Google Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean initial review

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The ASUS Nexus tablet, Google?s first tablet in the Nexus family is finally here and it?s called theGoogle Nexus 7. Surely you saw all of our coverage from earlier today. From the announcement post, or immediate hands-on coverage and more, but now we?re diving in a little deeper with tons of info and our initial review impressions.

Google?s new tablet is pretty impressive. Is this just a Kindle Fire fighter? Yes and no. Of course this will directly compete with the Kindle Fire (and kill it) but it also competes with all of the Android tablets currently available ? not just 7-inch models. Coming with impressive specs, the latest version of Android, and an awesome price how could it not? Below we?ll show you a few more videos, plenty of screenshots, and as usual some benchmarks of that quad-core Tegra 3 processor. Stay tuned and enjoy it all below.

First off you?ll want to start with our initial unboxing where we show you the Nexus 7, the newGalaxy Nexus with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and a quick look at the new media device called theNexus Q. We unbox them live on the IO floor before digging in so check it out!

Hardware

Now lets talk about hardware here. This isn?t the thinnest tablet, but it?s pretty close to being one of the lightest. Google and ASUS have a pretty great idea to bring a great overall package at an extremely low price. You get ?almost? all the specs you?d ever want all for just $199. Here?s the rundown on the Nexus 7 specs:

- 7? 1280?800 HD display (216 ppi)

- Back-lit IPS display

- Quad-core Tegra 3 processor

- 8/16 GB internal storage ($199/$249)

- 1 GB RAM

- Micro USB

- 4325 mAh (Up to 8 hours of active use)

- Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

- 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm

- 340g

- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n

- Bluetooth

- 1.2MP front-facing camera

- Scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass

The hardware is great here, especially when you take into consideration everything they?ve packed into this slate while managing to also keep the price down. The build quality is extremely pleasing, and assures you this is a quality device. The 10mm thickness was something I wish was a little thinner, but I?ll gladly live with it for the price, plus it makes holding it in your hand easier. I know this is going against anything we?ve previously said, but something too thin has sharp corners that aren?t ergonomic. This tablet is comfy in the hand ? and I?ll surely spend hours at a time using this bad boy.

[snipped] More on the source

Benchmarks

This is an area that many enthusiasts love to see, and others don?t care. We still like to stack devices up to the competition but lets just say between the quad-core Tegra 3 processor and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, this is one of the best performing and smoothest devices I?ve ever used. Either way here is a few benchmark results.

Now having this device for only a half a day we can?t seriously have a full out review, although many will try I?m sure. Instead this is our initial review and some first impressions, as well as tons of pictures and screenshots for those who want them. Battery life was listed as 9 hours of video playback during the keynote, but the specs state 8 hours ? so we?ll have to give that a thorough test later on. The front camera isn?t able to snap pictures at will so once we do a few fun hangouts this week we?ll take some pictures and post those up too. Yup there is no camera app or way to snap photos since it only features a front camera, which appears to be dedicated to Hangouts and video chat only.

more/source http://androidcommunity.com/google-nexus-7-and-jelly-bean-initial-review-20120628/