Nexus 7 laptop replacement. Advice please

[stockandroidguy]

Hello so I am on the market for a new laptop but not looking to spend much money. My question is can the nexus 7 function as a netbook? I was looking to get a case with a keyboard of course. I can live without a CD drive and mainly need a laptop for web surfing and watching videos. Does anyone out there do this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[georgeanderson]

If you can live without flash, and you mainly want to surf and watch videos (that aren't flash), I don't see why you would have any issues.
If you do need flash, you could always find the DL in the community and grab a different browser. Actually, FireFox may have it built in now...can't remember.
I have used a keyboard with my Nexus 7 (USB, not bluetooth) and it worked great. I use mine all the time to watch vids on YouTube and to surf my favorite sites. I too plan to get a keyboard case, the official one if they ever release it. Hope this helps.

 

[MJKearney]

For web surfing, gaming and media consumption (videos, music, books, etc.), the N7 works quite well and could certainly replace a laptop/desktop computer. It did for me. Adding a keyboard probably wouldn't enhance the media experience.

For very light productivity (simple documents and spreadsheets, very basic photo editing, etc.) and more intensive web browsing, the N7 is acceptable, but would probably be better with an external keyboard and mouse. A 10" tablet would be easier to use, however.

For heavier duty productivity (complex or large documents and spreadsheets; full fledged video, audio, and photo editing), I don't think the N7 or any tablet or netbook is appropriate. I would only recommend a standard laptop or desktop computer in these cases. Besides the inconvenience of the tablet form factor (regardless of keyboard availability), tablets lack full featured software, and sometimes horsepower, to deal with these tasks. The exception might be the upcoming Microsoft Surface Pro tablet with a keyboard, but for that money, I'd probably just buy an even more powerful laptop.

 

[stockandroidguy]

If you can live without flash, and you mainly want to surf and watch videos (that aren't flash), I don't see why you would have any issues.
If you do need flash, you could always find the DL in the community and grab a different browser. Actually, FireFox may have it built in now...can't remember.
I have used a keyboard with my Nexus 7 (USB, not bluetooth) and it worked great. I use mine all the time to watch vids on YouTube and to surf my favorite sites. I too plan to get a keyboard case, the official one if they ever release it. Hope this helps.

Thank you for responding. Most of the videos are via YouTube but flash was something I was fighting over sacrificing a well. Whats the brand of the keyboard you use and does it have a stand so it sits up like a laptop? Is chrome standard on the 7? Thanks again for the response.



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[sparksd]

I have a Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and Microsoft Bluetooth mouth which work well with the Nexus 7. I have a case that props the Nexus up in landscape mode if I want to use the keyboard. Coincidentally, I also have a 10" Samsung netbook which doesn't see much use any more. The 7" Nexus screen is a bit small for me as a netbook replacement, though - I also have an Asus Transformer Infinity Prime 10" tablet with attachable keyboard which fits that purpose. But as a budget netbook replacement - that it is not because it is a pricey combo.

I use the Boat browser on my Android devices - it works well with a sideloaded Flash, which Chrome does not.

 

[stockandroidguy]

Thanks for all the responses when I open docs(ie word or excel) I Use Google Docs on the cloud. Even that's rare. I'm mostly video. Was thinking a chrome book too but that Samsung $249 is hard to come by. Was looking at the nexus 10 but for that price is rather get a laptop. Now if it was 300 I would probably bite the bullet.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[B. Diddy]

If you're going to be mostly websurfing and watching videos on YouTube, then the Nexus 7 should be just fine. The Nexus 10 is really nice, but it is relatively expensive, so if 10" is your preference, check out various sites for new or refurbished Asus Transformer tablets. The TF300 has nice specs including a Tegra 3 quad core processor and 1280x800 resolution, and it's going for $278 at Sam's Club brand new.

If you're thinking about Chromebooks, keep in mind that there is a new one from Acer that's $199 that comes with decent onboard storage--however, the big negative is poor battery life.

 

[georgeanderson]

Thank you for responding. Most of the videos are via YouTube but flash was something I was fighting over sacrificing a well. Whats the brand of the keyboard you use and does it have a stand so it sits up like a laptop? Is chrome standard on the 7? Thanks again for the response.

The only keyboards I've tried are the standard PC keyboards (one Apple and one Microsoft). They worked fine with a USB OTG cable. No stand tho. Yes, Chrome is standard, but you can install a different browser via the Play Store. I use Chrome almost exclusively.

 

[stockandroidguy]

If you're going to be mostly websurfing and watching videos on YouTube, then the Nexus 7 should be just fine. The Nexus 10 is really nice, but it is relatively expensive, so if 10" is your preference, check out various sites for new or refurbished Asus Transformer tablets. The TF300 has nice specs including a Tegra 3 quad core processor and 1280x800 resolution, and it's going for $278 at Sam's Club brand new.

If you're thinking about Chromebooks, keep in mind that there is a new one from Acer that's $199 that comes with decent onboard storage--however, the big negative is poor battery life.

Yeah saw that Acer chrome book but the poor battery life is a deal breaker for me which is why I was looking into a tablet and the Samsung chrome book for 250 but it's' sold out everywhere that I've searched.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[petefromphilly]

I've found that you can get a lot more fine with Android than you think. Office suite pro is great for doc creation. I've got Firefox set up for flash. And android even has keyboard shortcuts like alt tab to switch apps. The 7 inch screen is a little small, though. I'd look into the Asus transformer pad tf300.

 

[Klister]

I think if you had a tablet and a laptop side by side you would always use the laptop no matter the task at hand. What your getting in a tablet is portability.