What does one do with an Android tablet?

[KidsHappen]

My brother bought me the following item:http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Iconia-A100-07u16u-7-Inch-Tablet/dp/B005EOYZ7Q for Christmas. I already own a laptop and a Kindle so what would I use this item for.

 

I basically use the internet for this forum, occasional FB, Pintrest, googling and watching Netflix. My email is Microsoft something or other connetted directly to my computer so it wouldn't be practical to check it on-line nor do I see a need to. I have an ereader on my computer but do not use it as I have a Kindle. I do use Word a lot but all of my docs are on my laptop so I am not sure what exactly the purpose of this item would be for me.

 

My brother drove 47 miles out of the way to get this item for me and spent money that he really couldn't afford to spare and he is sure I will love it once I get used to it. I really want to but I don't even understand it's function. Can someone help me out here?

[Chris in VA]

I use my husband's to play Angry Birds.

 

 

:D

[learningmama]

What a nice brother! Don't have a tablet, but I like them. I play games on dh's phone. I had a fried who watched movies on hers. The phones/tablets are easier to transport and I can relax in a comfortable position better than sitting at the computer.

[acurtis75]

Search recent iPad, kindle and android threads for app suggestions and ideas for ways others are using their tablets.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Jealous!

I want one for my knitting patterns and cookbooks.

Amazon has an app store for Android with a free app every day.

I'd put my favorite ebook app on it for starters, Aldiko

http://www.pcworld.com/article/236660/11_best_free_android_tablet_apps_for_newbies.html

[sparrow]

I know how it feels to receive expensive gifts from someone you know isn't really in a position to spend that sort of money :grouphug:. It's very sweet and kind that he got you something he thinks you'll really enjoy. Make him happy and be delighted :001_smile:, otherwise it just ends up with awkwardness.

 

I have a Nook Color that has been made into an Android tablet with an SD card. Some of the things I use it for are travel, watching Netflix, and watching instructional videos on Youtube. I love how portable it is. You can start taking a look at available Android apps in the Android Market: https://market.android.com/?hl=en

[Georgiana Daniels]

I know how it feels to receive expensive gifts from someone you know isn't really in a position to spend that sort of money :grouphug:. It's very sweet and kind that he got you something he thinks you'll really enjoy. Make him happy and be delighted :001_smile:, otherwise it just ends up with awkwardness.

 

I have a Nook Color that has been made into an Android tablet with an SD card. Some of the things I use it for are travel, watching Netflix, and watching instructional videos on Youtube. I love how portable it is. You can start taking a look at available Android apps in the Android Market: https://market.android.com/?hl=en

 

Which SD card did you get? I'm very much looking forward to turning my Nook Color into an Android tablet.

 

To the OP: I suspect an Android tablet does a lot of what an Android phone does, and I use mine for absolutely EVERYTHING. Music, pictures, videos, GPS, internet, games, etc.

[sparrow]

Which SD card did you get? I'm very much looking forward to turning my Nook Color into an Android tablet.

 

This one. It literally takes a minute to do.

[Jane in NC]

I love my tablet but I do not own a Kindle so I cannot address redundancy issues.

 

As you may be aware, TSA does not require one to pull tablets (or any kind of e-reader) out of one's luggage when going through security checks. I no longer travel with a laptop.

 

The other day, I sat at the oil change place with my tablet. I read the Washington Post mobile edition.

 

At home, I use my tablet as a media player. I enjoy listening to programs from BBC Radio--I use the tablet for portability although the laptop would serve in the same fashion.

 

I have downloaded knitting patterns on my tablet.

 

My husband downloads books on his tablet but I seem to prefer paper. ;)

[Suzq]

I have a Nook Color turned Android with an SD card like Sparrow. I will share some of the things we do with it to give you some ideas. However, none of them are really necessary but you do start to become dependent on them after awhile.

 

I would start by getting the book reading apps like Aldiko, Nook, and Kindle even though you already have a kindle. You can try it to see how you like the lighting and you can get magazines to see the color parts. I would get a pdf reading app too like Adobe. Then you can read pdf's on it. We have the Offline Dictionary app with an english, 1913 english, english to spanish, spanish to english on there. We can look up words without internet.

 

I have the overdrive app so I can get library books too. It is wonderful.

 

You can use it for a calendar. It can sync with your google calendar or if you use cozi it can sync with that if you get the Cozi app. I have cozi just for the grocery lists and to do lists. I keep these on one of my homescreens as widgets so I can check them now and again and check things off too. Or you can get the Grocery IQ app and make grocery lists on there. It will sort them by the aisle and your tablet is small enough for your purse so you can take it with you to the grocery store.

 

We do not have wifi but if you do then you can get recipe apps and set your tablet in your kitchen for you to follow the recipes.

 

We have some games on there too. My kids play baseball and angry birds. We have some simple games like checkers, backgammon, solitaire, hangman, and four score. We can play these on long car rides.

 

I have the app called Pulse and I save blogs in my Google reader which I can then have go to Pulse. This way I can read the blogs at my leisure and on the couch not at the desk on the computer. You can update the blogs in a wifi hotspot and then go home and read them without wifi.

 

These are just a few ideas for you. Nothing is really dire but it has been fun for us. We don't have any other reader so we use ours quite a bit for reading.

 

At least give it a try and see how you like it. Have fun.

[ourjourneys]

I use my husband's to play Angry Birds.

 

 

:D

 

Yes, yes, yes... just keep it for de-stressing with angry birds :)

[Georgiana Daniels]

This one. It literally takes a minute to do.

 

Thanks! Will order.

 

Looking forward to having a makeshift Android tablet :)

[JoJo]

Does he want another sister? LOL!

 

I'm one of those 'deprived' Mama's that doesn't even own a cell phone -laugh- I would like to get a tablet of some sort though. It would be great to use as a homeschool tool, a car boredom buster, a reader, etc....

 

Have fun with your goodies :D

[LifeLovePassion]

How do you like it? I am thinking of getting that one.

[berry]

i would sell my kindle and just use the kindle app on the tablet. that's what i do. my life is on my tablet. calendar, recipes, email, books, bible, etc. except for very long emails, i never use my laptop anymore.

[boscopup]

I just got a Toshiba Thrive (10" Android tablet) for Christmas. I plan to read books on it (don't have a Kindle, and I'd like to read some color books as well), read PDF teacher's manuals, and I also plan to get a PDF annotating app so the kids can write on PDF curriculum.

 

And yes, Angry Birds on the big screen is pretty fun. :lol:

[Candid]

I just got a tablet too, but I wanted one. I haven't done anything much productive with it yet. ;)

 

However, my smart phone was already my life line in terms of organizing my life.

 

Evernote will store all kinds of information photos, etc. Anything you don't want to forget. So when I have things my kids did but I no longer want the physical object I can take a photo or scan in a document, put their name on it and it saved for when I am old, gray, and alone. But I also can save my trip plans or my user manuals (and throw out the paper ones). All waiting for me to need them. Or recipes and so forth.

 

Astrid is a to do list organizer which can integrate with my Google calendar which integrates with Outlook (the calendar in your email). I can set it up with due dates or repeats. Otherwise I forget.

 

So when I go to an appointment and need to make another one, I have my calendar with me. Instead of having to come home and copy to another calendar, it does it for me. Also, with older children you can have them have separate calendars where their things show up on your calendar, but they can also add things to their own calendar. Your tablet will have a calendar in it. I did upgrade to something called Business Calendar, but at first you'll be fine with the in built calendar

 

You can get your Kindle books in the tablet. If you have a tablet that doesn't light up, then you could read in the tablet at night in the dark.

 

I also have apps that store websites and articles for later and then when I get stuck waiting I can pull it up and read then.

 

Also, my phone (and now tablet) has my Bible on it, with underlying word cross references. So I take it with me instead of a paper Bible to church. I can take notes which get stored in Evernote above.

 

Other folks were talking about using a PDF editor to allow children to worksheets in PDF on the tablet. That could save paper cost big time.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Candid

[LaxMom]

We got a Lenovo K1 on sale at Staples and it's awesome. I'm using it right now to surf the boards. What else would it need to do? :001_huh: :lol:

 

The kids like to play games on it and we're looking forward to sharing teaching materials on it from our PC (also Lenovo and I love it).

 

The "big plan" is to move the PC upstairs to the school room (when we finish it) and have a doc for the tablet in the kitchen to listen to music, pull up recipes, etc.

Edited December 27, 2011 by MyCrazyHouse

[ktgrok]

I want one just so I can use it for recipes. I hate printing them off to take in the kitchen, and I don't like having my laptop in the kitchen as I get flour in the keys.