Post One Year Review and Reflection on iPad, Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD

Over the previous year I have been using / long term reviewing three devices. The Apple iPad (3rd Gen), Google/Asus Nexus 7, and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD. This review isn’t about specs and price points which are easily attainable in numerous other places. This review is about long term user experience living with the device day in and out. It is telling after long term use to stop using a device for a period of time and reflect on what one most misses.

It would not be genuine to portray that I’ve missed the iPad. I never gave it up. This is the one device that represents a refinement that others just have not able been able to attain and I have been unable to let go of. The iPad is close to as good as it gets in the tablet world. However, there are aspects of other devices that I’ve come to desire in the iPad. These aspects will soon be addressed in various updates and third party accessories. With all of these things in mind the iPad will serve as our baseline to compare too.

The Google/Asus Nexus 7 with Android 4.3 was a good device especially when considering the $200 price point. Again this review isn’t about specs and price but it is worth noting. The Nexus 7 felt nice in the hand much due to it’s relatively light weight, solid build and textured back that made it easy to hold. 

Google / Asus Nexus 7

The Nexus 7’s screen is a 16 x 9 aspect ratio much like a modern television. This aspect ration is great for watching video in landscape mode but detracts from the reading experience in portrait mode. This is important to note especially in the education market if we desire for the device to be used primary for reading and study. The 16:9 aspect ratio when held in portrait mode causes the text to be confined to narrower column causing the eye to return to the left more often thus fewer words being read per pass. This creates inefficiency that over time causes the reader to tire more quickly than reading with a higher word count per column. One might suggest to rotate the device to landscape yet this causes the reader to loose context of place and to scroll more often again creating inefficiency. These are hurdles that one can over come through continued use but the question becomes, 'is this ideal?' The answer to that question is no. Secondly, content such magazines or other fixed format material become a chore to consume. The 16:9 aspect ratio combined with the 7” screen size does not allow the natural use of fixed format material originally designed for print. The user has to continually move the material on the screen to be able to consume it. It is possible to view the entire page at once but in most cases this causes the text to become extremely small and difficult to read. The Nexus 7 is best poised to consume video, gaming, and light reading of non-fixed format material. 

Given the size and weight of the Nexus 7 it is easily to travel with. Great size for playing immersive and casual games. The battery life however was an issue. I did find that the battery didn’t last near as long as any of the other devices that I was using. This is due in part to the continual connectedness to Google’s services and Play store. These cause the device to drain battery while in sleep automatically updating the installed applications and up dating services like Google Now which allow the device to have the most relevant up to date information at hand. I did really enjoy not having to manually update applications like one had to on any of Apple’s iOS devices prior to iOS 7. I also really enjoyed having Google Now be able to tell me weather, commute time, calendar for the day and more without to seek out the information, having to open an application or wait for it to load additional data. This was a great convenience but again it did take it’s toll on the battery life causing it to need recharge much much sooner than other devices. 

Kindle Fire HD

The Kindle Fire HD, is also a 7 inch tablet with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has a thick bezel surrounding the screen on all sides that prevented me from holding the device in one hand from the rear like I could the Nexus 7. However this thick bezel did give ample room to hold the device from the side in any orientation without touching the screen. The thick bezel aids the user when reeding ebooks to prevent inadvertent page jump or advance. The screen was comparable  to the Nexus 7, though the iPad 3 was able to dim further to make reading in total darkness more comfortable. When reading at night both the Nexus and Kindle seemed too bright. 

The battery life for the Kindle Fire HD was excellent. This isn't a genuine comparison considering Amazon designed it to be a pure consumption device and not an always on dynamically updating device. There are no handy informational up dates such as Google Now baked into a Kindle. This helps the battery to last but also limits the usefulness of the device. The user interface of the Kindle reinforces the consumption intent of the device. It is designed to appear and function much like what was presented in 2006 by Apple's CoverFlow function in iTunes. It presents the user with a large scroll of application/content icons for the user to choose from beginning with the most recently used application/content displaying a few at a time. The most notable feature unique to the Kindle platform are the ties that it has to Amazon content, especially for users of Prime and Kindle FreeTime. Kindle FreeTime is an app that allows parents to subscribe to libraries of age appropriate content for children and applications instead of purchasing them individually for their children ages 2 to 12 to consume. This is the feature that I miss most about the Kindle. Otherwise there is little else that sets the Kindle apart from a useful educational tool point of view. On the flip side I found it rather limiting and unlike the iPad and the Nexus the Kindle really is a true Amazon content consumption device.

The long term review up wrap-up:

• The iPad is the quintessential tablet device excelling in almost every area with refinement unmatched by any of it competitors. In addition to being a superb content consumption device it is also a practical production device with a panacea of available applications. My most noticeable draw back is weight. The iPad 3 weighs 1.37 pounds but will be addressed in the newly announced iPad Air which has a weight of 1 pound which will be the lightest of any large screen tablet.
• The Nexus 7 is a terrific offering by Google especially at its price point. Android offers a great alternative to Apple's iOS but it does not offer the same refinement as iOS. The 7 inch 16:9 aspect is not optimal for reading ebooks or consuming fixed layout content such as magazines.Though, it is great for watching video and playing games. 
• The Amazon Kindle HD suffers from the same screen size and ratio related issues as the Nexus. It if offers little beyond being a true Amazon content consumption device. Kindle FreeTime is the most unique feature and the one I miss most but it is an additional subscription fee and is age specific for children 2 - 12.