Monday, August 20, 2012

9 essential apps for kickstarting your new Android tablet

Picking the first apps to download for your Android tablet becomes a lot harder as the Android operating system grows in popularity and Google Play grows in content offerings. However, there are a few essentials that we recommend every tablet owner pick up. We've listed nine apps below that make your Android tablet experience just that much better.

1. Dropbox

Download: Dropbox

Price: Free

Most Android tablets do not come with a native app for sharing files between your device and smartphone or computer. Enter Dropbox, an online file storage service that integrates with your file storage on your computer as a folder, and apps that will run on your Android tablet or smartphone. With Dropbox, sharing a file is as easy as copying it into the folder on your computer, running the app on your tablet, and opening the file. That file lives in your Dropbox for as long as you like, until deleted.

2. DoubleTwist with AirSync

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Download: doubleTwist Player, AirSync

Price: Free ($4.99 for AirSync app)

Most Android users bemoan their inability to easily synchronize music between computer and tablet, as iOS users can do with their devices and Apple's iTunes. Fortunately, DoubleTwist provides a solution: its simple UI makes transferring music to your tablet a breeze, and the AirSync feature means you don't need to go hunting for that pesky USB cable ? just make sure your computer and tablet are connected to the same wireless network. AirSync is a separate app for your tablet and will set you back $5.

3. HootSuite

Download: HootSuite

Price: Free

Do you like having all your social networks in the same view, with the ability to post updates in one hit? You'll definitely want to check out HootSuite, then. HootSuite handles Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and LinkedIn accounts together and aggregates all your networks into a single home stream. You can use HootSuite for both personal and business networks ? HootSuite supports multiple Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Best part? Access to HootSuite is also available through its website, so you can have the same layout and user experience on your tablet, smartphone, or computer.

4. Evernote

Download: Evernote

Price: Free

There are many options in the world of synchronized note services. Evernote stands above the rest in terms of organization and functionality. Evernote makes taking notes, storing recipes, and recording meetings a breeze, and the recent tweaks to the notebook system mean you can nest notebooks ? great for when you want to organize your recipes by type, meal, or complexity.

Want to get an extra layer of use out of your Evernote app? Use your tablet to take a picture of things like receipts or bills, and then send the picture to Evernote as a new note. Text in your picture is searchable, making for a great on-the-go system to track travel expenses.

5. Flipboard

Download: Flipboard

Price: Free

Long one of the best-loved iPhone apps, Flipboard is now available on Android. The Android version of the popular news reading app is just as slick, offering a very visual, magazine-like approach to aggregated reading. Flipboard can collect content that it knows you love by plugging into the services you already use, or you can use it as a discovery engine for finding new stories and sources to read. The app is an absolute pleasure to use, and a must-download for any avid news reader.

6. Advanced Task Killer

Download: Advanced Task Killer

Price: Free

Nothing is worse than having your tablet respond more and more slowly because too many apps are running. Keep your Android experience speedy by using Advanced Task Killer. You can use Task Killer in one of two ways: Manually go through the app and check off items to kill, or hit the widget for Task Killer on the main screen to make it end existing apps based on your previous cleanup choices (called auto kill). Auto kill has three settings ? safe (which only kills apps that are consuming memory while not running), aggressive (kills everything including under safe kills, plus apps running in the background), and crazy (kills all apps except the last one actively used).

The paid pro version does not include ads, but doesn't offer any additional functions to the app.

7. Skitch

Download: Skitch

Price: Free

Skitch came to the Android platform when it was acquired by Evernote, and boy, we are grateful. Skitch is perfect for brainstorming meetings ? just capture a shot of the whiteboard, chock full of ideas, add your own notes, and share it out. Even better, send the image to Evernote as a new note, and all your ideas are now searchable text!

Keep in mind that if you're looking for more advanced photo editing software, Skitch is probably not the app for you. However, for tweak-and-send needs, Skitch is a welcome addition to the Android tablet arsenal.

8. Google Reader

Download: Google Reader

Price: Free

Do you love to stay on top of the latest news and top blogs? After all, you want Tecca's newest when it comes out, right? But you need a reliable service in order to keep up with all those RSS feed subscriptions.

Google Reader has an intuitive UI and makes browsing through your various categories of RSS feeds extremely convenient. Flipping through your unread posts is quick, although occasionally the navigation can be frustrating when you want to get back to the category view.

9. Amazon Kindle

Download: Kindle

Price: Free

Amazon's Kindle service remains one of the best for e-reading experiences. The Kindle Store has an extensive selection of books to purchase, with a surprising number available for free. In addition, the app's viewing settings mean your reading experience is pleasantly customizable. Eyes feeling a little strained? Lower the brightness on your display and increase the size of the text, all within the app.

This story originally appeared on Tecca.

More from Tecca:

Ultimate beginner's guide to Android phones and tablets

10 top tablets that you can buy right now

Evernote makes taking notes easy

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/usatoday-TechTopStories/~3/nA70utCJoUw/1

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