Samsung Google Nexus 10 tablet review
Why would you buy a tablet other than an iPad? Obviously, some don’t care for Apple’s locked-in system and others like the way users can dig more deeply into the workings of Android. Good enough reasons, sure, but the truth is that until the day dawns when a tablet is of comparable specification, but substantially cheaper than …
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Re: "there are no complaints in terms of power"
Errm - not the ability to render a very complicated 3D game at 30 fps in native resolution...
I give up - tell me the answer. Memory?
There is a 32GB version, but it costs £70 more. A bit steep, especially when there's a £40 difference between the 16GB and 32GB Nexus 4s.
at AC: 12:18
"You choose what you want in in and what to display then you simply swipe your finger down from the top of the screen. And you claim to have an iPad?"
except you cant choose what you have in it.
Notifications are not the same as 'at a glance' views of popular applications.
NC on iPad has no weather. Where's my at a glance news headlines next to my at a glance IMs? Or my quick access music player, alongside my updated train times?
The notifications in NC are disposable - I.E. when they arrive, they are static - once you clear them, then they're gone forever. A proper at a glance inbox shows whats actualy in yourinbox without having to go into the ful client.
Same with a calendar.
The beauty of Android is that I can have all thee SIDE BY SIDE if I wish.
NC just has a big monolithic scrolling list with a couple of Apple designated widgets at the top.
So very good, just no cigar.
Re: at AC: 12:18
Yes and no. On an iPhone the weather and stock widgets, when enabled, show a graphical status at the top of the notification window permanently. For reasons beyond all understanding they don't ship with the iPad, but there are ways of hacking them back in to the system.
SD card? Whaffor?
Since the primary function of my Nexus7 is to relieve me of the need to get off my arse except to recycle beer or fetch snacks, the fact that it talks nicely to my shared drives via wifi and my hi-fi via bluetooth makes on-board storage irrelevant. I have my MP3 library sitting happily on a shared network drive, and I don't want to clutter my devices up with multiple local copies of everything. If I need to access it when I'm elsewhere, there's a cloud for that (though I don't need to, I like my house and spend most of my time there).
I've yet to master watching tablet telly, though. The problem used to be Auntie's insane allegiance to Flash, but since they got their act together with iPlayer (are you listening 4OD?), the issue is purely mechanical - however I hold the thing, my hands eventually get tired or I accidentally press part of its touch-screen and cancel the playback. I think I need a device like harmonica-playing guitarists use, to hold it hands-free at a comfortable watching distance from my head. Any suggestions?
But the one thing I do really really really HATE about it is how it forces me to have a Google ID and link all kinds of personal and LAN stuff up via some cloud mechanism that I don't want and over which I have no control. Which is exactly what a lot of commentards above like about it.
Just goes to show how different folks' strokes can be - so as it's Friday, here's beer to drink to la différence!
The Nexus cannot access Google Play in the Isle of Man
No such problem for the iPad and iTunes though
It's decent, it's good
It's not an ipad. It is not supposed to be an ipad. It's an alternative to the ipad.
It is good enough to stand on its own. It is not too compromised if you are avoiding an ipad, for some reason or the other (mine has always been the accessible file system).
It is well made, easy to use, speedy, has a wonderful screen, easy to hold, has good sound. You can connect USB flash drives with a simple OTG cable too (works wonders at meetings).
It'll do the light document editing, web, chat, video etc things very well. Very usable for remote desktop thing too. Very good battery life. Has good selection of software. What more?
I think it is well worth over 80%.
80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
Let me see:
* It has a better screen than the iPad 4
* It's lighter than the iPad 4
* It has better speakers than the iPad 4
* It is cheaper than the iPad 4
* It has more RAM than the iPad 4
* It has a faster CPU than the iPad 4
* It has a faster GPU than the iPad 4
* It has multiple user accounts (iPad 4 doesn't)
* It has working Maps (iPad 4 doesn't)
* It can sideload apps out of the box not tying you a store (iPad 4 can't)
* It can handle mulitple "official" stores e.g. Amazon + Play and no doubt others (iPad 4 can't)
* It can be rooted and then run unofficial ROMs (iPad 4 can't)
* It can run non-Webkit-based browsers (iPad 4 can't - if Webkit has a bug, you're screwed)
* It can run emulators from official stores (iPad 4 can't)
* It has a GPS on its wi-fi only model (iPad 4 doesn't)
So despite all these obvious advantages, the review decides it's worse than iPad 4 and is only worth 80%? Something wrong surely?!
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
It very definitely doesn't have a faster GPU than the iPad.
Just sayin'
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
Yes but it's not an iPad :)
Also you are as biased as you claim El Reg are - you list only things the Nexus is better. The fact you don't list a single negative shows you're biased.
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
@JDX "The fact you don't list a single negative shows you're biased."
Perhaps you could enlighten those of us fortunate enough to not own an iPad, and explain where it is better? Thanks.
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
* It has a better screen than the iPad 4 - But few apps to take use of it
* It has more RAM than the iPad 4 - But few apps to take use of it
* It has a faster CPU than the iPad 4 - But few apps to take use of it
* It has a faster GPU than the iPad 4 - But few apps to take use of it
* It can handle mulitple "official" stores e.g. Amazon + Play and no doubt others (iPad 4 can't) - But few apps on those stores that are of any quality
* It can run emulators from official stores (iPad 4 can't) - Yes, it can also run malware from the official stores
If I buy an Android tablet it will be this one, it's the best by a long long way from what I can see, but until there is a good amount of quality Android tablet apps it will just remain a test device.
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
iOS is your simple answer oh and an app store filled with better quality 'tablet' apps. You also get far better service and support from Apple (I've experienced them both) and your Apple device is likely to be supported for far longer (I have friends still using their 4+ year old iPhone 3GS when most similar aged Androids have been sent back in a charity bag by now).
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
Multiple user accounts - it's myPad not yourPad.
How many (normal) people genuinely have different user accounts on their Windows machines - I'd say 99% either have no password or login with the one username / password on one machine.
Sideload apps / rooted etc. = joke for most users.
What is the point in a more than retina screen.
Cheaper - maybe not when you factor in TCO / warranty / service etc. Price and VALUE are not the same.
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
Working maps - well I have Apple maps and Google maps on my iPad. There is probably more choice of navigation / mapping apps on an iPad than Android.
Re: 80% for the best 10" tablet on the market?
>>Perhaps you could enlighten those of us fortunate enough to not own an iPad, and explain where it is better?
Since you can't even ask a simple question without feeling honour-bound to demonstrate what a fanboi you are, I think I'll save my time writing a proper answer you won't read.
Interesting article on fanboyism here - http://techreport.com/blog/21294/the-science-of-fanboyism
You need to wake up people and stop feeding the greedy multi-nationals.
"Mum!! where's my Symbian forever t-shirt?"
Tablets, even expensive ones, are not really expensive
Compare a (wifi only) tablet to a mobile phone: the phone costs a zillion times more due to the monthly fees. A wifi tablet is a simple one-time purchase costing more than a good bottle of wine but perhaps a bit less than one good tire. You can drop the idiot fanboi approach and just buy one of each - thereby gaining access to multiple App Eco-systems (best thing ever!).
Apologies in advance to those that are forced to choose only one or the other and are thus trapped within a single eco-system. It must be awful.
Re: Tablets, even expensive ones, are not really expensive
I can't figure out if you are talking about really cheap tablets or ridiculously expensive plonk?
Anything over £3.99 is too much for any wine (it all tastes like drain water) and I can't even find a tyre supplier willing to charge anywhere near £319 for a tyre. What are you driving?
Re: Tablets, even expensive ones, are not really expensive
Personally I couldn't give a fuck about ecosystems or secret-squirrel clubs or any of it. My tablet(berry) is a cool media player, handy for full-screen facebooking/reading el reg on the bog, and plays angry birds. The more android ports that get released into my "ecosystem" the more one salient fact becomes clear: They're all shite. The bulk of what you do with a tablet is provided for in-the-box, and a bigger "ecosystem" just means more fucking fart apps and shitty games written by illiterate teenagers who refer to themselves as, "we," to sift through to find a decent VPN client or whatever.
So ya, multiple ecosystems? Fucking nightmare :p
Re: Tablets, even expensive ones, are not really expensive
tablet(berry) = joke of a word
Life for someone who uses both 'salient' and SO many swear words in the same post must be confusing.
Re: Tablets, even expensive ones, are not really expensive
The tyres on my Bentley are about that.
Re: Tablets, even expensive ones, are not really expensive
I have both a Nexus 7 and iPad Mini - 9 times out of 10 I find myself reaching for the iPad - it's nicer to use, feels better to hold - seriously to comment you need to try then both side by side.
Then for some it comes down to cost but what is it - about £90 for something you will probably own for say 3-4 years (almost certainly with the iPad - but of a question with the Nexus 7) and the difference is pretty small.
I suspect if people already use iTunes / have iPhones or iPods etc. they will just buy the Apple anyway - other people will try them both and decide on the cost / benefits. For most people there is little difference so it comes down to a cheaper, plastic tablet (Nexus 7) or an iPad Mini for an extra £2 a *month* over it's 4 year life?
Typical. An Android device review and what do the fandroids talk about? iPad.
Don't forget the "downvote by default" option which is deployed at the merest whiff of ipad ownership, or even the slightest suggestion there may be flaws with Android.
Because ipad ownership = fanboi, and your comments are therefore wrong.
Witness QED downvotes here ---->
Stick the Special Brew and leave predicting the future to someone else. Or wait for Apple's version of the future 6 months after it's happened.
Productivity Apps?
So what Office apps can you get for this tablet, can you edit word docs or excel spread sheets offline?
Can you edit photos and movies?
Re: Productivity Apps?
Kingsoft Office. Works well with Office files; costs nothing.
Re: Productivity Apps?
SoftMaker has got three office apps out that are worth mentioning: TextMaker (~Word), PlanMaker (~Excel), Presentations (~PowerPoint). I quite like them and as far as I know their MS Office file compatibility is unmatched (by anything other than MS Office).
Why not just buy a laptop??
For that amount cash you can get a fully specced mid range laptop which is a far more capable device instead of an overpriced oversized phone! Is fanboyism going on overdrive?
Re: Why not just buy a laptop??
Because you look like a tit watching films on your laptop on the train. The review says this is an excellent media consumption device... By your reasoning why buy laptop? You could buy a full on desktop for the same price... A laptop doesn't always fit the same use cases as a tablet.
Re: Why not just buy a laptop??
Seems like a comment for someone who hasn't used public transport for over a decade.
Everyone seems to use a laptop to watch a movie on the train these day and age.
You also look more like a tit trying to hold your tablet up with both hands to to get a good sitting postion than having a laptop sitting compfortably on the lap with the screen held up by itself.
Great tablet...
Just need some more tablet-optimized apps on Google Play
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