This is a guest post by Joe Pawlikowski. If you wish to write one, kindly check out the guidelines to write a guest post.
It’s been slow starting for Android Tablets. The good news is that it was also slow starting for Android smartphones. It took a lot of tweaking, and one big marketing campaign, to place Android among the main smartphone competitors. That happened about a year after Android debuted. Last year Samsung debuted the Galaxy Tab, which was the first real entrant into the Android tablet market. Since then a few more have hit shelves, but few have impressed. But now, a year after the debut, that could all change.
Samsung has another Galaxy Tab ready to hit in the near future, just in time for the holiday season. This one could sell big and finally make a name for Android tablets in the way that the Motorola Droid did for Android smartphones. Maybe you’ll find yourself as owner of an Android tablet before the year is over. If you do own one, here are five premium apps you should grab immediately.
1. FlightTrack
Tablets are perfect for travel. They’re small and easy to store, and they’re now powerful enough to replace your laptop. Plus, they can provide plenty of entertainment while you’re in transit. You can watch movies, play games, and read a book all on the same device. WIth FlightTrack you can also stay up to date on your travel plans.
As with most flight tracker apps, FlightTrack provides you with real-time information about your flight. It has information from airports worldwide, so you’re covered on international travel as well. If there’s stormy weather in the forecast, FlightTrack tries to predict any possible delays, so you can start making your Plan B. My favorite feature is the widget, which displays your flight information on the home screen.
With over 2,300 ratings in the Market, FlightTrack has maintained a 4.5 star rating. That should speak volumes in itself.
Flight Tracker in the Android Market: $4.99
2. What Does It Mean To Be Global?
While a tablet can be a serious business tool, it’s also an entertainment device. In fact, many tablets can be entertainment-first devices. But no matter what your purposes for your tablet, there is a 100% chance that your kids will want to use it. It’s hard to say no to those adorable faces, and so you’ll have to load up your tablet with apps and games appropriate for kids. The interactive book, What Does It Mean To Be Global?, can provide you with a wonderful balance.
Sure, you could just load up Angry Birds and let them fling stuff, but that’s not going to challenge them. This interactive book will actually teach them something that can stick with them and help them develop a greater awareness of the world. It contains both text and voice narration, so it can even help teach them to read. All in all, this interactive e-book can provide a learning experience that kids will want. Isn’t that the ideal kind of app if they’re going to use your tablet?
What Does It Mean To Be Global? in the Android Market: $2.99
3. Due Today
On a flight last week, I saw a guy working furiously on something in his daily organizer. It didn’t appear he had a pen in his hand, but was moving his hand furiously. When I got up to use the restroom I saw that he had installed his tablet his organizer, and that it was the source of his notes and calendars. This struck me as an excellent way to get the most out of your tablet. An app such as Due Today can bring it all together.
Due Today is one of the most complete note and tasks apps on the Market. It allows you to create projects and define each step as a task — much like the method described in David Allen’s bestselling book Getting Things Done. These tasks can come with reminders and due dates, so you’re always on top of what needs doing. There is also room for recurring tasks, and different contexts for each app. All of this will ensure that you know what you need to do, when it needs doing, and, most importantly, why it needs doing.
As with Flight Track, Due Date has maintained a 4.5 star rating in the Market through multiple hundred reviews.
Due Date in the Android Market: $2.99
4. Perfect Ear Pro
We all want to be rock stars, sure, but most of us would be satisfied with knowing the basics. Perfect Ear Pro can be that tool. It uses various exercises to help train your ear, which is the key to creating and performing at your best. It also contains note diagrams for piano and guitar. Memorizing these notes is important, as it allows a greater focus on composition and improvisation. The tablet is the perfect interface for this type of learning.
Not only does Perfect Ear Pro make sense for any musician with a tablet, but it also goes with the myriad other music apps available. In fact, you can make your tablet a mini music studio. Practice on apps like this, play along with songs with some others, and even record your stuff with other apps. There are so many in the Android Market that we couldn’t possibly list them all. But it all starts with learning, and Perfect Ear provides just that.
Perfect Ear Pro in the Android Market: $1.99
5. Splashtop Remote Desktop HD
If you have a tablet, chances are you already have a desktop or laptop computer. You might find yourself actually using the tablet more often than the others eventually. Once you figure out all the things a tablet can do it’s hard to go back. Yet you probably still need a lot of the information from your desktop. Amazingly, your tablet can take care of this, too. Splashtop Remote Desktop HD lets you access your computer right from your tablet.
Not only can you access your documents and other business information from your desktop, but you can stream your media files, too. That’s like putting a full hard drive right on your tablet. You can stream your favorite songs, and even your favorite videos. Essentially, if you can do it on your desktop you can do it on your tablet. That only makes your tablet that much more powerful.
Splashtop Remote Desktop HD in the Android Market: $4.99
Article By: Joe Pawlikowski is the editor of AndGeeks, a site that promotes the Android lifestyle. He is eagerly awaiting the Samsung Galaxy Tab so he can get these five apps.