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Why is that obvious? You haven't given any specifics about what you need your tablet for. We aren't telepaths just yet.

Not to sound like a troll but there really isn't a specific thing I'm looking for. I'm talking about in general.

that's more the fact that it's the first device on JB i'm pretty sure, either way that's QUICKLY improving

as of today I can hardly find anything that won't install on my nexus 7 which wasn't the case when i got it in the mail a couple weeks ago

When I first got the device, three of these were compatible.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Electronic+Arts+Inc#?t=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDEsImNvbS5lYW1vYmlsZS5tb25vcG9seV9uYV93ZiJd

Then after a week or two it was four.

Now it's seven. Of 26.

Sure, they're coming, but I'm definately not holding my breath. And this isn't specific to one developer.

I have been a long time iPhone user and naturally have found Android a piece of **** OS, but after owning the Nexus 7 for a week, my opinion of Android OS has changed greatly. Android OS (esp Jelly Bean) is much more awesome to use than iOS because it's a true geek's OS. iOS is much more restricted (even with cydia).

The app selection on iOS is much more better though and iOS apps exude more quality generally as compared to android apps.

The Nexus 7 tablet is fun to use. Its form factor is perfect (you can type on the keyboard like you would on a phone) and the pixel density of 216 ppi makes everything look sharp...especially text.

I'd advise you to use a friend's Nexus 7 before you jump for it.

With the Nexus 7 selling really well more apps are going to be developed for or ported to Android tablets. Then there are built-in features like Google Now which give Android an edge over iOS.

All in all I'd say at the moment the Nexus 7 is the better option than the iPad 2. What happens in the mid- to long-term remains to be seen - how are Apple going to react to the Nexus 7, which impact are Windows 8 tablets going to have etc.

true.. i have seem many app getting tablet support after Nexus 7. they even mention that in the charge log. sure Android dont have better tablet support now but that is going to change with Nexus 7 since its doing very good.

Funny, same thing people said when the Kindle Fire launched. And yet here we are a year later saying the same thing. I think we should just assess a situation based on what is happening now instead of guessing what will happen in the future.

Kindle fire dont have play store installed in it... so the argument is pointless.

Apps make the tablet what it is. The iPad has better apps. Simple as that really.

Kinda disagree. Both platforms have awesome apps. I find myself using the features they have built in for the most part, definitely spend less time using third party apps.

Have a galaxy s3 and iPad 2.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Apps make the tablet what it is. The iPad has better apps. Simple as that really.

I have to agree with that. Android has a limited selection of quality apps (for me), and I'm saying this as someone that has a iPad 2, iPhone 4, Galaxy Nexus & Nexus 7 ... but it all comes down to the user and their requirements in the end.

Kinda disagree. Both platforms have awesome apps. I find myself using the features they have built in for the most part, definitely spend less time using third party apps.

I've only owned Android but it does everything I need. I can't see how an iPad would be any better.

I've only owned Android but it does everything I need. I can't see how an iPad would be any better.

It's really smooth and the mrs and I both use iMessage to chat. Can't get iMessage on Android. That's the main reason I got an iPad over an Android one; if she'd not already had an iPad, or she had an Android one, I might've got something else.

It's really smooth and the mrs and I both use iMessage to chat. Can't get iMessage on Android. That's the main reason I got an iPad over an Android one; if she'd not already had an iPad, or she had an Android one, I might've got something else.

You should check out Skype:

www.skype.com

You should check out Skype:

www.skype.com

We use Skype for video calling (works over 3G) but it's not as good as iMessage for chatting. It doesn't immediately sync to all devices. I think it's supposed to, but it doesn't. When I'm talking on my phone then switch to the iPad, the conversation I had on the phone doesn't show up on the iPad, and vice versa. Parts of previous conversations seem to have synced, but there's big gaps where they haven't.

IMO the Nexus 7 design is much better. Also the hardware specs are better than the iPad's. If screen size doesn't bother you too much when playing games or browsing sites on a tablet, then definitely go for the Nexus 7.

Its horses for courses i.e. it all depends if it meets your needs.The ipad is way more expensive,has a bigger screen and a different set of apps and peripherals so your really comapring Apples with Oranges in this context.

The iPad is not per se competing in the same arena for market share it has its Apple fandroids who will gladly drop a few hundered on the next innovation no matter what it is [ipad mini anybody?].Whereas Google is new to the market and needs to make a good impression before it can make a foothold on the market place.

portability, better screen resolution than ipad 2 and quad core cpu...

you still can stick with ipad 2 if you dont need this

On the Flip side, you get a smaller screen a quad core you won't be using as it has no tangible benefit on android over the iOS on the A4 Dual core.

the then there's the aspect ration, which on the nexus is 16:9 which is great if you want to watch movies. while the more square aspect on the iPad is better for browsing, comics, reading, photos. Well anything but movies. even then the bigger screen will give you the same 16:9 picture size as the nexus without zooming.

So the only real benefit is portability, with some negatives on the side related to the smaller size and aspect.

Kindle Fire was a joke unless you just really really like Amazon.

Personally I'd keep the iPad. I love my n7 mind you, but it is what it is...cheap, quality, portable, but the apps...sheesh you can't even get half the existing marketplace from what I've noticed.

You joking ? the production quality on the N7 has been a series of do nots from cheap materials to screws that have to be tightened by the consumer after buying it.

You joking ? the production quality on the N7 has been a series of do nots from cheap materials to screws that have to be tightened by the consumer after buying it.

To who? The few reports I've seen on the subject don't have any gauge of how widespread they are.

I know mines been fine and my friend in Arizona hasn't had any problems.

The only thing "better" on the Nexus 7 is that it's smaller and more portable.

The iPad can be jailbroken, so you can't make the excuse of Apple's "walled garden".

Personally, I'd take functionality over portability, so the iPad 2 wins by miles in that aspect.

But if Android is your thing, then wait for the Nexus 10. It will be out eventually.

The only thing "better" on the Nexus 7 is that it's smaller and more portable.

The iPad can be jailbroken, so you can't make the excuse of Apple's "walled garden".

Personally, I'd take functionality over portability, so the iPad 2 wins by miles in that aspect.

But if Android is your thing, then wait for the Nexus 10. It will be out eventually.

Having to void warranty and go through the hassle of jailbreaking vs. having features available as stock? I know which I'd rather have ;)

I bought a Nexus 7 because I needed a device to test the port of my game to Android. For personal use I would have much preferred an iPad but I already have enough iOS devices to test on that platform (plus the simulator actually works properly... )

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    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
    • $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
    • Or... just use Bitwarden. Free, and has on-prem option as well. Works both on desktop and mobile, wherever you are. The age of local password files is over.
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    • I actually got to use one of those so called "backup codes" once. It was for a customer, I choose the backup code option, and by the grace of god, they actually hade them printed out. Imagine my surprise, when after using the backup code, Google then told use we had to enter a code they just sent to the gmail address we currently did not have access to. I was not amused, Google backup codes should be the end all get out of jail free card, because you had to have access to the account to even get them.
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