Landscape Home Screen After 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Update

Yesterday, I received one of those pop up screens that you always love seeing. It was a notification that there was a new system update available but my battery was too low to install it. I plugged in the charger and the option to update now appeared.

The upgrade was from Jelly Bean 4.1.1 to the new Android OS 4.1.2 which gives very slight new features but the most obvious one is a landscape home screen similar to the one above. You are also now able to interact with notifications from the slide-down menu which allows you to see more details such as expanding the notification of "4 new emails". When you hold down on the notification and drag down you will be able to see the subjects of each of the emails.

Also there have been some other performance and stability improvements and nicer widgets to use on the home screen. Viewing images and deleting them is now also much easier. More details to follow but please leave a comment if you have noticed other changes resulting from the new 4.1.2 update.

Pros and Cons of Poetic Case

There are not many Nexus 7 cases available for purchase in Australia. JB Hifi has a really official and equally pathetic case put out by ASUS which costs $25 off the shelf. I had one look and left the store. 

After some extensive research on forums, I decided to make one of my rare purchases on Ebay for a Nexus 7 case. I noticed that there was a particular brand called Poetic with quite a few variants of cases and seemed to be making cases for ipads as well as Nexus 7. After some consideration and mental pacing up and down, I went for the one below which was retailing at $12.95 USD + $6.95 shipping to Australia. 

Pros for the Poetic Case

So why did I decide to get this case? First of all the existence of the smart cover technology which Google does not talk about on the official Nexus 7 pamphlets and press releases. Apparently this has to do with the similarities to the Apple Ipad feature and the current legal environment in which we find ourselves in today.

This feature allows you to open your case and the Nexus 7 will turn on automatically. Conversely, closing the case will put the tablet to sleep. This feature had me hotly anticipating the delivery of my Poetic Nexus 7 case.

Another reason for this case is the ability for it to stand up on its own as a desk clock as demonstrated below.

The Nexus 7 fits perfectly in the case with a special flap going to the back to reduce the chance of the tablet slipping out of the case. The well thought out design ensures the volume and power buttons are not inhibited, neither is the mini USB port on the bottom nor is the speaker on the back. There are pockets to carry money and cards in the case as well as a pen holder.

The magnetic cover means that the flap will not open up randomly. The material is called PU leather and feels pretty comfortable and looks quite professional. The case feels solid enough to give the tablet a little more practical mobility and makes me feel like I don't need to (figuratively) "bubble wrap" the device every time I go out. For the price of $20 delivered, cheaper than JB Hifi's case, I am very happy with it.

Cons for the Poetic Case

As with all products, it is useful to know the downsides, for which I can think of two with the Poetic Nexus 7 case. The case's thickness takes away the form factor of the original device, so you will not be able to put the tablet in your pocket or even the inside pocket of most suits.

The other con I see is that the NFC beam does not seem to penetrate the hard case. So, hope this review has helped you make a decision. Hopefully, you won't need to spend as much time as I did looking at the pros and cons of this Nexus 7 case.

Nokia SU-8W Bluetooth Keyboard Works

I recently decided to pull out a bluetooth keyboard that I got about six years ago to see if it works ok with the Nexus 7. A quick pairing of the keyboard worked and in next to no time, I was typing into my Nexus 7 using a foldable SU-8W bluetooth keyboard that has outlasted four phones that I have had. Goes to show that some technologies have a greater longevity than others!

What Apps Do You Use?

I saw this post on Whirlpool forums which showed what apps that one guy uses on his Nexus 7. There are so many apps on the app market that it is impossible to list all the good ones but it is always helpful to hear from other people what apps they have installed, keeping in mind that every person is an individual and individual preferences will vary. I'll post my apps later.

On my existing Nexus, I have one of the home screens dedicated to utilities for managing the device (which is perhaps one of the downsides of Android that one feels the need for them). No storage required with those.

The next screen has stuff like Splashtop (so if need be I can access the PC(s) from anywhere in the house), remote control apps like Media Center Remote, and Unified Remote, UPNPlay, TuneIn Radio, TV guide, YouTube Remote, TinyCam Monitor (for checking on the cams around the house), Pandora, TinyShark, Rdio, iPlayer, and SketchBook. No storage required.

Then on the next screen there's infomation apps – BBC News, Guardian News, ABC, Australian Newspapers, Australian News, Engaget, News360, News Republic, Zite, Flipboard, Channels, TED Air, Weather Australia, Weatherzone, Wikipedia, Kindle, Play Books. Again, no storage required apart from a little for any books being currently read.

Next screen – administrative stuff and utilities, such as Calendar, Contacts, Gmail, Email, Talk, OfficeSuite, Catch, Notes, Calc, Clock, Stopwatch, PocketCloud, Pocket, ConvertPad, Translate, Do It Tomorrow, Chumby Lite (!), Downloads. No significant storage required.

Lastly comes mapping type apps on the final screen – Aus Map, Latitude, Vic Traffic, Maps, Navigation, Places. Little storage required apart from any cached maps.

What apps do YOU have on your Nexus 7?