Quite some time back I received the Ultimate Nexus 7 Accessory Pack from the very good folks over at GearZap.com. This is a kit loaded with goodies for your precious Google Nexus 7! The only difference between what was on the website and what actually arrived was the “Leather Style Case”, it was a minor difference and in all honestly what I received was better. The case on the website has a flappy thing on the back that when you fold the front over so you can angle the tablet up off the table or stand it vertically in landscape mode, the case I was shipped uses magnets to secure the lid folded into a triangle (Click to see larger images)
Keeping reading …
I found this case to be very good, it’s better then a previous case I was using as this one has the built in magnets that make it a “smart case”, putting the Nexus 7 to sleep when it’s closed. I did however find one thing frustrating at times and it’s not really any fault of the case but more the Nexus 7, sometimes when you have the cover folded over flat on the back of the tablet it will trigger the sleep mechanism. Depending on what you’re doing it can be extra frustrating hah like just as your speeding car enters a tight corner NFS Most Wanted, this is NOT when you want your tablet to switch off
All in all though, this case is very nice and easy to use. Most of all when it’s folded as you see above, it makes it super easy to hang on to it for extended periods of time, it just fits nicely into your hand.
One of the other Nexus 7 accessories that came in the pack, which honestly everyone should have, were the screen protectors; there are a lot of debates about if they’re good/bad or even worth it. I’ve had touch screen devices for years and since the first one I’ve always had screen protectors on them. I’ve never once had a scratched screen. My phones have always travelled in my pockets with keys, loose change, etc. Ripping off a £1 screen protector and replacing it is always better then having a scratched up phone. I think a scratched up tablet (no matter the size) would suck even more.
Another item in the pack was the pen / stylus. I’ve tried a number of cheap styluses but never got on with them. Mostly I found them too light and they just didn’t feel right. However, the one that comes in this pack is both a pen and a stylus, this means it’s a lot heavier then the cheapo stylus.
Included in the pack are a folding stand and a basic rubber case for the nexus. I only tried the rubber case on and it works well and feels good in the hand, however it offers no protection to screen unless the tablet falls and lands directly on the screen flatly, then the rubber case should take the impact and protect the screen, I had one of these before but just didn’t like it due to the lack of direct protection of the screen.
The folding stand is interesting. It’s super light weight, slightly smaller then the tablet and about as thick as the tablet. It offers a very stable stand that’s provides an adjustable viewing angle and works just as well with the tablet in portrait or landscape mode. I only used the stand a little bit and seems it would be useful on a desk. I tend to carry too much in my backpack when I head out the door and even as light as this is it’s just something I couldn’t remember to try and squeeze in. I will however make use of it on my desk. I’d love to have a proper nexus charge dock but what stops me buying one is the price and the fact that I’ll have to take my tablet out of the case every time I want to use it, this folding stand would eliminate those problems at a fraction of the cost.
There was however one item in the pack that didn’t work, the USB charge cable that I received was non-functional. I mentioned this to GearZap.com and they offered to send out a replacement but I declined, I have tons of cables as it is. I expect this was just a one off as I was informed they’d not had any other failures reported to them.
All in all the pack is quite good value for money considering all the bits that come included. The only suggestion to the manufacturer would be to drop the rubber cover, it’s rather redundant and would require the user to swap the device between cases, not something I will be doing myself. They could save a few pennies and give that a miss, but perhaps others might find it useful.