A few days ago, for whatever reason, I took the notion to look at a Nexus 7 (2013). I love my iPad, but it’s big and I find it not very comfortable to hold for long periods of time. It’s a great netbook replacement, especially with an add-on Bluetooth keyboard. But I find it a bit much to use as a handheld device.

I thought about the iPad mini as an alternative, but it doesn’t yet have the Retina display and I’m not going back. So, when I read the announcement for the new Nexus 7, I thought “Why not? I haven’t tried an Android device and I might as well learn something about the iOS alternative.”

I didn’t think Best Buy (my favorite big-box store) would ever get a 32GB unit in. I’m not that enthralled with an Asus unit either (Asus has a bit of a bad reputation). But, BB finally took delivery of a 32GB unit and I have a 45-day return period. So, I took a new Nexus 7 home to play with.

My initial impression is pretty good. The build quality (at least external build quality) seems fine. The device has a nice heft without feeling bulky. It’s a bit wide, but definitely holdable in one hand. It’s wide screen is eminently viewable and the resolution is wonderful.

I don’t see any color issues with the screen, but then I haven’t really compared it to anything else. It’s plenty good enough for a tablet.

The device is very quick. Applications load quickly. I’m not a gamer, so that’s irrelevant to me. But I suspect it will be be a fine gaming platform if that is your, um, game.

I did find one issue to date. The GPSr was not working in my device. A quick search of the interwebs revealed this is a common problem. On a whim, I elected to power down the device and retart it from cold.

After I did that, the GPSr worked right away and I got a satellite lock with any issue.

Android is an interesting operating system. It’s far more configurable than iOS (which is one reason my iOS devices are all jailbroken). The application store had all the tools I’m used to using (WordPress interface, Dropbox, Evernote, and a few others).

This is interesting and I’m enjoying working with the new device. I’ll know more after a week or so. I might have to do a more complete review then.