An Apple user's impressions of the Nexus 7 & Jelly Bean

[Bethany Smith]

I'll preface this by saying please forgive me for the rambling that you are about to read. It's after 6:00 AM on Monday morning where I live and I've been up all night reading how to guides on everything Android. I stumbled across this forum last week, but after my long weekend with my Nexus 7 I felt the need to give my thoughts and ask for some in return.

Being a long time Apple user, I recently found myself needing to test out the Android versions of the apps the company I contract with puts out. After doing some research I thought the Nexus 7 seemed like it would be a great choice. I liked the price, the form factor, the build quality from the reviews, and most of all that it was stock plain Android with nothing on top to muck it up. The pure experience if you will.

I guess I'll start with the whole pre-order debacle. It's been beaten to death in other topics but I've just got to say that in the future, I hope Google rethinks their current strategy. Pick a release date and make it publicly known. Hold your distribution partners to this date & make sure those who've pre-ordered have it on that street date. It's really quite simple and a company as powerful & successful as Google should by now know how to facilitate this.

After finding out that Game Stop would be carrying the Nexus 7, I immediately canceled my pre-order and placed it with Game Stop instead to avoid the unnecessary shipping. Thankfully, I did this after the Game Stop announcement. I can completely sympathize with those who waited too long and are now stuck having to wait it out.

I got the call from that my pre-order was in stock this past Friday. Sadly, I've already had to replace it twice now at my local Game Stop over the weekend. The First time was for a long row of dead pixels down the left side of the screen. The second time was because it was Bricked/DOA and would not boot at all or show a charging indicator. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough that they had ample extras there at the time.

I will concede that every hardware launch has a few hiccups along the way. While going back and forth to Game Stop was annoying, I'm able to accept that I just had more than my fair share of bad luck. Thankfully, unit three appears to be in fairly good hardware shape. The only obvious flaw is that It does have a very minor case of the left hand side screen adhesive not being fully secure. It's something I am willing to overlook for the time being and will keep an eye on over time.

Now on to the real reason I'm taking the time to write all of this in the first place, the Android software. My first impressions of a Goggle Android device after being in the Apple iOS ecosystem since 2007 were very optimistic. Having only really ever handled one other device back several years ago, the OS seems to have improved a great deal since then. It seems pretty fluid and overall really responsive. The settings and user interface took a tiny bit of adjusting, but for the most part I found it wasn't too hard to grasp the overall way to do things. All was looking like I was going to finally be enjoying my time spent with Jelly Bean. I made some icon groupings, changed my wallpaper. I was just starting to settle in and tweak the settings to my liking and then little things started detracting from the overall experience.

I guess I want to say right off the bat that Apple iOS devices rotate from portrait to landscape straight out of the box. That's the kind of simplicity that matters to the "iStuff" crowd. As someone who prefers the option to have my home screen in landscape the majority of the time, it was incredibly frustrating to find out that that the home screen rotation was only possible through modifications to the stock Jelly Bean OS. I'm no novice & can make it happen from what I've found if I were so inclined, but it's the principle of the matter. I shouldn't have to go mucking around with rooting and what not to enable something that I feel should have been available from the start. After venting this frustration with a friend, I was told "But... that's the whole point of Android you tardo! It's built to be messed with and geeked out! You are supposed to mold it to however you want it and not how others tell you it should be!"

Could it be that he was right? Maybe I have just been too closed minded to see that what I find as annoying, others see as a challenge with endless possibilities. Maybe, maybe not. I guess I'll have to keep using it and try and find out if that's an area that I want to explore. As it stands now though, I just feel extremely annoyed & have no desire to do so yet.

What it all boils down to for me I think is that If hardware production defects, shipping fiasco's, and poor customer support aren't enough reason to dissuade someone, It's the minor annoyances like the home screen rotation and the lack of battery percentage next to the battery icon that will turn people like myself off. I mean seriously there is no setting that you can enable to show battery percentage right there on the home screen without once again, doing changes to the system or downloading a widget that may or may not work properly?

I want to like it, I really do. I know that I need more time with it and that I shouldn't have to try and force myself to stop reaching for my iPad just to do simple things like check the web. It's really a shame that the one area where I feel Google has tremendously let me down is the software. (Especially after years of hearing the virtues and praise from the several friends who are devout Android users.)

I guess that's all I really wanted to say. I'm not giving up on my Nexus. Like it or not, I'm stuck having to use it for work regardless. Can anyone out there recommend some things that will help me to enjoy my new Nexus 7? Any tips or suggestions will be more than welcome. I really do want to get the most out of my investment, but maybe after being in the Apple world for so long I was just expecting more than Google could deliver?

 

[fguills]

To tell you the truth I think your NUTS!

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

 

[qnet]

I think you may be expecting it to be too much like the Ipad. I have a Ipad and a couple of android tablets. All Android tablets auto-rotate on the home screen and, this is the first one I know of that does not. I'm not sure why they designed it that way. I think it's mainly designed for reading and it does rotate for movies and videos from what I understand. It also seems to be mainly targeted for people who would get a Kindle fire or something similar. You may have been better off waiting for a full 10" Nexus tablet, which I've heard rumors of coming.

I don't think you're closed minded, you are just familiar with the simplicity of iOS and certain things you like about it. I love my Ipad and use it a lot and hardly ever touch my Xoom. My Asus Transformer pad I use a lot with the keyboard dock and, it's nice to have removable storage.

If you don't want to root it or tweak it, which I don't blame you for; I'm not sure any tips would help make your experience better. I like the Ipad but, I really like tweaking and messing around with my android devices. That's not for everyone.

You've had a bad experience with a defective product so, that doesn't help. I've been lucky in that I've never received a defective tablet IOS or Android based.

 

[Drapetomania]

My android phone doesn't rotate on the homescreen and that's not a big problem. Why Google keeps doing that thing with hiding the battery percentage I'll never figure out, but there's customs skins and stuff that can fix that.

I can sympathize with google on not rotating the homescreen in this instance because of the size of this tablet. This would not be a good decision on a 10'' tablet, however.

 

[lfeuln]

I was disappointed myself that Google still didn't add a battery percentage indicator to Jellybean. But I'm using an app called Battery Status which adds it to the status bar. I agree it's not what we should have to do, but it works well and looks very near stock with the ICS blue theme (would be perfect if it were next to the battery icon).

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

 

[MikeLip]

The no home screen rotation was a deliberate decision on Googles part. But yeah, they should have given you the option. As for the rest of it, I have an iPad 2 and several Android tabs. I always choose the Androids over the iPad. I just like how it works so much better.

Unfortunately I am stuck in wait mode for my nexus. I intend to load Battery Circle, so the lack of battery indication is a non-issue for me but I can see how someone might miss it. The display issues are a little scary, so I am crossing my fingers on that one!

 

[rn701]

I haven't used any Apple products so I can't comment on how to make your Android device more like Apple.

My impression, though, is that Apple has a much more controlled, standards-based environment which results in overall higher quality and more robust applications. And there's the simplicity and ease of use at the cost of flexibility.

Android is kind of the opposite, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Fragmentation is a problem. Too many devices and OS versions for developers to test. Far fewer accessories because manufacturers put different kinds of connections all over the place. Dodgy apps in the Play Store. Lots of games and not so many productivity apps. (Maybe that's the same for Apple, don't know, and besides it's hard to be productive on a phone or a tablet anyway - they're for consumption, not creation.)

On the other hand, the wild nature of the open source community makes for lots of interesting stuff going on. If you don't like the way your device does something, odds are that someone else had the same complaint and made an app to address it. There are dozens of apps to do the same things different ways. The trick is to pick the one that works best for you. Look at the screen shots and read the reviews. The barriers to entry for developers seem much lower, and the tools seem easier to work with. This makes for a lot of activity, but also a lot of junk so you have to be able to sort it all out.

And I have had three Android phones and one tablet (Xoom wifi) and never even had the need or desire to root or install modded ROMs. But there are plenty of geeks who love to do that stuff, and you get advancements filtering up to the real world for normal people as a result. That will never happen with a closed system.

I would also note that Android is relatively new, and as it matures I'm guessing we will see more and more quality apps, and more apps ported over from iOS, etc. (One problem, though, is that Apple has set the expectation of only paying 99 cents or $3 or whatever for an app. Hard for a small developer with a good idea to make a living at that rate.)

So anyway, my advice would be give it some time, and get familiar with the Play Store to find apps for customizing your device and experience. And look at the screen shots and reviews before wasting your time. Also, trying out apps is easy. You can install them, launch them, play around, and uninstall them right from the Play Store app if you don't like them . You can even get an instant refund for paid apps if you do it within 15 minutes or whatever the time limit is.

 

[pokingmon]

Pretty sure that homescreen rotate is locked out because they intended on this specific device to be held upright and viewed like a portrait. Most likely from a usability standpoint due to screen size and screen resolution. I could all but guarantee you that if a Nexus 10 came out it would have auto rotate out of the box, but not because people complained about the N7. Because with a bigger screen it's far more usable in landscape mode.

 

[rn701]

Yes, the Xoom Wifi is stock ICS (soon to be Jelly Bean), and it rotates the home screen unless you have it locked. (Curiously, you can't lock it in portrait mode.)

 

[gburns]

comparing apples to oranges.....but when ifail produces this type of hardware at this price point then it would be a good comparison. Of course, Apple only wants you to do what they tell you to. hmmm...

 

[ugaco07]

comparing apples to oranges.....but when ifail produces this type of hardware at this price point then it would be a good comparison. Of course, Apple only wants you to do what they tell you to. hmmm...

Hilarious. Her complaint is that Google has locked you into using the thing in portrait mode only and your response is to rag on Apple (with the very clever "ifail"....kudos on that) for restricting the way you use the product.

Well done.

 

[jellofund]

Good to see some impressions from someone new to Android.

I myself have very little experience of Android (nor IOS unless an ipod Touch counts?) and have to say I've found ICS to be a bit unintuitive. I'm starting to get the hang of it but it definitely takes a bit of time to get used to.

Apart from not being able to easily see the battery life the only real niggles I have is that I'd like to be able to rotate the homescreen to landscape mode along with Chrome (I don't think I can anyway?).

Another quirk I've found is that a movie I recently bought in 720p MP4 format plays on the Nexus in portrait mode creating a very small viewing area. Is there any way I can get round this or is there another app I can use instead?

With regards to rooting can you still buy from Google Play afterwards or are you locked out?

Thanks.

 

[_JKK_]

comparing apples to oranges.....but when ifail produces this type of hardware at this price point then it would be a good comparison. Of course, Apple only wants you to do what they tell you to. hmmm...

An Apple user comes on here and provides some honest thoughts on an issue that I to have noticed and have been annoyed with, and you troll them?

OP: Thank you! I read all of your post, and it made some great points. I agree wholeheartedly about the rotation, and I agree that you shouldn't have to hack around with it to make it work. It should just work out of the box. I'm hopeful that it will be fixed in an update, maybe - there's certainly not a reason that it can't be, given the fact that the buttons are virtual.

OP, I do hope that you enjoy your tablet as time goes on. I have an iPad as well, and I love it. But the 7-inch form factor will grow on you, I think. I think that the iPad could become the de facto laptop replacement, but these smaller tablets will be used for consuming media due to their sheer portability.

 

[pokingmon]

Another quirk I've found is that a movie I recently bought in 720p MP4 format plays on the Nexus in portrait mode creating a very small viewing area. Is there any way I can get round this or is there another app I can use instead?.

The auto-rotate toggle is for when you are in apps that support portrait and landscape modes, and don't force you to use one or the other. The homescreen on the N7 forces you to use portrait, but the video player supports auto-rotate. If you have auto-rotate screen ENABLED in your DEVICE SETTINGS, and it still isn't rotating, then try to see if there are options for the video playing app itself, and if so, make sure it's enabled there too.

 

[Cory Streater]

Give it a week... Your experience is exactly how I felt when I turned on the iPad for the first time and realized I couldn't add a simple weather widget. Ultimately, I returned it (the iPad) because there were more things like that than not, but that was just my experience.

 

[mkiker2089]

agreed with Cory. You expected it to be "yours" out of the box. Nothing is that way because you customize it yourself to suit your personality.

With Apple you get Steve Jobs' iPad and you have to get used to it. With the Nexus you get a blank slate and you make it into your own over time.

If you set up widgets on the home screen and then rotate it the widgets will either have to move on their own or you will have to set two home screens for each scenario. I think Google needs to make it so you can choose which you like and lock it. That's the only way to have clean layout.

 

[ShaggyKids]

I want to like it, I really do. I know that I need more time with it and that I shouldn't have to try and force myself to stop reaching for my iPad ...

In my case it was my PC not an iPad. I know how you feel about really wanting to like something. I spent nearly 4 grand on a customized from the factory iMac and some stuff to go with a few years ago.

Gave it my best attempt at trying to like it for 10 months which I figure was more than a fair amount of time. I never could learn to like it. I was literally amazed that when I tried to sell it on Craig's List I had no serious takers and I priced it after shopping Apple comparisons at places they sell used Mac stuff so it was a fair price.

I wound up donating it to a worthy cause. I will say I *loved* the huge 24" screen and screen quality but that's all I could love/like about it.

It took me awhile to adjust to Android after Blackberry and I still miss a few things Blackberry. For me, there is a least a short list that Blackberry does better than Android in my opinion.

Just wanted to chime in and let you know you're not alone

 

[richard_rsp]

I completely agree about the battery percentage. I am an iOS/OSX user as well (iPad 2, iPhone 4, iMac) and find myself constantly checking to see what percentage of battery is left. (I think that Google will eventually update JellyBean to support this - seems silly to have to have a Widget or a mod to have such basic information available).

Regarding the screen rotation - I have to say that it really doesnt bother me. Im so used to my iPhone being the same way, that I really dont think much about using it in portrait mode. it DID take me a few minutes to figure out why the Nexus wasnt rotating when in apps, but once i realized the rotation lock was on, it was no big deal.

My only problem (vs iOS) is that I have already had an issue with back to back freezes and restarts, likely due to a corrupted file. Its to be expected on such a new OS, but it still catches me off guard when being used to Apple's almost-rock-solid OS reliability.

Other than that, I am loving the device. I have not had any hardware issues (other than the 'clicky' corners, but hopefully that wont get worse. Sounds like you may have just gotten a roughed up batch and some bad luck.

 

[csmith75]

With Apple you get Steve Jobs' iPad and you have to get used to it. With the Nexus you get a blank slate and you make it into your own over time.

I agree with this 100% and I am an Apple user who used to be an Android user. Although I prefer Apple products, there are things that I miss about Android. There's a lot more opportunity to customize and make the device your own and for the most part, it is a blank slate. I think that if you have been on iOS for some years, it will take time to get used to Android.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Not sure why Google decided by default to treat 7" screens as a "phone" when it comes to screen layout as opposed to a "tablet". With my 10.1" Galaxy tab, the home screen rotates into landscape fine, but on many phones, the home screen does not. The reason for this (as I've been told) is because many of the widgets that take up more than 1 space are hard to manage switching between views.

I've read that it's actually pretty easy to switch the Nexus 7 to a tab view if that's what you prefer.

At some point I'm sure I'll probably throw CyanogenMod or some other custom ROM on it that can do a lot of the stuff you point out (i.e. battery percentage). Just out of curiosity, how many various publicly contributed custom firmwares are available for the iPad? (sorry...couldn't help that last part).

Remember, this really wasn't designed to compete with iPad...it was designed to compete with Kindle Fire and other non-Google made products of this type. So while comparing Android to iOS is fair, comparing the Nexus 7 to an iPad is not.

There is a reason both iOS devices and Android devices are wildly popular -- because people love both of them...but rarely is it the same person that loves both. Apple's products are definitely designed more for those who want a great out-of-the-box experience, whereas Android gives it's users a great platform to build upon (and more importantly, allows and encourages that behavior). There are huge advantages and disadvantages to both...but frankly I think it's really hard to call one better than the other.

I may try another iOS product one day, but not until it does not require having awful iTunes installed on my computer.