It’s the duel of the internet giants as
Google and Amazon face off with their ever tablets. The battleground? Android.
The weapons? Seven inches. The victor? One test will tell…
Google Nexus 7
First
touch
Google didn’t emblazon its name across a
phone until it had something special, and the same’s happened with the Big G’s
first tablet. It’s the first device to bust out the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS,
complete with Project Butter touch-control enhancements, and it backs up that shiny
new software with some sizzling hardware. There’s a 1.3GHz Tega 3 processor, a
Retina Display-bothering 7in screen and the choice of either 8GB or 16GB of
storage – specs that push the Asus-made Nexus 7 to the top of the Android
tablet tree.
Touch
of class?
The 1280 x 800 screen is sublime, whether
you’re watching videos or playing games. It doesn’t have that many more pixels
than the Fire’s screen, but it still manages to look far sharper. Google Play
is starting to get its act together with a growing selection of tablet apps –
there’s a far greater variety than the Kindle has at its disposal, especially
for gaming. Some major TV apps such as BBC iPlayer and Sky Go aren’t supported
yet, but the awesome pre-loaded YouTube app makes up for it somewhat. Web
surfing on the Chrome browser is super-fast and syncs across your devices,
although there is no Flash, so you will need to download a Flash-supported
browser (such as Firefox Beta) and perform a little hack. Where the Nexus
really struggles against the Kindle is as an e-reader: the screen, good as it
is, is uncomfortable to read on for any length of time. It’s a real shame, as
the Nexus is slim and light enough to hold on to for hours without getting
arm-ache, but at this price, that’s just nitpicking.
Stuff
says 5/5 stars
This little Android is head and shoulders
above the 7in tablet competition.
Straight
up
If you’re used to using an iPad in
landscape mode in might be a shock that Jelly Bean’s main menus are locked in
portrait layout. You can turn for apps and video, though
Smooth
like Butter
Touchscreen operation has been made
ultra-smooth thanks to Jelly Bean’s Project Butter tech, which boasts new
gesture controls and fast, slick transitions.
Details
|
From
|
$257.5
|
Website
|
google.co.uk/nexus
|
Tech
specs
|
OS
|
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
|
Screen
|
7in IPS (1280 x 800, 216PPI)
|
CPU
|
Quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 @ 1.3GHz
|
Camera
|
1.2MP (front)
|
Storage
|
8GB ($96.5) or 16GB ($322)
|
|
|
|
Amazon Kindle Fire
First
touch
The Kindle Fire has been a long time coming
to the UK, a fact reflected by its under whelming specs. No camera, a
relatively low-res screen and an OS based on Android 2.3 won’t have the Nexus 7
or iPad trembling. Still, this is the first color Kindle, and Amazon has more
to offer than tech prowess. There’s one-click access to the Amazon ecosystem,
and Cloud Player stores your purchased music online. Get an Amazon Prime
account ($80.5/year) to stream free TV and movies, and access books in the
Kindle Owner’s Lending Library
Touch
of class?
It’s pretty clear that Amazon is
prioritizing reading ease over audio-visual prowess. The Amazon-skinned Android
Gingerbread interface has a bookshelf aesthetic and the main menu gives the
Newsstand and Books sections more prominence than the Video, Apps and Web tabs.
And yes, as an e-reader, the Kindle Fire is indeed excellent – despite a lower
resolution than the Nexus 7 it’s much more comfortable to read on, and
Newsstand does at least contain interactive magazines – even if the selection
isn’t great yet. However, it’s only ever alright for watching videos – and if
you load your own movies on to its, rather than streaming or buying them from
Amazon, they won’t be in the Video tab but hidden in the Android Gallery app.
The number of apps currently available is also limited and web browsing is a
little slow, although Flash is supported by the native Silk browser. But the
final nail in the Fire’s multimedia coffin is the lack of a physical volume
control; you have to fumble around the screen to adjust it. Irritating
Stuff
says 3/5 stars
A lovely full-color ebook reader, yes – but
the Fire is no tablet all-rounder.
Slick
and simple
The simple interface is very nice, with a
main carousel that puts the last thing you viewed to the front. A nice change
from the standard, confusing Android OS
Fat
in the Fire
The Kindle Fire is like a Nexus 7 that’s
eaten a battered lard pasty and then squeezed itself into a rubber catsuit.
It’s not that much bigger, but it sure weighs a ton more.
Details
|
Price
|
$200
|
Website
|
amazon.co.uk
|
Tech
specs
|
OS
|
Android 2.3 with Amazon skin
|
Screen
|
7in IPS (1024 x 600, 169PPI)
|
CPU
|
Dual-core TI OMAP 4430 @ 1GHz
|
Camera
|
None
|
Storage
|
8GB (6GB for user content)
|
|
|
|