Not 100% relevant to the question but I've actually bought two bluetooth keyboards for my nexus 7 over the last week, so might as well share my findings here:

The Minisuit / Ivso / other Nexus 7 Keyboard

These are made specifically for the nexus (v2012 - not sure there's a relevant difference but double check if you're 2013) and they are gorgeous.

Seriously, they look amazing with the tablet; it fits very nicely, it's incredibly slim and really looks like the same device. It's like a laptop/netbook that can fit in your back pocket. You can get the same product from a number of 'manufacturers' - I went with ivso as the early models didn't have a tab key and the Ivso picture showed it did; but you can get these pretty cheep if you don't care about the tab button.

However, nice though the styling is I returned mine after two days. It may look the bees knees, but if your fingers are more 'bees body' you'll really struggle fitting your fingers to the keys. I was constantly pressing more then one button, and if you like touch typing (Or even 'freeform typing' where you use the closest index finger and don't really look at the keyboard a lot) forget it. The buttons are just too close, too small and not easy for actually typing.

(Note - Others tried on the keyboard and had more success; I use a desktop keyboard at home and at work, so like full sized keys and larger key gaps. If you use a netbook/small laptop or have tidily hands you might be happier. For me, much though I love the design it was useless as a keyboard.)

I replaced that with the

Perixx Periboard 805

A more generic keyboard the 805 works with anything, and folds in half allowing the keys to be much bigger hooray!

I actually got the 805L, which is the large version - I think I might have managed with the medium (there's only 3cm different unfolded), but it's still smaller then the nexus 7 folded so, might as well. Unfolded the 805L is actually bigger then an apple keyboard, and feels very similar key wise. Some of the size however is because of the hinge in the middle - if you type with two fingers, prepare to spend some time adjusting as the gaps between t and y is much larger, and several of the keys are increased to accommodate this fold (For touch typing however it's ideal; you pretty much have to use the right hand for the right buttons as its almost impossible to use the other one - a few punctuation keys and the backspace take a little practise, but it's 90% there.

One issue with the perriboard is that it doesn't lock in anyway. Magnets keep it folded, but it doesn't stay open so without a table it's less useful. (I've tried on my lap - works in a pinch, but not that easily). If you're looking for a bluetooth keyboard you can use more anywhere the perixx 806 looks better - very similar design to an older igo stowaway I had for a windows mobile pda. Very nice unfolding action; only reason I didn't pick it was my stowaway used lots of function keys for numbers and punctuation etc - the 806 just has smaller keys. As you might have reliased I'm not a fan of small keys!

Also as a minor point the 805L (Larger one) doens't have andorid buttons like the normal 805 keyboard does. Given I've already bought external keyboard helper pro it's a matter of miniutes to map the windows key to home, and add some app shortcuts and so on; but it doesn't have the key by default. Might make a difference to some people.

More directly to OP - both these have arrows etc - surprisingly free of lag too. Not sure how well they'd work for games though, and depending on what you're playing you might prefer to get a controller - discovered last week that simply pluging in my xbox controller via a usb to go adaptor means it works with the nexus. Bulky; but very cool.

I have always wanted to have a "smart" radio. My parents have always owned various Pioneer, Kenwood, and Sony radio decks, but they always had their cons to them (clunky OS, different type of touch screens that suck, lack of features, very expensive $800-$2000), useless features, etc.). I wanted something that runs Android 6.0+. I thought about using iPads, but I didn't want to waste a bunch of money for something that is going to be used in my car only. I wanted a budget friendly "smart" radio. That is when I found the perfect tablet, the Nexus 7 2013. Cheap, powerful, Android 6, compact, somewhat thin and small, and best part, it fits in a double-din radio deck.

After finding various projects that people have used, I decided to order a bunch of stuff from Amazon (everything was bought with Prime) and see if I could get this to work. It took about 3 weeks to work out all the bugs, but it runs perfect now. I never found anyone that did this mod in a Nissan Pathfinder, so that was difficult going on my own, reading various wiring diagrams and getting power, sound and steering wheel controls to work. After lots of testing each wire, and lots of trial and errors, everything is working how I want it too.

Questions that people have asked me that I can remember on the top of my head:

Q: How do you turn the tablet on and off if the power button is blocked?

A: Easy, with Timur's Kernel, and the USB car charger hooked up to the accessory power, when I turn my key on/start my car, the tablet detects power from the USB, which wakes the screen/powers on. (ELI5: there are 2 power sources in your radio, a constant 12 volt power, and an accessory key power. So when you turn the key to ACC or ON, it gives power to the tablet, but when you turn the key off, it takes away power from the USB port.)

Q: How does it hold up in the wonderful California heat?

A: Shockingly very well. It hasn't given me any issues in ~95F (+35C) degree weather. There was a day where it was 115F (46C) degrees outside, and that is when the tablet finally said NOPE and started locking up and freezing due to the ridiculous heat. After running my AC for a few minutes, it cooled the tablet down to reasonable temperature and ran normally again. When my car is parked, I have a windshield sun shade that helps a ton with keeping the sun off my black/gray dash, and/or microfiber towels over the screen to keep the sun off. If it's super hot, I just take the tablet/radio/air conditioner part out of my car and bring it inside (not that hard to remove).

Q: How do you control the volume?

A: With the JoyCon EXC, it translates either CAN, IBUS, resistive, or digital steering wheel control signals, to USB keyboard signals that the tablet can see. I have the Joycon setup to have Volume UP/DOWN, Screen ON/OFF, PAUSE/PLAY, and PREVIOUS/NEXT. Click here for more information.

Q: How do you listen to the radio/music?

A: Spotify Premium. While I can spend ~$10 on a radio antenna to USB to listen to over-the-air radio stations, I never listen to the radio. When I had my old stock radio, I never listened to the radio part. I always used my 3.5mm jack to plug in my phone for Spotify. Great perk about being a broke college student is getting 50% off Spotify Premium.

Q: Can you/do you watch TV or movies on it while you drive?

A: I can, but I don't. Pay attention to the freakin' road.

Q: How do you get internet on it since it's a WiFi version?

A: I use my Bluetooth hotspot on my phone to get internet for Waze, Google Maps, etc. I can also use the WiFi hotspot, but that uses more power. I can drive from California to Idaho running Waze the whole way and it uses about ~300MB of data.

Q: Can you make phone calls with it?

A: This has been something I have been trying, but have not had success with yet. I use an app called [TabletTalk] (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apdroid.tabtalk&hl=en), but it doesn't push the microphone/sound through the tablet. I gave up on this since I have a Samsung Gear 2 Neo smartwatch that has a microphone/speaker on it. Some day I will explore with this more.

Q: How do you power your speakers if you removed the radio?

A: I lucked out big time with this issue because my Nissan Pathfinder has the Bose System built in. That means that there's an amplifier already installed that powers the speakers. So the tablet sends the sound to the Behringer UCA202 DAC, that then converts to a 3.5mm headphone jack that then splits into the Left Front/Rear, Right Front/Rear, and dual subwoofer channels that go to the car wiring harness that then goes to the amp. This saves me hundreds of dollars. For vehicles without a stock amplifier that rely on the radio for power, that is when you will need to buy an amplifier to power the speakers. My 12 inch subwoofer also plugs into the DAC and works perfectly.

Q: I see the reverse camera, how did you get that to work with the tablet? How does the tablet know when you are in reverse?

A: There were 2 ways to get this to work, one way is by video detection, or the other way is by the JoyCon EXC. I chose to do the video detection way because it was simpler and waiting about one second for the app to open was fine with me. I use an app called EasyCap viewer.

Q: Why is there paper over the JoyCon, EasyCap, USB charger etc.?

A: The plastic pieces over the EasyCap and USB charger were bulky/broken. The JoyCon didn't come with a cover. Paper was the easiest/closest thing I had at the moment. If only I had a 3D printer. Someday..

Q: Why is the mic in the vent and not somewhere else? Doesn't the wind from the HVAC cause problems?

A: It was a last-second add-on and just put it in there without having to rewire the harness. I also didn't know where to move it that made it look "stock". I've gotten some great opinions from /r/DIY on where to move it!

I'll add more common questions here when I think of them.

Breakdown of Parts:

Price | Part
---|---
$100 | Nexus 7 2013 32GB WiFi (flo) (bought from /r/hardwareswap)
$5 | Nissan Radio Wiring Harness
$6 | AmazonBasics 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub
$20 | Esky EC135-05 Rearview Camera
$95 | JoyCon EXC
$7 | Tendak OTG USB cable
$30 | Behringer UCA202
$7 | VideoSecu Amplified CCTV Microphone
$25 | Timur's Kernel v4.0 for Nexus 7 2013
$10 | Maxboost Car Charger
Free/Other/Already owned | EasyCap USB Video Capture Card, RCA cables, 3.5mm audio cables, USB cables, 12-16 AWG wire, grinder, zipties, paper, hotglue, other random stuff.
TOTAL COST | ~$305

TL;DR: Modified my Nexus 7 to work as a replacement for my radio. Worth it? YES. Best Radio Ever.

Have Questions? Ask away. Since I had to learn most this crap on my own, I can share my experience with others and give pointers in the right direction.

>I wish I could try one without buying it first

amazon's return policies are pretty generous. i would actually be comfortable ordering one of each, test them out, and return all but the one i liked most.

so you're grabbing the logitech model, the one that looks similiar to the apple keyboard?

>Seriously though, those keyboards are tiny... I'd be so impressed at how fast you could type on one of those.

the two smallest ones would require a thumb-typing method most likely, but i suspect it would still allow for quick typing given the phsyical buttons.

>EDIT: Oh wait, what about this one? I forgot I had it a wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055QYJK6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1

i like that one too. appreciable design, tiny but fully functional. very nice. it's clearly very similira to the logitech model and the apple keyboard...given the minmal price difference, i'd probably opt for the logitech version over that because i have more faith in logitech's quality control than hp's, personally.

I ended up getting the Brenthaven 2152 ProStyle Plus 13-inch Sleeve for Tablets for $42 on Amazon (Prime), which I think is a hybrid between a laptop sleeve and a shoulder laptop bag. Extremely well made and probably the best sleeve or shoulder type bag I've ever owned/used. It has three compartments and in the main compartment I have room for my N7 in a leather case, a Kindle in a leather case and the Logitech Keyboard for Android Tablets. In the second-biggest compartment I have room for a thin stack of 8.5"x11" papers or a similarly sized paper notebook, or a thin book. In the smallest compartment, which is roughly the size of a smallish smart phone, I keep my chargers.

Overall, I would describe this as a very good streamlined solution. If I ever need to carry more, the Brenthaven is still small and thin enough to fit into a standard sized backpack, and has the same footprint as a normal laptop sleeve. I'm extremely pleased with how well this turned out!

I think because they just want to try as sell as many as they can to new potential customers with the new 7. The normal price is around $15... so long story short the old version just isn't on sale.
Edit: If you are looking for a cheaper 2012 case I bought this one last November and it has held up extreamly well for somthing that was only $10 dollars. The feel of it is like real leather and it has not shown the least bit of wear on it. It fit like a glove and was not overly bulky and I can't tell you how many times I dropped my 7 in it and it always protected it well.
The only downside is when I first got it for a good day or so it has a extremely strong chemical type smell. After that it was smooth sailing and I would buy it again if I had to.

Oh wow. Those are crazy tiny/portable. I wish I could try one without buying it first — I'm pretty confident I'll like the Logitech... ordering it now. Wish me luck.

Seriously though, those keyboards are tiny... I'd be so impressed at how fast you could type on one of those.


EDIT: Oh wait, what about this one? I forgot I had it a wishlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055QYJK6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this case. Got it a few days ago, and it does the whole auto sleep/wake and it's very convenient.

So quite a few people mentioned cases they like, but I'm wondering functionally what type of case is the best. TPU with a screen protector? Case that tilts (smart cover)?
Here's a few ideas that I have, need help deciding which ones make the N7 the most usable for video chat, reading, and watching videos..

TPU
http://www.amazon.com/KaysCase-S-Line-Google-Tablet-Android/dp/B008I2NU54/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343144715&sr=1-2&keywords=nexus+7+case+tpu

Simple Sleeve
http://www.amazon.com/Neoprene-Outside-Accessories-keychain-MDK2G2R1/dp/B008BXSY7E/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1342672463&sr=1-3&keywords=nexus+7

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0061GJTXG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0061GJJCW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1TT70TX385JA11YW7MDY

Smart cover
http://www.amazon.com/i-BLASON-Google-Genuine-Leather-Function/dp/B008GFW7VQ/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1342457497&sr=8-15&keywords=nexus+7+case

http://www.amazon.com/CrazyOnDigital-2-Tone-Designer-Leather-Black-Gray/dp/B008FF8BJY

With a few of these, I assume I'll get a screen protector, but there are so many crappy ones it's hard to sift through them. Ideas? Testimonials?

I got this case on amazon uk which came with a free screen protector. The case im actually not crazy about, i think i want a slip cover or something as i just dont need a stand for everyday use. the screen protector is pretty good, the screen still feels responsive and looks excellent but it does show fingerprints more :(

Anywho i will use the case and screen protector for a few weeks just to keep my nexus in good condition. Basically for if have a change of heart and decide to sell it

I don't have either of these cases, but I've been looking into one of them trying to decide which one I like more. I'm probably going to get the first one, along with this one which someone already posted, but it has the faux leather. I'll decide which one I like better from there.

Personally, this one looks better and I would prefer this one

I found this one first, but i'm not a big fan of the shiny X on the back

I just got this case a few days ago amazon link

I absolutely love it. It can prop the nexus up in landscape mode, has a great leather feel to it, all the ports/microphone holes are designed to fit the nexus 7, and it has the magnetic wake/lock feature. Also good price at around $10

I have had this i-Blason case for about a week and love the heck out of it:

http://www.amazon.com/i-Blason-Sleep-Google-Nexus-Tablet/dp/B008GHN0NS/ref=pd_cp_pc_3

I chose it for the sleep/wake and stand capabilities, and because the others looked too bulky/poofy. This one looks and feels good, functions perfectly, and stays slim.

Poetic GraphGrip (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E7FY910). It's a little thick, but it feels good and has a nice ridge around the screen to protect it.

I bought this awesome case... Feels great, has the magnetic wake/sleep functionality, love the color, and most importantly, doesn't add much thickness to the tablet.

I'd also get a USB OTG, a small flash drive, and maybe a gamepad controller.

I bought this one and I love it. When you set the Nexus on it, the screen will pop on to notify you it's charging, make sure to switch the screen back off or it will charge super slowly.

I got it on amazon for $6.99 i love it. I keep it in landscape and I love the way I am able to hold the "kickstand" when I'm reading a book or something.. I can hold it for hours that way. Way exceeded my expectations.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MIQGTQ/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00
But its not the targus name brand. (Identical otherwise).
P.S. This one does have the magnet.

This exact thing happened to mine so I bought http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C40OG22/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_1?qid=1404512158&sr=8-1-spell&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70 and it works great charges my nexus 7 2013 just fine. The only issue is you gotta find the sweet spot and it's not that hard to find either. I highly recommend this product.

Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008GSMRAY
Includes: Stylus and Screen protector.
Great case for the price and gives perfect access to all the Nexus 7 Buttons.

My dream case would be a neoprene sleeve that was fitted for the Nexus7, like the one for the Nexus One. Simple, protective, and it kept the screen clean. I'll have to settle for one of these for now.

I'll probably get the case that is on the Play store when they get more stock.

I have this one and it's been working out great so far. Fits snug and feels solid.

http://www.amazon.com/i-Blason-Sleep-Google-Nexus-Tablet/dp/B008GHN0NS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1344370970&sr=8-4&keywords=i-blason+nexus+7

I like the fact that I can put it on and take it off quickly, I prefer to use it without a case at home and only put it on when I'm outside.

Thank you! Does [this] look like a good option as a replacement : (http://www.amazon.com/Screen-Digitizer-Assembly-Asus-Generation/dp/B00CBSGYZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398027954&sr=8-1&keywords=nexus+2012+screen+digitizer)

FYI. This is the keyboard I bought and I absolutely love it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054L8MR8/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01

Ok, this one is more expensive than the $30 you listed, but I just got it in the mail yesterday and I have to say it's amazing. I found a link to this on xda.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051R4ECM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The n7 is larger but because the charging node moves to the right location automatically, I was able to place the N7 on just fine and charge it. The best part is the moving node. No worry about syncing it up properly. Plus, it looks bad ass.

Here's the diagram I made up when I was doing the wiring
http://i.imgur.com/iTDrNh5.png

It wasn't too hard. I basically bought the plug for my car's existing wiring harness and wired the amp to that, used RCA cables to hook the amp (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B43LKV0) up to the DAC (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KW2YEI)

On the other side, I got this cable: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAJTTYC and cut off the male USB end, which I wired to a step-down (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWLP88A) on one side and the 12v switched power on the other side. Then I just plugged in the tablet to the micro USB and the DAC to the female USB.

I don't have any pictures of the piece of wood method, but basically, once I pulled out my old headunit, there was a hole in the dash. I stuck the amp and DAC into the hole and cut a piece of wood big enough to cover the hole with a hole through it for the power wire to pass through for the tablet. The tablet itself is sandwiched between that piece of wood and the plastic bevel of the dash with a bit of foam padding.

I'm not a hardware hacker, and had never done any car audio, and I had no problems figuring it out. (though I did kill my battery a couple tiems because I had the amp hooked up to the regular 12V line instead of the switched line, so it stayed on and drained the battery till I got that sorted)

I didn't bother with FM radio since I never listened to it anyway. I can't say I regret it, though I do wish that somewhere in there, I had an aux line so I could hook up a phone easily, but that's only so my wife could play stuff off of her iPhone.

Night driving is fine, but that might depend on your car. I just use the auto brightness, and I have a solid black background for the tablet, so if it's too bright, I can just minimize the app, though I don't usually have to do that. During the day, it's bright enough to see fine, but that may depend on your car layout.. in mine, there's no glare because the screen is vertical in the center of the dash.

Finally, I also have a blutooth OBD2 reader (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NZTZLQ) hooked up which displays some gauges for stuff like MAF, RPMs, Gas usage, etc.

Get this case. This thing is worth $40 easily. I could not have asked for a better <$10 case.

http://www.amazon.com/YooMee-Android-Leather-Multi-Angle-Function/dp/B008L0U8F8

I love this (Japanese) one from Panasonic:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-QE-TM101-K-Black-Wireless-Charger/dp/B0051R4ECM

It's a large-ish pad that senses where your phone is and internally moves its charging coil to wherever your phone is. You NEVER have to orient it, it does the orienting for you.

I have preordered this: http://www.amazon.com/YooMee-Android-Leather-Multi-Angle-Function/dp/B008L0U8F8
Not bad for $8 + free shipping.

I have one of these at work. I can manage to fit the Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 on it such that when one finishes charging it automatically switches to the other.

I got this one last week. It looks decent I think. Had a nice texture. Was actually smaller than I thought it be.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C40OG22/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1417050881&sr=8-1

Works fine with both my Nexus 7 and 5. Gets a little warm but from what I've read that's normal.

Only complaint is there is a bright blue LED light when it's charging. I put a piece of electric tape over it to solve problem.

I plan on getting a few more to keep around the house.

I bought this one:
http://www.amazon.com/HP-FB344AA-AC3-TouchPad-Wireless/dp/B0055QYJK6/ref=pd_cp_e_0

It's built well and a lot of the extra the extra keys (like the vol). It was $21 when I got it a couple weeks ago.

Just purchased 3 of these yesterday. They were $5. I figured for 5 bucks its worth a couple weeks of waiting.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MIQGTQ/

I got the leather case linked in the sidebar and it does the magic on/off when opened. What more do you want?

I just got this case and I love it because I hate cases adding bulk. This is functional with minimal bulk.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MIQGTQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

As for apps, I'll try not to repeat what povsky said.
GrooveIp for VoIP calls.
Where's my water?
Tapatalk
Extended Controls
AirDroid
DiskUsage

I got this one and am really happy with it. Cheap, feels expensive, has wake-on, etc. No complaints.

http://www.amazon.com/Google-Nexus-Tablet-Leather-Supcase/dp/B008HDLI9Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344656567&sr=8-3&keywords=nexus+7+cover

This is the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/UPGRADED-Wireless-Charging-Blackberry-Qi-Enabled/dp/B00C40OG22

I just ordered one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E7FY910/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Poetic GraphGrip Case

http://www.amazon.com/Screen-Digitizer-Assembly-Asus-Generation/dp/B00CBSGYZ4

?

http://www.amazon.com/i-Blason-Sleep-Google-Nexus-Tablet/dp/B008GHN0NS/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1344634877&sr=8-27&keywords=nexus+7+case
This one seems to ship to Canada.

Bought this one a few days ago, haven't received it yet so no comments on it.

Also, have you given any thought to a sleeve? example or this example

You maybe should check this one out?

I got this case and NFC works just fine.

ugly :|
I'll be waiting for this to be released in August. Looks slim and the bezel is not covered with anything. Simple as possible.

16GB owner. No complaints or problems with mine. After getting a case, and insurance, I would have probably gone back and told myself to get the 8GB one for cheaper all around.

I replaced my first gen N7 screen with this - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CBSGYZ4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - really easy, can't even tell it's not the original. Only pain in the ass was the getting the adhesive cut and placed in the correct spots. I've tried unsuccessfully to replace only a digitizer on a phone and it did not go well. Would not recommend.