New Toy

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   About 3 weeks ago, I picked up a brand new 2nd edition Nexus 7 tablet.  There was a coupon I found online that allowed purchase of items including Tablets & Ereaders at 20% off at OfficeMax.  Went in on a Tuesday morning with the printed out coupon hoping to score a 32GB model.  One of the associates checked inventory only to find that they sold out yesterday.

Dang.  So I asked when they could get more.  The guy went to the register to check.  I asked if I could pay for it now and pick it up when it comes in.  He said he could do that.  That made me happy since the coupon was only good until August 10th.  I gave him the coupon and he didn't bat an eye.  Sometimes these stores have selective coupon practices or have signs on new product saying this offer or coupon does not apply.  Apparently not in this case, which I was happy about.

So, for a couple of minutes he was making with the furrowed brow and other facial tics while tapping away at the register both on the keys and the touchscreen.  A manager (presumably) came over to see what he was doing.  He was explaining to her that he was trying to generate an order through a sale for the tablet.  She said something about how he must have used the touchscreen controls which for some reason messes things up.  She checked what I was trying to buy and she mentioned it has been a hot item since they hit the shelves at the end of July.

She asked if I could wait a few minutes so she could call around and find one for me.  Not a problem.  About 15 minutes later she came back and said she didn't want to hold me in the store while she attempted to go out of their district to search, but she did find one.  In Houghton, MI.  Said it would take a couple of days to get down here if I wanted it.  Houghton?  Really??  We're talking near as far North in the state as you can go.  So I agreed to having it sent.  I had a brief mental image of this thing being wrapped in a beaver pelt or something upon arrival.

I had a discussion about the coupon with the manager about how I was surprised they were honoring it.  She said it is only good business, but she knows at some stores they wouldn't.  They asked if I was interested in getting a service protection plan that would cover the repair/replacement of the tablet if I should damage/destroy it.  I said no.  I was trying to get this thing as cheaply as possible.  They rang me up and I saved $54 with the coupon.

Over the next few days I began to wonder about the replacement plan.  They were inexpensive considering what they would cover.  $44.99 for 2 years and $54.99 for 3.  I got a message on my machine Thursday that the tablet was in and I could pick it up anytime.  Friday morning I went in.  I decided to get the 3 year protection plan.  I have 2 young uncoordinated grabby children ages 4 & 2.  I rationalized that the coupon basically gave me a 3 year protection plan.  I asked if it was too late to get the plan and they said no.  They rang up the wrong plan which I went back the next day and fixed.  No need to get into that little story.

Now, the tablet.  Very nice.  Probably the nicest chunk of hardware this side of a top of the line iPad.  The screen is beautiful.  Very bright with sharp colors.  Resolution is 1920x1200 for a 16:10 aspect ratio.  I absolutely love the 7" form factor!  It is thin and light and easily fits into a jacket or loose pants pocket.  Setup was easy as pie.  Just entered my Google Account information and it began downloading all my apps that are on my phone.  Since it is a Nexus device, it has a vanilla android interface.  No skins or bloatware.  Scrolling is buttery (cliché) smooth and there are no hangs or stutters.  ASUS used an older CPU (Quadcore Qualcomm S4), but the latest Adreno 320 GPU.  So, it performs extremely well for it's price point.

I use it mostly as a multimedia gadget.  Stream Netflix, Crackle and YouTube.  Reading books on it is just a joy compared to my phone's 4.65" screen.  I game on it a little.  Candy Crush (irritating), both Temple Runs, Words With Friends and Live Hold 'em.  One of these days I'll look into a game that takes advantage of the hardware.

The only downsides to the tablet was the lack of a SD card memory expansion and the power/volume rocker buttons.  They work fine, but lack a certain "tactile" response to them.  Overall, I am nothing but pleased with my purchase.  In my opinion it is one of the finest tablets in its class.  I doubt you'll find a better tablet for the price.  Since I'm not much of a hardware reviewer, here's a link to Anandtech's review of the tablet:  The Nexus 7 (2013) Review