A week after you've owned a device you actually know how well things work...and how well things don't work. You don't necessarily know all of it's shortcomings or brilliant features but you at least have a good idea of what they are and you would feel comfortable giving someone you know a rundown of the things that you've learned. That's where I am today. I have had the Nexus 10 since December 25, Christmas day and of course I was in love with it as soon as I saw the Nexus logo on the box but what else is there to learn?
Get a Case:
As much as I love this device I can't brag about the cameras. The main camera is 5MP and the front-facing camera is 1.9MP. Granted those are better than some tablets, in fact, the newest iPad has a 5MP rear and 1.2MP front-facing camera but I took a few pictures with the rear camera completely zoomed in during the day and indoors and I simply wasn't impressed. The redeeming quality of the camera is the app that is used to run it. The Android 4.2 JellyBean camera app is simply brilliant. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this review:
As you will see in my picture, the screen is a fingerprint magnet. it should be noted, however, that is very exaggerated by the flash from my camera. You'll also notice right away that it is in a case. I highly recommend getting a case, should you buy a Nexus 10. You might think it's because the device is so fragile that I say you should get a case, and that's actually not why. Along with the Nexus, I also received the Vegan Leather Folio Case by RooCase. It's not necessary that you get that particular case but definitely get a folio case or any kind of case which can be modified to prop up the device like you see in the photo. You might think that the majority of your use will be on your lap and that may be true...if you don't have a proper case. As I write this review I am watching TV via netflix on the Nexus in HD. Which brings me to my next topic, the screen.
The Screen:
The Nexus 10's screen is protected by the best glass in the market, Corning Gorilla Glass II. Which is why you see so many fingerprints on the screen, since there isn't a screen protector and there never will be. Gorilla Glass is so tough that if it becomes damaged, it won't be something that a screen protector could have saved it from. Behind the glass is the more interesting, 1080p full HD display. Everything on this screen is so crisp, assuming you have good enough WiFi where you plan to stream the HD video. I really can't overstate how great things look on this screen. If you have ever seen an iPad with retina display, then imagine something that is actually a better resolution than that!
The Cameras:
As much as I love this device I can't brag about the cameras. The main camera is 5MP and the front-facing camera is 1.9MP. Granted those are better than some tablets, in fact, the newest iPad has a 5MP rear and 1.2MP front-facing camera but I took a few pictures with the rear camera completely zoomed in during the day and indoors and I simply wasn't impressed. The redeeming quality of the camera is the app that is used to run it. The Android 4.2 JellyBean camera app is simply brilliant. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this review:
but the pinch to zoom, the new touch to focus and long press to access the settings is just fantastic. Plus, you get the greatest feature added to cameras since the digital camera and that is Photo sphere. Photo sphere is something that you've been seeing for years now when you have tried out the street view on Google Maps. The only difference, is you're making the view, where ever you want.
The Battery:
At first when I pulled out the tablet, I was a little disappointed by how long the battery lasted. The idle battery life is actually magnificent. If I didn't use it heavily it would last days and I would bet, left to it's own devices for a while it would probably last a week or more untouched. But, like I said, when I used it for the first few days I would run down the battery in 8-10 hours and I was actually very disappointed because I shouldn't have to recharge my tablet on a daily basis and it takes quite a bit of time to recharge it from 0 to 100%. I realized a few days into owning it, though, that the auto-brightness is a little generous with the brightness that is gives to the screen, especially in a normally lit room. I took it upon myself to swipe down the toggle menu and turn off auto-brightness and, in fact, I turned it all the way down. Since then, I have gotten fantastic battery life. With regular use throughout the day and screen-on time, I got almost 3 days of battery life before I had to recharge. That is completely satisfying, in my opinion and should be truly appreciated.
**The Browsing:
The web browsing experience on the Nexus 10 is actually fantastic. Google Chrome for Android on tablets is essentially Google Chrome for desktop minus the plugins. It's fast, clean and it looks really good, too. I do have to point out, however, that the Chrome for Android app does not support flash, which is a huge drag, because there are still a lot of major websites that use flash for their video...such as Amazon! As a prime member I like to watch the video on demand on their website but you can't do that on Google Chrome on the Nexus 10. But, if you download adobe flash player and sideload it and then download FireFox for Android from the Play Store, you'll be back in business. Might I add that FireFox for Android has become quite an attractive browser from where it began and even compared to its desktop counterpart. I also feel compelled to point out that if you were thinking about browsing the Play Store from Chrome on your Nexus 10, you will immediately be redirected to the Play Store app, even if you are looking at devices, which aren't available via the app. This can be fixed, however, by selecting "request desktop site" from the drop down menu. Luckily, since this is an Android tablet, you can set a third party browser to be your default and if you prefer FireFox over Chrome then you never need to use Chrome again.
The Battery:
At first when I pulled out the tablet, I was a little disappointed by how long the battery lasted. The idle battery life is actually magnificent. If I didn't use it heavily it would last days and I would bet, left to it's own devices for a while it would probably last a week or more untouched. But, like I said, when I used it for the first few days I would run down the battery in 8-10 hours and I was actually very disappointed because I shouldn't have to recharge my tablet on a daily basis and it takes quite a bit of time to recharge it from 0 to 100%. I realized a few days into owning it, though, that the auto-brightness is a little generous with the brightness that is gives to the screen, especially in a normally lit room. I took it upon myself to swipe down the toggle menu and turn off auto-brightness and, in fact, I turned it all the way down. Since then, I have gotten fantastic battery life. With regular use throughout the day and screen-on time, I got almost 3 days of battery life before I had to recharge. That is completely satisfying, in my opinion and should be truly appreciated.
**The Browsing:
The web browsing experience on the Nexus 10 is actually fantastic. Google Chrome for Android on tablets is essentially Google Chrome for desktop minus the plugins. It's fast, clean and it looks really good, too. I do have to point out, however, that the Chrome for Android app does not support flash, which is a huge drag, because there are still a lot of major websites that use flash for their video...such as Amazon! As a prime member I like to watch the video on demand on their website but you can't do that on Google Chrome on the Nexus 10. But, if you download adobe flash player and sideload it and then download FireFox for Android from the Play Store, you'll be back in business. Might I add that FireFox for Android has become quite an attractive browser from where it began and even compared to its desktop counterpart. I also feel compelled to point out that if you were thinking about browsing the Play Store from Chrome on your Nexus 10, you will immediately be redirected to the Play Store app, even if you are looking at devices, which aren't available via the app. This can be fixed, however, by selecting "request desktop site" from the drop down menu. Luckily, since this is an Android tablet, you can set a third party browser to be your default and if you prefer FireFox over Chrome then you never need to use Chrome again.
The Rest of it:
The speakers on this device are fairly loud and their positions on either side of the screen should be something that all of the device manufacturers take as a precedence. They make the sound quality so much better than having only one speaker or even two positioned on the same place on the device. You get truer left/right sound when you actually have a speaker on the left and a speaker on the right! The screen sensitivity is great, most of the time. I have done a few drawings using AutoDesk's sketchbook app and they have come out very well, and that is something to be commended when I'm drawing directly on a screen. If you're going to be drawing, you should note that you definitely are going to need a stylus but those are only $5 or less on Amazon. When I said most of the time the screen sensitivity is great, there seems to be a bug where sometimes it becomes completely unresponsive to my touching the screen. I have suspicions, however, that this is a bug in the Android 4.2 operating system because it usually only lasts a few seconds and I'm back in business. Hopefully this is something that Google knows about and it will be fixed with an update, sometime down the road. With this being a Nexus, at least I can rest assured that as soon as Google has an update, I will have it on my Tablet. Aside from the magnificent screen, it being a Nexus is probably my highest selling point for it over all other Android tablets. At the end of the day, this device is a steal for its $400 starting price. Overall it works superbly and is the best deal for any 10" tablet on the market.
**Added by Request
The speakers on this device are fairly loud and their positions on either side of the screen should be something that all of the device manufacturers take as a precedence. They make the sound quality so much better than having only one speaker or even two positioned on the same place on the device. You get truer left/right sound when you actually have a speaker on the left and a speaker on the right! The screen sensitivity is great, most of the time. I have done a few drawings using AutoDesk's sketchbook app and they have come out very well, and that is something to be commended when I'm drawing directly on a screen. If you're going to be drawing, you should note that you definitely are going to need a stylus but those are only $5 or less on Amazon. When I said most of the time the screen sensitivity is great, there seems to be a bug where sometimes it becomes completely unresponsive to my touching the screen. I have suspicions, however, that this is a bug in the Android 4.2 operating system because it usually only lasts a few seconds and I'm back in business. Hopefully this is something that Google knows about and it will be fixed with an update, sometime down the road. With this being a Nexus, at least I can rest assured that as soon as Google has an update, I will have it on my Tablet. Aside from the magnificent screen, it being a Nexus is probably my highest selling point for it over all other Android tablets. At the end of the day, this device is a steal for its $400 starting price. Overall it works superbly and is the best deal for any 10" tablet on the market.
**Added by Request
Please brief a bit about web browsing experience.
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