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"No SD slot makes this device a Triple, not a Home Run."
4.0 starson by lanternladPros: Excellent technical specs, bright screen, no lag, light weight, very good price.
Cons: Without SD expansion, this tablet feels like an also-ran.
Summary: Having played with a Nexus 7 a friend took home from Google I/O I really liked it. Mostly.
While I realize that the point of this tablet is to get people to rely on the Google Play Store, the inability to put my own music/videos/pictures on an SD card and pop it in and go makes me question purchasing this device.
I know that Google wants everyone to use the "Cloud", but that always isn't a viable option for some of us. Some of us live in places where internet service is spotty at best and the Cloud is unusable. And if you live in Hurricane Alley where the power tends to go out due to mother nature on a regular basis, keeping all of your entertainment in the cloud instead of on your device where you can actually use it is a laughable suggestion.
It comes down to this: Android devices with SD option provide maximum flexibility without the need to be tethered to a Cloud or music program like iTunes. That's why I have an android phone and not an iPhone. The lack of expansion possibility, though meant to drive consumers to Google's ecosystem, is a poorly thought out reminder that while Google claims to be different from Apple, when it comes to making money, they have no problem copying Apple's closed system strategy. This very strategy is one of the reasons some people eschew Apple's products for Android. The ability to choose for yourself what media you'll have on your device, and how you will put it on there. When coming out into the dog-eat-dog world of the tablet market, Google REALLY needed to hit a home run with this device. Time will tell if only getting a triple will do.
- 6 replies to this review
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There is no doubt that Google Nexus 7 is great. However,Google Nexus 7 also has a few drawbacks,like the storage space is not expandable and only one camera. Why not try Ainol Novo 7 Venus? Ainol Novo 7 Venus is a great alternative in my opinion. It is also powered by Quad Core CPU ACT-ATM7029 based on Cortex A9 that runs up to 1.5GHz,it has dual cameras,features the same 7 inch 1280X800 IPS screen as Google Nexus 7. One drawback of Ainol Novo 7 Venus is that it has 8GB Nand Flash,but expandable to 32GB - this is very important and matters,I like this.It's sold at $149.99 only from JSXL Technology. I share this just because I think the more choices of Tablet PCs,the better for us.
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It's $249 for a 32 GB model. Does it REALLY need an SD card slot? I think not.
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Totally agree with this review. I WAS going get this before I read these reviews, and I am glad that I didn't. Not having expandable memory in this tablet is a BIG NO NO.
This is all about choice, and Google obviously doesn't want us to have any in the products they make and sell.
Not having an SD card slot is beyond stupid and moronic. People want to have the ability to add extra memory, or to add music, photos, etc, to customize their tablets. It's really a no-brainer to have one to set it apart from the IPad offerings.
Count me out of the Nexus buying family, because not having an SD card slot is a big deal killer for me and others as well.
Sorry, Google- you struck out on this one.
I will go elsewhere for a tablet. -
A few weeks ago, I might have expressed reservations about the lack of an SD Card.
Today, I believe that NO wifi device requires an SD Card.
Consider that all your data (500 GB) resides in a single battery powered device, and you can connect ANY wifi enabled technology to this unit.
http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/wireless/seagate-satellite/# -
Dude, you can download ANY music you already own on the your Google Drive cloud service. This renders the need for SD cards moot! You wont be using your fancy tablet in a Hurricane. Stick with food and water as your essentials in your case.
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There are now 1 button click tools to root your nexus 7. Spend $5 on an OTG cable. Download the free stickmount app. Then plug in whatever thumb drive or usb drive you like to your heart's desire.
But with that aside, I can pretty much guess that the vast majority of mainstream buyers won't even use up 8gigs. It certainly wasn't a top complaint by kindle fire users. So its really just the power users. But every power user should know that a nexus device is made to be rooted and customize. So the only audience that the N7 would be an issue for are the lazy power users or users who like to think of themselves as power users but don't really have the knowledge to know what that actually means.
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