Database Info

[Q] What do you use your Xoom for?

I'd like to make a list of the things you can use your Xoom for. Like most people, I use my laptop for most stuff; the Xoom is just for messing around. I find myself walking over to the laptop to respond to emails, to see things full screen, and for anything productivity related.
It's a pretty expensive piece of kit for messing around; I'm looking for reasons to keep mine (beyond that I'm a huge geek and love this tech stuff). I admit that I thought that the 3.1 update would bring more functionality, but I'm a bit disappointed to find that it's pretty much the same (in terms of how I use it); and there are so few apps with tablet functionality that I kind of wish it was just a phone...
Here's what I use it for: (I'll expand the list with your suggestions)
Check email---ususally switch to the laptop to write back (unless it's short)
Check schedule and change schedule
Check blogs (through pulse; the web browser is too clunky)
Watch videos while I'm working
Listen to Grooveshark while I'm working
Google video chat---Most people tell me it's annoying on their end though
Reading---(this one I'm not certain about yet. It's really too heavy to hold up like a kindle...)
Casual gaming---Only for silly time-wasters like "chalkball"; cordy and dungeon defenders and similar games are just stupid and clunky compared to console or PC gaming.
What I don't use it for:
Web surfing---drives me nuts
Productivity (document editing)
Video to TV---Laptop has HDMI and I also have a PS3
I really like this thing, but considering what I use it for, I could save money and get more satisfaction by buying a kindle and a nice phone. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Browsing, email, music and kindle.
That's about it.
I'm not sure tablets really have much use beyond that right now. But, to be fair, I do use it a lot for those things. Almost never use my laptop except for work.

I use mines for a substitute for my laptop. I'm a student and rely on it heavily for:
Evernote
Logmein
Pulse (while in boring lectures)
Music
Web Browsing XDA and other forums
Google Docs
Dropbox (Saved my ass several times when thumb drives failed me)
Everything I can do on a laptop I can do in my Xoom. I had the Xoom for 4 days and it blows away the iPad 2 which I traded for the Xoom. More freedom and desktop like experience. To the OP I type my papers on an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

got mine as a stop gap for the galaxy tab 10.1. Don't get me wrong this is a great device, its just a shame about the weight in my opinion.

risq said:
got mine as a stop gap for the galaxy tab 10.1. Don't get me wrong this is a great device, its just a shame about the weight in my opinion.
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Click to collapse
Ha, same here. Figure I can sell this for about 400 and then grab a 16gb tab for 499.

I bought it so excited thinking it would help me with work and this and that, and I hardly use it for anything productive.
Maybe with more classy apps it will work better.
I'm waiting for the funds, but the second I get them I will be applying my Xoom to Photoshop CS5.5, I'm almost positive that expirence is going to be a whole other world for me.
But yeah, so now I mostly use mine for watching videos, general web browsing (personally I find it quite pleasurable in that aspect), BS gaming, and, when i travel I bring this and my ps3 with me and use the Xoom to hop on the PSN.
8 hrs of game play on Black Ops (which is all I tested for that duration of time) only uses up too 200 megs, a lot less than I initially thought.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

I don't see why you would wanna spend another 100 dollars and cut your memory in half.
What is the gtabs screen going to be like compared to the Xooms?
Like besides weight, what's the gtab got on the Xoom?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

school work
I'm a student so I use it for notes, and if class gets boring I whip out angry birds

RadDudeTommy said:
I don't see why you would wanna spend another 100 dollars and cut your memory in half.
What is the gtabs screen going to be like compared to the Xooms?
Like besides weight, what's the gtab got on the Xoom?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't need the extra 16gb and in any case I have an SD card which I can use if needed.
Tab has a PLS screen. Supposed to be better than IPS and way better than the TFT in the xoom.
And as a European user I have more faith in Samsung than Motorola when it comes to updates.

hatworthy said:
And as a European user I have more faith in Samsung than Motorola when it comes to updates.
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Click to collapse
That is just the opposite here in America. Motorola has shown good faith in updates since androids original release.
My girlfriends Samsung Galaxy S Captivate just got Froyo a month ago.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

True, though I think the carriers over there played a part in that fiasco. Motorola on the other hand just don't give a **** about Europe. They don't even release most of their phones over here.

I use mine to take to classes for notes and dungeon defender, its also useful to take to the bed for studying

RadDudeTommy said:
I don't see why you would wanna spend another 100 dollars and cut your memory in half.
What is the gtabs screen going to be like compared to the Xooms?
Like besides weight, what's the gtab got on the Xoom?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO USB, NO HDMI ports on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 means no video out and no keyboard/mouse for easier input/navigation.
I really like the fact the Xoom has a true GPS on the WiFi models. That feature seems to be missing from the Acer and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

shobirama said:
NO USB, NO HDMI ports on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 means no video out and no keyboard/mouse for easier input/navigation.
I really like the fact the Xoom has a true GPS on the WiFi models. That feature seems to be missing from the Acer and Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Video out will be through a proprietary cable, just like the iPad. First i've heard about the gps though. Got a link?

I'm using it more and more....
At home/fun: watching movies, playing angry birds (which at first I had no interest in and now I'm hooked) streaming radio/playing mp3s, surfing the web...
Work: I have two jobs.. a part time IT job, which I use dropbox, logmein, browser, office docs, and GPS.
My other job is in sales... which I use GPS almost every day... dropbox... office docs, mostly excel, and calculator..
While driving I'll either play music or videos... I cover larger distances and don't have satellite radio, so streaming is better then having to keep switching stations plus I get tired of the same music over and over again.
I'm very happy with it... well worth the money.
This weekend I just started to customize it... got a long way to go but I plan to have one screen for each job... and then a couple just for fun stuff.
-R

I use mine a lot. I keep finding more and more uses for it.
Uses:
Just discovered evernote, so looking forward to using that more
Movies/anime
Games - Angry birds, stupid zombies, robodefence
Reading - Bible and others (like "In the Plex")
Browsing and email
Pulse
Taking notes at meetings, then I can just email everyone the word document instead of rewriting it up and then doing so.
GPS, Google maps works really well, and you only need to turn on internet every 30 min or so, as it caches the maps quite far ahead of you.
That's all I can think of at the moment.
I don't really use:
music
video editing
camera

Browsing
News stuff (see also browsing)
Email
Twitter
Facebook (to a lesser extent)
Games/Angry Birds
Streaming media - Plex
HDMI connection to TV (see streaming media)
Gallery for viewing photos
Emulators for SNES etc. (will probably use this more when I have 3.1)
Camera (a couple of times)
I'd probably use RDP when I get a mini server set up at home..
That's about all for now.

Almost everything tbh. For non work related purposes I use it exclusively.

reading comics
reading news stories
keeping the kids occupied during tripts
internet
watching movies and shows
playing games
email
messaging with gtalk
reading and editing docs
taking notes
browsing forums with tapatalk
accessing files that are not stored on the xoom - dropbox

slack04 said:
What I don't use it for:
Web surfing---drives me nuts
Productivity (document editing)
Video to TV---Laptop has HDMI and I also have a PS3
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Click to collapse
I find that setting webpages as bookmarks on the homescreen improves my browsing experience.
I use the speaker dock from Moto and that sounds great with music player.

Anyone use for school? Hows it do?

How does this work as a laptop replacement in a school environment? Taking notes, web experience, etc. I'm looking to replace my laptop for at school.
How does it do rendering blackboard ?
Any help would be appreciated I might pick one up tomorrow with the keyboard. Is it responsive to type documents on?
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

As a direct laptop/desktop replacement, I do not believe it will do that. However, if you are looking for something that is light, takes notes with a stylus, web surfing, movies, music, etc... Then it would be perfect. I am a college student, and have used an iPad and now this for school, and it fits perfectly into my daily life.

With the keyboard dock, this thing would seriously be a netbook type device, so typing on one I would not know. I use the Transformer by itself.

Hmmmm, I have found the best solution for my studies (masters in education) was a touchscreen laptop like the fujitsu lifebook using OneNote. I have the keyboard dock for the transformer and I simply love it. I am currently forcing myself to use this instead of my lifebook simply to see the abilities of this in the classroom. This machine falls a bit short of being the perfect companion, thats pretty good. No OneNOTE, but with printershare that makes up for it a bit.
The lightness of it is huge ofcourse, its sturdy as well. Internet is less cumberson than on a windows based machine. There are several apps that can be used for office, or you could use google Docs. Also, once rooted, you can download any file type and with the USB ports on the dock you will be able to move files at your whim.
ON THE OTHER HAND... (And this point just came to me as I was typing this) I have not used my laptop since I purchased this machine a few weeks ago and currently about to finish my last class. So maybe it is a good solution.
Give me sme real world applications (how you want to use it) and maybe I can give you some suggestions.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

boglwe said:
Hmmmm, I have found the best solution for my studies (masters in education) was a touchscreen laptop like the fujitsu lifebook using OneNote. I have the keyboard dock for the transformer and I simply love it. I am currently forcing myself to use this instead of my lifebook simply to see the abilities of this in the classroom. This machine falls a bit short of being the perfect companion, thats pretty good. No OneNOTE, but with printershare that makes up for it a bit.
The lightness of it is huge ofcourse, its sturdy as well. Internet is less cumberson than on a windows based machine. There are several apps that can be used for office, or you could use google Docs. Also, once rooted, you can download any file type and with the USB ports on the dock you will be able to move files at your whim.
ON THE OTHER HAND... (And this point just came to me as I was typing this) I have not used my laptop since I purchased this machine a few weeks ago and currently about to finish my last class. So maybe it is a good solution.
Give me sme real world applications (how you want to use it) and maybe I can give you some suggestions.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
thanks in advance you are really helping me out. Well some apps i'd like to use would be:
-an office-like application to edit/compose word docs or essays.
-view pdf files
-i have used evernote in the past, but i also like using powerpoint to take notes in the notes pane under slides....(i think with google docs i can toggle speaker notes which may solve this issue)
-another thing on taking notes, can u insert bulleted lists/ numbered lists/ indents to keep notes organized on any notetaking software for the transformer?
-as far as music goes, how does it handle multitasking with music. FOr example, playing audio in the background while i study.
-ease of copying/pasting.
I am thinking it may just suffice and have that 'wow' factor too. I do have a desktop at home, so for anything real intensive i am sure i could use that (which i have been neglecting lately).
Im familiar with rooting/flashing devices as i've come from a captivate and now use a atrix. I feel like im rambling, but the more i type the more it sounds like a viable solution for taking notes in class.
one last thing, i have seen a few threads about some keyboard lag...is this a serious issue? is there a fix? I saw that there are several iterations of the keyboard, is there one i should try and get when i go shopping over others?
i just dont want to have to wait for the keyboard to catch up if i'm taking notes in evernote.
I think i may just pick it up tomorrow and try it out for a few weeks since school isnt until august 29th...but i could use any insight on it i could get!

August 29th... semester system?
I've not used it to take notes yet (summer research), but for school life, entertainment-wise, since I've had it, I haven't used my laptop much for anything other than the occasional Netflix (and I've stopped since I finished BSG ).
I'm using my laptop right now to play some game, but really, the TF has almost replaced everything I need it. The typing lag does kind of suck so if you're some kind of student with a major that will require lots of typing..

asdfuogh said:
August 29th... semester system?
I've not used it to take notes yet (summer research), but for school life, entertainment-wise, since I've had it, I haven't used my laptop much for anything other than the occasional Netflix (and I've stopped since I finished BSG ).
I'm using my laptop right now to play some game, but really, the TF has almost replaced everything I need it. The typing lag does kind of suck so if you're some kind of student with a major that will require lots of typing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how bad is the typing lag? i dont do a TON of typing, but i am taking an online class so i may need to type into a forum style system box to submit.
edit:
i see that it is only an issue with SOME apps? have you used thinkfree office?

domin8 said:
how bad is the typing lag? i dont do a TON of typing, but i am taking an online class so i may need to type into a forum style system box to submit.
edit:
i see that it is only an issue with SOME apps? have you used thinkfree office?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not too bad but not like iPad fast either,it lags but catches up easily on everything you type.

It catches up for short typing sessions. When I typed up a document for my parents, it was really noticeable in a bad way though.

The keyboard lag is NOT all the time; I mostly see it in the browsers and its actually rare but when it happens, you know it. A few things to note regarding using this machine for serious work...First there are several apps that can be used for Office (documents to go, and polaris, that latter comes with the machine, but I have yet to find one that has auto-save, and that can be scary when writing those long papers. If the machine is rooted you can copy paste ANYTHING, without root, its kind of a hit and miss.
You can play music in the background, so no worries there. most music apps attach to your task bar in any ways.
The way I find myself using this device many times in in conjuction with my own desktop now or at the school library computers and have this next to me at all times. It is an amazing resource to share information point blank with peeps and youself. There is also a thread somewhere here talkin about a Onenote alternative for android using a stylus, I have yet to try one of these apps.
PDF files are easy enough, here are tons off apps to do this.
Something else to remember is that these pads are getting TONS of attention right now from all kind of devs and apps are being made DAILY, its really just a matter of time for an app to show up to do EXACTLY what you need. IMHO
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App

Yeah, he's totally right about the apps showing up. Now... all I need is... STRATEGY RPG LIKE FINAL FANTASY TACTICS! (Who's up for making/porting one?)
Anyway, I like my TF for what I've used it for so far. Just grab one and try it, and return it if it doesn't work for you ?

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you bud. I bought the TF foreseeing that I would hopefully be able to us it for school and I was very pleased with my decision in the end.
To answer your questions...
It is a very viable (and in most case preferred) option to do basic school work on, especially simple stuff like note taking and editing documents. The included office app (Polaris) is actually a very nice feature and includes just about everything you would need to type an essay such as indentations, points/dots/whatever they are (as you were looking for), also includes numbering, double spacing, different font sizes and colors. Now it's not a full Microsoft Office replacement, but it definitely has all the basic features you'd be looking for.
You can also find a handful of microsoft office editors in the Android market. I haven't personally tested any of them yet (but will use them when school comes around) however from my knowledge they seem capable of editing word, powerpoint and couple other office applications--which is good enough for me.
To address the keyboard lag. I can speak from experience, when typing in most apps (especially apps like colournote, AKnotepad, Polaris or anything else that allows you to take notes or write extended paragraphs/papers) there is absolutely no lag with the keyboard. Once you get the hang of it, you will be typing at a decent wpm rate and you won't tell the difference between the tf dock keyboard and any other. There is however a noticeable lag when using the stock browser but from my knowledge this is due to having flash enabled and has nothing to do with the dock/keyboard itself. Also, the knew dolphintab browser seems much better at cleaning up any lag in the browser and I feel with the net couple updates it will be a near perfect option for tab browsing. That aside, I would like to reiterate the fact that the keyboard does not lag when using things related to note taking or Polaris office. It is for the most part a browser specific issue.
As far as highlighting words and copying and pasting, that is the one thing the tf doesn't really excel at. You can still copy/cut and paste pretty much anything you want but it is just not as fluid as using a pc.
So there you have it. The transformer is pretty much a nice fit for doing basic school work BUT it is not in any means a complete replacement for having a desktop/full size laptop. There will definitely be times when you will come across things that you just have to have a pc to do, but for the most part, especially when it comes to basic stuff like note taking and writing papers, the TF is perfect.
I would also like to note that there are some apps out there that let you control a pc from your android tablet/phone such as phoneymypc or logmein. I highly suggest taking a look into those as they are great tools that you can have at your disposal with the TF and will make being away from you pc all the much easier.
Like I said, i'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I'm an MIS major and I often get annoyed at having to lug around my laptop just to take notes and do basic remedial things that something much lighter and more compact such as the TF can do wonderfully....
One more thing (wow this is a long post). You can easily find top notch netbooks (which offer the productivity of a pc with the portability of a tablet) for the same or even lesser than the TF. This was one of the things I took into consideration before I got my TF. I had to ask myself am I getting this thing solely for school, or do I want it for the other things android has to offer (entertainment wise). Overall I decided that i'd go with the TF because to me it had the best of both worlds as I am a huge android fan and have been an early adopter since the days of the G1, so the TF was a perfect fit for me...Just something to keep in mind.

boglwe said:
The keyboard lag is NOT all the time; I mostly see it in the browsers and its actually rare but when it happens, you know it. A few things to note regarding using this machine for serious work...First there are several apps that can be used for Office (documents to go, and polaris, that latter comes with the machine, but I have yet to find one that has auto-save, and that can be scary when writing those long papers. If the machine is rooted you can copy paste ANYTHING, without root, its kind of a hit and miss.
You can play music in the background, so no worries there. most music apps attach to your task bar in any ways.
The way I find myself using this device many times in in conjuction with my own desktop now or at the school library computers and have this next to me at all times. It is an amazing resource to share information point blank with peeps and youself. There is also a thread somewhere here talkin about a Onenote alternative for android using a stylus, I have yet to try one of these apps.
PDF files are easy enough, here are tons off apps to do this.
Something else to remember is that these pads are getting TONS of attention right now from all kind of devs and apps are being made DAILY, its really just a matter of time for an app to show up to do EXACTLY what you need. IMHO
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wish i'd of read this post before I spent 10 min typing mine up... I suck at making things compact, lol.
To the dude asking about rpg games. You absolutely HAVE to buy battleheart RIGHT NOW. It's not ff but it is an amazing rpg game and hands down the best you will ever find for android. (I haven't played them all so I really can't say that, but it is freaking awesome.)
Best of luck to you OP.

I'm used to use a 15" HP ProBook at school, but I do feel that my transformer can replace it...
But I guess I have an advantage as IT Professional, I run some servers at home (one of them has serveral types ov VPN on it, in case one is blocked by any firewalls), so I can access my desktops, and just use Office 2010 or Sony Vegas on a Core I7 (video editing), there is pretty much no limit for me...
But even if I was not able to make it this easy for me... I really love the Android OS, and it grows so fast in a short period of time... I wonder where it is in another 5 years... If Android goes on liek this, I think it will replace Windows (for regular users, not for companies)...
When I go back to college in 4 weeks )), I'll leave my laptop at home for the first week to see if I miss it for my everyday tasks...

I've used it for school and managing my work.
As a photographer it is needed that I have seemless integration of the sd card slot and a good device to support it, the transformer can handle it with ease!
The polaris office (or whatever its called) lets you make documents, excel sheets and powerpoint.
With a good stylus you would be able to take notes in like drawfree for example.
It handles music quite fine as it lets you multitask between apps and music.
And while Im doing all of this I can still get in touch with my friends because of the social part of the transformer that updates my status once in awhile ! ^-^
Its not a full fledged netbook but a nice replacement so far!

asdfuogh said:
Yeah, he's totally right about the apps showing up. Now... all I need is... STRATEGY RPG LIKE FINAL FANTASY TACTICS! (Who's up for making/porting one?)
Anyway, I like my TF for what I've used it for so far. Just grab one and try it, and return it if it doesn't work for you ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already exists, playstation one emulator or gba emulator. They redid fft on gba.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

domin8 said:
How does this work as a laptop replacement in a school environment? Taking notes, web experience, etc. I'm looking to replace my laptop for at school.
How does it do rendering blackboard ?
Any help would be appreciated I might pick one up tomorrow with the keyboard. Is it responsive to type documents on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it for uni, and it seems to function quite well.
As a notetaking tool in lectures, it works fantastically, and it's so much better than lugging my Dell laptop around with me all day, which would just be a pain. If you've not got the dock or a bluetooth keyboard, it might be a bit of a hassle- I found that on the touch screen keyboard, hurriedly jotting down notes meant that I had to constantly backspace to correct formatting, punctuation, or spelling mistakes.
Polaris Office also tends to be a bit weird with me, though- sometimes files that I make on the transformer refuse to open using Microsoft Word on my computer, and vice versa. If you're doing a project with heavy formatting, you should probably stick to your desktop as Polaris tends to screw all that up for me.
It renders BlackBoard very quickly, and is great if you want to sneak a peek at a document that a teacher has uploaded there.
I'd say that you shouldn't use it as an all out replacement for your laptop where all school work is concerned- but as a device to take notes on, get quick snippets of information on, and access the web, it's perfect. Plus it helps that I can play Angry Birds if a lecture gets especially boring...

My semester just started again last week and I've been trying the TF (with dock) out as a netbook replacement for a week now.
I've been using freenotes to take notes in lectures and it's worked wonderfully. The built in email/gmail apps have worked wonderfully for email use and I use Dolphin for web-browsing and it's all been a real delight to use. Reads pdfs fine and I've got all my textbooks on internal storage (best thing ever).
The only annoying thing is coding on it. Doing a few Java projects this semester and as I'm still getting to terms with this language, I like to be using a full IDE for auto-correction etc. Anyway, I've been using vi via the terminal and this has been fine so far for code editing.
So yeah, after a week it's proved to be a pretty nice netbook alternative. Plus everything's nice and speedy unlike my clunky atom based netbook, plus it doesn't run hot on my lap and I've got no fans blaring constantly. Best thing about ARM from an end-user point-of-view
EDIT: I've also purchased a stylus for my TF last week, so I'm going to see how that goes for taking quick notes during lectures on my TF. Will report back if it's any good or if the keyboard is easier.
If you're looking for a more "desktop"-like experience, install Ubuntu on the internal storage. It's working wonderfully now (apart from a few small things) and you've pretty much got a full x86 laptop replacement in a nice lightweight ARM tablet.

this is why i love XDA, you guys have really answered all of my questions thoroughly! I am going to try and use that staples coupon that's floating around since it expires today and pick one up thanks so so so much guys, I plan on sticking around the transformer forums just as much as i do the atrix forums now

so it works! im glad i found this. this was my original plan to buy a tablet of some sort tablet with a dock (atrix with lapdock was my failed attempt) cuz i dont plan to carry my 17 inch laptop around. lol.

[Q] Tablet Apps

So I've had the Transformer for about 4-5 months now and too be quiet honest due to the lack of apps I cant really say it was a justified purchase. Sure its cool and all that and its useful when you just want to kick back and browse the web.
I love android been a huge fan of android since the longest time I used to own an iphone but I quickly got rid of it cause i wanted functionality/customization more than i wanted a whole array of apps.
However, somewhat opposite is what it seems I want with the tablet. So though i really like honeycomb and its looks (none too different than ICS) and i love ICS capabilities to fully take advantage of the tablet. Are there any apps that do the same? i mean i came across a couple like Google Catalogues, Books, pretty much mainly google made apps.
Now my question is that do people have any apps that takes advantage of the tablet. not a big fan of gaming on the tablet. But i guess if you guys can post me some names of Apps to check out i'd appreciate it. Also by posting here you guys can share with those who also have a similar problem.
edit: When i say take full advantage of the tablet, not only do i mean that its useful and fully performs the function you desire but also that the presentation of the app is elegant has some depth and quite nice/enjoyable to use.
edit: Thanks everyone for your input some of you guys are correct there is a whole thread for tablet optimized apps here is the link given by woodrube http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
also there are two apps you guys can download in the marketplace that i hope will in the near future bring to our attention even more better fully capable elegant apps. They are free downloads called "Tablified Market" and "Tablet Market". I see that many of you guys aren't pointing out Apps but rather are telling me how i can use my tablet lol, thank you for that but i was just having a hard time finding Apps i liked for the tablet and thought you guys may have known a hidden gem or two. But im just going to keep looking through the two apps i mentioned and possibly the thread.
the thread served its purpose for me and i hope for those that had similar thoughts there's some good insight in here for those that aren't to sure how to use the tablet once the "honeymoon" period passes.

How about these.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381

What do you want it to do? I use mine for just about anything. School work, text books, notes, word documents, taking photos, Netflix, music, for video game hints when I have time to play. I think you have to have a use for it, it won't create functionality out of thin air. I don't have a use for a smart phone, to me they are too small. I can't imagine using a smart phone after having a tablet first. Watching Netflix must be torture on a small screen, office apps and such seem meant for tablets.
Kingsoft office
Ez Pdf reader
PowerAmp
Polaris office
Writepad Stylus
Splashtop HD
Balance my checkbook
Sygic Naviga
I came from a rooted nook color before this, and have never regretted it. It also was not an impulse purchase. I knew with the dock I would get close to 20 hours of battery life, with my laptop I get 4.5 brightness all the way down. I have never been keen on Apple products and for 500 bucks I have a NetBook/32 gb tablet with expandable storage.
I will admit it seems that Apple does have the edge a far as gaming goes, but that edge will diminish with time. I would like to see more graphic intensive games from these devices, like Dead Space, GTA, NOVA, and such. Again, in time we will see this evolution.
Sent from a KRAKD out Tranny

MCRHAZ said:
So I've had the Transformer for about 4-5 months now and too be quiet honest due to the lack of apps I cant really say it was a justified purchase. Sure its cool and all that and its useful when you just want to kick back and browse the web.
I love android been a huge fan of android since the longest time I used to own an iphone but I quickly got rid of it cause i wanted functionality/customization more than i wanted a whole array of apps.
However, somewhat opposite is what it seems I want with the tablet. So though i really like honeycomb and its looks (none too different than ICS) and i love ICS capabilities to fully take advantage of the tablet. Are there any apps that do the same? i mean i came across a couple like Google Catalogues, Books, pretty much mainly google made apps.
Now my question is that do people have any apps that takes advantage of the tablet. not a big fan of gaming on the tablet. But i guess if you guys can post me some names of Apps to check out i'd appreciate it. Also by posting here you guys can share with those who also have a similar problem.
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I've had the transformer for about 6 months now and I must admit at first I was the same. I was instantly impressed with how much more system level stuff I could do (e.g. download a file and SAVE it somewhere - outrageous) but I couldn't help but resist the thought of "this is like my pc, but a bit crappier"
Something I found quite interesting was that as I bought it with the dock I had the tablet tied to the dock 95% of the time- In my head I was like "more battery, extra ports and a keyboard, heck yes" and as I'd paid extra for the dock it seemed silly to just leave it sitting around. I'm not sure what happened, but one day I evolved to taking it out of the dock. Once I did it became a mobile entertainment system that could follow me around the house, it was fast, powerful sleek and could hang out in the lounge room, go to the ****ter and take to bed.
Once that realisation took hold, I felt alot more able to just use it for whatever I was doing. This was MASSIVELY helped by the android 10 billion download sales where I picked up airtwist (an itunes music syncer), ezpdf reader (great for books) and some cool games. Suddenly I could easily play music that my iphone used to do, read books, write shopping lists, control the dvd player etc. etc. etc.
In a large part my iPhone 4 had cornered this aspect of my life but I soon learned that the tablet did everything better. Now the iphone just feels too restrictive so I'm hanging out for a Galaxy S3 or something similar.
Basically, get the apps that suit your lifestyle, take it out of the dock (if you have one) and just go nuts!

wafflestheclown said:
I've had the transformer for about 6 months now and I must admit at first I was the same. I was instantly impressed with how much more system level stuff I could do (e.g. download a file and SAVE it somewhere - outrageous) but I couldn't help but resist the thought of "this is like my pc, but a bit crappier"
Something I found quite interesting was that as I bought it with the dock I had the tablet tied to the dock 95% of the time- In my head I was like "more battery, extra ports and a keyboard, heck yes" and as I'd paid extra for the dock it seemed silly to just leave it sitting around. I'm not sure what happened, but one day I evolved to taking it out of the dock. Once I did it became a mobile entertainment system that could follow me around the house, it was fast, powerful sleek and could hang out in the lounge room, go to the ****ter and take to bed.
Once that realisation took hold, I felt alot more able to just use it for whatever I was doing. This was MASSIVELY helped by the android 10 billion download sales where I picked up airtwist (an itunes music syncer), ezpdf reader (great for books) and some cool games. Suddenly I could easily play music that my iphone used to do, read books, write shopping lists, control the dvd player etc. etc. etc.
In a large part my iPhone 4 had cornered this aspect of my life but I soon learned that the tablet did everything better. Now the iphone just feels too restrictive so I'm hanging out for a Galaxy S3 or something similar.
Basically, get the apps that suit your lifestyle, take it out of the dock (if you have one) and just go nuts!
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I appreciate your guys's comments. I'm sorry i should have been more precise in my rant though lol. What I meant to say was that sure the functionality is there and i love that that's great. But I end up not using it because the apps look so ugly lol and rather then just do it on a laptop. So what I do want are those apps that have the functionality there but also the elegance in the app. An example of this would be cooklet or Catalogues these two apps really impressed me in their depth and elegance, not much an actual catalogues type person or a cook (apart from eggs and toast) but i just go into the apps cause they look so good lol. other than that i tried using it as a essay writer as i do have the dock but the keyboard is too small to be comfortable for hours on end of writing. Also, i tried getting into it being a main music/media hub bought hdmi cable and everything but the music player on it is really crap lol for movies its good but again i dont really use it as much as i can just use my ps3. I do see myself using it more and more if there are better and better apps built for it. for starters a better gallary/music/video player youtube is good but would love to have the capability for it to play more than one video at a time. Maybe a nice agenda app? So if you guys know any great apps that may replace the ones currently or in general that have functionality and elegance and beauty let me know. Or show me videos that show how to make apps lool i'd be total game for that once my semester is done.

Woodrube said:
How about these.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
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Thanks dude will be checking these out...there's a lot of em didnt realise it as much. i've had two apps on my tablet that show me tablet apps "tablified market" and "tablet market" but this list seems to surpass those.

There are more than enough practical and useful apps, you just need to figure out what they are for you. For example..i travel and go to college. For traveling, iuse media apps for watching movies and listening to music on the go. Also games for killing time. For school purposes,i use the kindle app and buy ebooks for required reading . Like mentioned above, i use splashtop desktop which is a remote desktop app that i use to connect to my pc at home to access my files and for other tasks. I am also a news junkie so i use the app pulse which allows u to subscribe to many different news sources. You have to find out what works for you. If you absolutely cannot think of anything,then my advice is to spend some time browsing the market for something you can use.

cavsoldier19d said:
There are more than enough practical and useful apps, you just need to figure out what they are for you. For example..i travel and go to college. For traveling, iuse media apps for watching movies and listening to music on the go. Also games for killing time. For school purposes,i use the kindle app and buy ebooks for required reading . Like mentioned above, i use splashtop desktop which is a remote desktop app that i use to connect to my pc at home to access my files and for other tasks. I am also a news junkie so i use the app pulse which allows u to subscribe to many different news sources. You have to find out what works for you. If you absolutely cannot think of anything,then my advice is to spend some time browsing the market for something you can use.
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...?i know, i stated that i do have the useful apps but there presented in such a way that i don't feel like using them because even though I'm studying to become an accountant I'm an artistic sort of person who likes to see elegance in things because that also shows passion and not just something you whipped up because its useful and will get you many downloads/sales. Maybe you guys don't like that and don't have any aesthetic standards, if i can say without being rude, but me I pay'd a hefty sum, for being a university student, and I would at least want apps that i can enjoy looking at while doing the function I need to. Maybe its too much to ask right now, maybe I have to wait more to find such apps and thank you guys for trying to help i appreciate each comment.

There might be different reasons you got that impression.
First thing is, as you stated, you simply overlooked the good ones. That's pretty easy to happen in the crowded android market, and so that's what this thread is for.
Second possible reason: The apps you are looking for are not that popular, that the developers care to make a special tablet layout. When I think about accounting I think of functionality over design, or simple "boring offices". Maybe that influences the apps tailored to those topics. (Don't get me wrong, don't want to sound rude, I'm a economics student myself, but I never really enjoyed things like accounting )
Third possible reason: The apps are properly designed but the look doesn't appeal to you that much. The overall iOS design is based on buttons that seem to scream "push me, push me" like those buttons on the packaging of electronic child toys. Everything is a bit shiny, a bit glossy and a bit 3D. You can simply enjoy it without thinking about what you're doing. The (current) android design however is a bit more on the techy side. It has a clear and functional layout, with few but important design rules. If you're not sure, which parts of the UI are intended and which are simply bad style please refer to Android Style ( developer.android.com / design / index.html No links due to low post count). Maybe the overall android look is not that appealing to you.
Coming back to the original question: The two apps for finding tablet specific apps are a solid source of tablet apps - I'm using them as well, keep them going!
Another good source for tablet apps is keeping an eye on Androidpolice. There is a loose series of posts called "The n Best Android 3.0+ Apps For Honeycomb Tablets From The Last n Weeks". It doesn't come out on a regular basis, but every now and then, and always provides me with some good hints for good apps.
I haven't got my tablet at hand right now, as I'm in the office, so I can't check whats installed on it to give you tips (might come back later), but I remember the IMDB App having a nice tablet interface. And I love reading my Google Reader feed via the app "feedly" which is a magazine style app, that allows browsing your feeds like some glossy magazine, with a nice gesture based interface.
This was the tips part of my post.
Now to continue the rant I can understand your point, with spending 400$+ for a device and then having few apps available that make use of that extra screen estate. I see myself using apps, that are good, but designed for phone, every day. Compared to the iPad where there are ****loads of tabletoptimized apps available this is kinda sad... BUT I also see myself doing things with my tablet everyday, that an iPad owner can never imagine, like connecting USB drives, sharing URLs and text between apps, manipulating wifi networks, using sd cards or simple things as downloading a file. So for me the price, which is about the same as the iPad's price, is absolutely ok! I'm still happy for every new tablet optimized app that launches, though.
OK, that has been a tl:dr post, but nevermind, happy weekend for everyone!

There is a Tablet Market app here somewhere...either in the development section or the apps/themes section. All the apps in it are supposed to be tablet optimized.
Swyped using my Pinky

Get an ipad.

[HOW To]TURN YOUR PHONE INTO A GAMING MACHINE

Your Android phone isn't just for widgets, talking, Google Now and photos. It can also be one of the world's best gaming platforms, if you're willing to spend a little time on it.
Once the domain of tinkerers and super-nerds, Android devices have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years, spurred on by the emergence of superphones like the Samsung Galaxy S 4, HTC One and Google's own Nexus 4.
Despite this increase, there remains the perception that - at least in terms of gaming - Android phones are somehow a step behind the iPhone. That things like piracy, a lack of apps and convoluted system specs are hindering the development of games on the platform.
I'm here to tell you this is bull****. Chances are that if you own an Android phone, and picked it up within the last 18 months, you've got in your pocket a silent killer in terms of portable gaming.
Below you'll find four steps you can follow to turn that humble little smartphone into something a little more gamey.
1. USE GOOGLE PLAY
Well, duh. But if you're a new user, or someone contemplating making the switch, this is important.
Android users have a bad reputation for pirating software, including games, and in many ways that's a fair assumption. Pirating games for the platform is way too easy.
Don't be that guy.
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You'll even find some hot exclusives. Kairosoft's entire catalogue of addictive-as-hell management games is on the Play Store, for example, while only a handful have ever made it to the App Store.
Seriously, there are enough quality games on there already that we could end the guide right here and you'd be set. Luckily, we're not ending the guide here.
Those remaining developers who either delay bringing their games to Android, or don't do it at all, usually cite piracy as one of the big concerns. The more people actually pay for apps and games on Android, the more of these developers will be encouraged to bring their wares to the platform. So do it.
2. GO RETRO
Let's say you want to play something more substantial than most mobile titles can offer. Or a classic game from your childhood that, for better or worse, isn't available on the Play Store. The great thing about Android phones is that you can still play these games, and it's a lot easier - and more legal - than you might think.
Two of the most popular means of running old PC games on modern systems - DOSBox (for old DOS games) and ScummVM (for old adventure games) - both have versions available for Android devices.
Before we go any further, then, you're going to need install these three applications:
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ScummVM for Android
DOSBox Turbo for Android
DOSBox Manager
.
What DOSBox Manager does is let you create a quicklaunch screen for the games, so instead of having to enter command prompts every time you want to play a game (which is normally how DOSBox works), you just tap some box art, same as a regular app/game.
If you need help using DOSBox Turbo and/or getting your games running, the best place to start is the app's site, which has helpful (and easy to understand) walkthroughs and guides.
ScummVM is an easier proposition, but if you have trouble setting it up, the official guide gives you a great walkthrough on getting set up.
A word of caution, though: be careful which games you bring over. Your phone has limited inputs, most likely just a touchscreen, so trying to play a fast-paced RTS or shooter might not be the best idea. Slower, mouse-driven genres like adventure and turn-based strategy are a good place to start.
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Unless, that is, you want to...
3. GET A CONTROLLER (OR USE A MOUSE)
It sounds crazy, I know. Buying an external controller for your phone defeats the entire point of playing games on a portable device. But the fact of the matter is, as phones become more powerful, phone games become more powerful, and it's a tragedy that people try to play something like Real Racing using touchscreen or tilt controls. Stick a pad on there and some of these newer games will feel like a console game, instead of just looking like one.
There's also the benefit it brings to the retro games you'll be playing. Use a gamepad and suddenly all those amazing old shooters are playable. Connect a bluetooth mouse to your phone and anything you can't play with a pad, you can probably play with it.
Doing this is pretty simple; provided they don't need drivers, Android natively supports bluetooth peripherals, including keyboards, mice and control pads. It'll even display a mouse cursor if it detects one. Just find your phone's bluetooth settings and pair it up.
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To save you buying a gamepad, there's an app that lets you connect a PS3 pad to an Android device (though note: your phone needs to be rooted for this to work). Alternatively, you can sync a Wii Remote, since it also connects via Bluetooth (and can be configured with this app).
Again, this might sound crazy since you can do this a lot more easily on a regular computer, but consider this: old PC games weren't designed to run on giant 23" desktop monitors. You either stretch their visuals until they look like garbage, or run them in a window.
Phone screens, though, are at the cutting edge. Relatively tiny yet packing amazing colours and now sometimes even 1080p resolution, they breathe new life into your old games. Trust me, fire up something like Colonization or X-Com on a contemporary phone and it'll look better than ever.
4. GET A BIGGER BATTERY (OR BATTERY PACK)
The one major downside to the crop of modern Android smartphones is that, almost to the last, they've got terrible battery life. Most can barely last a single day, even with infrequent use. If you're planning on playing a game at home, that's not a problem, but let's be honest, how often will you be playing a phone game at home?
Running 3D graphics - or even just leaving a big bright screen on for long stretches - will kill your battery. So if you're serious about gaming on your Android phone, you should think about getting a bigger battery (if your phone supports removable batteries) or an external battery case/charging pack (if it doesn't).
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5. SIGN UP TO ONLIVE
It's easy to forget about the company these days after all the problems it went through last year, but streaming service OnLive is still around, and it works on Android devices. Your mileage may vary depending on your device - it's more suited to tablets than phones - but if you've got a gamepad solution for your phone, and your connection is fast enough to pull it off, you can play all kinds of games that would normally never be available on the platform..
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SOURCE
*Lifehacker

Great guide. Bought a NES controller and female USB to microUSB a few weeks ago. Waiting for them to be shipped! Will tell you how it works when I have them in use.

i have my OTG cable but sad to say i don't have ps3 or wii.. hehehehe..
thanks for a great info!
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

I've got a moga pocket controller its great and more and more games are getting supported. My GS4 clips right into the phone holder and im off.

Specially the onlive thing, gotta love it.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Awesome guide! I can vouch for DosBox Turbo. I have about 50+ games installed and regularly play Warcraft II networked multi-player with my buddies on their Android devices.

anyone actually get scummvm to work? i couldn't get it to recognise any games no matter what i tried.

Gloris said:
anyone actually get scummvm to work? i couldn't get it to recognise any games no matter what i tried.
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Working perfectly for me.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

What folder structure and file type did you use? I tried zip files I tried unzipping them. Tried putting them in various folders but I can't get it to recognise any games.

We are doing just that with our new product Ingeo.
We want to turn any Android phone into a TV game console.
It is an HDMI dock and a wireless controller.
Check it out here

Any difference using it?
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

gampad
I 've a Razer Onza
But when i connect to my s4 it does not work
Can you show me how to connect that controller to my S4
Thanks so much

duythanh90 said:
I 've a Razer Onza
But when i connect to my s4 it does not work
Can you show me how to connect that controller to my S4
Thanks so much
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Using OTG cable. It's that simple
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"

Do you REALLY need a tablet?.. why I sold my Nexus 7 (2013, 2nd gen, Wifi version)

There was some weird voice in my head when I saw the new Nexus 7 (2nd gen) coming out: "buy it, you need it, you want it, you deserve a new toy". I have a few friends that were really happy with the 1st gen Nexus 7, so I was tempted to buy the 1st Nexus7, but didn't.
I should have really thought it through before buying the 2nd gen Nexus7. After having it for 4 months I concluded that the only reason to have it is if you like games.
Downsides and reasons I decided to sell:
- portability. Even thou its portable enough, i found that my old HTC Desire Z has the same functionality and use as the Nexus7 for daily tasks, plus also offers the portability of fitting into a pocket without tearing it.
- no vibro. I am used to have tactile feedback when writing messages, getting alerts and such
- no 3G/4G LTE The whole thing about the tablet is using it to consume stuff online and the 3g version costs 50-100 pounds extra. That's unfair
- influences to play games. Having something as powerful as it and not playing games seems like a waste of money and the crisp clear screen
Why would I want something as powerful as the Nexus 7 just to check my email, read news, e-books and the like? I can read mail and news on my phone and read books on my Kindle.
Don't get me wrong, the Nexus worked really smoothly and with just an occasional hiccup. But before getting it I would look at girls in public transport awkwardly and sometimes even get enough balls to actually say "hi" to them instead of turning my eyes red in that 7 inch, 50Hz shining light-bulb that seems to exploit my brains psychological fallacy to stay "on top" of (not important) news, games and apps.
I decided to get a Asus EEE for work and learning, Linux my Kindle and read PDF's on it (the battery holds in the count of weeks not days) and use my phone for android and stuff on the go.

After I built a desktop just for gaming I replaced my laptop with an ASUS Transformer - it's lighter, the battery lasts longer and I like it a lot better than a netbook. I still use my e-ink Kindle because I much prefer reading books on e-ink. My phone is pocket sized but isn't the best when I'd rather have a keyboard to type with.
For me, this is what works. It's all about arranging the tools in your life to work best for YOU.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

There is nothing better than hardware keyboard and mouse in notebook or PC. In most cases tablets are running Android, so they can't run programs like PowerPoint or Excel.

I use it mostly for watching videos... Works great for that purpose. Still prefer reading on my kindle though. Also browsing the web is a little easier on the larger screen.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app

- no 3G/4G LTE The whole thing about the tablet is using it to consume stuff online and the 3g version costs 50-100 pounds extra. That's unfair
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What about tethering then?

I wanted to buy tablet for myself for few times, but i dont see point now with my phone. Almost all that i can on tablet, i also can on my phone. And for some serious work i need keyboard and thats that. My wet dream is ultrabook but i cant justify cost
Pennycake said:
After I built a desktop just for gaming I replaced my laptop with an ASUS Transformer - it's lighter, the battery lasts longer and I like it a lot better than a netbook. I still use my e-ink Kindle because I much prefer reading books on e-ink. My phone is pocket sized but isn't the best when I'd rather have a keyboard to type with.
For me, this is what works. It's all about arranging the tools in your life to work best for YOU.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
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Transformer is only called tablet, but it is much more

A tablet has no advantages.

1) The main thing I use my Galaxy Tab 3 for is reading e-books.
It's pretty cool having a portable library where you can change the text size and color (red is easier on my eyes).
I really like to read, both fiction and non-fiction, and a phone is too small for that, even my Nexus 5, it's just too small. 7" is perfect for reading, as is 10"
2) Also, I have taken some vacations this year, and took a bunch of pictures that my family wants to see. Very easy to just bring a tablet if a family member is in the hospital (I have such a person) or if I go somewhere else, and I can show them come pics and videos right on the 10" tablet.
3) Work. Some of us work in fields where we would like to show pictures of things we sell or explain things to customers, and this comes in handy as a tool.
4) Games. I play chess and checkers on the 10" tablet sometimes and it's pretty fun. Some games really shine on a bigger screen.
Now what I find ridiculous, and I have seen this recently at a concert and at the zoo, is people taking pictures with their tablets, namely iPads. It's pretty crazy that you brought a tablet to that venue, and you're using it as a camera?
Really don't get that.

Lamalord2 said:
A tablet has no advantages.
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SIZE. Bigger than a phone, smaller than a laptop.