[DOCTOREVIL8]

I have a confession to make. I fell off the Blackberry wagon. Two weeks ago, I convinced myself that I needed something more. I have a Bold 9900 and a 32 GB Playbook. Yet, I felt I needed more. So around noon on my road trip back home, I picked up a Nexus 7 from Future Shop.

Week 1

The device felt so nice in the hand. Portrait wasn�t as bad as I originally thought. $25 credit in their Play Store. Very nice. Watched a movie, downloaded a couple games. Yes, games that I cannot get on the Playbook. Sega Tennis, Words with Friend, Song Pop. Then some other apps, TSN, Weightwatchers, Flipboard. I was in app heaven. �Wow�, I thought. �Sticking with the Playbook, I must have been on something serious. All these apps are great�. Having widgets were cool but not necessary, everything was going great. Week 1 of Nexus 7 ownership comes to an end.

Enter week 2.

From the internet, there is buzz of an update!!! YES!! This is why a Google branded device is best. You�re first in line for the updates. This update will give me landscape mode on the home screen. Version 4.1.2. Cool. That�s a worthy update. Check for update. Nope. Ok, check again. Nope. Huh. Go to the forums. They call it a �rolling update�. Ok. Into the second day of no update, I read the forums a little closer. �Clear the Google Services Framework�. What? I need to go into some app setting and clear its data? This will get me the update? Ok. Worth a shot. Cleared. No update. Cleared it again. No update. After 4 clearing attempts with no update, I shut the Nexus 7 down. After rebooting, the update is there, FINALLY! Let the update do its thing. It installs quickly and now I have landscape on the homescreen. Cool. No deal breaker but nice to have.

After the update.

Hmmm� it�s been a while since anyone has played me in a game of Words with Friends. Let�s open the app to find out. Crap!! I have 5 games waiting for me! Why wasn�t I notified? Heck, Song Pop, Facebook, nothing is notifying me about updates. WTH? Notification is dead? No, can�t be. I go into each app�s cache and clear each. Ahhh� the notifications are working again. Great!!! Let�s boot TSN. Crash. Try again. Crash. App is broken. Ok, let�s try Weightwatchers. That app was half functional on 4.1.1. Crash. Again. Crash. Ahem� Ok screw this, I�m wiping the device and starting fresh�.

After the wipe�

Zero improvement. Same dead apps before the wipe are dead after the wipe. Flipboard works, but crashes way more frequently. All this from a x.x.1 update? Let�s delete the broken apps. Drag from home screen into trash. Done. Go into app folder. The app is still there. What? Deleting from home screen is deleting the �shortcut� not the app. Ok, I�ve had enough of this Android crap!

Yesterday�

I am the proud owner of a full refund. I am back on the wagon. Flipboard, Words with Friends all can be sideloaded onto my Playbook. Song Pop works well through Facebook on the Browser. Weightwatchers website is perfect on the Playbook. Especially because the Playbook HAS FLASH!!! Way to drop the ball on that one Google!! TSN website works WAY better on the Playbook. Who needs an app for that! And any video I want to watch through the web works, unlike the Nexus 7 where most don�t play or only play for 5 seconds then hangs. The update mess, the crashing apps, the necessity to wipe cached data for things to work. What a headache! The Playbook OS is light years ahead in design and usability.

Plus, nothing can beat BRIDGE!

[kbz1960]

The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

[esk369]

I have a confession to make. I fell off the Blackberry wagon. Two weeks ago, I convinced myself that I needed something more. I have a Bold 9900 and a 32 GB Playbook. Yet, I felt I needed more. So around noon on my road trip back home, I picked up a Nexus 7 from Future Shop.

Week 1

The device felt so nice in the hand. Portrait wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. $25 credit in their Play Store. Very nice. Watched a movie, downloaded a couple games. Yes, games that I cannot get on the Playbook. Sega Tennis, Words with Friend, Song Pop. Then some other apps, TSN, Weightwatchers, Flipboard. I was in app heaven. “Wow”, I thought. “Sticking with the Playbook, I must have been on something serious. All these apps are great”. Having widgets were cool but not necessary, everything was going great. Week 1 of Nexus 7 ownership comes to an end.

Enter week 2.

From the internet, there is buzz of an update!!! YES!! This is why a Google branded device is best. You’re first in line for the updates. This update will give me landscape mode on the home screen. Version 4.1.2. Cool. That’s a worthy update. Check for update. Nope. Ok, check again. Nope. Huh. Go to the forums. They call it a “rolling update”. Ok. Into the second day of no update, I read the forums a little closer. “Clear the Google Services Framework”. What? I need to go into some app setting and clear its data? This will get me the update? Ok. Worth a shot. Cleared. No update. Cleared it again. No update. After 4 clearing attempts with no update, I shut the Nexus 7 down. After rebooting, the update is there, FINALLY! Let the update do its thing. It installs quickly and now I have landscape on the homescreen. Cool. No deal breaker but nice to have.

After the update.

Hmmm… it’s been a while since anyone has played me in a game of Words with Friends. Let’s open the app to find out. Crap!! I have 5 games waiting for me! Why wasn’t I notified? Heck, Song Pop, Facebook, nothing is notifying me about updates. WTH? Notification is dead? No, can’t be. I go into each app’s cache and clear each. Ahhh… the notifications are working again. Great!!! Let’s boot TSN. Crash. Try again. Crash. App is broken. Ok, let’s try Weightwatchers. That app was half functional on 4.1.1. Crash. Again. Crash. Ahem… Ok screw this, I’m wiping the device and starting fresh….

After the wipe…

Zero improvement. Same dead apps before the wipe are dead after the wipe. Flipboard works, but crashes way more frequently. All this from a x.x.1 update? Let’s delete the broken apps. Drag from home screen into trash. Done. Go into app folder. The app is still there. What? Deleting from home screen is deleting the “shortcut” not the app. Ok, I’ve had enough of this Android crap!

Yesterday…

I am the proud owner of a full refund. I am back on the wagon. Flipboard, Words with Friends all can be sideloaded onto my Playbook. Song Pop works well through Facebook on the Browser. Weightwatchers website is perfect on the Playbook. Especially because the Playbook HAS FLASH!!! Way to drop the ball on that one Google!! TSN website works WAY better on the Playbook. Who needs an app for that! And any video I want to watch through the web works, unlike the Nexus 7 where most don’t play or only play for 5 seconds then hangs. The update mess, the crashing apps, the necessity to wipe cached data for things to work. What a headache! The Playbook OS is light years ahead in design and usability.

Plus, nothing can beat BRIDGE!

Glad it worked out doc if it happens again ( falling off the wagon) pm me I got a great personal injury lawyer:-)

[rkennedy01]

I feel your pain, Doc. I, too, fell off the wagon - for most of August/September of this year. As the new owner of a dozen Acer tablets, and with a few weeks to kill while waiting for our house sale to close, I thoroughly explored all aspects of Android.

At first it was a blast - all of those cool apps. Even if the hardware felt clunky compared to the PB, it was new and exciting. But then things started to get squirrely after a while. Apps would crash randomly. The system would slow to a crawl (reduced frame rates, sluggish app loading/task switching). And, eventually, the random reboot.

When I went looking for answers the number one "remedy" was to root the tablet and install a "cleaner" ROM - i.e. one with fewer vendor tweaks/hacks/bloatware. However, after two months of playing ROM-roulette - from stock to CM10 to FLEXREAPER to AcerLicious and various jaunts in between - I concluded that there simply was no fixing Android. No matter how I tweaked it, no matter which custom-super-cool-gotta-try-this kernel I installed, the overall user experience would inevitably degrade over time.

I even toyed with trying to build my own ROM from various github sources. But once OS 2.1 went gold, I decided to move back to my PB full-time. And while I may not be able to tweak it or tune it or overclock it until it buries most other tabs, I've found I don't really miss those things all that much. I guess stability, reliability and security mean more to me than raw speed or a broad app selection.

The Playbook appeals to me much the way Windows NT appealed to me back in the early 90's (i.e. long before it became Windows XP and took over the world). Some of us just like knowing that we're working from a solid base.

RCK

[taz323]

Welcome back, and thanks for the run down on the other tablet, makes me want my PB even more.

[DC506]

Nice write up, Doc. Thanks for sharing.

[madman0141]

I have spoken to the Holy RIM ICON (MY Bold 9930) and you sir are foregiven

[bungaboy]

I too got the Nexus 7. Paid $183.10 for it at Staples using some coupons. It is my second foray into Android tablets. My first being an Acer Iconia a500.

I use the Nexus to play cribbage on. For everything else I use my Playbook.

[DC506]

That's a fancy cribbage board. Do the pegs damage the screen?

[ryder4587]

Wow haters are gonna hate. Just say you were too cheap to afford a nexus 7. Firstly I have both devices, the nexus and the play book. My play book has never been used since I got my nexus 7. I received the update without doing any of the things you mentioned. It just came to me. I play words with friends, scrabble etc and get all my notifications promptly. My nexus 7 is connected wirelessly with my printer which my play book cannot do. I have Skype and netflix. There is not one thing my play book can do my nexus can't. But nice try though.

Sent from my LG-E617G using Tapatalk 2

[Andrew4life]

. There is not one thing my play book can do my nexus can't. But nice try though.

Multi-tasking.
Nuff said

[ryder4587]

Multi-tasking.
Nuff said

Lol what? Android is great at multitasking. Don't even go there. I've used both and I know. With the play book you always have to close apps due to constant freezes, with Android apps just run without having to kill them

Sent from my LG-E617G using Tapatalk 2

[DOCTOREVIL8]

Wow haters are gonna hate. Just say you were too cheap to afford a nexus 7. Firstly I have both devices, the nexus and the play book. My play book has never been used since I got my nexus 7. I received the update without doing any of the things you mentioned. It just came to me. I play words with friends, scrabble etc and get all my notifications promptly. My nexus 7 is connected wirelessly with my printer which my play book cannot do. I have Skype and netflix. There is not one thing my play book can do my nexus can't. But nice try though.

Sent from my LG-E617G using Tapatalk 2

Check the Android Central forums. Many users required to clear the Google Services Framework for the update. There is another thread of users losing notifications after the update. I am not alone in this.

I also experienced slowdown in apps over time, (i.e. tennis game framerate cut in half). Android is not really multitasking, it is multiswitching. If I play Words with Friends then switch to Song Pop, then to Chrome then back to WwF, the app reloads the home screen as it forgot I was in the middle of a game. That's because the app WAS SHUT DOWN.

I'm happy that the Nexus 7 meets your needs. It just isn't for everyone, myself included.