I'm looking to jump into the tablet market but it's not something I really keep up with. The Nexus 7 v2 seems like the best option to me which will be available soon in the UK. £200 is a little more than I'd like to pay but I don't mind waiting until it drops a little. I mostly want it for chilling in bed, some browsing, light gaming, reading etc.
I have a 10" tablet (ASUS Transformer TF101), and while it's great for consumption - such as watching video, watching news in the kitchen, etc - it is not very practical for holding for long periods, for typing one handed, etc. The Nexus 7 however (I know someone who has one) seems to be great for exactly that. So buy the size based on your usage model. Personally, if given the choice to buy all over again, I would get a 7" tablet and the new Nexus 7 (2013) seems to be the best one.
I've pretty much decided to go for the Nexus 7 v2, but it's not out until September in the UK which is a bummer.
Clearly over the budget, but £280 for a MS Surface RT does not seem bad at all... Incase you are willing to spend that much.
Seeing how Windows RT is well on its way to being the next Zune and Kin, I wouldn't advise that unless you are really desperate for Office.
go for the N7 you'll love it im kickin myself for not waiting and buying an 2012 N7 32GB wifi better screen better battery better cpu/gpu but it does what I want so I really shouldn't be complainin and it just updated to 4.3 even better
+1 for the N7, either generation would be great, the N7 I bought my mum last year still works wonders especially now with native TRIM support the original N7 is usable again. deltatux
I decided to treat myself and splash out for the 32GB Nexus 7 2013. I figured 16GB wouldn't be enough. I managed to get it for £235 from eBuyer with a £5 off coupon. It should be here on the 24th as they're sending them out on the 23rd with free next day delivery.
The only worry for me is their quality control isn't great, a lot of people are having issues with stuck pixels, dust under the screen etc. Hopefully we'll both get solid units.
I brought one back from the US earlier this month and i've had no problems with any of those issues. The screen is great for browsing and games, it's faster than any Android tablet i've ever used, and things like the new YouTube app and the new HD Netflix one look fantastic. This is more of a 4.3 feature, but the dual accounts thing is great as it's it makes sharing the tablet with someone else a much better experience, and switching between accounts only takes a few seconds.
eBuyer just shipped me unit, it'll be here tomorrow before noon \o/ I'm praying to the RNG Gods that I don't have any issues with it.
I hope you get a good un'. I'm buying mine from local retail so if I have any problems it shouldn't be a big issue.
I got my unit earlier today. So far, so good. I don't seem to have any of the issues, although it did randomly reboot once, hopefully that was a one off. The screen on the thing is just amazing, it's gorgeous. Overall it seems really nippy as well, although I haven't tested it much yet (still installing apps). Only complaints so far are the buttons the side (power, volume), they're so deep in the device they're extremely hard to press, they really should have been raised. Also, the charging cable is so ****ing short it's a joke, there's not enough cable to plug it in and use at the same time IMO.