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16GB Nexus 7 Sold Out On Google Play Store

hypnosec writes "Just days after it was officially made available on Google Play, Google's Nexus 7 16GB version has been sold out and is not available for order. Google's probable answer to Amazon's Kindle has been selling like hot cakes from day one, and was available with two different amounts on-board storage: 8GB and 16GB. Considering that people now-a-days want more space on their portable computing device, the 16GB version was selling more than its 8GB sibling. Another reason for the 16GB to outsell the 8GB variant is that the price difference between the two is just $50."

262 comments

  1. $50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    n/t

    1. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by durrr · · Score: 1

      For larger format tablets it's generally $100 for 16, same thing....

      Anyway, are people buying the nexus 7 because they've been dreaming of a 7" tablet or because they've been dreaming of a sub-$300 tablet? Or did this catch on due to some other arcane explanation such as hype and everyone else buying one?

    2. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, it's because they can watch porn on it.

    3. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by C_Kode · · Score: 5, Insightful

      For me it was both.

      Form factor of an eReader, power of an iPad, and half the price of an iPad.

      I got a 16GB. I would have definitely bought a 32GB if it were available. I don't quite understand why they even produced an 8GB if it doesn't have an SD slot and doesn't have G4. If you drop a movie or two on it, you have no room left for your music, pictures, and other apps / data.

      This thing would have been golden with an SD slot.

    4. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      To make the 16 GB jump on the iPad how much does it cost? Now divide that number by two. 8 GB for 50 dollars is pretty standard.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    5. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by oakgrove · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I bought it for a few reasons. First of all, I have a Xoom so I already like Android tablets. I also have an iPad but that's beside the point. The Nexus 7 is very inexpensive, almost down to impulse buy for a first worlder with a job, I was led to believe and can now confirm it has an extremely responsive OS and UI, much better than the Kindle Fire, it has most of the add on hardware I was looking for like bluetooth, front facing camera, and GPS, and it is a Nexus directly supported by Google so I'm not worried about updates for the forseeable lifespan of the product. Almost forgot, the 7" size makes it a true mobile device whereas my Xoom and iPad are like baby laptops without the keyboard so not truly mobile in the sense of stick it in your pocket and go that the Nexus 7 is. After receiving and using this thing unless you just have a vested interest in not liking Android, you owe it to yourself to at least go into the store and take a good look at it.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    6. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      Standard for flash embedded in tablets where the purchase is on a 'now or never' basis; but for flash-based storage devices(SD/uSD/thumbdrive) the number should be about $10. Maybe $15-$20 if you buy the fastest, name-branded-est, one you can find.

      Unless the stuff in tablets is notably superior to the stuff going into SD cards, or the tablet in question is so tightly packed that the larger size requires going with higher density flash chips that are at the unpleasant edge of the price/capacity curve, it's pretty much a 'because we can' thing...

    7. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't quite understand why they even produced an 8GB if it doesn't have an SD slot and doesn't have G4.

      to promote tethering..
      well, not really, it's to skimp on every possible buck and to promote googles cloud services.

      and with no removable storage some circles within google can pretend it's secure. or will be. in future(tm). and by secure I mean "limit consumers access to media they just bought".

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    8. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not as convenient, but you should be able to use the USB OTG port for external storage. It may require some added software, however (stickmount, which requires root, seems to be commonly used).

    9. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by MMC+Monster · · Score: 1

      I'm going to buy the 16GB version.

      As for why I haven't bought one yet, I'm just waiting until XBMC is available for it.

      A tablet that allows me to add a folder via sshfs and run XBMC... Hell's bells, I just bought several nettop computers to do this around my house and for my dad, my brother, and a friend of mine.

      --
      Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
    10. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by dc29A · · Score: 1

      I was led to believe and can now confirm it has an extremely responsive OS and UI

      Jelly Bean update gave a fresh new life to my aging Nexus S. It's a fantastic update. UI is very smooth and responsive.

    11. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by arkhan_jg · · Score: 1

      I got the 8GB version as once you include UK VAT, it's a £40 total difference - or 25% more expensive. And if I need much more space, then an extra slow 8GB isn't really going to cut it anyway. So I've got a micro-usb to USB OTB cable coming for a couple of quid, and can use my existing USB 32GB flash drives with it (with the stick mount app) to playback any amount of media on it when I'm travelling, and it means I don't have to faff about plugging the tablet itself in in advance. Factor in sugar sync/google music/online photo storage/plex the rest of the time when I have wifi or 3G, and I don't see it being much of a problem.

      --
      Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone commits wholesale galactic genocide.
    12. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by darjen · · Score: 2

      I have an LTE iPad but I am seriously considering getting a Nexus 7 as a supplementary device. I had a Nook Color with CM7 for a while and yes, it was small enough to actually fit in most of my pockets. I love my iPad, but I kind of miss that form factor.

    13. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Korin43 · · Score: 1

      The Nexus 7 is the first tablet that comes with a combination of features that I've wanted:

      * Good screen
      * 7" (notice how everyone claimed no one wanted this right up to the point where rumors started saying Apple was making one?)
      * Current version of Android
      * Fast enough processor/GPU (ask anyone who's compared a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet to the Nexus 7 and you'll see what I mean)

      Personally, I think Google could have made it more expensive and it still would have sold.

    14. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Informative

      If you drop a movie or two on it, you have no room left for your music, pictures, and other apps / data.

      PROTIP: don't copy entire DVDs/BluRays to your device, encode to MKV at 720p to reduce a movie down to about 1GB. Also has the added benefit of stripping out all the pointless unskippable rubbish before the movie starts.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    15. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by asavage · · Score: 1

      That is exactly why I haven't bought one yet. They need to include an SD/micro SD slot.

    16. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by GPLHost-Thomas · · Score: 1

      Frankly, mod parent up. A simple check on taobao shows that the first price for a 8GB USB key is around 25 Yuan, or about 4 USD, which is 10 times less than the 50 USD difference. So yes, $50 for 8GB really is a terrible deal.

    17. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by oakgrove · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This version of xbmc works very well on my Galaxy Nexus.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    18. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      We have an archos 101. Not bad, but slow and resolution really is not that good. However, the nexus 7 is done the right way: quad core gives you speed. The resolution is just under what the ipad has. Any camera on the back makes ZERO sense for a tablet. All that is needed is front facing one, which they do. etc. etc. etc. Many of the choices that Google made with this, was right on the money. My wife wants one to carry in purse, an e-reader at night for the kids and a game player for the kids. About the only thing that I would do is add an ethernet to it, but that is not going to happen.

      A 10" would be nice, but at 250, this is a decent buy.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    19. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Zuriel · · Score: 1

      Jelly Bean update gave a fresh new life to my aging Nexus S. It's a fantastic update. UI is very smooth and responsive.

      You want to try it on a Galaxy Nexus. I was writing a message to someone, switched to the browser to check something mid-message, switched between the browser and the home screen a few times because the animation was so smooth and I wanted to see it again and forgot what I was doing.

      It's literally distractingly smooth. :D

    20. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by lightknight · · Score: 1

      Any chance that mini-USB connector on the bottom of the tablet can be re-appropriated for an add-on card reader / USB hub?

      --
      I am John Hurt.
    21. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Blue+Stone · · Score: 1

      It's not really $50 for 8 gig, though.

      It's just that the 8GB version is sold without a retailer margin - that's why it's not sold anywhere other than the Play store.

      The 16GB version is sold in retail outlets, because that $50 is their profit on the device - not hyper-inflated storage costs (ala Apple).

      --
      Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
    22. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 1

      But they can't - it doesn't have Flash (support was removed in Jelly Bean).

    23. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      This thing would have been golden with an SD slot.

      Crap, no SD slot? Then I guess it's not too rational to hope for one on the Nexus 10.

      Goddamn it. So much for waiting for that one... so it's either the TF300 or wait for the Galaxy Note 10.1 now...

    24. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by symbolset · · Score: 1

      You can sideload flash.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
    25. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't really think it was a cost saving measure, it surely can't add more than $0.50 per unit to add a microSD slot.

      Maybe it was to add a defect so other manufacturers could use it as an extra feature.

      and with no removable storage some circles within google can pretend it's secure. or will be. in future(tm). and by secure I mean "limit consumers access to media they just bought".

      I doubt that, i thought people who worked at Google were supposed to be smart. The Nexus 7, like other Nexus's can be unlocked (the bootloader) and rooted, if the device is rooted there is room for DRM to be broken, if it isn't rooted, it can remain secure (absent vulnerabilities that grant root access) even with a SD slot.

    26. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by phorm · · Score: 1

      Not if it doesn't work properly with that version of the OS and prerequisite libraries (not sure yet myself... damn thing still hasn't shipped)

    27. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by blind+biker · · Score: 1

      PROTIP: don't copy entire DVDs/BluRays to your device, encode to MKV at 720p to reduce a movie down to about 1GB. Also has the added benefit of stripping out all the pointless unskippable rubbish before the movie starts.

      MKV that is Matroska, is just the container format. The video part of the movie could be encoded as H.264, but MKV allows other video formats just as well. And all kinds of audio formats, of course.

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    28. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by steveg · · Score: 1

      I like Android just fine. I'm just not convinced that I have any great need for a tablet. I have a laptop or a desktop if I need to get work done. I have a phone if I need to check something quickly, and a bookreader for long form reading. I don't see where a tablet fits in there.

      I'd head to the store just to look if there were a store somewhere close that actually had one, but since they seem to be sold out at all physical outlets, that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

      If I were in the market for a tablet, this looks like a great one. The part of me that likes shiny objects sorta wants one. The rest of me is saying, "Eh, why?"

      --
      Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
    29. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Vintermann · · Score: 1

      The point of the 8GB model is that you just download/stream on demand. I do that already out of necessity on my ancient Desire. It works nicely if you have a fast unlimited data plan. The thing about the Nexus 7 that I'm least happy about is that it doesn't have phone data connectivity... its bigger cousin the Asus Transformer Infinity has an edge there.

      --
      xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
    30. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Vintermann · · Score: 1

      The thing about the Nexus 7 is that hardware wise, it is of course an Asus Tablet very similar to their Transformer series, like the Galaxy Nexus is a thinly veiled Samsung phone. Yes, Google being responsible is worth quite a lot, and the price tag is unusual... but the top end Transformers are very competitive on other features.

      --
      xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
    31. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by socceroos · · Score: 1

      It does work. In fact, its running more smoothly on Jellybean than Icecream IMHO.

    32. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by MikeBabcock · · Score: 1

      Its to reduce costs obviously -- they wanted to sell a device for $200 at all. That price point is pretty important and making a 16GB device fit that price wasn't going to be possible.

      Yes, I'm still annoyed by no card slot, but I have the Transformer Prime with a full size SD card slot so I"m happy.

      --
      - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
    33. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      The biggest advantage of the Transformer is that it's available NOW. All of my other "potentials" are still frigging vaporware, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't getting a little irritating (I want a 10" tablet).

      The Nexus has the advantage of price and being open google. And the Galaxy Note 10.1 is likely to be the most expensive but is supposed to have Wacom-licensed pen tech.

    34. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google wants you to stream your music via their music service :-)

    35. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      I don't really think it was a cost saving measure, it surely can't add more than $0.50 per unit to add a microSD slot.

      Maybe it was to add a defect so other manufacturers could use it as an extra feature.

      and with no removable storage some circles within google can pretend it's secure. or will be. in future(tm). and by secure I mean "limit consumers access to media they just bought".

      I doubt that, i thought people who worked at Google were supposed to be smart. The Nexus 7, like other Nexus's can be unlocked (the bootloader) and rooted, if the device is rooted there is room for DRM to be broken, if it isn't rooted, it can remain secure (absent vulnerabilities that grant root access) even with a SD slot.

      smart? perhaps. that doesn't have one ounce to do with politics though.
      and the politics is to pretend that encrypted .apk's will cut piracy in the future(tm). just read their brochures. 0.5dollars is 0.5dollars, skimping on every possible bit is that.

      and really the newer androids forgo the option to mount as a disk when attached to a computer: this way they don't need to tiptoe around fat32 patents(and they can pretend that it's harder to lift the apk off the device too). same applies to the sd card.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    36. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      I mentioned MKV because it can preserve subtitles and multiple audio tracks, giving you the same features as the original disc without all the bloat and forced ads.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    37. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by phorm · · Score: 1

      A lot of what I had read seemed to indicate that it wouldn't, so it's good to know that it does work. While I loath what flash does to my battery-life, there are some things that it's unfortunately necessary for.

      Anything special you had to do to get it installed+functional?

    38. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by hazydave · · Score: 1

      I think only Apple Fanbois made the claim that no one wanted a 7" tablet. Samsung, Amazon, and B&N have long proved that some people prefer that form factor. Same with the Phablet -- the Apple-influenced pundits pronounced Samsung's 5" phone/tablet dead before arrival. It's a bit too large for me, but it's done quite well.

      The main thing I wanted in a tablet was full daylight visibility... so I have an obscure Notion Ink Adam from India, using the Pixel Qi display. Does the job, and I can read books or guitar music even on the beach. I'm not sure if I'd be happy with a 7" screen, particularly for reading chords while playing. The other thing I'd like but didn't get isn't just a microSD but a full sized SD card. The microSD was just a phone-industry thing, it has no place in a full sized tablet. The full sized SD makes it easy to use the tablet to view photos and videos directly from camera cards, upload 'em, etc. which is another big and useful thing.

      Much like the PC industry, this sector is moving away from the flawed notion of "one size fits all". You know, when Apple starts to stop believing that idea, the end is well in sight.

      --
      -Dave Haynie
    39. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Shirley+Marquez · · Score: 1

      More like $1.50-$2. The socket itself costs around $1.50, and there might be some added cost to the case design for including it.

    40. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Korin43 · · Score: 1

      The microSD was just a phone-industry thing, it has no place in a full sized tablet. The full sized SD makes it easy to use the tablet to view photos and videos directly from camera cards, upload 'em, etc. which is another big and useful thing.

      I'm not sure I see the point of full sized SD cards anymore. My phone, tablet and camera all use microSD. I only have the full-sized SD card adapters to connect to my laptop. Considering micro-SD cards come in 64 GB sizes now, I'm not sure what the advantage of normal SD is.

    41. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by KingBenny · · Score: 1

      from what i read on the specs it seems to be the best buy for people who can't really afford the expensive stuff. I'd like one myself but i think i'll sit it out and see if the nexus 10 becomes reality (at a price as sharp as this ones is) and stick with my trusty pocketbook for now. Very handy, weighted down i can use it as a club in case i get attacked

      --
      Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
    42. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by Meski · · Score: 1

      You don't need it for pron. (or so people tell me )

    43. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by needsomemoola · · Score: 1

      I know this is not relevant to the thread, but can you give some tips on the best tools to use for converting DVD/BD -> MKV?

      --
      "That'll never compile."
    44. Re:$50 for 8 gig is a terrible deal by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Handbrake.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  2. 8gb? by alphatel · · Score: 2

    With flash memory so cheap, why would anyone release a tablet with less than 32GB? Our CAD stations have more RAM.

    --
    When the foot seeks the place of the head, the line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.
    1. Re:8gb? by macemoneta · · Score: 4, Interesting

      With flash memory so cheap, why would anyone release a tablet with less than 32GB? Our CAD stations have more RAM.

      Because many people don't store information locally anymore. My tablet has 16GB, and I have a 16GB microSD. I used to keep a lot of local content, but these days I just have an sshfs mount to my home server for all my content. The only thing my local storage is for is installed applications, and a handful off items for when I'm offline. People are keeping information in 'the cloud' whether it's a personal implementation or a public service offering.

      --

      Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.

    2. Re:8gb? by kh31d4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

      if you have so much local storage, why would you need to use their cloud-services?

    3. Re:8gb? by larry+bagina · · Score: 1

      It could be for marketing -- people and journalists go around quoting the $200 price even though most people buy the more expensive one -- it's just $50 more ... for twice the storage!).

      --
      Do you even lift?

      These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

    4. Re:8gb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With flash memory so cheap, why would anyone release a tablet with less than 32GB? Our CAD stations have more RAM.

      I can tell u don't know what your talking about bc the 32 you are referring to is talking about Storage space, NOT ram. It probably only has 1GB of ram on the tablet, and also putting a tablet up for comparison against a CAD workstation is like putting a Hyundai accent against a Lamborgini Diablo. You sir don't need to act smart on a technology thread... : )

    5. Re:8gb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      He's saying his workstation has more RAM than this tablet has for storage. My laptop has 16GB of RAM so I also have more (or equal in the case of the 16GB tablet) RAM than the Nexus 7 has for flash storage.

    6. Re:8gb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My Lord, you are dumb.

    7. Re:8gb? by oakgrove · · Score: 3, Informative

      I have a Xoom with 32GB internal and an 8GB sdcard. I almost never bother putting movies or much music on it as it's just so convenient to stream. I only really want to watch a movie once especially if it isn't good enough to bother watching it on the TV in the living room so anything that hits my Xoom is in the watch it once and dispose of category anyway. Since I have flash, there are a plethora of places to get my fix on the internet and I have unlimited 4G on Verizon thanks to a grandfathered plan so I'm golden.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    8. Re:8gb? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      With flash memory so cheap, why would anyone release a tablet with less than 32GB? Our CAD stations have more RAM.

      Probably because everybody wants an impulse-purchase SKU for their 'ecosystem' adoption and marketing buzz purposes, and the price of just not populating the pads, or using a smaller rather than a larger eMMC or similar chip on an otherwise identical board are quite low.

      I do find it a bit curious that Google didn't offer a 32GB model(since the pricing of internal flash seems marked up compared to the swappable stuff, you'd think that they'd be fine with the idea of selling one... Perhaps the OEM building the 8 and 16 GB sizes for Google gets to do the higher-margin 32, under their own brand, as a part of the deal?) but offering relatively small starting sizes isn't a big surprise, doubly so for a company with a vested interest in always-online/everything-online users.

    9. Re:8gb? by alen · · Score: 1

      i have a 16GB iphone with 4GB free space most time. some of us are not digital hoarders. i don't need 10 movies on my phone at any one time. i don't need 6 months worth of music either

      i also have a 64GB ipad 2 and most of the space is filled with crap i rarely use. only bought it because it was the only wifi version available on release day

      i used to have a 32GB iphone and most of the media on it i rarely used. 16GB is more than enough.

    10. Re:8gb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I used to keep a lot of local content, but these days I just have an sshfs mount to my home server for all my content."

      Well I hope you have a train server, a plane server and a foreign city server when you travel with it.

    11. Re:8gb? by Nursie · · Score: 1

      For you perhaps.

      I like to put my music collection on things. It's currently around the 50GB mark. This is why I like things with micro SD slots because a 64GB card is only ~70 bucks these days. 50 bucks for 8 is ludicrous.

    12. Re:8gb? by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      The Cloud is over-hyped nonsense that's not nearly reliable enough or ubiquitous enough at this time to make up for lack of local storage. You might not use squat. That's not the same thing as using the Cloud instead.

      A memory slot can be safely ignored by the more pedestrian user while still allowing a power user to load up on storage.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    13. Re:8gb? by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > i have a 16GB iphone with 4GB free space most time. some of us are not digital hoarders

      That's just so funny because the iPod 2 had 20G of storage. That's a decent enough amount of storage for a respectable music collection.

      It's funny because now the cult likes to shout down more "modern" devices with less storage than a 10 year old Apple product.

      You will heckle the idea of having 10 movies on your phone and then turn around and elevate the idea of doing the same thing but depending on the network to do it.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    14. Re:8gb? by macemoneta · · Score: 1

      The Cloud is over-hyped nonsense that's not nearly reliable enough or ubiquitous enough at this time to make up for lack of local storage. You might not use squat. That's not the same thing as using the Cloud instead.

      A memory slot can be safely ignored by the more pedestrian user while still allowing a power user to load up on storage.

      There isn't a flash memory slot on a tablet or smartphone that will give you access to the petabytes of content you can access remotely. As a power user, I choose not to limit myself to the relatively tiny amount of local content a device can store.

      --

      Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.

    15. Re:8gb? by Krojack · · Score: 1

      For a phone, 16gigs is more then enough space unless you also want to use it as your portable music then maybe a 32gig. Movies on a phone is crap if you ask me. Just way to small.

      Now a tablet on the other hand, 64gig+ is what I want. I got the 64gig iPad and it's about full. It's a mix of apps, music and movies. My Transformer Prime has 96gigs (64gig microSD external card) and 128gigs if I have the keyboard dock connected. Over all it's about 40% full but I have only had it a few months. Having the extra space comes in handy when I want to transfer large amounts of data between home and work.

      If the Nexus 16gig also included an external microSD slot then I could justify the huge price jump for a meesly 8gigs but just for that 8gig, $50 seems a bit much. I don't care if people say it's standard. Everyone is over pricing it.

    16. Re:8gb? by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      I have every single track I own in Google Music (20,000 song limit and free). My phone has an unlimited data plan with tethering so I can access my entire music library anywhere I want as long as I have data which in the US where I live is ubiquitous. For people that roam the countryside, you can pin albums to the device.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    17. Re:8gb? by Applekid · · Score: 1

      There really should be local smart caching on all portable devices. When they have access to an internet network, it should get stuff you're likely to want to see. Say you're watching episodes of Breaking Bad, it should fetch the next couple of them, and a few of the first episodes of similar quality show. Basically, use your media preferences to evaluate what you're likely to want to consume next. This portable Tivo.

      Then when you're offline, you can consume from your cache. When it finds network access again, it should clean up. Think iTunes without explicit synching and always in a state of evaluating your habits and deciding what you'd like next.

      I'm baffled why this doesn't exist yet*.

      *eh, probably patents

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    18. Re:8gb? by 0123456 · · Score: 1

      There isn't a flash memory slot on a tablet or smartphone that will give you access to the petabytes of content you can access remotely. As a power user, I choose not to limit myself to the relatively tiny amount of local content a device can store.

      Good for you. Meanwhile, when the power went out for eight hours in our part of town recently, I was glad I had a couple of hundred books on my Kindle.

    19. Re:8gb? by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      i don't need 6 months worth of music either

      I differ with you here...I *do* like to have my whole music collection with me, especially when traveling.

      I never know what I'll be in the mood for, and I like to have anything I have at my fingertips, for music at least.

      Hell, I like to often put it on shuffle and be surprised by songs I maybe forgot I had....

      Hence, I'm still a fan of the old HD based iPod classics...sure I have subset of music on iphone and ipod nano (strictly for gym usage)....but when in the car, traveling or at the office desk, I prefer to have my 160gb iPod with me...so, I can have access to most of the music I own...

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    20. Re:8gb? by macemoneta · · Score: 1

      There isn't a flash memory slot on a tablet or smartphone that will give you access to the petabytes of content you can access remotely. As a power user, I choose not to limit myself to the relatively tiny amount of local content a device can store.

      Good for you. Meanwhile, when the power went out for eight hours in our part of town recently, I was glad I had a couple of hundred books on my Kindle.

      You should try to read the thread before you reply.

      "The only thing my local storage is for is installed applications, and a handful of items for when I'm offline."

      Even 4GB storage is enough to hold more content than your battery can get through.

      --

      Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.

    21. Re:8gb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With flash memory so cheap, why would anyone release a tablet with less than 32GB? Our CAD stations have more RAM.

      Yes yes yes. We get it. Youre snarky, savvy and have the unique ability to look down at everything. You can stop now with bitching about even the tiniest things and always finding a way to complain about something.

      1- Because its cheaper. Thats why they run 200 to 250 dollars.

      2- The majority of people dont need more than 16gb because they do streaming and cloud storage for a lot of their things they purchase. A lot of apps for it arent that big really, you can put a ton of apps on one and still have a lot of spare room. Netflix and amazon give access to thousands of movies and tv shows with no need to take up any space. Its priced for people who just want something small and portable they can surf the net, stream a movie, check out youtube, read email, have a calendar and so on so they dont need tons of storage. Im willing to bet 98% of the people who bought one already have a laptop/desktop and a smart phone so there isnt a need for them to have a ton of storage space on this.

      3- Of course your cad stations have more ram, its a fucking cad station. Its supposed to have lots of ram. Thats as stupid as saying "Your car only seats 4 people? We have a bus at work that carries 18 people".

      The whole mentality people have now of "Pfffff well this is cheap so we should have more of it without having to pay extra" is incredibly short sighted, stupid and just plain ignorant. It costs 160 for production costs, thats a 40 dollar profit for them, which is even lower after you cut out marketing, support staffing, shipping costs and all of that stuff so what do you think they should take even less money because you think flash ram is cheap? They arent making a whole hell of a lot as it is now at the end of the day, thats why its a reason 8 and 16gb so they can sell it cheap enough to ship enough units to make a profit worthwhile at the end of the day. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/07/nexus-7-will-turn-a-profit-for-google-and-asus/

      Some people are never happy. They want more without paying for more, then when they get it they bitch about wanting more on top of that. "Oh tablets are too expensive", "Oh now that I have a inexpensive tablet now it doesnt have enough in it!"

      If you dont like it then dont buy it and shut up.

    22. Re:8gb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      20G of storage. That's a decent enough amount of storage for a respectable music collection.

      no, it really isn't - I have a 21,000 track library that clocks in about 330GB numerous lossless rips - and it's growing.

      What 16-20GB *is* enough storage for is "enough stuff to keep you reasonably entertained until you have access to a reliable network and can update your locally-cached stuff."

      The LAST thing on earth I want to do is spend all my time managing a collection of external storage devices - MicroSD, hard drives, CDs, etc.

      How I - with a fairly large music collection - and a little bit of thought, manage to keep my 16GB wifi-only iPad working for me:

      1) 500 Most frequently played songs (down-converted to 256kbps AAC on copy);
      2) 500 Most recently added songs (down-converted to 256kbps AAC on copy);
      3) 5 oldest unplayed episodes of any podcasts;
      4) 3 oldest unplayed television shows/movies;
      5) All books cached locally in Kindle app;
      6) A few casual games;

      My iPad usually has 2-3 gigs of space free, as well. That gives me literally DAYS or WEEKS of "stuff" on the device at any given time. Whenever I plug it in to charge it at home, it connects and syncs to update itself over wifi. On-the-go, there's rarely a spot where I can't find a wifi signal in a pinch to connect, download a new song, or buy a book, or something else, as well.

      This argument that "I have to have everything possible that I may ever need, ever in my life," is stupid. I *have* a massive media library. Working with a small portable device is trivially easy if you spend more than 20 minutes thinking about it when you initially set up the device. And once it's set up, it's pretty much on autopilot. I spend a minute, maybe two making sure the device is synced and powered each day, and that's it. The rest it manages on its own.

    23. Re:8gb? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Erm, are you implying that you actually read a significant percentage/all of those 'couple of hundred books' on your Kindle?

      Yes, your point was valid but the prior arguments were on how much local space one actually needs. How many books did you read during that power outage? One? Two?

    24. Re:8gb? by Nursie · · Score: 1

      I do roam the countryside, sometimes I'm out of signal range for days or (very occasionally) weeks. Pinning would require knowing in advance what I want to listen to.

      I will investigate this Google Music of which you speak, it sounds interesting, but I'm not sure it's a perfect fit for me.

  3. Also in retail stores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The Nexus 7 was reported selling out in all major retail locations except Google's Play Store last Friday. Now it looks like online is dry, too. The big question is, how many did they have to start with? Is this a false crisis to create buzz, or did they really underestimate demand and have been swamped.

    The important part is, of course, I already received mine.

    1. Re:Also in retail stores by The+Barking+Dog · · Score: 1

      I ordered the 8GB model, expecting to have to wait the 1 to 2 weeks quoted for it to ship. My order shipped the next day. It's sitting in a closet, still in the shipping box, because it's for my son's 10th birthday, which is a month away.

    2. Re:Also in retail stores by oakgrove · · Score: 2

      The important part is, of course, I already received mine.

      The clue to your answer is in that statement.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
  4. Not a reason for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    8GB or 16GB, this tablet is non-expandable. And in today's world, 16GB isn't really that much of an upgrade over 8GB. It certainly wouldn't allow me to do everything I would like to do (for example keep a copy of my entire music collection on it). For that I would need at least 64GB. Therefore, my conclusion is that the 16GB model isn't really worth the extra $50 at all.

    1. Re:Not a reason for me by queazocotal · · Score: 1

      Same here.
      A) My phone has 32G, and I'm pairing with it anyway for 3G.
      B) I can put a 32G SD card in a keychain reader, with a tiny adaptor.

    2. Re:Not a reason for me by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      It does have USB OTG however so is upgradeable, albeit less conveniently.

    3. Re:Not a reason for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Honestly, who keeps their entire music collection locally? As I look at it this devices requires a Wifi connection to be useful, and Google Music has worked fantastic for me. In just a few seconds I can be playing any song out of my collection, and I don't even waste much space (save for some cached songs/albums). If you don't want to stream music and really want to keep your entire collection, there are other ways to interface with external storage (that is still portable).

      Although yes, an SD card slot would be nice.

    4. Re:Not a reason for me by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > Honestly, who keeps their entire music collection locally?

      Perhaps someone who got used to the idea with the Apple products being sold in 2002.

      Wireless networks are slow, unreliable, and insecure. They can also flake out entirely. If you wander off the beaten path, then you're just out of luck.

      It's 2012. Why not have it local? Storage is small and cheap.

      Local storage doesn't suffer from wandering into the local canyon.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    5. Re:Not a reason for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately mounting USB storage natively is not supported on the Nexus 7.

    6. Re:Not a reason for me by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      It's a Nexus so install the su.apk and apply this.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    7. Re:Not a reason for me by marsu_k · · Score: 1

      Spotify + offline mode when wandering outside the civilization. It's 2012.

    8. Re:Not a reason for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wireless networks are slow, unreliable, and insecure. They can also flake out entirely.

      Funny, I was about to say the same thing about platter-based hard drives. Which is the only way any Apple devices (not laptops/desktops) being sold have ever had "large" (>64GB, and that only recently) capacities. If you want to store your music on a hard drive and carry that hard drive around with you, then get a laptop.

      It's 2012. Why not have it local? Storage is small and cheap.

      It's 2012. Why have it local? Storage is even cheaper in a data center, and wifi networks are nearly ubiquitous in any area that's even remotely developed for more than 3 or 4 people to live (e.g., not wilderness or farmland).

  5. The Cloud offsets much of the local storage need. by spacepimp · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think the challenge for this device was to bring the price down to $200. Which means reduced storage. It is easy enough now to use cloud drives/music to avoid the necessity of of having the bulk of your library local. This tablet can compete with the Kindle Fire as a result, and it will greatly increase the footprint of Android in the tablet space. When the leading product is literally three times the price or the the aging model is double the price for the same storage, it begins to look pretty good. If you need to have your entire catalog of files locally, then this may not be the device you want/need.

  6. people... by lfourrier · · Score: 1

    from http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/BusinessBuzz/166606, and many others
    "The cost to Google for the premium model’s additional 8 GB of memory is a mere $7.50, which means Google makes an additional profit of $42.50 every time it sells one of the 16 GB devices, IHS said."

    So, if you can sync without google play, and are happy with 8 Go of media and programs between connection to your home, it makes no sense to buy the 16 Go version.

    And if you want a lot of memory, it makes no sense to buy the Nexus 7, which does not accept micro SD cards.

    1. Re:people... by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      I got the 16GB version and this is by far the best 250 dollar technology purchase I have ever made. I am extremely satisfied. If Google made $42.50 off of me then more power to them and the last thing I'm going to do is start wringing my hands when such a great piece of gadgetry can be purchased so cheaply. Have you looked at the price of some of the other premium tablets on the market lately?

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    2. Re:people... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can you discuss performance, specifically video playback? I am hoping this gadget can handle any old random hi def MKV.

    3. Re:people... by oakgrove · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I just fired up a 720P mkv (not sure the specific codecs in use) of the watchmen in VLC on the Nexus 7 and dropped nary a frame. This movie did drop frames on my Xoom but is perfectly smooth on the 7. I don't have any 1080P stuff to test.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
  7. RMAs screwed by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was on the pre-order list and my 16GB would not charge. They still haven't sent a replacement. I guess I am screwed.

    I guess the upside is that they may fix the screen issue... but since Asus has managed to show a lack of competence with some of these issues I am not holding my breath.

    1. Re:RMAs screwed by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      Replacement parts could easily be chalked up to shortages of an extremely popular product. My brother has a Transformer Prime that just stopped working one day out of the blue. He got an RMA number and printed out the little form they gave him and just dropped the package off at the nearest FedEx. Didn't have to pay shipping or anything. Within a week or so, his TF was back in his hands as good as new with all data intact.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    2. Re:RMAs screwed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not sure if true, but that sucks for you.

      My 16GB is absolutely perfect, haven't found a single problem with it.

    3. Re:RMAs screwed by gman003 · · Score: 0

      Asus in generally is fucked up right now. Completely and utterly incompetent.

      I bought a laptop from them back in late April. Finally got it in early June, after manufacturing delays, processing delays, processing errors and finally the slowest and worst shipping option they could find.

      It broke three hours later. Totally fried. Wouldn't even get to the POST screen.

      I finally got it back from RMA two weeks ago - over a month after sending it back. And, after they insisted I send it back in the original packaging and include the charger, they shipped it back in a plain cardboard box and bubble wrap, and had somehow lost part of the power cord (the wall->brick cord, which fortunately is a standard PC power cord).

      If that's the kind of service they give to a customer spending $1500 (and who, by the end, was threatening a lawsuit), I'd hate to how they'd treat a cheap tablet customer. I'll never find out, myself - after *that* experience, I went from an Asus fanboy to an Asus nemesis, and will never be buying anything from them again.

    4. Re:RMAs screwed by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 1

      I was able to prove it wasn't a charger or cable problem (they charge my phone just fine). It's a USB socket or internal USB problem.

      So they need to send a new tablet, not a replacement part. I charger problem I probably would of been too lazy to report.

    5. Re:RMAs screwed by darjen · · Score: 1

      I had an Asus laptop, an old pentium M w3v, which lasted me around 8 years. The only reason I don't use it any more is because the power jack keeps getting loose. I had it re-soldered but it soon stopped working again. I still can't complain though, since I got plenty of use out of that thing.

    6. Re:RMAs screwed by gman003 · · Score: 1

      Yes - that's why I said "right now".

      My last laptop was also an Asus. Core 2 Duo era. Lasted three and a half years (I'm a bit rough on laptops, they don't tend to last longer than that in my care). Quite satisfied with it, although it was rather obsolete by the time it kicked the bucket. The one time I had to use the warranty (failed hard drive), they replaced it quickly and painlessly. That's why I chose to buy another Asus - because my last experience with them had been good.

      They changed, near as I can tell, sometime in the past year or two. Their customer service is shit (when they say they will respond "within 72 hours", they really mean "within the next two weeks"), they don't even try to treat their customers nicely, they nickel-and-dime you on such items as the installation disks ($15?!?). Even the quality of their bloatware has gone down - the Engrish on their "reinstallation disk creation tool" was horrible (and bad at math - it said it would take six discs, but when I had it burn them to ISO, it made four (why does it even take four DVDs to make a Windows install disk, anyways? The one I got online burned to just one)).

      So yeah. Old Asus rocked. New Asus sucks.

    7. Re:RMAs screwed by DaFallus · · Score: 1

      As a fellow Nexus 7 owner, I have to ask to what screen issue are you referring? I haven't had a single problem with my device, but I would appreciate it if you could elaborate so that I can keep an eye out for possible problems in the future.

      --
      No one cares what your captcha was

      Houston TX, USA
    8. Re:RMAs screwed by Applekid · · Score: 1

      I was on the pre-order list and my 16GB would not charge. They still haven't sent a replacement. I guess I am screwed.

      I guess the upside is that they may fix the screen issue... but since Asus has managed to show a lack of competence with some of these issues I am not holding my breath.

      I guess the someone worse off than me turned out to be you. I had an announce date preorder that still hasn't shipped, and Google customer service is a joke, but at least I didn't get shipped a dud.

      Sorry for your misfortune. :(

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    9. Re:RMAs screwed by Applekid · · Score: 1

      Oh bullshit; we all know you didn't order a Nexus 7, you fucking Apple fanboi. And even if you had, you're lying about preordering it on the announcement date because ALL OF THOSE ORDERS HAVE SHIPPED, and I find it exceedingly unlikely that one of the very few orders that maybe didn't ship for some reason just happened to be slated to an Apple lover like yourself.

      AND, even if you *weren't* obviously full of shit, here's the deal: Google/Asus try to gauge demand for launch. If they misjudge it and don't have enough hardware on-hand to satisfy initial orders ... well, them's the breaks. That's just how it works for popular devices -- especially ones where the manufacturer doesn't really have any historical precedent to go on for sales numbers. You'll get your device, and your life won't end because you have to wait a little longer to get it.

      Take your pathetic attempt at anti-shilling elsewhere.

      Oh noes! Anonymous Coward doesn't believe me! Whatever will I do?

      They haven't even charged me, so I guess it's no skin off my back. It's just funny to hear people adhering to a public business statement by Google that, in my case, simply isn't true.

      I've never pre-ordered anything from Apple, so I have no opinion on how they do things. I know back in the iPod days they'd announce a product and they'd say "it's available in stores now, go buy buy buy, victims of my reality distortion field!" Gotta say if it wasn't for "customer service" telling me they can't cancel because it's shipping "today" -- what they told me for the last three times I called -- I'd have walked into Staples and just picked one up. I'm just trying to avoid getting stuck with one more tablet than I actually want.

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    10. Re:RMAs screwed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He is referring to what is being referred as the "screen separation" issue. For some reason many N7s have a screen that comes up above the bezel on the left side (when in portrait) of the device and can be pressed down. Mine exhibits this problem, but it only comes up a fraction of a millimetre and I just consider it a minor annoyance and not worth sending back. There are very lengthy threads discussing this issue in various android forums if you care to look.

  8. Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by tepples · · Score: 5, Insightful

    My tablet has 16GB, and I have a 16GB microSD.

    The Nexus 7, on the other hand, has no microSD slot.

    The only thing my local storage is for is installed applications, and a handful off items for when I'm offline.

    Perhaps people buying the bigger capacities are offline more than you are. They don't want to spend hundreds of dollars a year on a mobile broadband plan for a tablet when they're already paying hundreds for Internet at home. And even if they do pay up, once someone streams a couple movies over cellular, that's all the Internet access the subscriber gets for the month.

    1. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by macemoneta · · Score: 1

      Perhaps people buying the bigger capacities are offline more than you are. They don't want to spend hundreds of dollars a year on a mobile broadband plan for a tablet when they're already paying hundreds for Internet at home. And even if they do pay up, once someone streams a couple movies over cellular, that's all the Internet access the subscriber gets for the month.

      I use WiFi only; it's ubuiquitous where I am, and there's no additional charge for it. I'll be switching to Republic Wireless as soon as they start offering again for the same reason. Certainly if you are in a location where cellular is your only choice, the decision will be different.

      --

      Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.

    2. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Why would you bother getting a separate data connection for your tablet when you can just tether your phone to it? Most Android phones can become wifi access points effortlessly, and presumably iPhones have something similar.

      Oh, and if you buy an OTG cable (£1 delivered on eBay or £2 on Amazon) you can connect a USB flash drive.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      Your 4chan addiction doesn't count as "adventurous".

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    4. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by reub2000 · · Score: 1

      Do you know how much we're charged for data in the US? Much cheaper to simply pay extra for the extra storage. Plus there are huge swaths of the US with absolutely no cellular coverage.

    5. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      My (16 GB) Nexus 7 got tethered to my Android smartphone (with a 32 GB SD card) within a few days of receiving it.

      I did it to share my cellular data connection, but this thread gives me the idea to use it to network-mount the SD card on the tablet...

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    6. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're going somewhere "adventurous," why the fuck would you need to have your eyes and ears and attention glued to a little glass rectangle? The point of these devices is to give you something to do on the go, like on a bus, on a train, on a plane, etc. Last time I checked, watching the latest episode of Breaking Bad wasn't a high priority part of dealing with a fucking bear attack.

      If you really go out wilderness hiking and just can't live without your kindle, ipad, or galaxy tab for that time - you should probably consider that you're a wanker who can't function without the bountiful teat of the good lady Hollywood planted firmly in your mouth.

    7. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      I pay $40/month total for 1200 voice minutes + unlimited data, and it works (perhaps "unofficially") with tethering. How did I get such a great deal? By skipping the "big three" contract carriers in favor of pre-paid. (I use Virgin Mobile, but Boost etc. have similar deals.)

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    8. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by tepples · · Score: 1

      They don't want to spend hundreds of dollars a year on a mobile broadband plan

      My (16 GB) Nexus 7 got tethered to my Android smartphone [...] to share my cellular data connection

      Then you're already "spend[ing] hundreds of dollars a year on a mobile broadband plan" for your smartphone. Or is everybody expected to be willing to pay for both home broadband and mobile broadband?

    9. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      I switched to VM from AT&T, where I had been paying the same $40/month just for voice (no data). From that perspective, the data is free.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    10. Re:Hundreds of dollars a year for mobile broadband by tepples · · Score: 1

      I can see how your service history would produce a different perspective from someone who had started out on VM in the first place, where an occasional-use voice plan for a dumbphone is just $5/month and has been for years. From that perspective, I get sticker shock when looking at even VM's smartphone plans. I'm willing to change my mind if someone can demonstrate a single killer app (or combination thereof) that's worth hundreds of dollars a year.

  9. "Google's probable answer to Amazon's Kindle" by hubert.lepicki · · Score: 1

    Great trolling, man.

  10. Successor to Kindle Fire by tepples · · Score: 1

    Anyway, are people buying the nexus 7 because they've been dreaming of a 7" tablet or because they've been dreaming of a sub-$300 tablet?

    If either of those, they would have bought the Kindle Fire.

    1. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by h4rr4r · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not if they wanted pure android.

      Which is why I am getting one. I have a nook running CM7 and a nicer device in the form factor running real android is exactly what I have been waiting for.

    2. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by SJHillman · · Score: 1

      I love CM7 on my Nook Color but it's not the most stable Android. If I didn't already have the NC, I'd jump on this.

    3. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      Do yourself a favor and remove the messaging app, camera, voice search and other stuff the NC can't use.

      It will make the device way more stable and fast. This frees up a significant amount of its ram.

    4. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by Eponymous+Coward · · Score: 1

      That's why I got one as well. I also wanted a tablet that had a chance of being updated. It's the same reason I bought a Nexus S phone a couple of years ago. It's still being updated. My contract is up at the end of this year, so I will get whatever the new Google reference phone is.

    5. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by samoanbiscuit · · Score: 1

      I was told in those heady days when I first flash CM7 onto my Nook that doing that would eff shit up. Would you be able to give me links on how I could go about that? Also, does removing these things impact app compatibility from the Play Store?

    6. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      It's not just the Kindle Fire. There are other sub-$300 7" Android tablets. You simply didn't need to wait for Google to provide this sort of thing.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    7. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It will not, CM has a list of what is safe to remove.
      http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Barebones
      I just used titanium backup, but you could use any app that allows you to delete apks from system.

      It will break compatibility only with apps that need cameras and microphones, which the NC lacks anyway.

    8. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Also make sure you flash the latest CM7.2, big improvements over CM7 in the functionality department.

      If you are not using corporate email (exchange) I would remove that as well. Since we really only use our NC for tablet stuff I have removed that and google talk and a bunch more.

    9. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by samoanbiscuit · · Score: 1

      Thanks! Excellent link.

    10. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      No problem. Once you do this it is like a new device. I would also suggest once completed you turn off compcache. The device will fly compared to how it is for you now.

      Do yourself a favor and make backups as you go. That way if you break something you can flash the last good backup.

    11. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Au contraire! I did buy (or rather allowed one to be purchased for me as a present) a Kindle Fire. I knew going it that it was a locked media device with almost no sensors, no camera, no GPS, and no Google apps. I was happy enough with it, but honestly it doesn't do web browsing very well and I ended up using it just as an eReader for the most part (again as I expected; so I wasn't truly unhappy with it). That said, I still knew exactly what things the Fire was missing that would make it a good device instead of just an ok one. Sensors, front facing camera, GPS, Google Apps, etc. Well - the Nexus has those. And I ordered one. And I love it. The thing is awesome. I still have my Kindle Fire, but I haven't turned it on since I got the Nexus.

    12. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      Thanks for the info and links.

      I have a NC, and am still running it from the CM7 installed on the microSD card....but was planning soon to do the full root of it.

      I had some apprehensions, as that often I find my NC going into the 'death sleep mode'....where you have to completely reboot it to get it going again (seems on mine to be related to staying on wireless mode when it goes to sleep).

      Anyway, I'll look into CM 7.2....and maybe do the full root of it.....just gotta find some free time at home now.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    13. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Having CM7 on the SD card is going to be much worse performance. Just a local install will make it faster and far less flakey.

    14. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by mrchaotica · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The real difference between the Nexus 7 and those other tablets is that the Nexus 7 is fast (quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3). Between that and the fact that, as a Google-branded device, it will actually get OS upgrades (unlike those other tablets), it's not only a better value now but it's also future-proof enough to justify paying for the extra 8GB.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    15. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by blind+biker · · Score: 1

      That's true, the Nexus 7 is currently overall the fastest Android tablet (or Android device) available.

      --
      "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    16. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by Vintermann · · Score: 1

      I'm thinking - actually, it's more like hoping, I suppose - that when the Android hardware makers see just how much Google's stewardship is worth to buyers, they'll be more inclined to offer closer to stock android images and timely updates.

      --
      xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
    17. Re:Successor to Kindle Fire by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not if they live in Canada, Australia or the UK they wouldn't.

  11. Does it have a video out option? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1

    Either via HDMI out or VGA out? Does bluetooth have enough bandwidth to support video out? Are there bluetooth monitors out there? Bluetooth key board/mouse would be a great accessory for a tablet.

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Does it have a video out option? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it doesn't have any video output, and no Bluetooth does not. You can do video over wifi though.

    2. Re:Does it have a video out option? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

      Reports are 'no' on HDMI, VGA, or MHL. Since people already have them supporting USB slave devices in the wild, I assume that somebody will get a displaylink USB-video dongle hanging off one sooner or later.

      Wifi is on the low end of possible for video purposes(for some reason, Android is far more dysfunctional than iOS or Intel's PC-based video-over-wifi-to-compatible-box; but that's a software thing, not some fundamental limit of the given wifi chipset) and Bluetooth would be painfully useless(you could run an RDP/ICA/X11/VNC session over a bluetooth link, it'd be as fast or faster than the WAN links that all those are capable of; but that demands a full client device on the other end, not just a monitor, and would break down pretty badly for any video/3d type stuff).

    3. Re:Does it have a video out option? by spacepimp · · Score: 1

      It has neither and Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth/throughput for video.

    4. Re:Does it have a video out option? by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      With this app and an HTC MedialinkHD, you can stream movies and music though you can't actually mirror the full display.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
  12. Compare to movie rentals by tepples · · Score: 1

    If you drop a movie or two on it

    How many movies does one usually get from the Redbox at once? Load one movie on, watch it, and load another on once you're back at fixed line broadband.

    1. Re:Compare to movie rentals by bob+zee · · Score: 2, Informative

      when i get my nexus 7, i am going to use a flash drive for more storage. check this: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/21/ultimate-hack-nexus-7-hooks-up-with-external-usb-storage-flopp/

    2. Re:Compare to movie rentals by Grizzley9 · · Score: 1

      Last I checked this didn't have a disc drive so the number of Redbox movies you'll be putting on it is zero.

    3. Re:Compare to movie rentals by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      You don't have a computer with a disk drive?

      Handbrake is free and makes this very easy.

    4. Re:Compare to movie rentals by gl4ss · · Score: 2

      look man, fuck that. I used to roll with a 160gb ipod classic. I'd like a device that can really provide the same functionality. It's not like our summer cottages have redbox rentals near them. there's 3g though so spotify works.

      the big space is good because then you don't have to decide in advance what you want to watch.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    5. Re:Compare to movie rentals by oakgrove · · Score: 2

      You can get this Archos Android tablet with 250GB of storage. Is that enough?

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    6. Re:Compare to movie rentals by cayenne8 · · Score: 1
      Well, I don't usually watch movies or video content on a tablet unless I'm traveling (I have nice, high end HD tvs at home for that)....so, when traveling, you want to load up with enough content to keep you entertained while on the road.

      That's where you need the extra memory.

      I'm surprised these things don't have SD slots in them? Seems a major missing option....just keep your media on the SD, and you can swap it out as needed, much like I do with my hacked nook color.....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    7. Re:Compare to movie rentals by Applekid · · Score: 1

      Archos stuff is crap, plain and simple.

      I had a 160GB 605. Thing died after 3 months. They sent a new one, and that one died to the day 12 months later.

      My experience was pretty lousy, they only "kinda support" all their features. So, it only "kinda supported" video formats, it only "kinda supported" audio formats, it only "kinda supported" flash. Anything half a step outside it's comfort zone and all of a sudden it couldn't play this codec or deal with files with more than one subtitle stream or even remember my wifi password.

      If it's an Android tablet, it's looking a bit better, but another fun feature is that the 605 ran Linux that they Tivo-ized and locked out the user from pretty much everything. Definitely not one of my greatest gadget buys and I would never consider Archos again for anything.

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    8. Re:Compare to movie rentals by Soluzar · · Score: 1

      Your experience of Archos is totally different than mine. Admittedly my experience is with a newer model, and the one you were using was not an Android tablet, but the newer Archos models are pleasingly full-featured. They also come with either 8 or 16 GB internal storage, a Micro SD card, and at least one model has an optional 250 GB hard drive.

    9. Re:Compare to movie rentals by tepples · · Score: 1

      It was an illustration. Just as someone with a DVD player gets one movie at a time from the Redbox, someone with an 8 GB tablet gets one movie at the time from Google Play.

    10. Re:Compare to movie rentals by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Some of us have better things to do than illegally ripping movies from rental discs.

    11. Re:Compare to movie rentals by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't want to do that though. Why do you have such a hard time understanding that not everybody is like you?

    12. Re:Compare to movie rentals by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol people who rent movies from redbox are fucking ghetto

    13. Re:Compare to movie rentals by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      I don't suggest you do, but if you want to get movies on the device this is one method.

      It might be illegal, but assuming you delete it when you return the disc it seems morally fine.

    14. Re:Compare to movie rentals by Shirley+Marquez · · Score: 1

      Er.... road trip? I can definitely see a reason to have more than one movie on the tablet, and I would have loved to see an SD slot for that reason. I can see leaving it off the cheap version, but throwing it into the upsell 16GB tablet would have made it even more appealing.

  13. Not sold out, Just need to satisfy retailers first by Aditya88 · · Score: 0

    I bet there will be no demand for 16 gig nexus 7 if 8gb version is also supplied for retailers. Google only halted it from its site because it has to fulfill retailers demand. there is only 20 bucks diff between 230$(include shipping+ taxes) 8gb google store nexus 7 and 249$ 16gb retailer version(lot of stores have no tax no shipping). so when you compare, extra 20$ for 16gb is worth it. I bought mine for 234$ from jr.com. only 6 more buck than 8gb version. only money come here no specs no space nothing....

  14. Great Device by Foxman98 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For anyone on the fence about buying one, do not hesitate, it's a fantastic device!

    --
    S.t.e.v.e.
    1. Re:Great Device by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      Troll scale: 2/10. Would have rated it higher but you laid it on a little thick.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    2. Re:Great Device by jampola · · Score: 1

      I second this! For $199 for the 8gb, how the hell can you go wrong? I was hesitant when I ordered and was slightly afraid of what the build quality, speed, blah blah was going to be like and to be honest, had I paid $300 for it, I would have still been happy.

    3. Re:Great Device by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      digg is that way --->

    4. Re:Great Device by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lies. Why do you care so much, hater?

  15. So.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How many is "sold out"?

  16. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by tepples · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It is easy enough now to use cloud drives/music to avoid the necessity of of having the bulk of your library local.

    Not while you're out of range of a Wi-Fi AP that you're permitted to use. That happens more often for some people than for others. In fact, for some people, the only place they're sure to have Internet access on a tablet is at home.

  17. $25 per day in some places by tepples · · Score: 2

    I use WiFi only; it's ubuiquitous where I am, and there's no additional charge for it. [...] Certainly if you are in a location where cellular is your only choice, the decision will be different.

    To clarify my situation: The public transit system in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has no Wi-Fi; nor do a lot of stores. A convention center in Toledo, Ohio, has Wi-Fi but charges $25 per day to route packets out of the building.

  18. X sold out in Y days by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When a new consumer product/book/whatever hits the market, it's common to limit quantities of the first shipment so you can tell the world you "sold out" a few days later. The reason you do this is threefold:

    1) Reminds consumers that product X is now available for sale
    2) Get consumers to think that if they're interested, they need to buy now (e.g., rather than comparison shop)
    3) Get consumers to think that the list price IS the price the product is selling for (e.g., don't look for discounts)

    1. Re:X sold out in Y days by Celarent+Darii · · Score: 1

      The only problem with this is that if you don't have the units in stock you aren't selling them, and if you aren't selling them you aren't making money.

    2. Re:X sold out in Y days by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only problem with this is that if you don't have the units in stock you aren't selling them, and if you aren't selling them you aren't making money.

      That's what I tell people too, but I guarantee someone is going to explain to you that the hype is more valuable than money.

    3. Re:X sold out in Y days by evilviper · · Score: 1

      it's common to limit quantities of the first shipment so you can tell the world you "sold out" a few days later.

      Indeed. And there are a lot of other similar practices in other areas. The one I find the most surreal is movies about WWII. Indeed, the goal of marketing is to make sure the world knows your movie made old men cry... Disney is particularly heavy-handed in it's marketing efforts, so upon the release of Pearl Harbor, there was a flood of blunt and un-artful news blurbs about the fact that lots of old men who saw the movie had cried... Considering how bad and inaccurate the movie was, I can only assume they were crying for reasons the complete opposite of what Disney wished everyone to assume.

      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    4. Re:X sold out in Y days by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll be "that guy".

      After Kindle Fire sales fizzled out, the tech press is circling like vultures, ready to declare the entire Android Tablet market a failure. It is very important for Google for the N7 to be perceived to be a success, or manufacturers and developers might be abandoning the platform in droves.

      And, Google really doesn't care about Android revenue. It's supposed to function as a "moat" around their web advertising platform. So, yes, N7 is all about "hype" and not about "money'.

    5. Re:X sold out in Y days by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Another great strategy is to pre-announce future development to keep customers from moving to other companies products. This is why we are hearing so much noise about an Apple 7" tablet whereas before the Nexus 7 Apple claimed there was no market for such a size. The only difference here is that Apple does its pre-announcing by way of strategic media leaks, rather than formal announcements. This keeps it nice and legal.

  19. Or maybe by rodrigoandrade · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Google intentionally manufactured (not really Google, but still...) few units just so they can say "hey, our Nexus 7 is really hot shit and sold out!!"

    1. Re:Or maybe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's also the possibility of certain people buying larger quantities to create scarcity and sell them at a higher price on eBay.

    2. Re:Or maybe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For devices like these the demand curve is usually high in the beginning and then tapers off exponentially as the months go by (and new devices become available). Creating manufacturing capacity to fully meet the initial demand is usually a huge waste.

    3. Re:Or maybe by jampola · · Score: 1

      I paid $198USD for my 8gb un-opened Nexus on Fleabay. That was a few days ago and now I look they're averaging around $280USD for the 8gb model. Damn, my seller must be pissed!

    4. Re:Or maybe by darkmeridian · · Score: 1

      The other factor is that retail stores seemingly only have the 16 GB version to sell. It seems that Google was reserving the 8 GB for the Play Store. With the shipping and taxes charged by the Play Store, the 8 GB version starts to cost as much as a 16 GB version bought online elsewhere without shipping and taxes. So it's a no-brainer that the 16 GB version would sell out.

      --
      A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
    5. Re:Or maybe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is, incredibly likely. "Invite only Beta!" is exactly what Google did to generate buzz and interest in G+ - act like they can't join your club, and everybody wants to join the club.

      So they probably did a small initial production run, and that initial production run was guaranteed to sell out to the geeks and people with hardons for "anything but Apple."

      More interesting question: Once the initial surge of interest is past, will they continue selling well?

  20. Of course... by Darkness404 · · Score: 1

    Of course people want the 16 GB one over the 8 GB one, especially since there's no Micro SD card slot.

    If they had a Micro-SD card slot, I'd be buying one, without one, I don't really see the point of buying a tablet in 2012 with such a pathetic amount of storage space. Really, why $50 for 16 GB? I can go out and buy a 32 Micro-SD card for $30 or less. I can buy a 64 GB SD card for under $50.

    --
    Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    1. Re:Of course... by Blitz22 · · Score: 1

      It's not as convenient as an actual SD slot, and you have to root, but it will give more storage... Google Play Store

      --
      If I went around claiming I was an emperor...they'd put me away!
    2. Re:Of course... by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 1

      I keep seeing this time after time, but this complaint over the size of memory and lack of MicroSD ignores context.

      I purchased a Nexus 7 as cheap 2nd tablet and one I could use for day-to-day work. I don't care about this issue.

      Buy the hardware appropriate to the task. People making this broad complaint are wanting one size fits all, and that just doesn't happen.

    3. Re:Of course... by Darkness404 · · Score: 1

      Sure, it might work for some people but it is such a glaring omission. Even my dumb-phones I had from 2005/6 had a Micro (or perhaps it was mini) SD card slot.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    4. Re:Of course... by jedidiah · · Score: 1

      > People making this broad complaint are wanting one size fits all, and that just doesn't happen.

      Sure it does. The counter-examples here are legion starting with the Galaxy Tab. Your "we must cripple it to make it useful" argument simply doesn't hold water here.

      It's amazing how many people are pushing the "no one will ever need more than 640K" mentality here.

      We're talking about a trivial change, transparent to those that are not interested but very useful to those that might care.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    5. Re:Of course... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A trivial change that reduces battery life, increases weight, and causes them to have to redesign the internals of the device, all to satisfy a minuscule handful of customers who seem to think that juggling around a handful of MicroSD cards is both fun, and a great way to spend their time.

      Tell you what - while we're at it, I'd like to have a shitter and a shower and a bed in my car so I don't have to use public toilets, and can just camp out in the parking lot at work and have a real short walking commute. While we're at it, they should also put a full kitchen in there. After all, they make all of these things already, it would be a trivial change to jam it all into a car.

      Or, you know, I could buy a fucking RV, instead of arguing that every Chevy Malibu and Ford Fusion on the market should come with the options available in that RV. If you want portable, high-density, high-capacity storage, get a fucking laptop.

    6. Re:Of course... by symbolset · · Score: 1

      If you include SDCard you have to support vFAT. If you support vFAT you have to pay Microsoft. Microsoft wants to "F'ing kill Google." You can see where that might be a problem.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
    7. Re:Of course... by Darkness404 · · Score: 1

      Um, last time I checked Android supported Micro-SD cards just fine (I've got a 32 GB one loaded on my phone right now). Keep the default memory sizes but just include a Micro-SD card slot.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    8. Re:Of course... by symbolset · · Score: 1

      The OS supports it, and if somebody else wants to make a tablet with SD card, fine.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
    9. Re:Of course... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's amazing how many people are pushing the "no one will ever need more than 640K" mentality here.

      Makes me wonder how many posts are AstroTurf based.

  21. In the UK, Tesco got the price diff down to 10 GBP by rklrkl · · Score: 1

    In the UK, Google are selling the 8GB model for 169 GBP (inc. postage and tax), whereas Tesco in the UK did the 16GB model briefly (like for half a day until they realised that the money off voucher code was wrongly applied!) for 179 GBP inc tax. You had to use a 20 GBP discount voucher that was posted on the Net fairly rapidly and also collect it from your local store (Tesco is massive w.r.t. the number of UK stores, so that's no big deal). It's why I have a Nexus 7 16GB on my desk for only 10 GBP (about $15.50) more than the 8GB model - a no-brainer purchase to get the 16GB model in this case.

    Yes, it's already unlocked, rooted, has Flash (side-loaded), Camera Launcher for Nexus 7, Firefox beta + Phony = iPlayer (side-loading the iPlayer app doesn't work) and it'll be the Modaco ROM next in a few days' time probably.

  22. Now we get to see by AdrianKemp · · Score: 0

    When the most popular version of the iPad sell out, it's usually minutes before the rest sell out as well (because people are easily pushed into paying more or in many cases accepting less storage). The true popularity test for the Nexus will be just that.

    However, due to Google's piss poor marketing the situation is a little different. Apple nearly always manages to have it's most popular model be the lowest end - so that you never have to settle, only pay more.

    I'm watching this with quite a bit of interest. Google has a product here (a physical product) that people actually want, and historically they manage to fuck that up every time.

    1. Re:Now we get to see by Darkness404 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not really. Google's products have always been popular in the right circles. The thing is, Google's previous physical products have been phones. The vast, vast, vast, majority of Americans buy their phones subsidized on contract, if the Google Nexus Phone X isn't there in the Verizon, ATT, T-Mobile or Sprint store, most people aren't going to buy it. Even among early adopters who look online they see $600 for a phone and can't justify paying that + contract price (and on contract is really the only way to keep a decent data plan today). They don't see a $600 phone when they buy the phone that costs them $50 on contract, they see a $50 phone. When you show them Google's phone, they see a very expensive piece of technology and understandably aren't buying it like crazy.

      Tablets are different. Your average American isn't comparing the Google price to a substadized price, instead they are seeing you can buy a $200 tablet from Google, a $200 tablet from Amazon, a $400 high end Android tablet or a $500 low-end tablet from Apple.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    2. Re:Now we get to see by sootman · · Score: 1

      > They don't see a $600 phone when they buy the
      > phone that costs them $50 on contract, they see
      > a $50 phone.

      What I see is a range of PLANS that don't give me any benefits if I pay full price for a phone. It's not like your choices are "free phone and expensive plan" or "expensive phone and cheap/flexible plan", which is what you would think when you hear that the phone is "subsidized" -- it's pretty much "expensive plan no matter what you buy."

      Nor am I scared away by the term "two-year contract." I've been with my carrier since 1997.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    3. Re:Now we get to see by bfields · · Score: 1

      Even among early adopters who look online they see $600 for a phone and can't justify paying that + contract price (and on contract is really the only way to keep a decent data plan today).

      Note T-Mobile does offer a $30 "unlimited" month-at-a-time plan (data up to 5 gigs, then throttled, unlimited texts, 100 minutes, if I remember right), and there are people who do the math and end up buying an unlocked GSM phone to go with that. I don't know how many, but it has an attraction beyond hard-core android geeks.

      (I don't know whether that meets your requirements for a "decent data plan". It works OK for my purposes.)

    4. Re:Now we get to see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and on contract is really the only way to keep a decent data plan today

      Not at all ... T-mobile has a prepaid data plan for $30/month which includes 5GB of 4G data. Compare that to a $70/month contract and you save $200 in 5 months. After 10 months, that $400 phone is effectively free. Plus, with no contract, you can switch to a better plan with only a month's notice.

    5. Re:Now we get to see by AdrianKemp · · Score: 1

      I would believe you if Apple hadn't sold so many $600+ iPhones unlocked direct from Apple.com/ca/retail stores

      The real problem with Google selling phones in the past is that

      a) not that many people wanted them*

      b) they fucking suck at it (read the horror stories of buying the nexus online direct from Google)

      *Keeping in mind, that although android has a large portion of the US market share, any given phone has very little

      Simple fact is lots of people bought the most popular iPhone direct from Apple, then proceeded to move up the chain until they were all sold out.

    6. Re:Now we get to see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha. Low end... That's a good one. FYI best selling tablet ever.

  23. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by oakgrove · · Score: 2

    If that is a real problem then get the 16GB version and get happy. How long are you planning to be away from wifi with just your tablet that 16GB isn't enough? Movies fit for such a small screen can be encoded to a gigabyte or less so assuming you have 1GB for the OS, 4GB for some apps, 3GB worth of music, you still have room for at least 8 movies. Of course there is already a method floating around for hooking a flash drive to your Nexus 7 so the point is moot for some people already. There are also little hard drives that have their own wi-fi access point built in so you can stop somewhere in th mountains you are obviously hiking in while the latest blockbusters on your tablet and re-up.

    --
    The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
  24. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by Nyder · · Score: 1

    I think the challenge for this device was to bring the price down to $200. Which means reduced storage. It is easy enough now to use cloud drives/music to avoid the necessity of of having the bulk of your library local. This tablet can compete with the Kindle Fire as a result, and it will greatly increase the footprint of Android in the tablet space. When the leading product is literally three times the price or the the aging model is double the price for the same storage, it begins to look pretty good. If you need to have your entire catalog of files locally, then this may not be the device you want/need.

    As cheap as they could of added an SD slot, i'm not understanding why they wouldn't.

    Unless of course, they think this will keep peeps from rooting the machine...

    --
    Be seeing you...
  25. "answer to Amazon's Kindle" by hobarrera · · Score: 1

    How is a 7" tablet an answer to an eReader? Is it also an answer to desktop PCs?

    1. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Because they mean the kindle fire.

      Also a 7" tablet makes a great ereader. I use a Nook Color running CM7 for it all the time.

    2. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      to Kindle Fire.

      (for those living under a rock, kindle fire is a tablet about the same size).

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    3. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by swilly · · Score: 1

      I bought mine to be an e-reader, and I couldn't be happier. The screen is fantastic, unless you try to read in direct sunlight (but then, anything not e-ink will do poorly there). The Play Books app only supports epub and PDF, but I prefer epub anyway. The Kindle app isn't optimized for the 7" screen, but it works well enough. The 8 hours of battery life that is advertised seems to be accurate.

      A quality e-reader that I can use to read mail, surf the web, and run Android apps for only $200? Sign me up!

    4. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by hobarrera · · Score: 1

      It really depends on how you define "great ereader". Something that's bad for my eyesight, and can't be read outdoors under the sun isn't a good ereader IMO. They're just different tools, with different uses.

    5. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by hobarrera · · Score: 1

      "Kindle" and "Kindle Fire" are two absolutely different products, much like the "Nexus 7" and the "Nexus Q".

    6. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      It is not bad for your eyesight, no worse than any other LCD. Not sure where this idea comes from, but it is rubbish.

      An ereader that can't be read in a dark bedroom without another light isn't a good ereader IMO.

    7. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by hobarrera · · Score: 1

      I know it's no worse than any other LCD; it is in fact an LCD, that's why reading of it is bad for your eyesight. Especially reading entire books from small screens. The strain on the eye is way too much. That's why ereaders use electronic ink.

      And NOTHING can be read in a dark room; a tablet has an illuminated screen in case you haven't noticed, so when you turn it on, the room is no longer dark.

    8. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by hobarrera · · Score: 1

      "A quality e-reader that I can use to read mail, surf the web".

      I want a blender that can wash my clothes, but regrettably, we're both listing a product that has one use, and expecting to use it for something completely different.

    9. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Who says LCDs are bad for your eyesight?
      Lets see some studies, otherwise I am calling that an old wives tale.

      Purpose built ereaders use eink because it is cheap and low power usage. Any impact on human vision is only anecdotal as far as I know.

    10. Re:"answer to Amazon's Kindle" by hobarrera · · Score: 1

      You are kidding, right? Ask you eye-doctor if staring at light during hours hurts your eyes or not, or just google a bit.

  26. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by spacepimp · · Score: 1

    Then get the 16 GB version and cache the files you think you are going to need locally, or spend a few dollars and get a hotspot. I enabled the hotspot feature on my phone and use it with this device on the train. It is cheaper than having an entirely separate bill from my carrier, and actually saves battery life on the phone (my VZW GNex is awful in the battery life category)
    If you absolutely need all your music and movies, then buy a bigger device at a higher cost. If they made this a 250 and 300 dollar device it would defeat the goal. With 16 GB you can have a lot of music and movies on the device. There are many manufacturers making more expensive models with more storage and MicroSD cards slots for people who need that scenario. For the price this is a good deal, and Google is selling them at cost.

  27. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

    Why would they think that?

    Fastboot is supported on this device, so no need to root it. Just drop a su apk in system and away you go.

    Google dislikes SD cards because they are slow, then people move their apps and data on to them and complain the tablet is slow.

  28. Manufacturing was most likely pended.. by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 0

    ..due to quality issues.

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407422,00.asp

    "Specifically, there's not just one bad batch of Nexus 7 tablets out there - there may multiple bad batches with different problems. Few reviewers got the bad units, of course, because one of the basic jobs of tech product PR is to make sure the gadget works before you send it out. Some of this is luck, of course; we have three tablets and no problems here."

    1. Re:Manufacturing was most likely pended.. by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      Or PCmag is trying to knock the product so that people will buy a surface when they come out.

      PCmag are the biggest MS shills ever.

      The geeks at Android Authroity and XDA Forums have a DIY fix, but we'd advise ordinary consumers to just return their tablets.

      You are calling tightening a screw a DIY fix? Are normal consumers to dumb for that?

      The rest of these are one off problems. You build a device and sell it for $200 or $500 some units will be defective. They are just capitalizing on the popularity of the product to get page hits.

    2. Re:Manufacturing was most likely pended.. by rodrigoandrade · · Score: 1

      Yes, PC Mag articles seems to be written by Microsoft's PR staff, but at least the one in question cites all sources for their complaints.

      It's not like they write "Our review unit sucks; it has this isue, this issue and that other issue." Quite the contrary actually. Their 3 units are flawless.

    3. Re:Manufacturing was most likely pended.. by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      Actually I found no link for the dead pixel issue. The text is blue, but the link does not work.

      I did not test the other links yet.

    4. Re:Manufacturing was most likely pended.. by parallel_prankster · · Score: 1

      You have no idea how hard it is for some people to tighten a screw on a tablet and how many different ways people will screw it up! That said, I think a problem is a problem. It is not PCMag's fault that Nexus tablet has these issues. I dont think the new Apple Ipads had so many problems. I am sure there must have been a few, but I did not hear so many of them and with such consistency. But I guess it is Google's first attempt at a tablet, so there will be some issues anyway.

  29. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

    So use a USB stick with it. Those are available up to at least 256GB.

  30. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by spacepimp · · Score: 1

    Also, the average consumer isn't going to understand that they have to compensate their storage by something they need to buy in a store. If the lack of SD card is an issue, then don't buy what many consider a surprisingly affordable device. I am certain they will start appearing in the not too distant future.

  31. Re:The Cloud offsets - NOT !!! by fnj · · Score: 1

    USB sticks are usually VERY slow writing and not even up to par for reading; at least those which could be described as anywhere near cheap. You're looking typically at single digit MBps write (often low to middling single digits)and maybe 10-20 MBps read. Something decent like a Super Talent ST4 (which is physically gigantic) costs over $100 for 25 lousy GB, and is only reasonably fast on USB3. On USB2 it won't even read more than 25-30 MBps.

    If they had even half a brain they would have put one or two MicroSD slots. Negligible cost and space. You can get 32GB MicroSD for about a buck a GB which is faster than any USB stick at that price range, and like one zillionth the size.

  32. Re:The Cloud offsets - NOT !!! by h4rr4r · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They have a brain and knew that excluding MicroSD is smart.

    It is slow and users will complain about their device being slow when they access it.

    USB sticks are also slow, but it is very clear they are not part of the device to be left connected at all times.

    You only need to hook up the usb stick to copy media back and forth nothing else.

  33. Apple is losing the game - thank god by walterbyrd · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In related news:

    Samsung Galaxy S III: 10 Million Sold
    http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/smart_phones/240004166

    Why I abandoned the iPhone
    http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/why-i-abandoned-the-iphone-20120718-228xy.html

    1. Re:Apple is losing the game - thank god by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Losing the game? Hardly.

      https://451research.com/report-long?icid=2423

    2. Re:Apple is losing the game - thank god by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL, that's why every android user I know has dumped those crappy phones for iPhones. Eventually you just get sick of twiddling with settings and you just want to get shit done.

      Think different.
      Think BETTER.
      Think Apple!

  34. How to? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have an Android app. I want to change the way it stores data so it goes to a NAS box on my local network. The Android device will be on that local network via Wifi. Multiple Android devices will share access to that data, all locally via wifi on my local net.

    How do I do it programatically? i.e. via an API in my app.

    When I search for it, I get all sorts of file managers that let me access files remotely, (e.g. Astro), but I want an API to let me read and write files on the network. I've seen code (can't remember them now) to write to Google servers but I want my own NAS.

    I will choose the NAS to fit the API.

    How do I do it??

    In Windows I'd simply \\NasNameOrIP\folder\folder\filename.txt
    I'm sure there must be a way of doing it, I just can't find it. Help!

  35. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    Not if your apps do a good job of syncing. When driving along mobile reception is too spotty for streaming audio to my friend's phone, but Spotify has already cached locally what he wants most of the time. Similarly Google Currents will cache articles offline, Pocket will cache web pages and so forth.

    Plus these days there are loads of free wifi spots, the real challenge now is coming up with a way to bypass the stupid landing pages so that apps which just try to sync don't fail until you open a browser and click to log in.

    Do people really carry their tablets out and about anyway? Phone comes with me of course, but I guess I'm not hip enough to take the tablet down to Starbucks for some posing, er I mean to work on my novel.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  36. To each, his own by tomzyk · · Score: 1

    I'm at the other end of the spectrum from you.
    I wouldn't pay for a 16GB one. I'm using my 8GB Nexus7 as primarily an eBook reader plus have a bunch of MP3s loaded onto it for background music while I'm reading. (well, and also for the general sweetness of other Google/Android apps.)

    The way I see it, I'm only really going to be using the network capabilities of my Nexus7 in places where I have Wifi (home, office, possibly friend's places) so I don't see a real need for a large storage capacity. It's not like I'm going to be using it while driving to/from work or going out bar-hopping in the evenings. And I don't think I would ever really want to load more than 1 movie onto it at a time [ie. for a plane trip or something].

    For me, 8GB should be more than enough.
    For others, 16GB might still not quite satisfy.

    Personally, paying 25% more for the product isn't worth extra storage space that I would never use. I think Google did a good job at offering these 2 options to try and satisfy us both. Although I DO agree that an SD slot would have actually been the ideal solution.

    --
    Karma: NaN
    1. Re:To each, his own by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Personally, paying 25% more for the product isn't worth extra storage space that I would never use. I think Google did a good job at offering these 2 options to try and satisfy us both. Although I DO agree that an SD slot would have actually been the ideal solution.

      Yeah...but $50 isn't anything at all...hell, I often have bar tabs that high.....

      For pocket change, why not just get the maxed out one?

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    2. Re:To each, his own by arkhan_jg · · Score: 1

      For pocket change, why not just get the maxed out one?

      The Wife Acceptance Factor. £150 (ish) is an easier sell than £200 for a geek toy.

      --
      Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone commits wholesale galactic genocide.
    3. Re:To each, his own by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      The Wife Acceptance Factor. £150 (ish) is an easier sell than £200 for a geek toy.

      You actually have to ask permission from your wife/girlfriend/live in woman before making a small purchase like this??

      I mean, I can understand if you're married and buying a house or maybe a $$$ car...but asking permission to buy a computer or tablet....wow.

      Grow a pair man....

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    4. Re:To each, his own by Applekid · · Score: 1

      The Wife Acceptance Factor. £150 (ish) is an easier sell than £200 for a geek toy.

      You actually have to ask permission from your wife/girlfriend/live in woman before making a small purchase like this??

      I mean, I can understand if you're married and buying a house or maybe a $$$ car...but asking permission to buy a computer or tablet....wow.

      Grow a pair man....

      Girl creature comforts can easily exceed several hundred dollars for fashionable matching outfits. It's not about growing/not growing a pair, it's having the maturity to consult your partner when spending pooled money on things that aren't necessities.
      Hell, even if wife/girlfriend/live in woman was into gadgets, I sure would want to know to expect a $250 hole in the fun-funds account -- for what amounts to basically a toy -- before it happens.

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    5. Re:To each, his own by cayenne8 · · Score: 2
      Well, I guess that's one big difference...that you apparently pool ALL of your money together.

      I don't mind pooling for things for both of us....living necessities, home...etc.

      But, I insist that I get to put aside money in my own account just for ME and my toy purchases. She can have the same, but I like to save my money, and buy myself 1-2 very, very, very nice toys a year. She can do as she pleases with her money, etc.

      Of course, I do make more money than she does....so, I get to have a bit more of my money for my toys...but I'm also generous too.

      I do expect my women I'm with...to have their own jobs and careers....and its my opinion when doing things like living together (I'm not having kids, so, no need to ever marry)...you split costs, etc...and pool for things enjoyed by each...but I gotta have my mad money that no one can tell me what to do with....and of course I would expect no less from any current mate I'm with.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  37. Canadians got screwed by phorm · · Score: 1

    US Status:
    If you ordered your tablet with a case, charger or Nexus Q, your Nexus 7 will ship this week with overnight shipping, in some cases ahead of the rest of your order. But don’t worry, the rest of your order will be on its way soon.

    UK Status:
    All Nexus 7 8GB orders will ship by July 20 (BST). All Nexus 7 16GB orders placed through June 30 (BST), will ship by July 20 (BST).

    AU Status:
    All Nexus 7 8GB and Nexus 7 16GB orders will be fulfilled by the end of day on July 19 (AEST) and will arrive in 3-5 days.

    CA Status:
    We’ve shipped all Nexus 7 8GB orders. We are in the process of shipping Nexus 7 16GB orders and will ship them in 1-2 weeks.

    ========

    So what the hell. Locally in the US, and on the other side of the world, google was shipping within days. For Canadians ordering the 16GB models, it's an additional 1-2 weeks (I ordered mine before Jun30). Beyond that, those that pre-ordered are getting their devices later AND paying more for shipping than if they had just ordered from Staples etc. Canoe has a good article on how Canadians are getting hosed in this regard.

    It's a nice device, and I do support what Google is doing with the Android OS, but their respect for (esp Canadian) customers in this regard has been absolute shit.

    1. Re:Canadians got screwed by Applekid · · Score: 1

      Not that screwed. I preordered launch day in the US and still haven't been shipped it, although it was promised to ship overnight by the end of day July 19th.

      Typical Google, great when their systems decide to work, but when it doesn't there is no effort to fix. Customer "service" is downright Kafkaesque.

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    2. Re:Canadians got screwed by phorm · · Score: 1

      I ordered mine around June 29th. I'm not sure exactly when launch was, but this is pretty damn close to when it was first available for order from Canada. It initially promised a 2-3 week delivery (with 2-day shipping), but now is stating another 1-2 weeks beyond the 19th.

    3. Re:Canadians got screwed by TheOldestGit · · Score: 1

      Well I'm sorry to hear your side of things...

      I pre-ordered expecting delivery on 19th July but got a surprise when it was charged to my card on the 12th (@ 20:40) - delivered 09:35 on 13th, it arrived a week early ;-) (ebuyer.com if you're interested, good service & no I don't work for them)

      Royal Mail is really good IMO for that stuff you want, who needs a corporation to provide guaranteed delivery within 12 hours </chortle>

      Best thing I've bought in a long long time.

      Just buy one.

      --
      Having Leeched on /. for years I thought Hmmmmm-Subscribe!
  38. lets the heads roll - or not by slashmydots · · Score: 1

    Why is it that when a brand new product has millions spent on its advertising and hype then they accidentally underdeliver the supply by underestimating the demand that the company celebrates like it's some accomplishment? I would have someone head on a freaking pole for having customers lined up, saying "shut up and take my money!" and someone screwing up and not being able to get products into their hands. That's the #1 worst thing a company can ever do to shoot itself in the foot when it comes to sales numbers.

    1. Re:lets the heads roll - or not by symbolset · · Score: 1

      Don't worry. There will be plenty to put under the tree for Chrismas.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
  39. Good Marketing by Google by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

    I don't quite understand why they even produced an 8GB .

    The reason is so they can have a "list price" of $199, the same as the Kindle Fire. People will often make a purchase decision by comparing prices on basic models, and then add upgrades without as much consideration. So Google wins the sale with the low list price, and then makes the profit on the additional memory.

  40. Meh, I am thrilled with my Transformer Infinity. by Nadaka · · Score: 1

    I like the larger size, and the moar power, and the keyboard dock. Well worth the price.

  41. It's not just "nowadays" by sootman · · Score: 1

    Considering that people now-a-days want more space on their portable computing device...

    Apple dropped the 4 GB iPhone just a few months after it was introduced because the 8 GB model was outselling it by (I think I remember hearing) about 8 or 10 to 1.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  42. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 1

    So get an inexpensive cell plan with a 32GB cap. Problem solved.

  43. tired of this by roc97007 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What Google should do is not play the Apple game. Offer a 32 gig device and ... there is no second step. Advertise that even if you don't use the storage, it's being made available because MEMORY IS CHEAP, the additional cost of memory is buried down in the noise, and Google doesn't feel the need to play that game.

    I don't expect them to do that, but it would be interesting to see what happened if they did.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  44. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by Talennor · · Score: 1

    My desktop only works at home too. But it's still cool.

    --

    //TODO: signature
  45. We went with the 8Gb by corvax · · Score: 1

    Im sure the 8gb will sell out soon too. I bought two for the kids they love it so far. Its an excellent device for the price anyone holding back on getting one rest assured. We went with the 8 Gb because they stream everything youtube vids/netflix not much is stored locally except for some games.

  46. Re:Not sold out, Just need to satisfy retailers fi by symbolset · · Score: 1

    The 8GB version is too barely profitable to allow for retailer margin. Retailers won't want to lose money on it.

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
  47. reasonable hike for more storage by uniquegeek · · Score: 1

    "Another reason for the 16GB to outsell the 8GB variant is that the price difference between the two is just $50."

    This is how you know Apple isn't making these devices.

  48. Books and games tend to be far smaller by tepples · · Score: 1

    so, when traveling, you want to load up with enough content to keep you entertained while on the road.

    And for me, that isn't always movies. Books and games tend to be far smaller, and there's always ColorNote for when I get an idea and I want to jot it down. I've even found myself keying pseudocode into ColorNote to turn into actual code the next time I'm at a full-size computer.

    1. Re:Books and games tend to be far smaller by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How does that address the issue for people who aren't you though? I don't want to read books, play games or write pseudo-code when I'm traveling. I want to watch movies.

  49. Re:The Cloud offsets - NOT !!! by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

    Two hours of video takes what, 3 gigabytes? 3 gigabytes divided by 7,200 seconds is a little over 400kBps. How fast do you need to read?

  50. Tethering would cost $540/yr extra by tepples · · Score: 1

    I pay $40/month total for 1200 voice minutes + unlimited data, and it works (perhaps "unofficially") with tethering. [...] I use Virgin Mobile

    I currently use a flip phone on Virgin Mobile's $15 per 90 days plan* because I don't use even 40 minutes a month. My cell phone is for arranging rides and for other short, urgent calls, not a land line replacement. Most of my long calls are made at work or at home, where I have unmetered minutes for incoming, local, or 1-800 calls. To tether, I'd have to get an Evo V on a $50 per month plan, the cheapest that officially supports tethering, and this would cost me $840 more the first year and $540 more each additional year. And I don't even live in a 4G city.

    The cheapest advertised plan is $20 per 90 days, but the $15 plan is available to anybody who signs up for automatic top-up on virginmobileusa.com.

    1. Re:Tethering would cost $540/yr extra by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      That's where our strategies are different: my Virgin Mobile cellphone is a land line replacement. My total telecommunications cost is $30/month for cable Internet and $40/month for phone/mobile Internet. (Well, I also have satellite TV, but that doesn't count and will be canceled in favor of Netflix/Hulu sooner or later.)

      By the way, as I understand it I'm not supposed to tether my Samsung Intercept to a laptop. But it doesn't say I can't tether it to another Android device.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  51. Jelly Bean in N7 does not support USB MSC by tepples · · Score: 1

    So use a USB stick with it.

    USB mass storage devices are not compatible according to this article: "However, Google decided to exclude this possibility and the Android Jelly Bean OS does not offer On-The-Go support for USB Flash, which is required to use USB devices."

  52. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by tepples · · Score: 1

    Which U.S. carrier offers "an inexpensive cell plan with a 32GB cap"?

  53. How many dollars is a few dollars? by tepples · · Score: 1

    or spend a few dollars and get a hotspot.

    A few dollars, or a few hundred dollars per year?

    It is cheaper than having an entirely separate bill from my carrier

    But still hundreds more than not having a smartphone plan at all. That's what the extra $50 for a 16 GB model buys you.

  54. My phone is a dumbphone by tepples · · Score: 1

    Do people really carry their tablets out and about anyway?

    Yes, because a tablet is the only Android device I have. A flip phone with no touch screen can't run Android applications. I have to rely on applications' sync features, and I think some developers leave out sync on purpose, perhaps so they can charge extra for a syncing feature.

  55. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 1

    Details, Details!

    Maybe you should spring for the extra Flash.

  56. Why is storage important? I'll tell you why. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Nexus S, the Nexus 7, and the Galaxy Nexus all lack one thing that almost every Android device has, and that sets Android widely apart from the iPod and iPhone:

    An SD Card Slot!

    My $100 low-end tablet has a full-size SD card slot. Two of my friends tried out AT&T Android cellphones; they sent them back because of poor reception, not because the phones themselves sucked. Under the battery, next to the SIM slots, what do you find? Micro SD card slots.

    Google doesn't think that SD card slots - or extra storage space - is important on its Android devices. Buyers are telling them differently: We want as much space as possible on these! If Google would put an SD slot in them, you'd find even more people buying them. (A rear-facing camera and the SD slot would make these two my choice for Android phone and Android tablet. As it is, I'll buy something else that has *both*).

  57. Re:The Cloud offsets much of the local storage nee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think the SD and USB storage problem only arises if it's an Apple device. But if Google fails to add SD and USB storage, then it's a master stroke :)

  58. Nexus 7 Screen Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's a question, although this may not get seen: How does the increased screen resolution compensate for the smaller screen size when dealing with dual column academic papers? I have a CM7 NC that I adore, but it is starting to show its age, and I still cannot truly view the aforementioned format on it. On the other hand it fits perfectly on something like the TF101, but at $100 price gradient. Anyone chime in?

  59. Alternative explanation by Tancred · · Score: 1

    Or...they start selling them when the total stock is such that they expect to sell out. They could have probably waited a couple weeks or a month and had enough for anyone that wanted one, but then it wouldn't have sold out.

    1. Re:Alternative explanation by Celarent+Darii · · Score: 1

      This is a fast moving business. You can't keep electronics on the shelf for several months anymore - they age almost as much as dried goods. Thus inventory management must be spot on or you lose profits, or better, increasing manufacturing with little delay (which in electronics is difficult but not impossible) .

  60. Get a portable DVD player instead by tepples · · Score: 1

    If you aren't going to be doing much other than watching feature-length films while a passenger, then the Nexus 7 might not be the best product for you. Get a different model of tablet that has a microSD slot and/or official support for USB MSC. Or get a portable DVD player.

    1. Re:Get a portable DVD player instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's precisely the point being made here. Because the Nexus 7 is missing an SD slot, it makes the device unsuitable for movies while traveling.

      Of course I could shell out $500 for a different tablet, but that is not what we were talking about.

  61. Is there a "default circumstance"? by tepples · · Score: 1

    Why do you have such a hard time understanding that not everybody is like you?

    Because a lot of people neglect to state up front the circumstances that cause common suggestions to fail. I do take those circumstances into account when they're mentioned. For example, when one anonymous commenter clarified that he wants a device for movies and only movies, I recommended a different solution for his circumstances. Right now, my best guess as to why I keep mentioning solutions that fit my own circumstances is that I haven't been made aware of some cultural "default circumstance".

  62. Cutting home telecom to make room for mobile by tepples · · Score: 1
    So you're proposing cutting one's home communications bill to make room for a smartphone plan. I'm willing to entertain that idea:

    That's where our strategies are different: my Virgin Mobile cellphone is a land line replacement.

    That'd be fine for someone who lives alone. But I'd have to find a land line replacement plan for the other member of the same household as well.

    My total telecommunications cost is $30/month for cable Internet [plus mobile]

    How much will that $30 per month bill go up at the end of the 12-month promotional period? If it is not the promotional rate, how did you manage to get such a low rate for cable Internet alone? The price expectation in your area must differ from that in my area, where Comcast's cheapest Internet-only plan (called "Economy Plus") is $39.95 per month.

    By the way, as I understand it I'm not supposed to tether my Samsung Intercept to a laptop. But it doesn't say I can't tether it to another Android device.

    Does an Android device become a laptop when docked to a keyboard like one of ASUS's other products (the Eee Pad Transformer tablet line)?

    1. Re:Cutting home telecom to make room for mobile by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      That'd be fine for someone who lives alone. But I'd have to find a land line replacement plan for the other member of the same household as well.

      Admittedly, that is an issue. My wife is still on her parents' family plan, but if she weren't I might find the flexibility a second $40/month cellphone worth it.

      How much will that $30 per month bill go up at the end of the 12-month promotional period? If it is not the promotional rate, how did you manage to get such a low rate for cable Internet alone? The price expectation in your area must differ from that in my area, where Comcast's cheapest Internet-only plan (called "Economy Plus") is $39.95 per month.

      I don't know why I was offered that rate (and it was only over the phone, by the way; the rates on the website were different). What I do know is that the rate was guaranteed for one year yet I was not locked into a contract for the service, and that I was promised 20 Mbps (which Comcast tried to charge me $40/month for, but a complaint to the BBB asking them to listen to the phone call from when I ordered the service solved that).

      For comparison, the only other options at my house are DSL and Wi-Max, and neither can go faster than 1 Mbps at any price. (They both allegedly offer faster speeds, but both the phone wiring and cell service in my area is too crappy.)

      By the way, you know what would be really cheap for a "landline" (albeit without support and possibly less reliable)? Google Voice plus an OBiTALK (a device like a MagicJack or Ooma, except with no monthly fee at all). I've got one but I haven't set it up yet (my Wi-Max was too slow, and I haven't gotten around to wiring my cable connection yet -- the coax currently only goes to the basement, with the house being served only via wi-fi).

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz