@Cubeology and @OP
I was on the fence for a long time about getting a tablet. I have a Dell Mini 9, which is only 2.24 pounds running Linux Mint Maya (reformatted a couple of weeks ago from Lisa). I'm a huge fan of Google services and Chrome (I was running ChromiumOS for a few months), so when Google came out with the Nexus 7 (partnered with Asus), it was perfect! The right size for me and very light. I have a Dell 1121 Notebook (running Linux Mint Lisa), which is not very convenient for quick email checks, reading news (via google reader), etc.
Anyway, I got the Nexus 7 Jelly Bean which had the "flaw" of being unable to run adobe flash. First thing I did after unboxing was to root it and installed flash and Xscope browser. Realized a few days later that rooting is not needed for installing flash, but it still worked out when I ordered USB OTG cable which required rooting for proper access. Plus, rooting is fun for poking around (using terminal) and executing some commands.
When I got my Nexus 7, the custom ROM's were still alpha and beta releases, so I wasn't gonna risk a stable Nexus 7.
After reading the dmmarck's "Release the Kraken" thread yesterday, I finally dug into the forums and realized the custom ROM's are quite stable now. Looked for suggestions and decided on Paranoid Android.
Wow. Performance is phenomenal! I use the Google Chrome browser a lot so I can share bookmarks and opened tabs from other devices and OS's, and it's not very fast on the Nexus 7 even with the quad-core processor. There is a often a considerable wait, especially on yahoo mail (and other webpages). PA eliminates much of the lags. The customization features make me seem like a kid in a candy store. Wife saw my Nexus 7 (she has a 16GB, rooted but stock ROM) and was complaining to me why I have the clock at the bottom (tablet UI) even when running the game (or any app). She wants it because she loses track of time when she's into her game
I guess I have a project this weekend.
Sorry about the long post. My point is Nexus 7 is an awesome device (if you're into the Google ecosystem). 1. No rooting, install flash (via sideload) and a different browser. You're good to go. 2. You want to root it for low level access and special apps. That's good, too. 3. You decide to go all the way and install custom ROM's. Well, imvho, it's the best choice
BTW, I have a very cheap phone I bought used from eBay, which I use for the hotspot tethering feature ($30/mo T-Mo prepaid plan) so I have internet everywhere (even on the freeway) so my Nexus 7 is fun to take everywhere coz I got internet practically everywhere.