. Now I know what everyone has been talking about. This program is absolutely beautiful and loaded with options. Can't wait to get out and really use it!

I don't have the ATT data set up yet, so I don't know how that will be, but if it's anything like what I've seen so far with this device, it should be fine.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that I really like the Nexus 7? Thanks to all who recommended this little tablet!!

Just a quick update about the 3G connection using this little device. I took it to our farm out in the boonies today and tried connecting to the internet. Even though I was out in the country, I must have been near a tower, because the connection to the internet was very quick. I was quite impressed with the speed. I guess I was expecting the pages to load as slow as they did when I was on a dial up connection. The CN home page loaded in less than 3 seconds, as did the other pages I tried. All in all, the Nexus 7 is a great device.