26 Nov 2014
Best Android tablet apps: the absolute essentials
If you're the proud owner of a shiny new Android tablet this holiday season, whether it's a Nexus 9, a Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 or an Nvidia Shield, the first thing you're going to want to do is get some brand spanking new apps on it, especially the best tablet apps you can find. But what places a particular app amongst the best apps for Android tablets? Good question. Read our list of the best Androd tablet apps to find out.
Movies
Watching movies is probably the single biggest reason most people buy a tablet: all that lovely screen space with nothing but you and your headphones in all the world. There's no better way to pass a boring plane flight or train trip, or even just to crash out in bed while relaxing on a Sunday. But you need a solid movie player, and they don't come any more solid than VLC for Android Beta. It may still be in Beta, but VLC can't be beat when it comes to playing back all the things!
- Download VLC for Android Beta
- How to watch TV shows and movies for free on Android
- Music more your thing? Here's the best streaming music players for Android
Office Suites & Productivity
When all that time-wasting has ended though, you might find yourself needing to actually do a spot of work on your tablet too. So having a good office suite is an essential. I've tried a dozen or more office tools and hadn't found anything better than QuickOffice, which was promptly killed by Google, so now Microsoft Office Mobile, which is now my go-to for office work. If you're after an alternative to Microsoft, check out our list of the best office apps for Android. While you're doing all that typing, you might want to invest in an excellent swipe typing keyboard too, like SwiftKey, which is also free.
Photos & Gallery
Another great thing to spend time doing on a tablet is checking out the bazillions of photos we produce every single year. For that, you're going to need one of the best Android camera apps, one of the best photo editing apps and one of the slickest gallery apps for Android. My picks for these three are:
eBooks/Newspapers & Magazines
One of the biggest selling points for any tablet is that beautiful spacious screen. And one of the best things to do on a big screened tablet is read. You know, like you used to do with a newspaper or book. If you've got yourself an endless supply of classic ebooks clogging up your computer or growing dusty on your Kindle, then why not pop them on your new tablet so they're always with you? They take up no space either, so that ''1001 books you must read before you die'' list is going to take up less memory than a Lady Gaga album.
If you're more into current affairs then you might want to consider some of the great official apps that go along with your favorite rags too:
While you're at it, why not indulge your inner nerd and get a little more in depth on some topics:
Or if you're after something a little more widespread in its focus, try out some general news apps like:
Games, baby! Games!
C'mon, you can tell your parents you want to write your essays on your Nexus 9 all you like, but we all know you're really just looking for a slate to play awesome games on. When it comes to the best games on Android, we've got you covered, it all depends what you're looking for:
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