Droid Life

Tag: Nexus 7

  • Quick Look: Portenzo Nexus 7 Cases – Alano, BookCase, and HardBack

    Portenzo Nexus 7 Case

    Portenzo cases have been some of our favorites for a couple of years now, because who doesn’t easily fall in love hand-made, high-quality bookcase style cases for tablets such as the Nexus 7? We took a look at their N7 offerings last year, but as you would expect, the company is back with models that fit the newest 2013 tablet from Google. They were kind enough to send over review samples of their Alano (high-end leather case), BookCase (traditional bookcase style), and HardBack (minimal bookcase style) options for us to show off.  (more…)

  • Video: First Look at Verizon Data on the New Nexus 7 LTE

    verizon LTE nexus7-2

    When the new Nexus 7 (2013) with LTE became available earlier this week on Google Play, I immediately purchased one even at its $349 price. This is the version of the tablet that I have been waiting for. Since it has the ability to connect to Verizon’s LTE network (AT&T and T-Mobile’s too), it was a no-brainer as a device that I could use while on-the-go when traveling or should I happen to step out of my cave home office. WiFi tablets have never really fit into my life as I always felt as if they needed to be stuck at home on WiFi, tethered, or in a state of struggle while finding an open network in an airport or other location. With this LTE model, that’s no longer a worry.  (more…)

  • Nexus 7 2013 LTE Variant Available Now for $349

    Screen Shot 2013-09-09 at 2.47.43 PM

    The Nexus 7 (2013) with LTE just went live on Google Play for $349. Google is selling it as being unlocked with a T-Mobile SIM, however, it should work on (almost) everyone’s LTE network here in the States. We’re talking Verizon (was announced as being supported), T-Mobile, US Cellular, and AT&T, since it supports LTE frequencies of 700, 850, AWS, 1900MHz. I do not believe that Sprint is supported, at least according to the official tech specs which do not list bands 25 and 26.

    Keep in mind that you won’t be able to fall back to Verizon 3G at any time, but you can fall back to AT&T and T-Mobile HSPA should you choose their service.

    We’re trying to confirm all of this, but that’s what was announced at the Nexus 7’s unveiling.  (more…)

  • Nexus 7 Case Showdown: Poetic Slimline vs. MoKo vs. rooCase

    nexus 7 FHD cases

    A couple of weeks ago, Google began selling an official Nexus 7 sleeve through Google Play for a reasonably bloated price of $30. We offered up a handful of alternatives at that time, all of which were available from Amazon for well under $20, some even for under $5. We now have all of those featured options in house, and wanted to do a quick overview of each to show you which are really worth your money and which are better left in the “too good to be true” category.

    Below, you’ll find a hands-on of the Poetic Slimline (our personal favorite), MoKo Case, and rooCase. All three are available in a variety of colors from blue to purple to green to pink, and with customer ratings of 4-stars and above.

    Again, there are so many solid options out there that are worth exploring before you go diving into anything over $20. These are just a few to get you started.  (more…)

  • Quick Look: Cruzerlite Nexus 7 FHD Cases

    cruzerlite nexus 7 FHD

    As of this morning, we have a number of cases in transit for the new Nexus 7, all of which we plan to show off and share thoughts on to some extent over the next week or so. The first batch to arrive is from our friends at Cruzerlite, who sent over an entire box of almost every single color or design they currently offer. (Yes, that means a contest will be in store before long.) These are their TPU cases, which they have continued to sell successfully for more devices than I can probably keep track of.  (more…)

  • New Nexus 7 Equipped With LTE Hits Japan Mid-September, Could U.S. Expect the Same?

    new nexus 7

    Today, Google announced that the LTE-equipped variant of the new Nexus 7 would hit Japanese markets in mid-September. Interestingly enough, Google still has yet to give US markets an official timeframe for the device’s release on our shores. According to the press release that was snagged by Japan’s Ameblo, the tablet will support four different wireless carriers, much like what we are expecting here in the States.  (more…)

  • Nexus 7 “razor” JSS15Q Factory Image and Binaries Now Available (Updated: JWR66Y Images Too)

    new nexus 7

    The new JSS15Q (Android 4.3) factory image for the new Nexus 7 is now available. This update to JSS15Q should fix the multi-touch and GPS issues that have plagued the device over the last couple of weeks. If you haven’t received the update over-the-air, you could always flash these files. Waiting might be the better option, though, as I’d hate to see you completely wipe your device clean without realizing it.  (more…)

  • New Nexus 7 Receiving Update to JSS15Q, Should Address Multitouch Issues (Updated: Fixes GPS Issue Too)

    new nexus 7

    The new Nexus 7 has had a couple of issues to deal with out of the gate that has most certainly frustrated early adopters. First it was a GPS issue, but more recently the focus has moved onto multi-touch issues with the device’s display. After pressing more than one finger on the display at a time, users were dealing with a screen-freakout that would leave the device useless for a short time.

    According to a Googler who has been responding in an ongoing thread over at Google’s product forums, an update is rolling out that should fix the issue. The update, as has been reported by a couple of forums, is build JSS15Q, which is still Android 4.3.  (more…)