Google Nexus 7 (By Asus) (Review) : Googles "Attempt" at the iPad Mini?

Their's nothing better than Stock-Android, with no Touch wiz or Sense overlays, accept iOS 7 (obviously). Running Stock-Android also means that you can update your software as soon as an update is available from Google ( instead of waiting months for a minor update like 4.2.2)! However the Nexus device Range is often less premium than its competitors and therefore when buying a Nexus device, you have to compromise luxury (in the form of higher specifications.) Another thing I dislike is that Nexus products either launch a year late or never launch at all in South Africa. So lets get into the Nexus 7's plastic exterior to find out what this tablet is truly about and whether it should worry Apple...

(Photo Credit :Unknown)

ANDROID 4.2

Photo Credit - Wired

Android is at the heart of all Nexus Devices. They are made for Android OS. The Nexus 7 runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean.) There is not a lot to say about Stock Android - Its simple and has features that a major OS Should have, its territory would make for a smooth transition from iOS and even Windows Phone. The fact that its just Simple tends to worry me , With Competitors like Samsung (Which has Air View, Smart Stay and many other features) make it a more practical choice to choose their devices because of their amazing unique software. I love Android because it gives you more personalization and customization (Something that iOS lacks.) It has amazing content and is fast and smooth (thanks to Project Butter) 

Photo Credit - Android Police

MULTIPLE USERS

A New feature that comes to Android 4.2 is that you can have multiple-users on one tablet. You can create a whole new profile for a colleague, kid or friends. This allows them to have personalized wallpapers widgets, accounts and most importantly it keeps you information separate from theirs. Your work emails and contacts don't get in the hands of your children. Your children's apps don't get in the way of your Conference presentations. 

NOTIFICATIONS

Notifications on Android 4.2 is redesigned and re-imagined, for the better. You now have your notifications displayed more simplify and a really convenient feature is that it allows you to Respond and actually 'take action' to the notification. For example, if a turn on your phone and see you have a missed call in the notifications bar, you will be able to either call back or reply with a message. 

GOOGLE NOW

Photo Credit - Rediff

This is often referred to as 'Google's copy of Siri,' but I think it should rather be called, 'Apple's defeat by Google,' because Google Now is just so much better! Since Google bases its search on its search engine its faster than iOS which uses Google! Google Now give you the solution to your problem as it surfaces - its convenient and fun at the same time. Google Now gives you Cards that show information that is relevant to your current location (e.g. Train Departures, the weather , popular pictures, sport results and even whats showing at your local cinema.) You can ask it questions just like Siri however it isn't as good when it comes to personal questions. Compared to Siri, Google Now has a more human voice and just feels more personable. Google Now does things faster and does them 'Now' and thats why i'd use it over all of the other voice assistants.

PHOTO SPHERE

The Photo Sphere allows you to take simultaneous pictures and Google Stitches them together to make 360 degree picture. Its easy to share your pictures to Google+ and even Google Maps for the world to see!

HARDWARE

photo Credit- ZDnet 

The Hardware is very minimalistic as the Device was based on the software rather than paying attention to the details (like a Good camera). Speaking of Cameras, the Nexus 7 has a 1.2MP front-facing camera which would be okay if it had a back-facing camera which it doesn't and at moments like this I ask myself - With a higher processor and better cameras isn't the iPad Mini a better buy for R1000 more? Lets take a tour of the Nexus 7's plastic exterior. It has an Black grippable back with a detailed design. On the side you'll find a volume rocker and an ON/OFF switch. On the front you'll find a fairly thick bezel around the 7" screen with a resolution of 216 ppi. The battery is good for about 8 Hours of content playback and thats all I can say about the hardware on the Nexus 7. 

Photo Credit - Immobility

CONCLUSION

The Nexus 7 is a good entry-level tablet with entry-level specifications it doesn't have any premium feel to it as their are many other 7' Tablets that have better specifications and better software (like Touchwiz) and it simply isn't practical to buy this tablet for Android alone at R1000 less than the iPad Mini! Google needs to stop aiming their Nexus devices at competitors like the Amazon Kindle because they will loose , Google needs to make devices that are different to everything else... 

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iBlog Awards : TOP10 TABLETS

1.) Microsoft Surface Pro

2.) iPad with Retina Display

3.) Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

4.) Apple iPad Mini

5.) Sony Xperia Tablet Z 

6.) Nexus 10.1

7.) Samsung ATIV 

8.) Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9'

9.) Nexus 7

10.) Samsung Galaxy 2 Tab 7'

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Father's Day Gadget Gift Ideas!

Yes, its almost father's day. The day to celebrate everything dad has done for you. (if anything.) This list if for those tech freaks out there like me who do last minute shopping. Below are some really amazing Gadget Gift Ideas for dad!

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

 Does dad get frustrated when he cant find the remote. Spoil him this father's day with the Galaxy Note 8.0. He can use the Note to  his remote for undisturbed viewing as long as he desires with the note's amazing battery life and when he's tired of that there's many other features for him to enjoy. (image Credit - PC Pro)

Nokia Lumia 925

 Taking dad away for the long weekend, why not spoil him even more with a Nokia Lumia 925. Its Nokia's new flagship Windows Phone 8 Device. The 925 will get you to your location easily with Nokia Maps and City Lens will tell you where the nearest restaurant is for an evening out and the best part is you can take amazing pictures in any location with Nokia's new Xenon Flash. Forget Dog's, the Lumia 925, will definitely be man's best friend. (image credit : unknown) 

Microsoft Surface

 This gift is bound to make dad's day. From piles of papers and lever-arch files to a simple, sleek piece of tech, this transformation means dad can do all of his work simultaneously on one device. He literally has his own  'Office' that he can take with him anywhere. Be it the Board room, The road or just playing Angry Birds - The Surface is always there. (image credit - Engadget) 

I hope this has sincerely helped you pick you father's day Gifts and if you haven't, there's always next year. Take care, enjoy your Father's Day and Keep it Connected!

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What I Want To See In WWDC 2013

Yes, its this time of the year again folks. So you might as well find an excuse to trash your 'old' Apple devices because Apple's WWDC (World Wide Developer's Conference) kicks of on monday!

                             WHAT I WANT TO SEE

iOS 7

A brand new Operating system. Not just some bug fixes here and there, with added applications that never seem to work (like iMaps.) I want to see a Apple Social Media platform, something to rival Facebook and Twitter. I want to see a 'flatter' OS. Apple should let us choose between iMaps and Google Maps as our default Mapping Service. Apple needs to redesign their App Store and last and definitely not least we need to see some widgets on iOS. 

iPad Mini with Retina Display 

A new updated version of the the iPad mini running iOS 7. Spec-wise I expect it to have a better processor (maybe the A6X) and a Retina display screen. I also would like to see the iPad mini coming in a few different colours, maybe a red, blue and green.

Macbook Air with Retina Display 

A revised design, it should be thinner and should come in a 15 inch variant. A faster processor and a new version of Mac OSX. A Retina display. 

The iWatch

A first for Wearable tech in Apple. After the Google Glass buzz, the Apple iWach would be a success. The idea is to have a watch with customizable bands and clock-faces as well as traditional iOS application functions. It should have Retina Display and 4G LTE connectivity. Siri and iMaps. 

  WHAT APPLE IS PROBABLY GOING TO DO

The more I read over what I want to see, the more I know its not going to happen. I think Apple needs to really design a new flagship device, something that is completely new and exiting but the reality is that they wont! Apple is playing it safe at the moment but playing it safe might have worked a year ago but it  wont help now ,when Apple's competitors are catching up...

Apple needs to show us new products - Read my blog on Monday to see what Apple has packed as well as a link for you to watch it yourself. 

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Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7' : Review

The Amazon kindle Fire HD was launched last year as a sequel to the original Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire was large and bulky with no challenging specs not even a camera. However this new addition to the kindle range has a all new design, operating system and some pretty impressive specs. Will this 7' Tablet stand out from the rest and maybe even go on to challenge the iPad Mini? Lets see..

HARDWARE

Keeping with the idea of the kindle Fire, The Kindle Fire HD has a very minamalistic design (and thats to make it more affordable.) Small changes on this device like tapered edges and a more grip-able back makes the reading experience on this tablet that much more comfortable. The 7' screen has a higher resolution (hence the HD') and is wider and shorter than the original Fire.The screen is suppose to be fit with anti-glare technology but I find that the glare on this tablet is in fact the same as any other tablet.  With the Kindle Fire Hd amazon really wanted it to be used to consume all types of media (like video and audio) which is why amazon put two dolby stereo speakers on the back of this tablet. A nice feature that definitely stands out. Overall the design is a big leap from its  box-shaped predecessor yet it doesn't seem premium in-front of competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Tab II 7' and off course the iPad Mini.

CAMERA & BATTERY 

The Fire has a below average 1.3 MP front-facing camera. The camera is used exclusively on third-party applications like Skype for video calling. It is important to note that it doesn't have any amazon/kindle camera application for taking pictures (like PhotoBooth on the iPad mini) if you want to take pictures you need to install a third-party application. The 4400 mAh battery is pretty good and takes about 2 days to drain on mid-use (reading and average video consumption.)

OPERATING SYSTEM  

The kindle Fire HD runs a forked version of android , just like the Fire. The 'Kindle OS' has the bottom shortcut bar like android (with Home , settings and favorites) but thats the end of the android features. It has a homepage which has your recent apps/books/magazines/movies and TV shows in a carousel as well as a recommendations strip closer to the bottom (from the Amazon Store.) The actual reading experience on the kindle range is by far the best with features that are simply irreplaceable by Apple's iBooks and even Barnes and Noble's Nook. Amazon gives you total customization of your reading experience letting you customize font size, font and even page colour so that your reading experience is suited to the way you like to read. The thing I love about the kindle reading software is that if gives you your page number , your loc (location) in the book and the estimated time left until you finish your chapter and book (estimated through your reading speed) which gives you a feeling of how far you are in the book. The Kindle Fire also has a feature called X-Ray which gives you a break-down of all the characters and scenes and tells you where they appear in the book, it is a great way to summarize information about acharacter/ place when you have forgotten it. The new X-Ray also works with videos using IMDb. The Kindle Fire HD integrates a new software called Kindle Free-Time which is a feature that totally customizes your kindle for children which doesn't allow them to access your files. You can also customize the number of hours your children reads or watches movies. As well as the age restriction of the movies or books. 

STORE 

The amazon store is the heart of the Kindle Fire. With amazing Books titles , magazines , TV Shows and Movies. The Store also has a feature called Whispe



rSync that allows you to share the content bought on your kindle with any other android, iOS or Windows device. The Store doesn't have all of the apps available on traditional Android app stores like Google play however there is a good selection of apps.
The App store has books, movies and TV shows.

OTHER PICTURES

CONCLUSION  

The amazon Kindle fire HD 7' is a great tablet, its HD screen allows for better viewing of content from the Amazon Store. Games, Movies, books and magazines look crisper on than on the original kindle Fire. The Software on the Kindle Fire is minimalist but amazing at the same time. The camera isn't that amazing and doesn't add value to the tablet. Although the Fire HD is really good it doesn't have any exiting specs and features that make if different to the rest. I'd definitely recommend it to a regular book or magazine reader, but other than that the Fire HD isn't made for anything else other than entertainment. 

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