I am beginning to turn into a gadgethead. Once again, I gave into temptation and purchased the Nexus 7 tablet.
The primary reason I purchased the device for was for the ability to read pdf articles on a mobile device. I downloaded a research article review article onto my Kindle Touch. I love my Kindle for reading books, but it was near impossible to read a pdf article. There was just too much involved try to scroll up/down/left/right. Also, the Kindle doesn’t have crossword puzzles, a new hobby of mine.
Last year was my first endeavor into tablets when I purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It was pretty nice except for one minor design flaw; an odd oil slick appeared when I held it upside down while reading. I guess they didn’t expect users to do this, but when I’m lounging on the couch, or outdoors, I tend to do this. The OS wasn’t as fancy as JellyBean, and the apps that existed were far fewer than for my nexus phone, but I really enjoyed it for the week I owned it. But it was pricey (up there with the iPad around $500). In the end, I returned it. A year later, I gave the tablet another shot. This time it was the Nexus 7. I currently own a Samsung Nexus phone and love everything about it, from the look and feel, to the dimensions, to the operating system, which gets the latest upgrades to Android sooner than other devices.
Initially, I was worried that the 7-inch screen would be too small and maybe it is for some, but not for me. I actually like the fact that I can hold it in one hand. And it is just about the same size as my Kindle, which I think is perfect for reading books. I tested it out reading pdfs and the screen was fine.
Reading magazines was nice too, although I don’t plan to shell out boatloads of cash for subscriptions. Rather, I rely mostly on Google Currents for a variety of free articles such as Surfer Magazine, Huffington Post, Popular Science and Mashable. Unfortunately the selection is a bit limited right now.
Netflix works really well and the $25 for Google Play gave some nice starter funds to explore Google’s Movie list. Although I will admit, if I decide to purchase a movie, I will be viewing it on my much larger television. Google Music, as on my phone and desktop is pretty awesome also.
Now for the downturn…
I am sure everyone has heard about the relatively lack of customer support across Google. And I experienced it firsthand. However, I knew what to expect so I was not shocked at all about my experience.
After two weeks of enjoying my device, I wasn’t satisfied with the way it was charging. The micro-USB cord would fall out with the lightest of touches. Initially, I was like, “that’s okay, since I really enjoy the experience,” but later was like, “this is just not working.” It might be the difference in manufacturers. From my experience, Samsung makes top-quality products and the Nexus 7 is made by Asus. In the end though, I decided to exchange it for a new device.
I followed the instructions for exchanging my device. When is was received I put in my request for my replacement. However, the Google Play store would not allow me to complete my purchase. After a couple of weeks of back and forth with Google (who do not provide support over the weekend), they decided to issue me a refund.
It has been over a month now, and I still have not received my refund. I sent an email last week, so we’ll see what happens.
Google should be very worried over my experience. They stand to lose a lot of business if they are not able to offer basic customer support.