I have now had the Nexus 7 for a little under two months so I thought I’d post a mini-review of the product.

I purchased the Nexus 7 because I needed a newer Android test device for my development and I had heard good things about it.

The Good

– It is very light. Compared to my first generation iPad, it is a joy to hold while I read the web in bed.

– Easy and intuitive setup. The interface of Android 4.2 seems to be much improved over my previous android device (2.2). Installing apps and switching between apps is fast and efficient.

– Development is easy. Compared to my iPhone where I had to jump through an endless series of hoops, just to get my own apps running on my device, the Nexus 7 was as simple as plug it in and go.

– The price. At $199 you can’t complain.

The Bad

– Battery life. My first generation iPad can sit on the table unused for weeks, and still have a full battery charge. With the Nexus 7, I can put it in my bag with a full charge, and it will be empty the next time I want to use it 3 days later.

– Scrolling. Compared to my first gen iPad (which is 3-year-old technology), the scrolling is jerky and sluggish in most apps. It seems that Android is still playing catch-up on the usability scale.

– Soft keyboard. Once again, comparing to my iPhone and 1st gen iPad, the keyboard is more difficult to use on the Nexus 7. The autocorrect is frequently wrong, and it doesn’t seem to get as good at guessing which key I intended to type.