I was curious about the new nexus 7 that is all the rage and in the news. Specifically how would a comparable nexus 7 compare to the iPad mini. I want to know this because I have really come to enjoy the mid range form factor the 7 inch screen brings to mobile computing with a tablet. So search for the device and go to googles store. Scan the marketing fluff for option to buy. I’m really only interested in a comparable device. Wait! Only 32GB max memory? Wifi only? So no 3G and by proxy no gps which means I can’t even compare the two. They are apples and oranges, different use cases for different types of customers. Oh well, it took a few years but the android so eventually go good enough for Apple to steal back the good ideas for the upcoming iOS 7 release. Perhaps the hardware will get there too because the coolest thing about my mini is using it in a waterproof case to take underwater pictures and leave waypoints with the Gaia mapping app (also available on Android which is why I wanted to compare the two devices). What, who cares? I hear you. This is why I care. I like beating able to put media for myself, my wife and my daughter in one device and have enough room left for taking movies, editing the video and pictures into content for showing the grand parental units. I also love being able to download map sets (open street maps, bike maps and Topo maps galore) ahead of time and still use them withou needing the data plan. Hell, half of the places I go still won’t work well with 3G/4g tech. With the built in GPS sensor it doesn’t matter. Pictures are still geo tagged, map sets still work. So it’s not fair for me to comment on the nexus 7 because it’s apple and the iPad mini is an orange. I love shiny things new but am settling in in the features that work for me and the nexus 7 doesn’t have them yet.
7/30/2013 ~ 2 min read
