My New Nexus 7"

I still think of a 7" as a vinyl record for EPs and singles.

But 7" is going to start to mean someting else as I believe it is an ideal form factor for tablets.

I moved from a Kindle to an iPad for reading a couple years ago. I wrote about that at the time and explained that I preferred the backlighting and the ability to uses maps and wikipedia and such to jump out of the book and drill down on something in the book that sparks my curiosity.

Then the Kindle Fire came along and I immediately grabbed one of them. I've been reading on a Kindle Fire since it came out. I love it for reading books. But it is not a true Android tablet. It is really a Kindle with some extra stuff like a browser and some apps.

Some friends at Google sent me a Nexus 7" last week. I set it up yesterday and I've been using it for about 24 hours. So these are preliminary thoughts on it.

There is something very comforting about logging into a device with my Android/Google credentials and getting all my apps downloaded to it automatically. There is also something very comforting about getting a clean build of the most recent version of Android on a device. The Nexus 7" provides both of those comforts right out of the box.

I put a bunch of my favorite apps on the home screen:

Nexus home screen

If you look at the bottom of the home screen you'll see a yellow icon next to the Chrome browser. That is Bria, a SIP client that I have been using on my android phone. With Bria, the Nexus 7" can be a phone and I used it yesterday to make a few calls. It works great but if I really wanted to use this device as a phone, I'd want a bluetooth headphone because a 7" tablet is not ideal for talking into.

The three apps that I use a lot that aren't on my Nexus 7" home screen are Instagram, Tumblr and Kik. Instagram and Tumblr are not available on the Nexus 7". I hope these companies fix that because I would use these two apps a lot on this device to follow folks on Instagram and Tumblr. Kik only works on one device at a time so if I put it on the Nexus 7", it would stop working on my phone. So it's not on my tablet.

But the main thing I use the Nexus 7" for is reading, primarily on the Kindle app.

Nexus kindle

Reading on the Kindle App on the Nexus 7" is a lot like reading on the Kindle Fire. But the Kindle Android app is not quite as responsive as the Kindle Fire. I find that I have to be a bit more assertive with my swipes for the next page. That might be a transition thing or it could be annoying. I don't know yet. I think the features are slightly different too. But I haven't noticed anything super different between the two reading experiences.

The bottom line is that I think the 7" tablet is a great form factor and I prefer it to the iPad for a bunch of reasons. It is more mobile. It is lighter and more comfortable being held in one hand. And I like the amount of a page that is rendered on the 7" screen. It allows me to read more quickly.

The good news for iPad/iOS fans is that Apple is apparently going to come out with a 7" iPad soon. So you don't have to go Android to get the 7" experience. But if you want to try Android or you want to try a 7" experience right now, you might give the Nexus 7" a try. It's available for pre-order for $199. I don't know when it will broadly available but I suspect soon.

#Books#mobile

Comments (Archived):

  1. William Mougayar

    How are the camera options? I read the front one is only about 1.2mp.Are you still using your other Nexus device for taking photos?Can you pls tell us more about the Bria sip client on it- how is it working? Thanks

    1. fredwilson

      i can’t seem to find a camera app on the Nexus 7″. so i went into foursquare and used the camera from within the app. it seems that there is only a front facing camera and it is 1.3mp. i never even thought about the camera issue when i set it up yesterday. so thanks for bringing it up.

      1. William Mougayar

        So, it’s a replacement for your Kindle/iPad more than it is a replacement for your 3.5in Nexus, right? I’m asking because 3 days ago I thought you were planning on experimenting with 1 device only as the Nexus 7.

        1. fredwilson

          i want to try to replace my smartphone with a data only tablet but there are a few things that are stopping me.1) i have to port my cell phone number from tmobile to onsip (my cloud voip provider). that’s a big move and i am not yet certain i can/should do that 2) i think i can live without sms but i need to be sure about that3) i need to find a data only sim card that is priced low enough that i can use it as much as i’d like and be competitive with my current data plan there may be other hurdles i need to overcome, but those are front and center in my mind right now

          1. John Revay

            WOW – sounds scary,If you make the move – all things seem to be reversible if they don’t work out.My biggest issue may be living w/o sms, I am assuming there are some work arounds that would still let you communicate w/ your contacts via sms.Form factor – I think on some occasions you still want to have a small form factor device…bike rides, out for dinner etc.

          2. panterosa,

            Small device will be key with women. I come from the school of the smallest handbag possible – to be lean, but also to avoid the chiropractor.On the other hand moms who schlep more may like it for kids games. I wonder how the games are. I’m going to raise that in another comment. I’m designing a game for iPad right now and smaller device is not optimal for our format.

          3. FAKE GRIMLOCK

            FOR GAMES, HAVE TO BUY IPAD.UNLESS ONLY WANT A FEW GAMES.

          4. eenoog (one-eye)

            How about google voice as an alternative (or does that refuse to install?)

          5. fredwilson

            i’ve never taken to google voice. not sure why.

          6. LE

            I use gv as a front to any phone number that I use. (Call one gv number and it rings my cell phone. Another gv number rings the work line. Other gv numbers ring other cell phone numbers that I use for different reasons.)It’s great since you don’t have to give the repair man or the dry cleaner your real cell phone you give them gv number and then you can more easily screen the calls (listen while they leave a message and pickup at any time). Plus you get the web voicemail and you can send calls that you don’t want to a “number not in service” recording and other things if the caller is a pest. (Bank surveys that call you because the bank wants your phone number). The calls are announced before you pickup. And you can round robin (I think I don’t use this) so it will try more than one phone.And it’s free.It’s been a big time saver on the work line as well. You might want to sign up and use it just for the sole purpose of when you want to give out a phone number to someone but don’t want them to have your real phone number.It’s free. And you can search for a number that you like as well as get a number in a different area code.

          7. FAKE GRIMLOCK

            FREE UNTIL START CHARGING, LIKE MAPS.

          8. LE

            Right, but with respect to the map api: Google will start charging developers once they exceed the free usage limit of 25,000 map loads per day for 90 consecutive days. According to Google, only about 0.35% of sites currently exceed these limits regularly.Currently Verizon charges me $45 for a particular business landline that I am working on porting to GV. The first step is to port that to ATT which should charge +-$10/m to do the same thing. When google starts to charge it will most likely be less than that or might depend on usage. So while you’re right I’m not expecting that the amount they will charge will be anything that will make the service less of a value to me.For the usage that I am recommending I don’t think that paying $15 per month to be able to screen your calls is a big deal. But you are correct it most likely won’t be free forever.

          9. FAKE GRIMLOCK

            LOTS OF CHANGES AT GOOGLE RIGHT NOW.GOOGLE VOICE DOES NOTHING FOR CORE GOOGLE MISSION, MAKES THEM NO MONEY.NO GET RELIANT ON IT.

          10. ShanaC

            I use it to block creepy guys. Totally recommend it for your daughters (life happens)

          11. kenberger

            You already know my thoughts on most of this. But to add:Not having a usable camera makes this tablet-only a non-starter (the Galaxy Tab at least had a gorgeous camera). Plus I want a backup phone device with me, for battery purposes at the minimum, and that phone with a good data plan serves as a modem.The Nexus 7 doesn’t take a sim card (yet), so #3 could apply to what I just described, but not your tablet-only objective with this one!

          12. John Revay

            HUMM, been thinking about this comment for last several days……Still trying to figure out why you want to replace your mobile phone w/ a data only tablet – reasons might include some of the following;1. Save $$$, for some reason – in your case I don’t this would be a main reason to drop your main tmobile voice plan – (sounds like you have already signed up to pay many monthly recurring subscriptions…)2. You want to only carry one device…and the smart phone is too small of a form factor for the amount of writing you do (blog, email), assume you could get tmobile voice plan for 7″ Nexus3. Portability (ONSIP), ability to have your phone # in cloud, easy to move ( or ring on multiple devices) – 7″ Nexus becomes your main device you carry most of the time, on a few occasions you power up and take the droid smart phone4. Screw the traditional cell voice carrier – Fred being disruptive, Fred ahead of the curve, bleeding edge early adopter….5. I understand the need to hack – when traveling overseas,It seems like the traditional cell carriers have a solid redundant network w/ capacity for voice calls – why change when it just works.

          13. fredwilson

            #4that’s the only way i know how to find the next interesting thing

      2. LE

        It’s rev 1 of their product but not rev 1 of “the” product (like ipad was). A front facing camera seems pretty essential at this point. No doubt they will do that.

    2. John Revay

      You both ( Fred & William) seem to be heavy photo takers

      1. William Mougayar

        I’m thinking more and more about the conversations that a photo can generate. It forces you to take quality or unique pics.

  2. John Best

    I was excited at the news of its release – hot on the heels of the announcement of the MS surface and with Apple rumoured to be bringing out the iPad mini soon, we’re really going to see an explosion in the tablet market soon. The price point of the Nexus is great too, genuinely exciting and affordable.I have no idea what this will do to the sales of the 10″ iPad, but it’ll be interesting to see the volumes in 12 months.

    1. fredwilson

      i don’t think this is going to put a big dent in iPad sales. but it may bring the tablet experience to a broader user base.

      1. John Best

        I certainly hope so. I think the Nexus will probably be my next non-component purchase, unless the Surface arrives soon and dazzles.

  3. RichardF

    That is nice, I have shiny kit syndrome so at that price I think I’m going to have to get one sent to the UK.I’m not sure about the 7″ format or a tablet for reading. I like my kindle for reading because the battery life is awesome and I love the e-ink, great for outdoor reading and my (now banned in the US… ugh) Samsung 10.1 for everything else, browsing, watching video. I really like the 10.1 for video and browsing that seems the right size to me.

    1. fredwilson

      outdoor reading is the big issue with tablets vs kindle.

      1. Carl Rahn Griffith

        I have been impressed by the scale and diversity of the Kindle demographic – people I know who never even use a PC and have a 1990s style mobile phone (no graphics/no camera/etc – just a mobile ‘phone, basically) are in love with their Kindles. Very interesting.

        1. RichardF

          and Fifty Shades of Grey just made it even more appealing to women. They have just discovered they can read erotica without their husbands knowing. “what’s that you are reading darling?”…. “oh you know the usual chick lit dear, nothing that would interest you”

          1. Carl Rahn Griffith

            Lol, a very interesting point, Richard – lot of truth in that, I reckon.Porn is a hell of a market, whatever one thinks of it. I have lost a few opportunities by refusing to be involved in it. Erotica is an even bigger market, potentially – and infinitely more acceptable.The KIndle and this ’50 shades of Grey’ hype/infamy seems to be the Lady Chatterley of the ebook era. And look at what that did.I shall refrain from citing one of my favourite Larkin quotes at this juncture 😉

    2. bod

      You can just buy it in the UK, for the surprisingly reasonable price of 159 pounds.It, or rather the 16GB model, will also be in Carphone Warehouse and Dixons Group stores in a couple of weeks if you want to see one in person first.

      1. RichardF

        thanks for that, interesting that it will launch in the UK without Google Play because of international media rights issues

  4. John Frankel

    Does it run Flash?

    1. fredwilson

      the flash app downloaded and installed on the devicei should try running some flash to see if it works wellfredwilson.fm which uses a flash based audio player called streampad isn’t loading properly on my nexus 7″ so that does raise a question markwhere else can i find flash on the internet these days?

      1. falicon

        zynga.com 😉

        1. fredwilson

          Duh ( hits head with palm)

    2. fredwilson

      i think flash isn’t working right on my device. could me mine or could be the device/os.

  5. Mordy Kaplinsky

    How’s your call quality with the Bria when you’re on the 3G or 4G networks? i’m referring to your Nexus phone as I assume that the Nexus 7 is mostly used with WiFi.

    1. fredwilson

      very good

      1. Mordy Kaplinsky

        Sweet! I would’ve thought that the latency issue especially on 3G would wreak havoc on a VoIP call.

    2. John Revay

      I finally got my Bria (iOS client) to work w/ our Virtual PBX this past week – works great.I had previously down loaded it – and finally took the time to get it to work after reading one of the AVC post while Fred was in Europe

  6. Richard

    Amazing that a pair of jeans costs more than a tablet!  My guess is that it the payment processors  start subsidizing Tablets.

    1. jason wright

      Where do you shop?

      1. Richard

        I think your question is about my jeans, they are made by diesel. They are the Toyota prius of jeans. You can wear them everyday for two years and wash them about one a month. Best ROI in apparel.

        1. Foo

          I’ll have to be the one to tell you then, with all due respect: you stik, sir.

    2. fredwilson

      that’s an interesting prediction

    3. kidmercury

      the race to give away tablets for free is on. that is why i think amazon is best positioned here in many ways. agree with your prediction on payment processors in the business market.

      1. JLM

        .Once they get bluetooth phone working why would they not treat this like a phone — almost give it away and make their money off the data plan.When you go back and look at the declining cost of cell phones from the Motorola brick to today, that is the pattern..

        1. LE

          Seems to me that there has to be some opportunity to use tablets in the operations that you run when they get to a certain price point in your current physical locations. Also wondering if you could use them to allow (that thing) to be done remotely w/i a geographic area where you currently operate. (For home bound people.)

      2. Fernando Gutierrez

        Agree about Amazon. They could tie it to minimum monthly/yearly purchases. Or they could give them away to Prime subscribers. Or to a monthly payment similar to what they have with Audible. But, on the other hand, why do it if we pay anyway and Apple is not going to start it?

        1. kidmercury

          i suspect amazon is diligently crunching numbers on the additional annual revenue they get from their tablet customers. once that number is high enough, the economics work and they can start to aggressively give away the tablet. that they cut prices the day google came out with nexus shows they are happy to play the price wars game.surely there is a tie-in to amazon prime.

          1. FAKE GRIMLOCK

            PAY YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION FOR MONTHLY DOWNLOAD OF UP TO X BOOKS, MOVIES, OR MUSIC.COMES WITH FREE KINDLE FIRE.

          2. kidmercury

            that would be awesome, although publishers and movie studios will resist that model…..which is why i’m so interested in amazon’s efforts at entering the movie production business directly……i’ve been meaning to watch some of their movies but admittedly none of them look very appealing to me…..still, though, a monthly or yearly fee for unlimited amazon would be the ultimate.

      3. Michael Elling

        yup. and the answer to universal service as companies go down the stack to bypass carriers. 80% of access will be “free”. will someone please tell washington! we were on this path in the mid 1990s until the telecom act came along.

    4. jason wright

      I can see that. One size fits all economies of production costs trump waist size and leg length variables.

  7. laurie kalmanson

    Hiro Protagonist is one of the best names ever

    1. fredwilson

      for sure

      1. laurie kalmanson

        fast prototype: “my viewport” to aggregate everything.https://skitch.com/laurieka…combines all your feeds on filters of people / topics / tagso Items scroll like pinterest; content can be tweets, facebook posts, pinterest posts, instageam, 4sq, turntable.fm, etc.In this example,”People” posts fill all three columns, sorted by recency/responses.o Recent items are open; older items are closed, but can be opened.

        1. fredwilson

          A people centric flipboard?

          1. William Mougayar

            Isn’t it what Flipboard is? They expose links from who you follow across the networks.

          2. laurie kalmanson

            this adds everything attached to their actions

          3. laurie kalmanson

            people, topics, tags — you can filter your view

          4. laurie kalmanson

            people, topics, tags — you can filter your view and the conversations are attached to the categorypeople: if i post something and you reply and three other people chime intopics/tags — same functionality

          5. laurie kalmanson

            people-centric flipboard, brand-centric — tag-centric; you choose. follow anyone or anything and see all their streams; anyone or anything becomes a channel if their streams are rich enough.scripting news had a recent post on how it’s foolish to build third party apps for twitter, etc., because an outside developer never knows when they might change, but the corollary is that, yes, twitter owns twitter, but they also recently bought tweetdeck. so while there are dangers in building things that aggregate other things, there are also opportunities.

          6. fredwilson

            Dave Winer has a point of view. Thats why I like him so much. But it is his point of view. I have mine too. Be your own bitch. Not too different but different in some important ways.

          7. laurie kalmanson

            word

        2. ShanaC

          This could be fun.

          1. laurie kalmanson

            glad you likeeverything is turning into pinterest; the long scroll of mosaic elements of different dimensions is increasingly commonpeople– show “shana” and everything she is talking about, and what her friends saytopics– show “#integrateeverything and what people i follow are saying about it and what their friends sayetc

          2. ShanaC

            I’m not totally in love with the pintrest UI – I find it a bit busy. Still, I think the basic idea could be fun.

          3. laurie kalmanson

            cool beansi’ve heard from dev friends that they are against working with data that someone else owns — but if that’s where the users already are …also, these geniuses made pinterest for instagramhttp://itunes.apple.com/us/…

    2. Ricardo Diz

      Totally agree!

  8. Jan Schultink

    I used to trash old phones, but I notice that I tend to keep old tablets floating around the house as I pile up more gadgets. The super light old e-paper Kindle for reading, an old iPad with kid games, an old iPhone plugged in a power socket to play music, an old iPod that serves as a remote. The next iteration might be a table without work email, not to be tempted/distracted back into work when I decide to switch off for the evening.

    1. fredwilson

      They also make great remotes and such

    2. ShanaC

      I actually want a table like surface (the old one) very badly. I figure at kitchen table size, a lot of the reading and data interpretation I have to do could be fun.I have no Idea when that will happen though.

      1. FAKE GRIMLOCK

        SURFACE MUCH LESS COOL AFTER FIRST 3 MINUTES OF USE IT.

        1. ShanaC

          I’m not sure yet.Then again, I also think it would be better to not wear heads up displays in a number of situations and instead implant them into surfaces like bathroom mirrors.

      2. Jan Schultink

        It needs to recognize the difference between a coffee cup and a hand though

        1. ShanaC

          Old school surface did that in a nytimes app…

    3. laurie kalmanson

      i’ve assigned an old macbook to my daughter for netflix streaming, so, yeah.

  9. Lee

    I love that you are reading Snow Crash, a long time fan of William Gibson I’ve just started reading Snow Crash on my kindle (base model) – It’s my first e-ink device, and I’m switching away from an iPad for weight/power reasons (and glare, wanting to take care of my eyes)Enjoy the book, and it does look like the perfect compromise between a reading and general purpose tablet device.

    1. Alpyne

      I think you might be thinking of Neuromancer. Neal Stephenson wrote Snow Crash.

    2. Doh

      Snow Crash wasn’t written by William Gibson. It was written by Neal Stephenson.

  10. John Revay

    “I put a bunch of my favorite apps on the home screen”I Spy w/ my out of focus eyes…….Google Docs, You Tube, Gmail, Calendar, 4SqOpen Table?, Sonos, (several Music apps including Sound Cloud and Turntable…no Ex.FM)Twitter, Can not make it out, WattPad & TWCBottom Nav – Kindle, Chrome, Bria – can’t make out the others

    1. Fernando Gutierrez

      Another voyeur here :)Next to Twitter is Flixter. The others at bottom nav are Play Movies, Settings and Google Play.

      1. John Revay

        You are good my friend#GoodEyes

  11. JimHirshfield

    Interesting trend is Google and msft taking strong positions in the tablet hardware business.

  12. Xin Chen

    I tried the old 7inch nook color thinking small form factor as key advantage, but has gone back to ipad. Browsing web is a challenge on 7inch as you have to constantly switch between portrait and landscape

  13. jbouvier

    Try honeygram as a replacement for instagram. I think it’s a nicer experience for consuming instagram on a tablet.

    1. fredwilson

      Ooooh. Aweesome suggestion. Thanks!!

  14. kidmercury

    amazon just bought a map startup, are cutting prices on their 7″ to 149 and coming out with a 10.5″ priced at 199. the kindle will evolve into a full blown tablet.i’m really torn between which ecosystem to invest in, google or amazon. i think amazon will ultimately win, largely because i view their silk browser as the ace in the hole, but it’s far from certain. i hope they can launch a vibrant social network that fills a hole, although i’m bullish on google+ too. fortunately, at these prices, it’s not unreasonable to invest in both a 10.5″ and a 7″, as well as an e-reader and conventional laptop.

    1. Cam MacRae

      I love my Fire, but disqus doesn’t work on silk. So very annoying.

    2. Matt A. Myers

      The advantage Amazon has is their experience with books and the reading experience, though it would be better for consumers if this wasn’t a closed loop.

    3. Richard

      Seems more like a two horse race between apple and google. Does anyone under the age of 30 read books? If you havent read 25 books by the time you are 21, I don’t think books will play huge roll in tablet consumption decisions.

      1. kidmercury

        agreed, although amazon will be subsidizing tablets with way more than books. amazon instant video for movie rentals, mp3 downloads, app store, their huge ecommerce store, and what i regard as the ultimate advantage, amazon web services which delivers so much data on the commercial internet. the silk browser on kindle has split processing where much of the activity occurs on AWS servers and i think this will result in a faster experience that will more than make up for cheap hardware. on the flip side, google doesn’t have as much to subsidize with (although google play does give them an app and media environment, and youtube gives them a huge video transfer edge and gmail an integration edge). still, though, i don’t think google can win a price war with amazon, and i wonder if they can get the customer experience right (amazon is opening up real world stores). amazon loves an environment that shifts to a price war as that is in their DNA; they are low margins, high scalability all the way. apple of course uses hardware as a profit center.looking forward to msft and facebook’s ventures here as well, to see if htey can find their niche.

        1. raycote

          Amazon – P/E 189At some point they need to start making real profits ?

          1. kidmercury

            they are making real profits, as evidenced by a positive P/E ratio. i wouldn’t recommend buying the stock now, although if i were to have been prudent enough to buy it in 2008 i wouldn’t be selling entirely now either.

      2. andyidsinga

        my 16yr old daughter reads a ton of books.. also been a kindle user for a few years now (+ now has an ipad2)

      3. falicon

        My 8 year old reads at least 2 books a week…my 5 year old reads at least 20 minutes a night (mostly us reading to him still, but he’s learning)…mostly all stuff from the library and in physical book style…only a handful of their peers are using digital devices (actually for his group, the ones that have digital devices prefer the Nook for some reason — that really surprised and confused me!).For books to play a role in tablets for at least my kids generation, I think the tablets have to be cheap and durable enough (so parents can feel comfortable buying them specifically for their kids) AND there has to be enough free and/or easily accessible content for the kids to consume on them (this is rapidly happening already; but it’s still not as easy/cheap as going to the library and letting the kids pick books off the shelf and taking them home for FREE — it’s also important to note that the experience of going to the library is FUN for the kids; so far finding content for a tablet is not much of a ‘fun experience’ IMHO).

      4. testtest

        i would hope people read more than 25 books by 21. i’m currently reading 9–which i’m part way through

        1. Richard

          50% read less than 1- 5 per year.

          1. testtest

            seems reasonable from an addressable market POV.shame people don’t read more though. books are incredibly important, imho

      5. FAKE GRIMLOCK

        AMAZON IS SELL EVERYTHING, NOT JUST BOOKS.IT RACE BETWEEN APPLE AND AMAZON.APPLE = BEST AT HARDWARE, LIMITED SELECTION OF THINGS TO SELLAMAZON = BEST AT SELL EVERYTHING, HARDWARE KIND OF SUCKGOOGLE = DOESN’T UNDERSTAND HARDWARE OR SELLING THINGS, NO ONE WANTS ADS ON MOBILE.

      6. andyidsinga

        here’s an interesting read with a few more datapoints about books (ebooks specifically) http://www.mondaynote.com/2

    4. kenberger

      The problem with Fire from the get-go is that it is a VARIANT. They tweaked Android into their own walled garden form.If the user is someone’s grandma who can’t be overwhelmed by more than a 1-trick pony, than this might be fine.Most others will appreciate an Android tablet’s openness and many capabilities, 1 of which is the Kindle app.

      1. kidmercury

        forking android is what i regard as the genius part, as i think they’ve got the best of both worlds: the cost advantage of building atop an open source OS like android, and the integration/convenience advantage that comes from tight control. i hope the market evolves to where more folks do what amazon is doing here — will facebook fork android too? — and android then becomes a shared cost of all these tightly integrated ecosystems. i think that would lower costs all around and make it easier for more companies to create their own walled gardens.

        1. kenberger

          but it also brings a developer community critical mass problem.Android has a massive fragmentation problem as it is, just using official Android OS releases.

          1. kidmercury

            that’s not necessarily a problem if amazon doesn’t want the vast majority of apps in their ecosystem anyway. although i think they will need to come out with some tools and processes to ease this pain point of cross platform development, which i think they can do.

          2. FAKE GRIMLOCK

            IT PROBLEM FOR DEVELOPER.DEV FOR IOS? SELL TO EVERY PERSON WITH IOS DEVICE.DEV FOR ANDROID? ONLY SELL TO PERSON WITH CORE ANDROID DEVICE, NOT ALL THE ONES TO BUY FORK FROM AMAZON, FACEBOOK, CHINA, CARRIER, YOUR MOM, ETC.

          3. FAKE GRIMLOCK

            ME, GRIMLOCK, PREDICT THIS PROBLEM FROM DAY 1.

      2. fredwilson

        that was a turnoff to me too

    5. Fernando Gutierrez

      I’m addict to Amazon and Google, but I’d go with Google. Amazon will always take care that you can consume their products in other tablets because the tablet is not their main interest. Neither it is Google’s, but I’m not so sure they will actively develop apps for Amazon tablets.Of course, you also have Apple, but I know what you think about them!

    6. Timothy Meade

      But what software does it have to compete with iPad at that size? That’s Android’s weakness and by extension Kindle’s.

      1. kidmercury

        doesn’t have to compete with the ipad, and in terms of hardware and perhaps even OS, it will likely be much worse. the lower the price the more is forgiven, doubly so when amazon can bring its whole ecosystem (media, apps, ecommerce) which in my opinion is better than anyone else’s. amazon can commoditize apple’s profit center and shift the key basis of competition from hardware/software integration towards who has the best ecosystem for the customer they are targeting.while i enjoy discussions about competition i don’t think the competition is as intense as it seems. i think there will be many players in this market, provided they target the right customer. i do think amazon is best positioned to be the market leader in the long run, but i think there may be room for msft in the enterprise market and probably many others for different markets.

        1. Timothy Meade

          Yep, and I agree. But I will add that ecosystem is largly determined by the availability of applications, and Android has lagged iOS on that front at least for full-size targets.

      2. FAKE GRIMLOCK

        KINDLE IS FOR BUY THINGS FROM AMAZON, NOT APPS.

  15. Ricardo Diz

    It’s interesting that you mention that 7″ is size that enables you read more quickly. Is it because you find it easier to skim over, due to the limited amount of paragraphs in a page?

    1. fredwilson

      Exactly

      1. Ricardo Diz

        Makes sense.I had that feeling with the first generation Kindle. On the other hand I also felt that the combination of a low refresh rate for e-ink, and the need to switch pages more often, was a bit annoying. I guess that’s not a problem with the Nexus..I ended up buying an ipad. Still, I miss reading smaller chunks of text in a smaller/lighter device. Maybe I’ll should revisit Kindle at this point…

    2. Donna Brewington White

      Okay, I am floored as to why someone would down-vote this?

      1. Fernando Gutierrez

        Mistake?

      2. Cam MacRae

        Are we not convinced that down votes are completely devoid of value yet? No? Carry on.

      1. Ricardo Diz

        Interesting, thanks! I have to say that I needed to make my browser window smaller to actually read it more easily 😛

  16. Ahmed Diabate

    I am a self proclaimed Apple fanatic but the Nexus 7 sounds enticing. I feel like this will be Apple’s biggest competition in the Tablet wars. I say this because the Microsoft Surface is rumored to start at $699 so it eliminates the price advantage that Google is trying to utilize. The Jelly Bean OS is comparable to that of the iOS in a few areas such as Google Now Voice search compared to Siri and both OS’s Maps are very good. Plus I personally think Google Chrome is the best browser availaible. That being said, I want to give the Nexus 7 a chance rather than just an iPad like everyone else. Google has the potential to pass Apple in the tablet wars if they play their cards right (making it $199 is a perfect price for the average consumer). I would love to have the opportunity to have a test run with all three tablets (iPad, Nexus 7, and the Surface) to see for myself which goliath will reign supreme.

    1. Garnet Ulrich

      How does a MS $700 tablet eliminate the price advantage that the $200 Google tablet has?

      1. Ahmed Diabate

        It eliminates itself from having a price advantage is what I meant to say. The surface is pretty bold having such an initial high price because the average consumer would have to go out on a limb to try a new product, at a higher cost than if they would get an iPad which is a consumer favorite right now. Google has the price advantage which will allow more people to take a chance and try that rather than the iPad.

        1. Kristopher Kolbe

          Very impressed with your logic. I think Google is being very smart making a $200 7″ tablet first. They aren’t trying to make a profit off hardware, they are building a fan base in my opinion. It would be hard to jump in with a tablet priced between $400-$700 and try to compete with Apple. Others have tried already and it just doesnt work. Make people like your product and your brand then make a larger higher priced tablet. I just ordered my Nexus 7 so we will see.

  17. James Thornton

    How is it for reading PDFs?

    1. fredwilson

      I will try one and report back

      1. Matthew McDole

        I’m also curious about this. Especially with how a technical e-book with code might look with this size display.

        1. James Williams

          It depends on the book. PDFs that aren’t set to reflow don’t look as good and you have to zoom into certain regions.EPUBs perform the best IMHO. Here is JS Design Patterns by Addy Osmani on the 7(in FBReader):http://imgur.com/bmvcM

    1. kenberger

      Asterisk/packet8 is an interesting alternative indeed, and that’s a useful writeup you’ve provided.Fred and I both use OnSIP, but some folks appreciate the roll-your-own nature and low cost of this path.

    2. fredwilson

      I run it with onsip

      1. Aaron Klein

        Switched Riskalyze to OnSIP on your recommendation and it has been a dream. So easy and simple to use.I’m on Lake Shasta this week for a working vacation. No cell service, but my office phone is ringing on my computer.

        1. fredwilson

          Nice!

  18. Matt A. Myers

    “Kik only works on one device at a time”Anyone know why this is?

    1. fredwilson

      That’s the way they designed it. It is an intentional decision

      1. Owen

        Skype is my favorite platform because of the ability to have a conversation on my phone, take that conversation to my computer, then to my tablet, seamlessly. Considering Kik’s recognition of the cross platform problem, they should recognize the cross device challenge that exists for their users.

        1. fredwilson

          i agree with you. but the kik folks don’t.

      2. Matt A. Myers

        Do you know what their rationale is?

        1. JamesHRH

          Guessing, but they want you to get the message that is sent to you?

          1. ShanaC

            but I am one person with multiple devices. How is kik supposed to know which one I have in my hands?

          2. Dale Allyn

            Seems like an IMAP-like process would be best, i.e. if you’ve read the message on any device it’s marked as “read” on any/all; if you’ve not seen it on any device, then it shows as “new message” on any of your devices until read.

          3. JamesHRH

            Chances are higher that is the one you are logged in on?

          4. Matt A. Myers

            You could sync across devices though; It would take more resources, though confirmation is still possible through determining if a device or stream is actively being read.

  19. Pete Griffiths

    I think this is a very interesting post in that it directly addresses form factor. Imho we are very early in understanding the ‘ideal’ form factor and it is likely that there may very well be different form factors that are idea for different people for different purposes. This being the case many of us will likely have multiple devices extending from a thin laptop like the air thru a tablet or two to a phablet like the Note down to a more compact hone, and this may become the new ‘normal.’

    1. Matt A. Myers

      Agreed, and there’s one area that is completely ignored by all manufacturers that, and will allow for some disruption.Technology will be awesome once it is seamlessly integrated into our lives.

  20. splamco

    People should move quickly on the Nexus 7 because once Judge Koh finds out that 7″ tablets were also originally Apple’s idea they will also need to be banned. It hardly seems fair that Apple will have to ship a 7″ before they can sue.

    1. fredwilson

      The idea that a 7″ tablet is a unique and proprietary idea is nonsense

      1. splamco

        Precisely, as is slide to unlock and many others.

        1. fredwilson

          the whole patent war in mobile makes me ill

          1. Techman

            I agree. I wonder if Apple is good for anything else other than suing other companies.

      2. FAKE GRIMLOCK

        IF IT TRADE DRESS ISSUE, THAT COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM PATENT.LAW REQUIRE COMPANY DEFEND TRADE DRESS, OR LOSE ALL RIGHTS TO UNIQUE LOOK OF PRODUCT.SAME AS TRADE MARK.

    2. kidmercury

      i think starting a business was apple’s idea too. and having fun.

      1. jason wright

        I hear they’re planning to sue the writer of Adam & Eve for infringement.

    3. Darwin

      Moron

    4. ShanaC

      *sigh* when will the use of lawyers to stop competition stop. This is getting silly and makes all the companies involved look bad.

  21. Andrey Cherneha

    I want your friends 🙂 I would love to play with Nexus. And I do have a few folks at Google but they cant’ send me any :

    1. Owen

      Start a VC firm, work your ass off for 20 years, fund household names, and your new friends will magically appear.

      1. Andrey Cherneha

        I have a better idea. I’ll work my ass just fine. Do what I like: write code, play games, chess and read sci-fi. I’ll enjoy my life and just buy the damn thing for $250. Cheers

      2. LE

        Much less work to pay the $199 and just buy one though.

      3. fredwilson

        or just blog a lot

  22. Abdallah Al-Hakim

    These type of devices are challenging my resolve to purchase an iPad. First, I am start to realize that the iPAD, while, powerful is not a replacement for a laptop. Second, it is not really the best option for an e-reader because of the battery life and size. Third, now Nexus 7 comes out which offers a more complete Android experience (more than kindle fire) and would be a better portable device than the iPad.I did read in WSJ this morning (and Fred mentioned it) that Apple is apparently building a smaller iPad device. If this is true then perhaps the best option would be to go with smaller iPad. The biggest caveat being that my willingness to pay top dollars for new smaller iPad is extremely low. Basically, Apple needs to price it within $50-70 dollars compared to Nexus7 for it to be really competitive.I really believe that my dilemma is not unique and is probably faced by other readers.The one upside to this conundrum is that that competition has resulted in a number of options and as @samedaydr:disqus mentioned the cost is less than a pair of jeans!!

    1. ShanaC

      I wonder why the IPad went so large to begin with if it turns out the 7 incher tends to work better/is more competitive

      1. Abdallah Al-Hakim

        I guess Apple will argue that they have had no problems selling any of their iPads version. My opinion is that people are even more mobile now compared to when the iPad first came out (2 years ago) and this is why the shift to smaller sized screen. It is a bit similar to them discontinuing the 17” macbook pro (however, I do think that larger iPad will continue for awhile longer)

      2. FAKE GRIMLOCK

        BECAUSE IT NOT BETTER?

        1. ShanaC

          market will decide that – Fred seems happy with the smaller size

  23. Kamaldeep Tumkur

    The Samsung Galaxy Tab was a 7″ tablet too. I had liked it’s form factor back them. It was supposed to get the iPad competition, but did not take off really well for some reason. Maybe it was overpriced?

    1. Mark Coppock

      It was underpowered and slow, and ran a phone version of Android. There were absolutely zero tablet apps, and the original Galaxy Tab couldn’t have run them if there were. And it was overpriced. This is a fast device that’s priced right and that can run tablet apps (while, theoretically, being optimized for the 7″ form factor). The Nexus 7 has as much in common with the original GT 7″ as a Yugo has with a Ferrari (e.g., both have 4 wheels).

      1. Kamaldeep Tumkur

        Good to know. True, they came with Froyo at launch. Did have a front and back camera that the original iPad lacked. Thought they would really get going with video chat. But there just weren’t as many tablet apps. The GT2 seems to have both a 7″ and a 10″ version.

  24. Carl Rahn Griffith

    Looks perfect – and pretty good pricing. I am a big Android fan since setting-up my wife’s Android ‘phone a few months back (my first Android experience, hands-on) – a Sony Xperia. It’s great – I prefer it to my iPhone. I shall be changing.

  25. SamT

    “I’d want a bluetooth headphone because a 7″ tablet is not ideal for talking into.” Although I’m imagining it could work in a throwback sort of Wall Street / Michael Douglas “greed is good” kind of way.

    1. Carl Rahn Griffith

      Fax me!;-)

  26. Alastair

    I tried 7 inch tablets and just too small for me – sort of a between size. The iPad size (this applies to Android tablets as well) allows me to show PPTs and PDF docs to folks very easily. A friend had a Kindle Fire and when showing those doc types to others it was too small. If I want smaller pages on the iPad I just rotate to landscape and with some books I do that for the two pages at once feel. I find the smaller 7 inch size actually harder to hold as it stretches my hand for one handed but doesn’t really fit two hands. Regardless competition is good

  27. jason wright

    Is Jelly Bean a major update over Ice Cream Sandwich?

    1. LE

      I have no idea why tech companies think it’s a good idea to use product naming like that. It totally throws off consumers. And it’s not as if the name will stick around long enough to be linked to a particular product. Apple of course does this also naming releases Panther, Lion. Snow Leopard etc. To me it’s way easier to just know that osx 10.5 is older than 10.7.The google page for the nexus phone says “the latest smartphone from google. Soon with android 4.1, Jelly Bean.”.I think more people would be able to figure out what a “Fake Grimlock” could do for them than a smartphone with android 4.1, Jelly Bean.

      1. kidmercury

        i agree, although at least google is going in alphabetical order. not sure what they’ll do once the 27th iteration comes around…..

        1. jason wright

          They could resort to compounds of previous names – ‘Jelly Sandwich’. Yummy.

        2. Vasudev Ram

          Ha, good one. Reminds me of an incident during a project I worked on years ago. We were computerizing parts of their factory. They supplied products to different regional offices which they had encoded using one letter – so only 26 regions could be represented. First thing I asked was how many regions they had currently – answer was 23. I said “what happens when you cross 26?”. Client slaps his head and replies: “Mental block”. Heh. We expanded it to 2 or 3 characters. Client was non-technical so not really to blame, of course.But about Google, being Google, they’ll probably have an entirely new mobile OS by then, and will use a different code name scheme …

      2. jason wright

        Perhaps they’re just trying to humanize with a bit of humor.

      3. FAKE GRIMLOCK

        WHEN PRESS FIND OUT ABOUT INTERNAL CODENAMES, THEM BECOME REAL NAMES.IT NOT ON PURPOSE.ALSO, WHEN APPLE RELEASE “OS X FAKEGRIMLOCK” IT PROBABLY BREAK WORLD IN HALF.

    2. matthughes

      That really is a terrific sentence, regardless of the context.

  28. Devy

    Reads like a commercial for Google and Bria.

    1. fredwilson

      i should have started with “now a word from your sponsor” 🙂

  29. jason wright

    7″ seems ‘natural’ as it mimics the typical paperback trash novel/ travel guide book size, and that’s down to the size of the human hand.

    1. Aaron Klein

      Totally agree. Seems more natural than I thought it would be.

  30. kenberger

    Bluetooth: the BT headset profile might be supported (I can’t verify yet), maybe you can try it. This differs from tabs sold by carriers, who deliberately omit it.If not, just plug in any corded phonebuds w/ mic, such as from other Samsung phones.

  31. Typo333

    Notably absent is any mention of typing, or drawing, or composing. Would you classify this (or perhaps any 7″ tablet) as a read-only device?

    1. fredwilson

      it certainly is good for typing. i don’t draw so i can’t answer that one.

    2. ShanaC

      This size is pretty standard for sketchbooks. I used to carry one that size before realizing my drawing style didn’t work well for it

  32. Joe Yepthatsme

    When did apple start making an 11″ iPad?

    1. fredwilson

      never

  33. Aaron Klein

    Looks really cool. Nice review, Fred.What I really want is the Nexus 7 with Verizon 4G and a fast, easy wi-fi hotspot app.That would replace the Verizon MiFi that I travel with and I’d get the benefits of a tablet to boot. A $299 price point would make this a no-brainer.I’m wondering if I’m going to have to wait for the iPad 7 to get it. Would love to go Android for that.

    1. Fernando Gutierrez

      If you want a wifi hotspot why not having it in your phone and paying only for one data plan?

      1. Aaron Klein

        1. On Verizon, data and voice don’t work at the same time. I don’t want my wifi hotspot getting killed during a critical upload/download because my phone happens to ring.2. My phone battery is precious. When I most need mobile data is when I’m traveling. And when I’m traveling, my phone is reserved for making phone calls, finding my hotel when I land in another city, and dealing with urgent emails or tweets. I can’t afford to drain the battery getting work done on wi-fi.

        1. PhilipSugar

          That’s why I am fine with the MiFi.

          1. Aaron Klein

            I’m dreaming of a MiFi that has the same monthly cost, twice the battery life and doubles as a tablet. 🙂

          2. PhilipSugar

            I’m good with the battery (always lasts a day for me). Size is really no issue as its as small and light as a USB charger. Cost, well cost is cost but for the security (that is the most under-rated part), convenience, and compared to what high end hotels want to charge me, and what I pay for GoGo…I am ok.

          3. Aaron Klein

            Yeah, I don’t have huge complaints about the MiFi. I’m just imagining one less device to charge at night. 😉

  34. anand

    I’ve always thought these 7 inch tablets (Nexus, Kindle Fire, etc.) look wrong dimension-wise. They’re too narrow across (from left to right) too long (top to bottom). Holding it as shown in the pics above makes me cringe – makes it look like an oversized phone. I’d say make tablets in the 7-8 inch range but keep the ‘form factor’ (another phrase that makes me cringe) ratio like that of an iPad.

  35. jason wright

    I read that Instagram doesn’t work with Nexus 7.Are there any other known incompatibles?

    1. Sahas Katta

      Makes sense since the Nexus 7 doesn’t have a camera on the back. They’ll hopefully release a viewer app.

  36. matthughes

    “And I like the amount of a page that is rendered on the 7″ screen. It allows me to read more quickly.”That’s reason enough for me to jump on a 7” tablet.

  37. jason wright

    Unplug and Get OutsideBy Annie LeonardGrowing up in Seattle, summer meant long days exploring the neighborhood with my friends: climbing trees, playing Frisbee in the park, swimming in Lake Washington – as much outside as I could fit in before my mom yelled out the back door that I had to come in for dinner right now. Today it’s a different story. To entice my daughter away from an afternoon spent staring at her computer screen, I tell her, “When I was a kid there was this great thing we used to play with. It’s called outside.”Outside. The word itself conjures up good feelings of exhilaration, adventure and, when needed, rejuvenating solitude. Unfortunately, kids today spend far less time outside. In Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv links the “nature-deficit disorder” of today’s wired generation to the increase in childhood obesity, ADHD and depression. And it’s trending. From 2006 to 2010, says Wall Street Journal columnist Jonah Lehrer, the proportion of young children regularly engaged in outdoor recreation fell by 15 percentage points. Concern over these trends has sparked a much-needed campaign to get kids back outside, illustrated by the t-shirt slogan I saw at an environmental educators’ conference: No Child Left Inside.Getting outside, of course, is not just important for kids. Too often we adults spend our days staring at screens in our cubicles and our nights staring at screens from our couches. Even when we exercise, it’s often on a stair machine at the gym. If it’s success we’re chasing with the extra hours at the office and gym, we should know that an indoor lifestyle may be holding us back. Researchers have found that the creativity and problem-solving ability of hikers rose markedly after time in nature and off the grid, with no cellphones or email. So, unplugging outside is not just fun, but it actually makes us smarter!As Louv says, “The future will belong to the nature-smart – those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”I know I don’t need to preach the primal necessity of time in the wilderness to the Patagonia community. We know the joys of climbing, paddling, hiking, running and just being outside. And we certainly don’t have to trek to some distant land to reap the benefits; research shows that just a stroll in the park or an hour digging in the garden makes people happier and more focused. As Lehrer says, if there were a pill that delivered the same results, we’d all be popping it.What does this all have to do with our obsession with Stuff? Everything. If our lives aren’t so focused on shiny gadgets, we’ll spend more time watching sunsets, paddling canoes and flying kites. If we spend enough time in nature to get to know and love it, a list of our favorite things will include a secret fishing spot or a patch of wildflowers instead of a car or a cocktail dress. Maybe we can’t afford our own wilderness hideaway, but we’re all owners of the national and parks and other public lands – ready for use all summer long!So whether it’s hiking the Utah canyonlands or walking the dog to the park after dinner, what are we waiting for? It’s summer. Get outside.Visit the Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

    1. kidmercury

      no worries, tablets will increase outdoor computing

  38. Porter Haney

    Fred! You need to get some sun on those toes.

    1. fredwilson

      i don’t tan. i burn.

        1. fredwilson

          i use neutrogena and also a few other brands of sunblock. i am an expert in sunblock!

        2. panterosa,

          Shana, so funny, we use that all the time. My daughter is very fair.

          1. ShanaC

            I’m a sunscreen addict, I’ve been putting it on nearly every day on my entire body since middle school. It is definitely one of the reasons I look the way I do (I have friends my age who look much older than me)FYI, there is a huge amount of discussion right now about how to label sunblocks because of the differences in shelf stability, uva, uvb protections, ect.

          2. panterosa,

            My mother is English fair, gorgeous skin. Sunscreen is like religion. Glad I’m a believer – I still get carded and when asked how I do it I always reply Sunscreen!!Keep the faith.

        3. panterosa,

          Although, Tinosorb is the newer better ingredient to look for. Trying Eucerin 50 next.

    2. John Revay

      I know these threads end up going all over the place …..I saw this thread yesterday…and saw it mention some thing about fred not tanning – his toes…..( It did not strike me as odd yesterday)…..so I went back today and re scanned the post…and then I noticed these white toes ….I know yesterday – I wrote a comment about spying the apps on the Nexus…but toes???#HappySummer

  39. panterosa,

    What about games, especially kid’s games? The format size for iPad is fantastic for app games for kids. Some games work at many scales – phone/iPad/nook/kindle. And some don’t make the leap.Ability to play games sized correctly for the tablet will be important for moms on the go and their choice of the 7″.As I am designing an iPad app the 7″ tablets are a consideration for scaling the content. Any thoughts on this?

    1. fredwilson

      good point. i don’t really play games so i’m not a good test of that one.

      1. panterosa,

        I have heard the app market is supposed to be near $38billion in 2015 and 75% of that is for kids. So it’s a fairly lucrative question. I am committed to iPad for now due to it’s big screen jiving well with my content format.I wonder how many parents are choosing which device and for what ages. Of course that is shifting constantly with new devices like the 7″, but it would be interesting to hear what they like and why. Is there a significant difference between moms and dads, or shall we say parent on go with kid in tow, and work parents? As mentioned in many comments here, there are the home devices and on the go devices, all serving different needs.Might be an interesting post, since I know of your interest in education as well as digital. Hard to quantify which games are more in the educational camp or being used by parents in that sense. Games build so many problem solving skills and solution spaces are different in terms of open ended or closed. My commitment to teaching kids married my love of games years ago and I am now very proactive on the games which can add to learning at home, as well as fit in curricula in the more progressive schools.In general, I think a lot of games have a long way to go to be as smart as the kids who play them and that pisses me off – we patronize kids when we don’t challenge them. I would sense you’re with me on this point. My goal is to respect a child’s intellect with challenges and fun.

        1. Timothy Meade

          What do you think about injecting small programming tasks into a game as a way of introducing programming without it becoming the focus.For instance, giving a robot a series of instructions to get it down the hall.

          1. panterosa,

            That could be a great feature in a game. My app tackles the tree of life so there is enough content on my plate for several lifetimes.

          2. panterosa,

            cargo bot looks really fun. will put @pantherkitty on it tomorrow

        2. Abdallah Al-Hakim

          I have no affiliation with them but you should check SpongeLab for some cool and creative scientific games for kids http://www.spongelab.com/ – I saw one of their products at a show last year and was impressed

          1. panterosa,

            Spongelab only has one iPad app. Why?

          2. Abdallah Al-Hakim

            I meant to to say “NO AFFILIATION” – sorry for that mistake. Stil, your question is a good one. I have mainly looked at their web application and that looked nice to me. It would make sense to have more on the iPad and other tablet devices.FYI. I edited my previous comment to include the no affiliation

          3. panterosa,

            The part I am trying to rectify is the gap between simplistic games for kids, and the science which stays in the geekosphere and doesn’t reach the public. I am working with some PhD’s to get their work to kindergartners. My job is the translation, since it was my idea to mate advance bio to elementary school kid in game format. The learning needs to be broken from the complexity into parts and built up for them. Very doable, and wish I saw more of it.

          4. Abdallah Al-Hakim

            Having come from a PhD background in basic biomedical research – it has always been a challenge for scientist to transmit their ideas and exciting work to the general public. It usually ends up with too much details and technical. I should say that many research institutes now are trying to train the principal investigators and other junior scientist on better science communication.Your idea to bring advanced bio to elementary schools kids in a game format is terrific. I think kids are quick in picking up ideas and concept especially if as you said, it is broken down to them in pieces. Spongelab seems to be trying to accomplish this task in a game format but I have never actually used their service. Having said that, I just signed up with a free account and will check them out. They do look interesting. Feel free to send me more information on your service and I can try and convince some of my PhD friends to perhaps contribute (no promises as they are always busy).I just revealed my email to you through engagio

          5. panterosa,

            I’m working with a botanical garden. Their NSF grant requires outreach and to date they have not done much in that category, not nothing, just not broad audience.The post doc working for the PI is the one who is really doing all the work. We are spending a lot of time trying to get the sausage through the syringe info wise. Since my target usability is a 5 year old, I keep things to small chunk, building blocks. I want to build a Dewey Decimal System equivalent of navigation for the tree of life so kids can retain the stray facts they learn about plants and animals. In my mind this happens by giving them buckets to put the info into. Then show how the buckets relate.I’ll check out Spongelab a bit more.And we can connect via Engagio.

    2. laurie kalmanson

      my kid loves ipad games but iphone games are good, too …

  40. James Williams

    The Kindle app has a setting where you can set the volume rocker to advance pages. I use that more often than actual swiping.

    1. fredwilson

      oooh. neat trick. thanks

  41. Pat

    Why will Instagram make a tablet app? It’s meant to take and share photos and is not a photo viewer.

    1. fredwilson

      i like to follow folks on my mobile devices, tablet or phone.

      1. Pat

        True but there are dozens of third-party ‘Instagram photos viewer’ apps out there. Just saying that Instagram will not make an app unless they expect you to shoot with it.

        1. fredwilson

          What is your favorite third party viewer?

          1. Pat

            I use iOS and there’s one called Pinstagram (Pinterest UX with Instagram photos) but I prefer the web app, Webbygram. That should be accessible on Android too.

          2. laurie kalmanson

            add their facebook comments, their twitter feeds and you’ve integrated everything

  42. Chris Pirillo

    Wait. What? Why can’t you install Instagram on an Android device? I thought it was available for Android, already?

    1. fredwilson

      android phones. apparently not android tablets.

      1. Chris Pirillo

        That’s… weird, and mildly disappointing.

        1. Telecom Dude

          Agreed. Instagram should release a tablet version of its app that doesn’t require a camera. Not everyone wants to look ridiculous taking pictures with a tablet.

      2. ideatagger

        It works on my galaxy tab. I think I read somewhere that it isn’t on the N7 because there is no back-facing camera. Apparently even if you side load it it will crash.

  43. JamesHRH

    ACK!Does this make mobile phone, tablet, pad?Looks slick.

  44. John Revay

    “Some friends at Google sent me a Nexus 7” last week”It must to great to have friends like these.Please ask them to add me to this list 🙂

  45. Dave W Baldwin

    Not related to Nexus, but had a chance to see most of this vid: http://www.google.com/url?s… Siri vs. Jelly Bean. Google is on right track.

  46. John Revay

    maybe this has already been donePost on favorite mobile apps & whyIt would be great to get community feedback – on favorite apps

    1. fredwilson

      fun friday

  47. Techman

    @fredwilson:disqus I heard from Android Police that the Nexus 7 had screen issues. Specifically Ghosting.

    1. fredwilson

      hasn’t happened to me yet.

      1. Techman

        I suggest you look at their post. They were were pretty loud and clear about it.

        1. fredwilson

          will do

  48. Eric Leebow

    I’ve yet to really go crazy about a reading tablet, even though I picked up an iPad, and my grandmother uses it more. The one book feature that will make me really excited about a new tablet device has been unfortunately banned in the early days because of many authors protesting their work being read aloud. I actually think Apple wanted more interactive book reading experiences with both audio, video, and text, yet the publishers and authors weren’t too excited. So, this feature was abolished.Especially would be good when you’re on the beach and want to read a book, and your eyes just can’t take the text in easily. It would be a voice reading of books, not a robotic voice, yet a real voice. Something that would be more interactive than Audible or Audiobooks.com possibly. There was a company that made something called Vook.com, yet they completely pivoted in another direction. Another one called Kno is interactive, yet it seems to be geared towards textbooks. Maybe I’ve found the answer to my own question, so I’m looking into CatalistDigital.com app, but it seems to be the same as the others.Maybe you know or have suggestions, you used to use VoiceBunny.com on some of your blog posts. Not sure why its on some but not others, that was a really great feature.

  49. Amin

    Nook Color made me realize that 7″ is just about right for me too. Have preordered the Nexus 7 and am looking forward to its arrival. Nice review!

    1. fredwilson

      nice to see you commenting here Amin.

  50. Ahti Kitsik

    minor typo: someting

  51. Robert Holtz

    I have to say that I’m QUITE impressed by not only the Nexus 7 but all the things Google showed at their recent I/O event in San Francisco (Moscone Center).Up until very recently, I felt Apple was destined to continue to dominate their space for years to come because I feel they’ve had such a head start heretofore. But, as of this latest I/O event, I really think Google has a VERY strong and compelling shot at carving out and taking away some very significant market share from what was otherwise destined to all go to Apple.Google Glass will be truly revolutionary and bring in the augmented reality opportunity. Google Now is a huge leap over Siri. The whole Nexus line (phone and tablet) are really great products along with its Apple TV competitor, the Nexus Q. All should at the very least keep Apple away from resting on their laurels. Hubris brought them to the edge of demise once before. Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson.

  52. Dan Epstein

    Speaking of 7″ vinyl, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist did 3 tours (and mixes) with nothing but 45s. Worth checking out.Brainfreeze (mostly funk 45s), thenProduct Placement (more funk, some ads and promos), and thenThe Hard Sell (all kinds of stuff, psych rock)Here’s a clip from Brainfreeze. http://youtu.be/OfyQVilf9OA

    1. fredwilson

      🙂

  53. Elliot Tally

    @fredwilson:disqus, would you mind sharing your Bria configuration, particularly what you use as your SIP provider? I tried iptel (free SIP account) with ipkall (free PSTN phone number forwarding to iptel SIP account), with Bria and couldn’t get it working. I’m not opposed to spending money but would like to know where I went wrong.Thanks!Elliot

    1. fredwilson

      onsip is one of the many pre-configured services in Bria. all i had to do was enter my account details and it worked

    2. John Revay

      My office uses Vocalocity ( We started out w/ aptela, and they were acquired by vocalocity earlier this year).We have traditional handset – we choose the ones from Polycom (we probably found them used). We needed a way for some people in our office who are away from their desk to asnwer calls ( Tech Support for one)…and I was given Bria from teh tech support people at Vocalocity.It was a bit of a pain as Voclaocity was not one of the “Pre-configured services” as Fred noted below…..There were a hand full, assuming many were international outside of US…but I did see onsip as one of them.I had to do two things essentially which i needed Vocalocity to work me through…I needed to log on tho their portal and add an additional device for my extension to ring on, which generated a code that I needed to add to the Bria/iPhone. – took about 10 mins then I was up and running.I needed to bring my wife’s car into teh shop yesterday, and w/o doing any thing my bria client started ringing w/ incoming calls to my office, and O was 100 miles away. My only issue which I have not figured out yet is if i want to transfer call to some one else in our Virtual PBX directory/extension

  54. Ronen Mendezitsky

    I haven’t had a chance to lay my eyes or hands on a tablet until the Nexus 7 was announced on Google I/O, although I do own a 6″ Kindle Touch. a few days after the Nexus was announced my father bought the new iPad and I’ve been holding it ever since. I must say it is an amazing device, but for people who read, either blogs or books, it feels too heavy, so I’m very happy to have decided to get the Nexus 7 and am just wondering about the reading part – does the Nexus 7 feel light in your hand for heavy reading?

  55. notAVC

    Dear Apple, you must produce a 7″ tablet for people to use only as a Kindle. I know this because I am rich. Rich people told you to produce a netbook years ago. Why you no make netbook?Also, give me cake. Rich people like cake.

  56. scottythebody

    Just got the retina iPad and, man, this thing is BEAUTIFUL. The type is unbelievable. But seeing that 7″ layout of Snow Crash makes me think that 7-8″ might be a better reading experience. I remember liking the “Taschen”-sized books when I still always had a novel in my back pocket for their portability and readability. Looks like a 7-8″ tablet hits the same general sweet spot. To get that size with retina: DAMN!

    1. fredwilson

      it will happen at some point

  57. Vasudev Ram

    Not very on-topic, but I really wish there was a small sized device (large smartphone or small tablet form factor) that cold be used for programming on the go (not just for consuming content).Whether it aids productivity or not, it would at least be great fun. I probably wouldn’t use it for programming or scripting for long periods, because I much prefer a desktop with regular sized keyboard and screen for that, but for short bursts of real (official) work (either working locally on the device or logged into some server), or for writing small casual / experimental programs or scripts in Python, shell, or whatever other language, such a device would be great. Imagine doing that at the beach or sitting on a park bench or in some wilderness area with a great view …I had a Palm V and then a Palm Zire earlier and tried installing a version of Python called Pippy on one or both of them, but it used to crash too often. I also researched the Nokia N900 (a Maemo (Linux) based phone) somewhat more recently for the same purpose. It looked like a pretty good option for both these uses: – as a general smartphone – it had a 3.5 inch screen – low nowadays, I know, but not bad around a year or more ago, a good browser, good Skype integration, good audio, a hardware QWERTY keyboard, etc.- as a mobile programmable device – it had a UNIX terminal / console, so since Maemo is a version of Linux, as long as there was a port available of any Linux programming or scripting language for Maemo, you could download it and program in that language on the phone, and AFAIK there were at least shell (sh/bash), Python and Perl available. It also had ssh so you could ssh into remote servers and program or administer them, at least to some extent.http://en.wikipedia.org/wikhttp://www.gsmarena.com/nok…Ended up not buying it, though, because a friend said Nokia was going to withdraw support for it and/or Maemo soon, and no surety about whether the N900 would be supported on Meego, and also because it had some non-trivial and well-known hardware issues.Since Google is doing this mobile hardware stuff more nowadays, I hope they come out with something on these lines. It would be great for developers / system administrators / hackers / hobbyists.Apropos of that, JollaMobile which was founded just recently, may do something like that, since they are going to be based on Meego (successor to Maemo) and are going to make smartphones on the Meego platform.Fingers crossed 🙂

  58. John Revay

    Instagram > Nexus 7http://techcrunch.com/2012/…

    1. fredwilson

      Yesssssssss

      1. John Revay

        One WordY A H O O O O Oat least for today – Yahoo day @ AVC

  59. Rick Charles

    1. Wow! Phone looks good. Nexus 7 gives stunning g performance& look is also great. I work for IT Company & we are looking for videosoftware. I got to know about KIT digital owned by Kaleil Isaza Tuzman .Do you have any idea about them?

  60. John Revay

    Saw this on the Google home page today.#ThePlayGroundIsOpen

    1. fredwilson

      nice