The Google Nexus 7 Tablet

When the 2012 version of the Nexus 7 hit the market, it was oohed and awed by many as a strong competitor to the once thought forever topgun, Apple iPad. A year has passed since and the 2013 version is considered even better than last year's model. There have been a few physical changes. Overall this year's model is lighter and smaller. 

• The dimensions are 7.9" x 4.5" x 0.34" and with its weight at a light 10.5 ounces, the body is narrower than its predecessor. 

• The Nexus strong points are what most users would like to have in a tablet. First, the RAM has increased from last year's 1GB to 2GB for this summer's model and a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor is the brains behind this tablet's operation. 

• The screen has an excellent display at 1920 x 1200 pixels, making it the highest pixel density tablet on the market. In fact it is almost double the pixel count of the Apple iPad Mini tablet at 1024 x 768. The back plate changed from a rough leather-like material to a smoother, more attractive look with a polished backing finish.

• The latest version of the Android OS Jelly Bean revision 4.3 is provided and supports Open GL ES 3.0 3D graphics. 

And Android is certainly what you see. It has become increasingly noticeable that tablet makers have been producing more of their own content, much of which is uninstallable; their operating environment is overtaking the Android look. Not so with this tablet. Perhaps that's why the Nexus has been remarked as a very attractive tablet; it looks like an Android is supposed to look.

Performance is excellent and no major issues have been reported. Every tablet however does have a few quirks and this tablet has some. Some users have reported substandard Google Maps performance; everything from non-existent operation to causing the tablet to freeze. Google claims that the Maps issue has been resolved through an update.The usual tablet interfaces all work well. 4G LTE runs well, and wireless operation is smooth, in fact, very smooth. Wireless operation is available on 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth support is there as well. Here are some other notable tidbits about this tablet:

• In Landmark tests, the Nexus 7 leads the pack in several tests, including the 3D Mark with an 11601 score, highest amongst the other leading tablets on the market. The 7 also leads in several of the graphics tests, although the iPad 4 beats the 7 on the GFX bench tests.

• If there was one major disappointment with this tablet, it would probably be the lack of an SD memory card slot. There was talk of one being engineered into this year's model but that did not happen. Keep in mind that you're only getting 16GB storage, so those of you that use a lot of applications might want to consider the 32GB model instead. 

• Another weakness is the cameras. A low 1.2 megapixel camera covers the front, with a 5 megapixel camera on the back. Keep in mind that tablet cameras are known to not be the greatest in terms of quality and this one is no different. 

• Battery power has improved, and this year's model registers an 11.5 hour battery life on the video test. That's over an hour longer than last year's model but not as long as a few on the market, including the Apple iPad Mini, which beats it by a half-hour. 

• There really isn't that many adornments to the case. You have a micro-USB port on the bottom, and a phone jack which has been relocated from the bottom to the top of the tablet. The power-on control is positioned next to a rocker-type volume adjustment on the right side.

The Nexus 7 is considered by many in the industry to be the best tablet on the market in the small tablet category. It's usually at the top of the review charts and rightfully so. It is a tablet with a great display, excellent performance, and is considered the best value for small tablets. And the prices reflect this. The 16GB model is available at Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Office Depot, and most major retailers for $230, the 32GB model goes for $270, and a 4G LTE model is available for $350. If you're looking for a smaller tablet, the Nexus 7 should be in consideration as your prime candidate.

I'm Jim Scarbrough and a regular technology contributor to the Patch. You can view my other technology blog at: http://pcjournal.typepad.com/blog