Resolved New Nexus7

[Macman45]

I'm glad you are enjoying your N7. Like you, I am an Apple user but decided to try an Andriod and got the N7. I like it a lot and enjoyed using it for a couple of months until it started having serious wifi connection problems. Apparently this is a well-known issue with Google's support site and it's been going on for months. Sadly, Google has not shown support for its users like Apple has. And unlike an Apple store, there's no Google store for me to ask for help other than to send it back to Asus. The process is painful, too. But people who hah gotten replacements still have the same problems. The crazy thing is that my N7 can connect only to an open unsecured wifi channel so it must mean firmware issues. That is very unaccptable. I hope that yours will not have this issue and if you should have it, that it will happen inside your return window.
Router: Asus RT-n66u. Security: WPS2-AES

It's early days, but so far wifi which is provided by my Time Capsule has been rock solid...it would be nice if it had a 5GHZ option though, but so far it's fine. Hope it stays that way!

----------

Camera launcher for nexus 7will enable you to access the AOSP camera app.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.modaco.cameralauncher

Any third party camera apps should work fine too.

Thanks...Seems like you need an app to turn stuff on..... It's different but fun.

 

[rocknblogger]

If you need Google Reader/RSS reader, Press is the best there is. It's as nice as any iOS app I've used.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...yLDEsImNvbS50d2VudHlmaXZlc3F1YXJlcy5wcmVzcyJd

 

[haxrnick]

Press does look nice but I think I prefer Flipboard still.

 

[blackhand1001]

I would like to suggest you look into FX File Manager and Solid Explorer. (If you ever end up rooting and rom'ing, do not use ES File Manager.) But by then, you will know what you need. For your purposes, any file manager will do. (However, if you want a dual pane with drag and drop capability, take a look at Solid Explorer.)

And you tap the build number in Settings 7 times to get into developer mode to enable or disable certain things like usb debugging or 2d renders.

Es file manager is one of the best for doing root file management.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Es file manager is one of the best for doing root file management.

Meh, with things like Solid around I don't see the benefit anymore (ES used to be the best). Solid has the features but is much more smooth, doesn't have the terribly clunky copy n paste of ES, looks much better and does dual panes.

 

[Macman45]

Paired the new Nexus with an Apple BT KB last night which helps a lot....Haven't got the layout right yet, but I'm adding things in a little at a time. The camera now works thanks to the app posted above. My next task is to get some of my Itunes library on it. I'm going out for a case today, but things will need to be put on hold for a while....It's clearing my desk off to accommodate two Imacs for MA..( New one delivers Thursday or Friday) buddy is coming over to help.

Thanks for all the suggestions...all have been helpful, and Have helped a total Android doofus get up and running quickly!

 

[Macman45]

You can see what I mean...The desk needs to have 2 Imacs side by side for MA...

 

[Saturn1217]

Speaking of apple users with nexus gear...

I was shopping at the apple store last week to get a case for my new MBA. I was opening my purse to get my wallet and accidentally pulled out my nexus 7. The employee helping me asked what tablet it was and I answered (kind of sheepish) 'nexus 7'

And he wanted to know how I liked it, because he had a galaxy nexus and was considering the tablet

It's nice to know all apple employees aren't brainwashed!

 

[daveathall]

Apps?
RSS Reader - Press
Music - Google Play Music (make sure you upload/match your iTunes Library to Google Music for maximum benefit.)
Downloading/Reading news articles - Pocket
Streaming video from your PC/Mac - Plex
Audioglow Music Visualiser (Works with Google Music app amongst others).
Chrome Beta is newer than the final build and I've found it works better than the stock Chrome build.
Netflix/Spotify if you subscribe.

Thank you very, very much Chaz, I installed Plex yesterday on my MBP, iPad, Nexus 4 and SGS3, gotta say that this is absolutely superb, Artwork and write up on the artist is brilliant, the one's that it didn't have I found citations and artwork form the web. I know that it is a lot more than a music manager and I sill have lots of exploring to do, but for the time being it has replaced my iTunes in a big way.

Thanks once again for the excellent link. Plex, well recommended.

 

[ChazUK]

You can see what I mean...The desk needs to have 2 Imacs side by side for MA...

What a great setup you have! Very nice.

Thank you very, very much Chaz, I installed Plex yesterday on my MBP, iPad, Nexus 4 and SGS3, gotta say that this is absolutely superb, Artwork and write up on the artist is brilliant, the one's that it didn't have I found citations and artwork form the web. I know that it is a lot more than a music manager and I sill have lots of exploring to do, but for the time being it has replaced my iTunes in a big way.

Thanks once again for the excellent link. Plex, well recommended.

No worries, glad you discovered a gem! Since using Plex and Google Music, we have no media on our devices. Even my daughter's XBOX360 streams all the video from our Media PC to her bedroom.

I'm rather pleased I've been able to get my Chromebook, XBO360's, Nexus 4/7, Wife's Galaxy S3, our iPad and my iPhone all streaming media from the same resource. I've been astonished at how well Plex works with all of that equipment and had no issues in purchasing their apps.

It really has converged all of my devices when it comes to streaming.

Speaking of apple users with nexus gear...

I was shopping at the apple store last week to get a case for my new MBA. I was opening my purse to get my wallet and accidentally pulled out my nexus 7. The employee helping me asked what tablet it was and I answered (kind of sheepish) 'nexus 7'

And he wanted to know how I liked it, because he had a galaxy nexus and was considering the tablet

It's nice to know all apple employees aren't brainwashed!

Very cool to hear!

 

[Macman45]

What a great setup you have! Very nice.



No worries, glad you discovered a gem! Since using Plex and Google Music, we have no media on our devices. Even my daughter's XBOX360 streams all the video from our Media PC to her bedroom.

I'm rather pleased I've been able to get my Chromebook, XBO360's, Nexus 4/7, Wife's Galaxy S3, our iPad and my iPhone all streaming media from the same resource. I've been astonished at how well Plex works with all of that equipment and had no issues in purchasing their apps.

It really has converged all of my devices when it comes to streaming.



Very cool to hear!

Thanks! It took a while to find a desk with enough space, and that was sturdy enough, but I like it now....There will of course only be one Imac at the end of the MA process....I'm going to get advertising today...It's got AC and is the top spec+16GB RAM....Shouldn't be too hard to sell...Then normality can be restored, Nexus is coming along nicely...I now DO understand the appeal of 7" devices. When Apple released the Mini I didn't think it would be popular at all...How wrong I was..

 

[Macman45]

Just found isyncer.....Copied a few albums to my N7...works fine...Next a couple of movies..Then i will have the beginnings of an ultra portable entertainment system....Nobody could have convinced me that a 7" screen would be of any use..I even laughed when Apple released the Mini...Now I'm converted. If they make a retina mini I'm already there!

 

[maflynn]

Macman45, how you liking your Nexus?

I have some amex points to use that I can apply towards a purchase of a N7 and so I'm tempted to get one just to play around with - I have a iPad mini though and in one sense it seems like a waste of money (even if its short money) to have a mini and the N7.

 

[Macman45]

Macman45, how you liking your Nexus?

I have some amex points to use that I can apply towards a purchase of a N7 and so I'm tempted to get one just to play around with - I have a iPad mini though and in one sense it seems like a waste of money (even if its short money) to have a mini and the N7.

Well, I've only had my Nexus 7 a few days, but it's proving to be a fun little device....I can't make a direct comparison with the others...I haven't tried them, but the little Nexus so far:

NIce screen, but portrait only if you can get used to it. Videos, movies and music all play well. I'm a total noob to Android and I guess this is just how it works, but you basically need an app to activate certain hardware features....I know, weird, but they are free apps...The camera needs one, to view images in email needs one, but once again, free.

The keyboard is like a giant version of the Iphone's, but the predictive text is the best I have ever used on any mobile computing device. I have the 32GB wifi model. Chrome is very smooth and very fast, making surfing the web a joy despite the screen size.

Transferring music and video from your Mac's Itunes library once again requires an app, but once again it's free and works very well. I paired a BT keyboard without issue, and it works fine if you find the on screen offering too limited.

There are a whole gamut of connectivity options I have yet to explore, but if you have any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them.

The overall experience so far has been an enjoyable one, but I didn't buy it as a serious tool, more like an ultraportable entertainment device, and to learn about Android in general.

Build quality I would describe as adequate...Not poor, but an Ipad it's not. Hope some of this helps you get an idea, but I'm still very new to it all..

 

[maflynn]

Nice - thanks for the update

 

[blackhand1001]

Well, I've only had my Nexus 7 a few days, but it's proving to be a fun little device....I can't make a direct comparison with the others...I haven't tried them, but the little Nexus so far:

NIce screen, but portrait only if you can get used to it. Videos, movies and music all play well. I'm a total noob to Android and I guess this is just how it works, but you basically need an app to activate certain hardware features....I know, weird, but they are free apps...The camera needs one, to view images in email needs one, but once again, free.

The keyboard is like a giant version of the Iphone's, but the predictive text is the best I have ever used on any mobile computing device. I have the 32GB wifi model. Chrome is very smooth and very fast, making surfing the web a joy despite the screen size.

Transferring music and video from your Mac's Itunes library once again requires an app, but once again it's free and works very well. I paired a BT keyboard without issue, and it works fine if you find the on screen offering too limited.

There are a whole gamut of connectivity options I have yet to explore, but if you have any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them.

The overall experience so far has been an enjoyable one, but I didn't buy it as a serious tool, more like an ultraportable entertainment device, and to learn about Android in general.

Build quality I would describe as adequate...Not poor, but an Ipad it's not. Hope some of this helps you get an idea, but I'm still very new to it all..

I have used both the mini and nexus 7 extensively and I actually prefer the soft touch back over the hard aluminium. I find it more comfortable to hold and the edges of the mini are kind of sharp. The nexus 7 is also much easier to palm as its not as wide.

 

[mantan]

You can see what I mean...The desk needs to have 2 Imacs side by side for MA...

(threadjack)
Seeing your cockpit setup was a big flashback for me. Years ago I was big into flight simulation software. (I was a staff reviewer for AVSIM for a bit.) A job change, move and kids took away my FS time about 10 years ago.

Now that they are getting older, I'm thinking about getting back into it. I'm absolutely floored by the stuff that's out there now. Wow!

(/threadjack)

 

[Macman45]

(threadjack)
Seeing your cockpit setup was a big flashback for me. Years ago I was big into flight simulation software. (I was a staff reviewer for AVSIM for a bit.) A job change, move and kids took away my FS time about 10 years ago.

Now that they are getting older, I'm thinking about getting back into it. I'm absolutely floored by the stuff that's out there now. Wow!

(/threadjack)

Take a look at my thread in the Mac and PC games section....X-Plane 10 is what I fly.

 

[marc11]

As an Apple user and Apple family of users I found SmoothSync cal and SmoothSync Contacts great. It allows me to keep my contacts and calendar synced between my Nexus 7 and iCloud so all my devices and my wifes devices share the same data.

Other than that, these are the apps I like the most on my Nexus 7:

Tapatalk HD Tablet
Kindle Widget
JeFit Pro
Kindle Reading App
Dolphin Browser
Real Weather Desktop Widget
Google Magazine Reader/Widget
Wudnerlist app and Widget
1Password Reader
Dropbox
Google Drive
Sky Drive
Plex
Nexus Media Player for USB OTG Media Reading/Playing
Netflix
Hulu
MX Player
Skype
Paypal and other banking apps
Camera App (honestly I do not use it much)


I find my Nexus 7 as productive and functional as my wife's iPad. Being able to play and access media from a USB OTG cable is great, I can even access a 60 gb SSD I have laying around in a USB housing. Adding BT keyboards and mice are great options too....but I haven't found the need other than just playing around with it.

The key to the Nexus 7 and I guess all Android devices is the desktops, it took me a while to get them how I like them and make me more productive when using the tablet and now I just love swiping and seeing email, swipe, my schedule and to do list, swipe all my books and magazines waiting to be read, etc...

Great device, really really great device. Oh and the transfer of my music from iTunes to Google Play Music store was stupid easy and remains in sync automatically in the back ground. The GPS and downloadable off line maps works great, super fast sat connections, great navigation.

And finally, I have a USB OTG ethernet adapter; I have gone to a few hotels with no wifi, no problem, plug in the adapter into the micro USB slot, pop in the cat 5/6 cable, you are on the network!

Great stuff.

 

[Macman45]

**Update**

A small update now allows the Nexus 7 to operate in both portrait AND landscape mode....A huge boost in usability.

 

[Vegastouch]

**Update**

A small update now allows the Nexus 7 to operate in both portrait AND landscape mode....A huge boost in usability.

Not sure what you mean here. Had mine since Xmas and all i did was configure it in the settings to work in landscape mode. Havent had an update.

 

[Stooby Mcdoobie]

Not sure what you mean here. Had mine since Xmas and all i did was configure it in the settings to work in landscape mode. Havent had an update.

Your N7 may have come with 4.1.2 (the update that enabled landscape) or greater already installed, or you just didn't notice the update . OP's must have shipped with a lower version.

 

[Macman45]

Your N7 may have come with 4.1.2 (the update that enabled landscape) or greater already installed, or you just didn't notice the update . OP's must have shipped with a lower version.

I was probably me......I did say I was a noob, but it downloaded a firmware update..I just didn't go back into settings / accessibility / autorotate...

 

[Macman45]

As an Apple user and Apple family of users I found SmoothSync cal and SmoothSync Contacts great. It allows me to keep my contacts and calendar synced between my Nexus 7 and iCloud so all my devices and my wifes devices share the same data.

Other than that, these are the apps I like the most on my Nexus 7:

Tapatalk HD Tablet
Kindle Widget
JeFit Pro
Kindle Reading App
Dolphin Browser
Real Weather Desktop Widget
Google Magazine Reader/Widget
Wudnerlist app and Widget
1Password Reader
Dropbox
Google Drive
Sky Drive
Plex
Nexus Media Player for USB OTG Media Reading/Playing
Netflix
Hulu
MX Player
Skype
Paypal and other banking apps
Camera App (honestly I do not use it much)


I find my Nexus 7 as productive and functional as my wife's iPad. Being able to play and access media from a USB OTG cable is great, I can even access a 60 gb SSD I have laying around in a USB housing. Adding BT keyboards and mice are great options too....but I haven't found the need other than just playing around with it.

The key to the Nexus 7 and I guess all Android devices is the desktops, it took me a while to get them how I like them and make me more productive when using the tablet and now I just love swiping and seeing email, swipe, my schedule and to do list, swipe all my books and magazines waiting to be read, etc...

Great device, really really great device. Oh and the transfer of my music from iTunes to Google Play Music store was stupid easy and remains in sync automatically in the back ground. The GPS and downloadable off line maps works great, super fast sat connections, great navigation.

And finally, I have a USB OTG ethernet adapter; I have gone to a few hotels with no wifi, no problem, plug in the adapter into the micro USB slot, pop in the cat 5/6 cable, you are on the network!

Great stuff.

A good list of things there, many of course I have on my iPad, but will install a few of your suggested items. It's totality time out on the N7 today...My new Imac is on the truck,so MA and configuration is the job for most of today. When I've got that done I'm going to need a break so will probably grab the N7 and have an early night...I started clearing space at 5AM...

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

Funnily enough, I bought a Nexus 7 yesterday too. I'm absolutely in love with the thing!

Runs beautifully, screen is really nice, sound is half decent, build quality is solid (despite back being plastic), feels really good to hold and the customisation is amazing.

The custom launchers give it gesture supported menus and short cuts which is wicked too (check out Apex/Novo Launcher - both free).

Oh, and sign up for Google Music - you can upload 20000 songs from your iTunes FOC to listen to anywhere you like from any device or browser.

If the new iPhone/iOS is as uninspired as the last two years then I'll be getting an Android phone next time.