I've talked long about how I've been trying to find a good 'midground device'. I love my phone, I love my Chromebase... One is a device where I can get my notifications, have quick responses on the go, the other is my workhorse to sit down and type and edit away properly.
But, sometimes, I need to get some work done, but I'm not at my desk for the Chromebase, and the phone is just a bit too small for the proper work to be done (I've become a huge spreadsheet nerd lately).
Getting that device that's a fair balance between the 2 is important.
Given that I'm a big Pixel guy, getting my hands on the Pixel Tablet was going to be important for me. I really was looking forward to it.
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| don't mind all the cords - I still am figuring out my desk space |
It was brilliant - a Nest Hub but you could remove it and take it with you. I love my Nest displays - I have a few around the house, and I tend to watch a lot of my media there there. So something like that and if I needed to I could take it with me.
Sounded like perfection.
As you've seen in my reviews, it is good. It's fairly responsive (albeit not as snappy as I would hope - but remember, this is a hybrid device, splitting it up that way is always gonna have some sacrifices), and has GREAT sound.
What was noticeable right away to me, was that it WASN'T like my favourite Nest Hub displays. I assumed it would have that 'nest hub' mode when docked, but it essentially was just a standard phone lockscreen with just slightly easier access to the home features.
I can't tell you the number of times I've gone up to it and want to change the lights in the room and I'll go to it just like the Nest displays only to find it not as easy. Sure, it'll respond just as well to a voice command, but I tend to put these in somewhere it's easy to reach so I wish it had a simpler interface.
Now, on to the tablet end. I can just take it off and bring it with me.
The magnets hold it in place are good, and it does come off easy enough given how strong they are (and by that, I can almost just put it against my fridge or bath tub).
2 things you are met with. As a tablet it has a pretty big bezel. Okay, I can deal with bezels, it gives you some place to hold it then.
But taking it around... There's no case. I really need a case to protect the device. I have a neoprene sleeve I'd put it in and cart it around. But that's not super helpful. Guess I have been spoiled by other tablets that have special built cases for that tablet.
Speaking of special built cases, it's good to have a keyboard too. I want this midform device so that I can do some work. Typing on a tablet is so laborious and it kills a large potion of your screen.
I've been trying different variants of Bluetooth keyboards out there to find something that works and it just feels 'hacked together'. I was really hoping Google would have made something for this model. Maybe for the Pixel Tablet 2.
I do love the tablet. It does a good job as one, and the battery seems to last a good amount of time (the dock doesn't charge the tablet over 90%).
Just 2 things really have kept me from making it the device I grab when I leave the house to have with me and do work with me. That lack of a case and there's no video out.
It would have been really good to have a dock adapter/dongle for HDMI out, have it display up on a bigger screen (or often for me, a projector). That omission really baffles me.
A lesser missed point is why it wouldn't work with the Pixel Pen from the Pixel book... Like that's the only device it worked with. A real shame.
Overall, I feel... It did its job for a first generation device. It tested out a concept and left some room for improvements.
If you like Nest Hub's, you'll like this, but I think the Max would have been a better choice for you. As a tablet, it's missing enough of the main points so that 6 months later I can probably count the number of times that I've taken the device off its dock.
It does make a perfect display companion for my office desk. Dual monitors with the Chrome base and it's still nice to have a 3rd screen watching Netflix (and even have my phone still catching other bits of work).
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