Nexus 10: Impressions

By Dave Graham	Article Rating:
November 16, 2012 01:59 PM EST	Reads:	1,003

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Hey there…this is a quick ‘n dirty post on the Google/Samsung Nexus 10 tablet. I’ve been asked by a few folks to provide my first impressions of the tablet and so, here it goes. For what it’s worth, I HATE unboxing videos so, I’m not going to stoop to that level. If you want to know what unboxing is like, get one yourself.

Ergonomics/Look/Feel:

I have to say that every iPad i’ve held has seemed “cold” and “heavy.” The “cold” part comes from the metal back and the heavy part…well, you know. The metal back of the iPad is not really textured, per se, so, consequently, you end up with a bit of handling challenge. What strikes you immediately with the Nexus 10 is that you can HOLD it without fear of it slipping out of your hand. The textured back has a good “hand feel” and it doesn’t easily slide from your finger tips.

The heft of the table is just right as well. This was truly designed for landscape mode so, from that consideration, the way that the ports are configured point to it being used mostly in that fashion. If you attempt to balance the Nexus 10 on two fingers, you’ll find that it does manage to weigh out across the axis very nicely (in other words, there’s not a bias in weight towards the top or the bottom).

Screen:

all i can say here is WOW. I’ve seen the Retina iPad and it’s truly awesome. My eye is not going to be able to tell you this is much different but, it’s so unbelievable CLEAR. Icons have perfect definition; pictures are well represented too (though, the source of those pictures will influence that to a certain degree).

The tablet comes with “Ice Age” installed. I fired it up very quickly and watched a few minutes. No ghosting and the speakers (more below) being on either side of the screen really provide some “depth” to the sound.

Speakers:

For listening to audio, I pulled up Fun.’s “Some Nights” and gave it a listen. Bass isn’t really there. More of a Bose-influenced design (if you get where I’m going with that) but certainly you can get a sense for the soundscape without getting pounded by tinny drums. Good definition and the included equalization function is actually usable.

Software:

Once i plugged in and synced the Google account, i immediatelly pulled down the Android 4.2 update and restarted. This provided the multi-user login screen, etc. Overall, this tablet is “fast” in that flipping between screens is immensely fluid and quick. transitions are immediate without any hesitations or tearing. Installation of software (twitter, for example) goes at the speed of your broadband pipe and installation is wicked fast. I’ll start digging into games, etc. at some later point but for now, nothing to worry about.

Power, ports, etc:

CIO, CTO & Developer Resources

one thing I appreciate so much with Samsung is their intent on following micro-USB standards. The same cable that works with my Galaxy Nexus works to charge the tablet, etc. This keeps my cable clutter and “proprietary outlay” sane. I’m going to be looking for a case solution at some point (and a screen protector is immediately warranted given my family) but again, given the bias of the tablet towards landscape mode, ports are aligned where I need them.

Volume and Power switches are up top and aren’t too flush or too overstated. They’re perfectly set off from the case of the pad (vs. let’s say, the RIM Playbook) and are easy to toggle.

Anyhow, I’ll write more later but for now, these are my initial impressions!

cheers,