If you ordered a Google Nexus 7 tablet early, you've already had it for a few weeks.
How do you like it?
I'm crazy about mine. It's fast and slick, a truly advanced mobile device with a well-tuned mobile OS. I'm running all my essential apps on it: Instapaper, Google Reader, Rdio, Kindle, Words With Friends. The lack of SD and HDMI ports and the absence of 4G connectivity don't bug me at all. It's the right size to use comfortably in almost every situation, and I carry it with me most places, either in my backpack or in the back pocket of my jeans.
My iPad, by contrast, hardly ever leaves the house. The battery on my e-ink Kindle is probably dead -- I wouldn't know, I haven't checked it in over a month.
In my eyes, the Nexus 7 has changed everything about 7-inch tablets. All Android device manufacturers have a new benchmark to aim for, and the tea leaves say Apple is prepping a smaller iPad, too. The Nexus 7's $200 price and connection to Google's Play store is certainly weighing heavily on Amazon -- the company is believed to be revamping the similarly-priced Fire to better compete, and it's expanded its video streaming service to iPads.
Most importantly, this is the first time I've seen such a winning combination of price, capability, performance and size in a tablet. The seven-incher has truly arrived.
Bold claims for sure. Maybe in six months or a year, somebody will throw this post back in my face and we can all have a good laugh at my expense. But maybe not.