Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Who knew affordable tablets could be so good? That was our reaction after reviewing the original Nexus 7 when it went on sale last year for $200; at the time, comparably specced products were going for at least $100 more. So, when this year's follow-up came out at a slightly higher price ($229 and up), we were a little concerned the higher cost would dissuade penny-pinching shoppers from taking the plunge.
After we got a good look at the spec sheet, though, we quickly forgave Google and ASUS for their decision. For the money, you get a gorgeous 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display, 2GB of RAM, a rear camera, a quad-core processor, wireless charging and the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean 4.3. Now that we've had the opportunity to take the new and improved Nexus 7 for a spin, we're ready to tackle all the obvious questions: is this still the best budget tablet on the market? How does it compare to the iPad mini? And does the spec sheet actually reflect real-world performance? Let's find out.
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile
We're sure glad there's iFixit to take apart new gadgets so we don't have to, and it comes as no surprise that the next-gen Nexus 7 is one of its latest experiments. If you've read our hands-on with the device, you won't be surprised by much of what the folks at iFixit saw while tearing it down. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the new version has huge improvements when it comes to repairability. Its huge battery is glued to an adhesive tray, and like its predecessor, its display seems to be the biggest problem -- you'll need a heat gun to get it out. Still, iFixit gives it a score of 7 out of 10, because all they needed to pry it open was a plastic tool.
Source: iFixit
A tipster has told us that the latest Nexus 7 from Asus and Google will hit Best Buy stores today, and a pre-order we placed earlier for the device seems to confirm that. We put our money down for one when the order page first went up, and while the confirmation originally said it would arrive on the original July 30th launch date, it's now telling us that we can expect our tablet later today. That jibes with info we were given by a source claiming to be the manager of a Best Buy store. He said that while pre-orders started yesterday, "there were few (of them) in my region," meaning that "if you are present at a (Best Buy) location today at opening, you have a good chance of buying the tablet." He added that some stores don't have stock yet due to agreements with Google, but pre-orders are still possible at those locations. Until we receive confirmation, however, you may not want to make a long journey to one of the outlets. Meanwhile, we've reached out to both Google and Best Buy.
Update: Best Buy has touched base, telling us "we can confirm that the Nexus is available at all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores and BestBuy.com now."
[Thanks, Anonymous]
The original Nexus 7 launched in a relative vacuum -- there were other low-cost, 7-inch Android tablets before, but few with the full support of a major manufacturer. The 2013-era Nexus 7 is entering a far more crowded marketplace with many recognizable names, and even more aggressive pricing. With that in mind, we've compared Google's latest tablet with three of its newest 7-inch peers -- ASUS' MeMo Pad HD 7, HP's Slate 7 and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 -- to see whether it's as strong a value as its predecessor.
Ironically, the new Nexus 7 occupies the high end in this space. It's the most expensive tablet here, with the sharpest display, the fastest processor and the most built-in storage. However, that doesn't mean it's priced out of contention. The $30 you save with the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 just isn't worth it; Samsung's tablet is a big step down in every aspect outside of expandability. And you're clearly getting what you pay for with the Slate 7, whose low price doesn't excuse a poor display and sluggish performance.
The Nexus 7's real competition comes from its own manufacturer, ASUS. While the MeMo Pad HD 7 has a lower resolution screen and a slower CPU, its cameras, display quality, processing power and storage are superb for the price. If you don't crave the Nexus 7's technology or stock Android 4.3, it may be wiser to save $80 and buy the good-enough MeMo Pad instead. Full specifications for all the tablets are available after the break.
The new Nexus 7's official unveiling might still be a few days away, but impatient tablet fans can get a peek right now: @evleaks seems to have come across the alleged device's official press render. The image doesn't do much to confirm the 7-inch tablet's internal specifications, but what we can see matches previous leaks, giving us a clearer view of the device's rumored 5MP rear-facing camera and and a branded backside -- now lacking the dimples of the original. A pair of speakers can be seen on the rear's north and south ends and volume, power and a microphone input line the tablet's right edge.
On the front we can see an offset front-facing shooter, an underlining notification LED and what is most likely Android 4.3. Although the press shot doesn't reveal anything about the device's screen, a Best Buy ad featuring it pegs it as a 1,920 x 1,200 display, pricing the 16GB variant of the upcoming tablet at $229 --$40 less than the reported price of the slate's 32GB model. Phone Arena says the leaked ad is scheduled to run next week, placing the circular's promised Tuesday availability for the Nexus 7 on July 30th. We'll wait for Google to give us the full story on the 24th before jumping the gun, but if you just can't wait, feel free to ogle Best Buy's unreleased insert after the break.
Source: @evleaks, Phone Arena
