Okay. So before anything else, I would like to warn you that this entry is just me ranting.

So after Google announced the new Nexus 7, I just know I need to have one. The specs are amazing, it looks pretty amazing, and most of all, it's way cheaper than any other branded tablets. Honestly, there's no reason to NOT want a Nexus.

So I found a seller here in Singapore, contacted him and finally bought one on September. I also bought a case and screen protector along. Of course, like any kid with a new toy, I rushed straight home after I obtained it. While unboxing, I can see that all seals are intact (the seller also shows me all the seals before we made the deal). The first thing I did was to apply the screen protector. I am really stupid when applying screen protectors, I always end up with a lot of bubbles. Anyhow, after I apply the screen protector and case. It's finally time. Finally, the moment I have been waiting for. I pushed the power button... nope, nothing shows up. Well of course, you have to hold the power button for a couple of seconds, silly. So I did, but still nothing shows up. I hold it for 10 secs, and nothing shows up. 20 secs, 30 secs, 60 secs, all nothing. I started to panic and contacted the seller. I was told that I may have to charge overnight, since it was shipped from USA to Singapore. Okay, that makes sense. I also saw a troubleshoot page from Google and followed the instructions, but to no avail.

Next day, after charging for the whole night, I tried turning it on again. Still nothing. I contacted the seller and told him what happened. He said he can't do anything, but I can try contacting Asus' Service Center. So I did, and immediately went there after. They agreed to repair my broken Nexus 7, they should have just replaced it since it was already broken before I got it. I was told the whole repair process will take around 3 weeks. It's not like I have any other choice, so I have to agree. So 3 weeks later, my excitement for the device is already gone. I went back to the service center and got my device. I was asked if I dropped the device in water. I told them no, it was like that out of the box, and why? It turns out that it was all soaked in water inside. So they replaced the motherboard, LCD, battery, and some of the cables inside. Pfft, it could have been easier for them if they just replaced the device with a new one. I also noticed some little scratches besides the LCD, I guess it was because they have to pop it out to open the device. It already reduced my value for the device. Well, whatever.

So about 2 months later, I am noticing something weird about my LCD. Sometimes it does the phantom touch. While it is annoying, I did somehow ignored it since it rarely happens. But it starts to happen more and more frequently until I finally can't take it anymore.

Can you imagine how annoying the phantom touch is? It's probably all because the screen isn't installed properly (probably because of misalignment) when it was repaired. I have to take it back to the service center once again. This time, I was on a rush, I have flight back to the Philippines on December 13. So on December 2, I hand them the device and I was told it could take them 2 weeks to replace the screen. I told them I'm in a rush so could they do it in a week. They agreed, well that's great. I got the device on December 10. They hand me the device and the moment I turned it on, I felt something was off with the power button. However, it did turn on, so I tested the touch screen and it's fixed. I told the person in charge that the power button is strange, I feel like the rubber inside isn't placed properly. He tried pressing the button and felt it too. He said it might take another week or two. I was like, "Ah forget it", I don't have that time and it might just cause more problem.

All these could have been avoided if they could just replace my device the first time I brought it. I can't blame the service center people, they're actually quite good. It's probably the rules they follow, they don't allow replacement. Every time I see my Nexus 7 is a reminder of how frustrating it is. I don't even use it much since it might break again, and more frustration will come. Overall, I didn't enjoy my Nexus experience, I have better experience with my China cell phone.

I bought it for US$210 and it was totally worth it. The specs are crazy good for its price. It's a quad-core device, dual sim card, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 1080p screen. Best of all, I've been using it for 6 months and haven't got any problem with it. Everybody knows China's generic devices are of cheap quality and are easily broken, but I can tell you my experience with it is way better than my Nexus experience.

Update: I'll take that back. I love my Nexus 7! I almost never use my China phone now. I only use it to connect to my mobile data and share it to my Nexus!

Update Again: Forget it! The screen is broken again! Going back to my China phone!