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Just a couple questions on the Nexus 7

J

JESUSgotNAILED

Newbie
Hello, I am hopefully one of many who noticed that sexy price tag on the new Android tablet Nexus 7. I don't own a tablet but do own an Optimus T and have a couple questions that hopefully one of you guys may answer for me, so that I may know more about this device before I choose to preorder one or not.

I have been wanting a mobile pdf reader for a long time. I assume I will be able to download Adobe's mobile PDF app on the N7 once/if Adobe releases an update - my question is will I be able to transfer PDF's from my computer onto the N7 then read them on the tablet?

This also goes for videos. Do you think one will be able to transfer videos (if in the proper format) to the N7 then view them on it? Same for music, what about that?

I know the device is made for Google Play but I am still curious/hoping. It'd be a downer if I can ONLY use content BOUGHT from Google Play for me.

Thanks guys!!
 
JESUSgotNAILED said:
I have been wanting a mobile pdf reader for a long time. I assume I will be able to download Adobe's mobile PDF app on the N7 once/if Adobe releases an update - my question is will I be able to transfer PDF's from my computer onto the N7 then read them on the tablet?

This also goes for videos. Do you think one will be able to transfer videos (if in the proper format) to the N7 then view them on it? Same for music, what about that?

I know the device is made for Google Play but I am still curious/hoping. It'd be a downer if I can ONLY use content BOUGHT from Google Play for me.

Thanks guys!!
Click to expand...

I'm sure the Adobe Reader app works fine on the new tablet, if not it will be updated probably before the device is even available.

Save your documents to Dropbox, Google Drive, or Box.net would be the easiest way to transfer the data to your tablet. There will be other options for file management, but standard "USB Mass Storage Mode" is not available.

Videos can be managed using Media Transfer Protocol on your PC, so you can transfer those over USB just fine, or upload if you want to. With the variety of video players in the market, you'll likely be able to play just about any format, even subtitles are supported in a few.
 
JESUSgotNAILED said:
Hello, I am hopefully one of many who noticed that sexy price tag on the new Android tablet Nexus 7. I don't own a tablet but do own an Optimus T and have a couple questions that hopefully one of you guys may answer for me, so that I may know more about this device before I choose to preorder one or not.

I have been wanting a mobile pdf reader for a long time. I assume I will be able to download Adobe's mobile PDF app on the N7 once/if Adobe releases an update - my question is will I be able to transfer PDF's from my computer onto the N7 then read them on the tablet?

This also goes for videos. Do you think one will be able to transfer videos (if in the proper format) to the N7 then view them on it? Same for music, what about that?

I know the device is made for Google Play but I am still curious/hoping. It'd be a downer if I can ONLY use content BOUGHT from Google Play for me.

Thanks guys!!
Click to expand...
Hey, you can definitely load your own content onto the N7. Adobe pdf will also work. All you have to do is download it and then when you want to view downloaded pdfs just go to the downloads app and click on the file you want to open. You could also use astro file browser to find files. And you should be able to load videos and music of almost any format and view them. Your not required to buy from google play.
 
Hmmm. I haven't even looked into those Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box.net things yet. Is that what people consider the "cloud"?

I know when connecting my phone to the PC I can only access the SD card.

If standard Mass Storage for USB isn't available, what would one need to plug the N7 into a USB port on my PC and be able to access the internal storage so I can transfer files?

c4v3man mentions Media Transfer Protocol as the way to transfer media. I'll Google that and read up on it. My phone still uses USB storage mode :o:o
 
JESUSgotNAILED said:
Hmmm. I haven't even looked into those Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box.net things yet. Is that what people consider the "cloud"?

I know when connecting my phone to the PC I can only access the SD card.

If standard Mass Storage for USB isn't available, what would one need to plug the N7 into a USB port on my PC and be able to access the internal storage so I can transfer files?

c4v3man mentions Media Transfer Protocol as the way to transfer media. I'll Google that and read up on it. My phone still uses USB storage mode :o:o
Click to expand...

Dropbox and etc. are indeed "the cloud," and the amount of storage they give for free is quite generous. You would easily be able to access all your pdfs and etc. from the tablet with a wi-fi or data connection. If you need a file without having a connection, you should save the file directly to a folder on your sd card so it is permanently loaded on the device.
 
You can set files to be accessible offline, at least with Google drive. I think the others offer similar options.
 
In the nexus devices without an sdcard, the internal memory (which is flash memory like an SD card rather than a hard drive) is where user files are stored, along with the OS/apps/etc. That's why you can't mount the storage to a PC any more, since mounting would make the internal memory with your OS on it inacessible to the phone.

So instead they have the MTP system for transfering files to and from your phone. From what I've heard, it's pretty simple; you plug in your phone via USB and it pops up in windows in the 'Computer' window just like a mounted sdcard would.

So, as long as you're using windows, I don't think the change makes an awful lot of difference. However, I do beleive it's more complicated to work with on linux or mac.

There are also various ways to access your phone's file system via your local wifi network, rather than plugging it in, but I haven't really investigated any of those.

It's also possible to upload your files to any of the cloud storage services like drive, dropbox or minus and download them that way, although transfer speeds will be significantly slower than MTP.
 
Excellent post, thank you for it! Cleared that stuff up for me.

I noticed that the MTP system does pop up a window asking to transfer files using Windows Media Player in a screenshot on an article on MTP. Didn't see the option for using Windows Explorer though.

Is MTP on devices right now? Does anyone have an Android with MTP on it that can tell me what it is like? Can you pretty much do everything you could with USB Mass Storage?

Just made a Google Drive account and read up on it, installed program too. Cool
 
JESUSgotNAILED said:
Excellent post, thank you for it! Cleared that stuff up for me.

I noticed that the MTP system does pop up a window asking to transfer files using Windows Media Player in a screenshot on an article on MTP. Didn't see the option for using Windows Explorer though.

Is MTP on devices right now? Does anyone have an Android with MTP on it that can tell me what it is like? Can you pretty much do everything you could with USB Mass Storage?

Just made a Google Drive account and read up on it, installed program too. Cool
Click to expand...

I may be at risk of sounding stupid, but there's no immediate difference as far as I've noticed :\
 
1. My Galaxy S2 uses MTP in Windows. I just plug it in the PC and a second or two later it appears in Windows Explorer as two folders, one for internal storage, one for external. I expect the N7 works the same way.

2. There is at least one MTP filesystem driver available for installation in Linux.

3. The Airdroid app is a great way to transfer any kind of files to and from an Android device. You run it and it gives you a LAN address and a passkey. You enter the LAN address into your browser's address bar then enter the passkey into an input box. It then gives you (in the browser) access to the files on the device, allowing you to upload and download files; it lets you view photos from the device; it lets you play MP3s from the device, send texts, and a lot more. For me, it's a must-have app.
 
Thanks. That sounds good to me! And as long as I can view PDFs on it I am sold! Glad Asus is the company Google paired up with.

What format do you guys think videos will need to be in to play on the N7?
 
JESUSgotNAILED said:
Thanks. That sounds good to me! And as long as I can view PDFs on it I am sold! Glad Asus is the company Google paired up with.

What format do you guys think videos will need to be in to play on the N7?
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Shazammm... :D (Look at the far right column)

Android Supported Media Formats | Android Developers

Pretty sure you can grab a player off the market if a format isn't natively supported. VLC Media Player is currently in Beta, and that thing runs a TONNE of formats!
 
Awesome! Thank you. And after reading a couple more new reviews on the N7... I am totally getting one. Even if I only use it for a few hours total a week it still will be worth it for the $$ to me. I'll be around :P

Oh and if VLC is in beta for Android... rock on! I love VLC on the PC.
 
Hey so if the N7 does support nativity the ability to drag a PDF onto the device via USB from my computer to read it, and then copy the PDF off to another Windows computer?

I ask because I plan on reading and highlting PDF from my PC with Acrobat. Then copy it to the N7 and read/highlight (will buy an App) then copy it off again when I get to work. Is this possible?

Thanks
 
triplecore said:
Hey so if the N7 does support nativity the ability to drag a PDF onto the device via USB from my computer to read it, and then copy the PDF off to another Windows computer?

I ask because I plan on reading and highlting PDF from my PC with Acrobat. Then copy it to the N7 and read/highlight (will buy an App) then copy it off again when I get to work. Is this possible?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yeah, I beleive that will be fine. I can't say I've used an MTP device yet, but from what I've heard it has pretty much the exact same functionality as your typical mounted USB drive on other android devices.
 
Xyro said:
Yeah, I beleive that will be fine. I can't say I've used an MTP device yet, but from what I've heard it has pretty much the exact same functionality as your typical mounted USB drive on other android devices.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for answer! Appreciated.
 
Xyro said:
Yeah, I beleive that will be fine. I can't say I've used an MTP device yet, but from what I've heard it has pretty much the exact same functionality as your typical mounted USB drive on other android devices.
Click to expand...

It does. It's better IMO because you don't have to go through a menu or press a button on screen to manually mount the drive. You just plug it in and it mounts.
 
JESUSgotNAILED said:
That sounds great! I still won't be 100% worry-free until I get mine though unfortunately.. :D
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I have connected my dad's Galaxy Nexus to my computer numerous times, and I also have it rooted and ROMed with Gummy, and the GNex works in the exact same way. You simply plug it into your Windows PC, and it will show up in the same way any microSD card or USB flash drive would. You can simply copy the files to it and easily create new folders to organize them etc.

As far as viewing PDF's go, that will be a breeze as well. There are numerous apps you can use, the official Adobe Acrobat from the Play Store will of course work, as well as QuickOffice, Office Suite 6, Documents-To-Go, and ezPDF viewer/reader.
 
JESUSgotNAILED said:
Thanks. That sounds good to me! And as long as I can view PDFs on it I am sold!
Click to expand...

I expect that you will also be able to find really useful PDF annotation apps on the N7. I don't know how much of that functionality comes in the Adobe app, but there are third-party PDF annotation apps available for comparable devices, like the Kindle Fire, that are incredibly useful. EzPDFReader and others provide robust native-format annotation capabilities so you can read and mark up documents on your tablet, and your annotations are readable (and possibly editable) via Adobe Reader on a computer.
 
Chicagoan said:
I expect that you will also be able to find really useful PDF annotation apps on the N7. I don't know how much of that functionality comes in the Adobe app, but there are third-party PDF annotation apps available for comparable devices, like the Kindle Fire, that are incredibly useful. EzPDFReader and others provide robust native-format annotation capabilities so you can read and mark up documents on your tablet, and your annotations are readable (and possibly editable) via Adobe Reader on a computer.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize ezPDF came with those features, that's pretty cool. I actually got all of the pro versions of QuickOffice, OfficeSuite, and Documents-To-Go from the Amazon app store when they had each of them for free later last year. I think that's how I got ezPDF reader too, can't beat it for $45+ of free office apps! This is just one reason I feel I will actually be able to use my Nexus 7 as a mini-productivity power house.
 
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