I purchased both my iPad and my mobile phone -- the first generation Galaxy S, which runs on Google's Android OS -- about two years ago. While Apple has consistently delivered software updates for the iPad (including the first generation models) Samsung nearly abandoned its device after releasing the Gingerbread update (Android 2.3).

 

Samsung Galaxy S was the best-selling phone at the time but it never really won my heart. The phone wasn't very responsive and apps would often crash. Some of these issues are probably related to Android, but I always found myself spending more time on the iPad than the phone -- iOS felt more polished and responsive than Android.

 

Earlier this week I decided to give Android another try. I got myself a Nexus 7, a seven inch Android tablet manufactured by Asus and sold directly by Google. The base model costs just $199 on the Google Play store. Google won't ship the device to India but you can easily find one on eBay and various other Indian shopping websites, for a premium of course.

 

In a market flooded with Android tablets, Nexus 7 was an attractive buy for couple of reasons: the price is reasonable and it runs on Jelly Bean, the latest version of Google's Android OS. Google's Andy Rubin recently tweeted that about 500 million Android devices have been activated to date. According to Google's own analysis, only 1.2% of these devices are running on Jelly Bean.

 

After using the device for about a week, I am suddenly finding this 7' form factor much more comfortable and portable than the iPad. The device, with a rubberized back, is light and can easily fit into the back pocket of your jeans. The screen looks bright, though I wouldn't compare it to the Retina display of iOS devices. The front camera isn't HD but still good enough for your Skype calls.

 

More than the hardware and the build quality, it's the underlying software of Nexus 7 that has impressed me. Android has come a long way since its Gingerbread days and the apps inside Jelly Bean feel more polished and responsive with no lags. Google Now, a feature that is unique to Jelly Bean, brings instant answers in the form of visual cards. Apps do sometimes crash but that's a very rare thing nowadays.

 

Google's Play Store has a section dedicated to Android apps that are designed for Tablets, but even the regular apps, which were originally designed for phones, are pretty usable on the Nexus 7. The built-in data usage meter tracks how much bandwidth the various apps have consumed in any given period of time.

 

My other favorite feature of Jelly Bean is speech recognition. You can type an email or even a document with your voice. Yes, speech recognition is a standard feature in most smartphones these days, but with Android you can even use your voice to type while you are in a zone where there's no Internet.

 

There are some obvious downsides. For example, the Nexus 7 offers no cellular connectivity and there isn't a camera on the back that makes scanning QR (quick response) codes a bit inconvenient.

 

The rumor mill suggests that Apple is also working on a new iPad model with a smaller screen they better, because the 7' Nexus 7 suddenly feels a more value-for-money device than the heavier iPad. Also, since the Nexus 7 is directly sold by Google, I no longer have to wait for the hardware manufacturer to update my device when a new version of Android becomes   available.

 

Amit Agarwal writes a tech blog and is also on Twitter, YouTubeand Facebook.