A closer look at the Nexus 7
The packaging on the Nexus 7 is easily one of the best packaging schemes I have seen. a creative use of the tablet frame creates the number 7 on the front of the box along with a nice looking Nexus logo . The back of the box has a few features written on it. Taking off the top sleeve of the box there is a black box underneath. Opening that we get a great look at the Nexus 7 tablet itself. Inside of the packaging you get minimal accessories.
A micro USB cable, a wall USB charger, a quick start guide and a warranty card. In case you were wondering, Asus warranties the Battery of the Nexus 7 for a year after the date of purchase.
Looking at the Tablet itself it is very well made. The Gorilla glass screen sits flush with the metal trim on the edges. The metal edges seem to be a brushed aluminum and certainly feels very smooth when holding the tablet. When holding the tablet you get a sense of grip from the back. It is a semi-soft plastic that sort of reminds me of a faux leather. While not a perfect grip, it certainly does a good job for holding the device.
One thing I am quite disappointed in is this tablet only having one rear speaker. Stereo speakers would have certainly helped in sound quality since the single speaker has a tendency to get tinny at full volume. While it is certainly fine for watching a video or listening to some music is certainly could have been much better if two speakers were implemented instead.
In case you were wondering, there is a camera included on the Nexus 7. However, there is no rear facing camera. Not too many people use the rear-facing camera and those that do tend to look ridiculous when they do so. The front facing camera is a 1.2mp camera, although there is no native camera app installed on this tablet. Of course there are tons of 3rd party apps on the play store, google likely figured that people would more be using the camera for video like Google chat or Skype.
Size, feel, weight
This is my second tablet at the 7″ screen size. Personally, I find this to be the best tablet size. While I have not owned any top of the line 10″ tablets the ones I have owned did not feel very easy to use. Typing anything is a chore unless you have giant thumbs. My hands are not exactly small, but a 10″ screen was a bit much.
Feeling this tablet in my hand I have to say it feels as close to perfect as I have ever felt in a tablet. The great build construction really adds to the comfort of using the Nexus 7. It does have some heft to it so that you know it is properly in your hands. Weight-wise it is around 3/4 of a pound. While not the lightest it is lighter than a few other 7″ tablets I have tried, but also lets you know that there is some solid build quality under the hood. Weight is slightly heavier toward the bottom of the tablet near the micro USB port and 3.5mm headphone jack. I assume this is due to the battery.
Thickness is quite slender. At around the same thickness as a standard 80-page notebook it certainly fits the use as an e-reader very well.
