NEXUS 7 REPORT CARD IS OUT DID YOU KNOW?

Google nailed it with the Nexus 7—it's the first $200 tablet we've tested that's smooth and responsive in daily use. Plus, it's light and easy to carry. And, unlike other budget tablets that have appeared over the past two years, the Nexus 7 feels like a quality piece of hardware. You won't feel at all like you compromised by buying one, which is something that some Kindle Fire $199.00 at Amazon and Nook Tablet $249.00 at Beach Camera owners have reported experiencing. Considering the money you're saving over pricier Android tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab $246.00 at B&H; Photo-Video and the Asus Transformer Prime $499.00 at Walmart.com, that's a pretty compelling case for snagging a Nexus 7 immediately.

Right off the bat, you're going to need a number of basic apps. Google tries to cover everything with its various portals to Play, including Play Books, Play Music, and Play Movies & TV. These are good, but we'll want to beef up your media options. What else can you run on it? Fortunately, the Android tablet app situation, while still iffy, is improving—and fast. With the Nexus 7's smaller screen, some of the wasted-space UI issues we saw with running phone apps on 10-inch Android tablets aren't as noticeable. Plus, the Nexus 7 is good enough that it could draw a massive wave of third-party developers into the fold. For now, though, many important apps are already available0—and work well on the Nexus 7.

One important distinction with the Nexus 7 is the way you organize home screens and create icon folders. Thanks to Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean", the basic UI is now a useful mix of the best of what Android (customizable screens, widgets) and iOS (pop-up icon folders) offer. You'll definitely want to take advantage of this, so that the Nexus 7 shows you important information right when you pick it up.

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Here's a roundup of the best apps that are ideally suited to the Nexus 7. We're playing it relatively straight to show you programs you'll need right away. In other words, consider this a kick-ass starter kit. Whatever your interests, you're bound to