Someone talk me out of buying a Nexus 7 2013

[target2019]

I'm dreaming of a Nexus 7 too. Does the map app require cellular? I'm going to go wi-fi only.

It's google maps. If you don't have a gmail account, I recommend getting one. Much of the experience revolves around the g account.

 

[tinlizzy]

OMG! I'm in tears from trying to get through the first few pages of reviews. Who would have thought such a ridiculous product would create so much humor!

And to whomever posted that Amazon review... I can't stop laughing. That was a great way to start my day!

Amazon.com: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk): Office Products

One more - if you look at the "customers who viewed this also viewed" links, you'll find many more.

 

[explanade]

I have an iPad 3 and an iPhone 5. Both are within reach most of the day.

I am considering a Nexus 7 or a Retina iPad Mini. My iPad is too unwieldy to use in bed. Really gets tiring to hold up with one hand for extended periods.

The other reason, as others noted, is that it would be easier to take out of the home, including for trips overseas, where I would use the mobile part of it for Internet access, which is often faster and cost less than what some hotels charge for Wifi these days.

I played around with the Nexus 7 at Office Depot. I like the size and design but wasn't too impressed with the performance of the Chrome browser. Maybe the wifi at the store was weak.

If price wasn't an issue, I'd get the iPad Mini with Retina due next month but the configuration I'd be looking at it almost $300 more than the comparable Nexus 7 configuration with LTE.

 

[explanade]

The Amazon tablets on paper are good but they have very limited selection of apps, compared to Android tablets and especially compared to iPad.

 

[Ready]

I have an iPad 3 and an iPhone 5. Both are within reach most of the day.

I am considering a Nexus 7 or a Retina iPad Mini. My iPad is too unwieldy to use in bed. Really gets tiring to hold up with one hand for extended periods.

Are you going to look at the iPad Air when it comes out on Friday? It's supposed to be significantly lighter and thinner than the current iPad.

 

[Lsbcal]

...(snip)...
The other reason, as others noted, is that it would be easier to take out of the home, including for trips overseas, where I would use the mobile part of it for Internet access, which is often faster and cost less than what some hotels charge for Wifi these days.

We would have loved to have a Google map for walking around European cities. One can get easily lost (like in Paris) and then have to pull out a map.

But what about the web plan costs and setup for Europe? Isn't that a hassle to get for a short stay? Also, is it easier to get cellular for Ipads over Androids in Europe?

BTW, I did buy a cheap phone for the UK and that was relatively cheap and easy to get while over there. Got it from Vodaphone. In the UK coverage is not guaranteed all over for any one carrier. Probably not a problem if in a large city.

 

[JoeWras]

It's google maps. If you don't have a gmail account, I recommend getting one. Much of the experience revolves around the g account.

Ha ha, not a problem. I have 4 gmail accounts.

So, let me get this right. The Nexus 7 has a GPS reciever built in, so it knows where you are through this? No need for cellular positioning?

And as for Amazon reviews... Little did I know there's a whole sub-culture of Amazon comedians. Love it!

 

[smurray5991]

But what about the web plan costs and setup for Europe? Isn't that a hassle to get for a short stay? Also, is it easier to get cellular for Ipads over Androids in Europe?

BTW, I did buy a cheap phone for the UK and that was relatively cheap and easy to get while over there. Got it from Vodaphone. In the UK coverage is not guaranteed all over for any one carrier. Probably not a problem if in a large city.

Most carriers allow you to turn their international data packages on and off whenever you like. I have AT&T, and just do this online prior to traveling -- setting start and end dates of the coverage. You do have to keep an eye on the data capacity used vs. allowed per month -- if you go over, they will typically charge you a fee equivalent to another month's rate or so. When setting your coverage dates, also note that providers usually pro rate the data allowance depending on the date you start the data package. Since your travel is not likely to fall at the exact start of your billing cycle, if you tell it to start when your trip begins this could mean that you easily 'go over' the limit. What I usually do if I have a trip that spans two billing cycles is have the international data package begin at the start of one billing cycle, and end at the end of the next billing cycle. That way I pay for and get two full months worth of data, which I use during the time I am away, regardless of that actual dates of travel.

Re: IPad vs. Android in Europe -- for cellular the brand of device you use is less important than the cell phone/data carrier you have. Each has service available in a different set of countries. (I just posted a comparative list between AT&T and T-Mobile on the 'International Cell Phone' thread if you're interested).

Re: local phones, I don't have my US smartphone unlocked. So for local telephone calls and texts I also have a few cheap cell phones I've bought, one that covers most of Africa, and another for parts of Latin America, and swap out local chips depending on the country. I even use these for international calls when I can't get WiFi/Skype. In many places I just buy a SIM card in the street or in a hotel, but in some countries I've had to go register at a phone company office, etc., and it's a real PIA -- so only worth it if I'm going to be there awhile. I don't know how it is for European countries, this is mainly developing countries I'm talking about. I guess if you buy a phone for just one country, it comes with a SIM card so that's pretty straightforward.

 

[rodi]

Ha ha, not a problem. I have 4 gmail accounts.

So, let me get this right. The Nexus 7 has a GPS reciever built in, so it knows where you are through this? No need for cellular positioning?

And as for Amazon reviews... Little did I know there's a whole sub-culture of Amazon comedians. Love it!

I can tell you how it works on my wifi xoom w/gps. I can't update/get google maps unless I have a wifi connection. But if I plan ahead - I can cache google maps for where I'm going.
So yes - your tablet has your gps position - but no way to match it up to a map unless you cached the map.

That said - I used it VERY successfully to track/explore small town walking tours in Sicily. I'd cache the maps of the towns we planned to visit before leaving in the morning, and then was able to see where I was relative to where I wanted to go, during the day.

Also used the google app MyTracks to track where I went - very cool app, even if you didn't precache the map... it would resolve to the map next time you connected to wifi.

 

[explanade]

Are you going to look at the iPad Air when it comes out on Friday? It's supposed to be significantly lighter and thinner than the current iPad.

No I'm going to try the smaller tablet this time, for use in bed and for taking out of the home.

iPad Air is lighter but still heavier than most 7-8 inch tablets.

Will try it out at the store.

 

[explanade]

Yes you need a data connection of some kind to update the Maps. So for instance, walking around in cities or turn-by-turn navigation.

I've used prepaid data plans in Italy, Switzerland, Hong Kong, France and Spain.

Some are cheaper than others. I think France was the most expensive at $21 for 3 days of use. But I liked using my iPad on a hour long train ride each way between Cannes and Monaco.

I never used data roaming, because it's expensive and limited (amount of data you can use). Keep the international data roaming setting to off on my iPhone.

 

[smurray5991]

I never used data roaming, because it's expensive and limited (amount of data you can use). Keep the international data roaming setting to off on my iPhone.

Just to be clear - on most US provider cell plans, you can add international data as a pre-paid plan with a data limit -- it's not 'data roaming' charges unless you are outside the eligible countries in their plan (I get an alert when that happens).

I pay $30 for 120 MB of month of international data with AT&T to be used within 30 days, which is plenty enough for checking email and doing some web surfing, especially if your trip is shorter than 30 days (if you pay for the full month, you get the whole allotment, regardless of how quickly you use it up).

I'm not sure if your local pre-paid data plans have a data limit, but $21 for 3 days in France seems pretty expensive compared to just adding on international data to your existing plan before you travel and being able to use it over a much longer period.

 

[explanade]

Yes France is uncompetitive compared to her neighbors.

But that was unlimited data.

You can easily use 100 MB in a couple of hours on 3G and minutes on 4G LTE, though there are no roaming agreements between US carriers and international carriers on LTE networks yet.

I paid 30 Euro for a month of usage up to 10 GB in Italy, used over half of it in just less than a week last year. Was using it for GPS navigation and downloading podcasts at night at the hotel.

 

[Jackanory]

Since nobody's mentioned MapDroyd, I shall. It's a free app for android and allows you to download maps for offline use. I used it for a trip to downtown LA recently. It was useful for showing where I was - not so much for telling me how to get somewhere. I like free. Oh, I found it much quicker to download the maps to my PC then use USB to transfer to my tablet - wifi would have made that quite painful. Instructions on website.

 

[Surewhitey]

I've had the 10.1 Samsung Note 3 and DW is going to get a Nexus 7 in a week or two. We would have gotten really lost in Mexico without Google Maps. If you cache the "zoom-ins", you can really do without a GPS. If you do a lot of short trips around town, GPS would be more handy.

Road trips, go with the Nexus 7... Qualcomm quad core processor is one of the fastest out there...

 

[modhatter]

Well I'm in sort of the same position as this. I want to use the check deposit app of my internet bank. I have an old ( 8 yr ) retarded tracfone, don't think I've made more than couple of calls on it in the last year. I bough an android tablet last year just to play with, I don't think I've turned it on in six months.

What I have found is the check app doesn't respond to things that aren't identified as a "phone", also you need the rear camera the phone has to capture the check image.

Tracfone has now started selling an android phone for ~$100 and it is wifi capable, which you can use it where you can get wifi and not use minutes. That might be worth a look.

I'm glad you mentioned this. I did not know it would require a phone line. I just assumed it could be transmitted through your wireless connection.

I will have to talk to the bank now, cause I most definitely wanted this capability. I'd rather have a 7", then phone, but if it's not going to work then I would need to re-think it.

I do have one of those devices for traveling. It's called Millenium or something close to that. I can get 20 Gig per month for $60, but then they charge you a disconnect fee as well (maybe $40) It works very well, and I have used it on extended trips, along with a mobile router so we can share connection on two laptops or devices.

A lot of RV people use it, cause it gives you the most Gig (or at least did at the time I bought it) for the money. I bought the USB stick. I think it was $100 (not sure) They have other type devices that act as a central router as well for more. So for lengthy trips, I would take that with me and enact it.

On the GPS application for a unit like the Nexus 7 that your able to use without phone service, I did a bit of reading on these, and one that stands out is called CoPilot. It cost $10 for US, but also has sells maps for other countries as well. From all my reading, it seems that the Google Maps have a lot of limitations as far as charting more than one trip at a time. Point A to B, then point B to C, and then point C to D. So I think if you want to try one out you should consider this one or at least read reviews on them.

 

[Marita40]

You said you have an Asus Transformer? It has a camera (I know, I have one!)

 

[modhatter]

Thought I'd post this in case anyone else is interested" I called my bank and spoke to the manager about the check deposit application. They confirmed what the other poster said. It currently only works with phones.
That was the bad news he said. But the good news is that they are coming out with an application by year end, that will work with tablets.

So if anyone was interested in this for a tablet, I would first check with your bank (or banks)

 

[Lsbcal]

...(snip)...
LSBCAL. If your son likes to play games on his smartphone or watch You Tube, he will probably like it. But kids are always texting each other, so unless he is somewhere that has wifi, he won't be able to do this on the Nexus 7 when he is away from the house, unless you get him the newer one LTE model from Google that has available phone service.

He will surely like it, but nothing will replace their smart phone for everyday use. Kids like new electronic "toys". Most of the enthusiasm on the electronic forums are from younger kids. (Not to say us older folks don't like these toy's either) And unless he has another hobby he is really into, it will probably please him much more than some new clothes etc.

Sorry modhatter, I had not noticed this post in your earlier thread.

I probably did not make it clear about the birthday present situation. DS is 29 and recently started a new job. He doesn't have a lot of spare cash just yet and his phone is probably OK but not an up to date smartphone. He doesn't want to commit to a 2yr plan right now so is using month to month one. He has an older laptop and a TV in his apartment with Neflix. No game machine but if he wants that he'll have to spring for it. So that is the general picture.

I'm delighted with my wifi Nexus 7 but not sure he would have the same information junky orientation I do. Plus he is working and I'm just retired with a lot of time to look at stuff. I think he would play some video games on a tablet.

 

[Katsmeow]

Just curious why you would need to do mobile checking deposits?

We hardly deal with any checks nowadays. For job checks there is direct deposit. I suppose some businesses get checks.

We don't get a lot checks but we do get some. The ones we've received this year that weren't direct deposits:

1. Insurance reimbursement checks - We paid upfront and then the carrier reimbursed us.

2. Class action settlement - we occasionally get these and they are usually for small amounts and come as a check. In fact I just found two, totalling about $17, where the checks had fallen behind something and have now expired. Sigh.

3. Windows 8 reimbursement - I bought a computer last year right before Windows 8 was coming out. The manufacturer agreed to pay the upgrade cost for Windows 8 and reimburse us.

4. Refund from physician's office - I had pre-paid, but then hit my out of pocket max so was refunded the unused balance.

5. Refund from garbage company on unused balance.

So the main categories of actual checks are insurance payments to us, class action settlements and refunds. We used to let these sit around before depositing them but now deposit them immediately by phone (the exception being the $17 in class action checks that fell behind a piece of furniture and I just found them about a month after they expired).

 

[gauss]

I saw the headline "talk me out of buying 2013 Nexus" and from the context I thought you were talking about spending tens of thousands of dollars on a luxury Japanese automobile. LOL.

I am thinking that the Nexus hardware itself is probably not that much, but the monthly cellular subscription could be substantial.

I advise you to checkout alternative cellular providers such as ting.com where I spend only ~$13/month for light data and voice use with my android smartphone. There are others out there also (DW uses freedompop.com for $3.99 /month but this is via an external wifi hotspot)

-gauss

 

[rbmrtn]

I'm glad you mentioned this. I did not know it would require a phone line. I just assumed it could be transmitted through your wireless connection.

Sorry, I didn't mean you need a phone line, just that the particular app I was trying use seemed to have problems installing because it didn't recognize the device I was trying to use as a compatible smart phone. I would check the app from your bank and see what the hardware requirements are. The wifi should be fine.

 

[modhatter]

I saw the headline "talk me out of buying 2013 Nexus" and from the context I thought you were talking about spending tens of thousands of dollars on a luxury Japanese automobile. LOL.

I am thinking that the Nexus hardware itself is probably not that much, but the monthly cellular subscription could be substantial.

I advise you to checkout alternative cellular providers such as ting.com where I spend only ~$13/month for light data and voice use with my android smartphone. There are others out there also (DW uses freedompop.com for $3.99 /month but this is via an external wifi hotspot)

-gauss

That's funny. You made me laugh. Yes, I know were not talking $1,000s,
but I have a way of accumulating new toys I wind up not using. Didn't really come totally clean to all the other toys I own (though the other's are in my Fl. house, not here in NV.) I got a 7" HTC (which is nice and i wish I brought it here) , a color Nook, regular Kindle, net books, other laptops and full size computers, a IPod Touch, a Samsung (sort of smart phone) I purchased refurb from Ting, that I haven't signed up for cause I still have two other prepaid phones with lots of minutes on. A 10" Transformer, a beautiful Dell XPS laptop with an unbelievable screen.

You get the picture. I don't need it. I just want it, cause I'm an electronic junkie and haven't had a fix in a while. I am also trying to learn how to economize and live on a lesser budget. But I have these two guys on each shoulder always fighting with each other.

One's holding a pitch fork, and the other has this circle above his head.

 

[explanade]

You should be able to install any app. that runs on an Android smart phone on the Nexus 7.

That is what most Android tablets run, which are stretched apps. originally designed for phones. That is why Apple thinks they can charge more for the iPad, because they have more apps. designed for iPad screens.

So the banking app. should be able to use the camera to scan checks for deposits, unless for whatever reason, the bank wants to pull your phone number from your phone to authenticate you or something like that. I would doubt it though.

 

[modhatter]

You should be able to install any app. that runs on an Android smart phone on the Nexus 7.

That is what most Android tablets run, which are stretched apps. originally designed for phones. That is why Apple thinks they can charge more for the iPad, because they have more apps. designed for iPad screens.

So the banking app. should be able to use the camera to scan checks for deposits, unless for whatever reason, the bank wants to pull your phone number from your phone to authenticate you or something like that. I would doubt it though.

I am not an IT person, but I know they have to change the format somewhat when going from mobile format to larger format. I know some will run and some won't. I remember when I first got the Transformer, there were some popular applications that were available for the android phones, but would not yet work on the larger android tablet. They did come, but had to wait a little.