To start off with, the display beats the likes of Kindle Fire and Nook hands down. It has an impressive 1280×800 resolution IPS display. It’s not quite up there with Apple’s new iPad retina display but then again, it doesn’t quite empty your pockets the way that the iPad does. The design is spiffy and it has a reassuringly solid built. The Nexus 7 is light in more ways than one. It’s light on your pockets of course, but at .74 pounds, it’s hardly going to be any physical burden either. For those with a penchant for light, sleek and compact tablets, the Nexus 7, with a thickness of 10.45 mm and 7” size hits just the right spot. The Nexus 7 disappoints on the count of being versatile. Only Wi-Fi models are available with no option of a 3G or 4G model yet. The lack of a backend camera is also a major dampener. There is, however, a front facing camera which can be used only for video chatting, which is disappointing in the least for the grainy picture quality it displays. The internal hardware happens to be of sublime quality, as would be expected with an ASUS collaborated product. The tablet is powered by a quad core Nvidea Tegra 3 processor and a 1 GB ram. For the uninitiated, that makes for a seriously fast tablet. The tablet comes in the standard 8 GB and 16 GB variants with the former priced at $200 and the latter being priced at $250. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean experience is quick and enjoyable as it ensures that the apps open fast and even the browsing on the Chrome browser is speedier as compared to all the other Android based tablets in the market. Perhaps the most anticipated feature of the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is the introduction of Google Now, a voice enabled search option which is sure to be Google’s answer to Apple’s Siri. So what improvements does Google Now have over Siri? For starters, Google Now employs the usage of what is widely being recognised as a sexier voice. On a more technical note, Google Now gives you more accurate results and gets acclimatised to your frequent queries and refines its responses accordingly. Overall, a smart buy for techies on a budget. Nexus 7 may prove to be the best $200 you ever invest.
