9 must-have apps for 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 the Android Market 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
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
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
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
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.
Evernote also offers a premium service for $5 a month or $45 a year that allows you to upload more data, collaborate with others, and work offline. But don't be scared off by the subscription fee — you can get a lot done using the standard service.
5. Apps Organizer
Price: Free
Android tablets are sorely lacking in any kind of folder functionality for the home screen. Unlike their smartphone siblings, the tablet OS does not include basic folders for organizing your apps logically — very frustrating when the Market, by default, adds all your new apps to the home screen!
Rather than watch your tablet's main navigation become an absolute mess, consider downloading Apps Organizer. Apps Organizer uses a label system to categorizes all your apps. Then go to the menu on your home screen and add folders (driven by the labels you've created) to your screen. The folders added will automatically have all the apps under that label.
6. 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 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
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
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
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.
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