What does an android tablet do

Android Tablets

Android is customisable, easy to use and works perfectly with all your favourite apps.

Get more done and have some fun

Ready when you are

All your music, photos, documents and Gmail are there waiting for you as soon as you sign in to your Google account.

From work to play

Get things done and entertain yourself from anywhere. Easily and quickly switch between creating and editing documents, browsing the web, watching films and listening to music.

A tablet that listens

Use your voice to get things done. Say “OK Google” to ask a question, send an email, set a reminder, get directions or whatever you need to do.

Your apps are all here

Choose from over 1.3 million apps on Google Play. Plus, your favourite Google apps are already on your device, easy to access and run smoothly.

Apps Carousel

Explore a selection of Android applications that you can use to make your Android phone, tablet, wearable, auto console and television one-of-a-kind. Use the previous and next buttons, as well as the keyboard arrows, to change the displayed item.

Get more out of your Android tablet

Turn your mobile device into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot and share its Internet connection with up to 10 other devices at once.

Open your device’s Settings menu. Under “Wireless & networks”, touch More > Tethering & portable hotspot. First make sure that you set up your Wi-Fi hotspot under “Set up Wi-Fi hotspot” and then select the box next to “Portable Wi-Fi hotspot” to start sharing your data connection.

Easily switch between activities with the Overview button that can be found to the right of your Home button in the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen.

Because photos are automatically backed up and synced to the cloud with Back up & sync, you can take a selfie from your phone and tweak it on your tablet.

Open the Photos app, touch the menu button and select Settings. Touch Back up & sync and then switch on back up.

Open the Photos app on your tablet, select a photo and touch the pencil icon to start editing.

Get the information that you want when you need it most with Google.

To view the Google Now cards that are waiting for you at any time, open the Google app and scroll down to see all of your cards.

With multiple user accounts and guest modes, you can share your device with others while keeping your personal stuff safe and sound.

You must be the tablet owner to add users. To add a new user, open your tablet’s Settings menu and under «Device», touch Users. Touch Add user or profile, then touch User and finally touch OK. Touch Set up now if you’re with the new tablet user. If not, touch Not now and complete setup later.

On Android 5.0 Lollipop, pull down the notification bar and tap the round icon of the current user on the top right. Select «Guest» to switch to the guest account, and when they’ve finished you simply switch back.

Google Play helps you to bring your iTunes library or locally stored files to your Android devices and the web so that you can access your music anywhere.

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What Is an Android Tablet?

Here’s what you should know before buying an Android tablet

If you’re thinking about buying a new tablet, you have many choices, including the Apple iPad, Amazon Fire, and hundreds of Android tablets. If the number of available apps is important to you, consider an Android tablet that uses the Google Play Store. Here’s everything you need to know before you invest in a new Android tablet.

Information in this article applies broadly to Android tablets made by different manufacturers (Google, Samsung, Lenovo, and others).

Android Tablet Cost and Other Considerations

There are many things to consider before you buy a tablet, including the processor, display size, camera, and amount of RAM it has. While high-end Android devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 can cost several hundred dollars, there are budget tablets under $100. Still, the actual specifications matter more than the price tag, so you should know what to look for.

Not All Tablets Have the Latest Android

The Android mobile operating system is mostly open-source, which means anyone can download it and design a device around it. That’s why there are many devices with Android or variations of it, and why many phone manufacturers (Apple excluded) make Android devices.

The array of Android manufacturers means there’s no standardization in the Android world. Thus, it’s common to find new tablets that run an Android version that is one or two releases old.

In 2020, the latest version is Android 10. A device with an older version will work fine, but it won’t have access to the latest apps and features.

Not All Tablets Connect to Google Play

Because anyone can make an Android tablet, some manufacturers use the mobile operating system to build a different platform. This means they choose whether to include the Google Play Store, the official app store for the Android operating system.

Amazon’s popular Fire devices, including Fire tablets, are based on Android but don’t have access to the Google Play Store. Instead, these devices use the Amazon Appstore. It’s possible to install the Google Play Store on a Kindle Fire, but that requires advanced technical knowledge.

Make sure the tablet you purchase has access to the apps you want.

Some Tablets Require a Data Plan

Android tablets can be sold as Wi-Fi-only ​or with 3G, 4G, or 5G wireless data access. These tablets are often sold at a discount in exchange for a contract with a cellular service provider, just like phones.

Read the fine print when you check the price to see if you’re committing to two years of payments on top of the price of the device. Also, check to see how much data is included in the plan. Tablets can use more bandwidth than phones, so you’ll need a plan that expands if you need more data.

Is a New Model Coming Soon?

Before you buy a new Android tablet, find out if a newer version is due soon. If you like or need the new features offered by the next model, wait for that one since it may be available at about the same price. If you don’t need those features and are happy with the current model, wait for the price to drop following the new release.

Beware of the Modified Android

Just as device makers are free to modify the Android user interface on phones, they’re also free to modify it on tablets. Manufacturers say this sets their products apart, but there are disadvantages.

On devices with a modified user interface, such as the HTC Sense UI or Samsung One UI, apps may need to be rewritten to work properly, which means you’ll wait longer for OS updates.

Also, when someone shows you how to do something on Android, it won’t always work the same way for a modified version.

Android Accessories, Features, and Capabilities

Your tablet’s manufacturer plays a role in the types of accessories and features it supports. For example, Samsung is one of the largest manufacturers of Android devices. When someone makes a case for Android devices, they usually consider Samsung first. Samsung also has a strong ecosystem around its products, with exclusive apps, integration with smart devices, and wearable tech such as Samsung smartwatches. A smaller manufacturer probably won’t be able to offer as much support.

Consider the other devices you own, as well. Maybe you want to control your smart TV from your tablet, but the Samsung tablet you’re looking at doesn’t integrate well with your LG TV. Look for a tablet that is compatible with your other devices.

If you want to install apps outside of the Google Play Store, make sure you can root your Android tablet. Rooting, also known as jailbreaking, provides access to all the settings on the device. While this is easy to do on most devices, some manufacturers make it impossible.

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What Is a Tablet?

A tablet is like a large phone and small laptop built into one

Tablets can be thought of as small, handheld computers. They’re smaller than a laptop but larger than a smartphone.

Tablets take features from both devices to form a kind of hybrid device, somewhere between a phone and computer, but they don’t necessarily function the same way as either.

How Do Tablets Work?

Tablets work in very much the same way that most electronics work, especially computers and smartphones. They have a screen, are powered by a rechargeable battery, often include a built-in camera, and can store all kinds of files.

The primary difference in a tablet and other devices is that they don’t include all the same hardware components as a full desktop computer or laptop. There’s also usually a special mobile operating system built-in that provides menus, windows, and other settings meant specifically for big-screen mobile usage.

Since tablets are built for mobility, and the entire screen is touch-sensitive, you don’t necessarily need to use a keyboard and mouse with one. Instead, you interact with everything on the screen using your finger or a stylus. However, a keyboard and mouse can usually be connected to the tablet wirelessly.

Similar to a computer, where a mouse is moved to navigate the cursor on the screen, you can use a finger or stylus to interact with the on-screen windows to play games, open apps, draw, etc. The same is true with a keyboard; when it’s time to type something, a keyboard shows up on the screen where you can tap the necessary keys.

Tablets are recharged with a cable that’s often identical to a cell phone charger, like a USB-C, Micro-USB, or Lightning cable. Depending on the device, the battery might be removable and replaceable but that’s less and less common.

Why Use a Tablet?

Tablets can be used for fun or for work. Since they’re so portable but borrow some features from a laptop, they can be a good choice over a full-blown laptop, both in cost and features.

Most tablets can connect to the internet over Wi-Fi or a cellular network so that you can browse the internet, make phone calls, download apps, stream videos, etc. You can often think of a tablet as a really big smartphone.

When at home, a tablet is also useful for playing videos on your TV, like if you have an Apple TV or use Google Chromecast with your HDTV.

Popular tablets give you access to a huge store of mobile apps that you can download directly to the tablet that let you do everything from check your email and monitor the weather to play games, learn, navigate with GPS, read eBooks, and build presentations and documents.

Most tablets also come with Bluetooth capabilities so that you can connect speakers and headphones for wireless playback when listening to music or watching movies.

Tablet Limitations

While a tablet can be a perfect fit for some, others might find it less than useful given that a tablet isn’t quite a full-on computer like you might think of one.

A tablet doesn’t include things like an optical disc drive, floppy drive, USB ports, Ethernet ports, and other components that are usually seen on a laptop or desktop computer. Tablets are therefore not a good buy if you expect to connect flash drives or external hard drives, nor are they ideal for connecting to a wired printer or other peripheral.

Also, because a tablet’s screen isn’t as large as a desktop or laptop monitor, it can take some adjusting to one for writing emails, browsing the web, etc.

Something else to remember about tablets is that not all of them are built to use a cellular network for internet; some can only use Wi-Fi. In other words, those types of tablets can only use the internet where Wi-Fi is available, like at home, at work, or at a coffee shop or restaurant. This means that the tablet can only make internet phone calls, download apps, check the weather, stream online videos, etc., when connected to Wi-Fi.

Even when offline, though, a tablet can still function in many ways, like to compose emails, watch videos that were downloaded when there was Wi-Fi coverage, play video games, and more.

Some tablets, however, can be purchased with a specific piece of hardware that lets it use the internet with a cell phone carrier like Verizon, AT&T, etc. In those cases, the tablet is even more similar to a smartphone, and might then be considered a phablet.

What Is a Phablet?

A phablet is another word you might see thrown around with phones and tablets. The word phablet is a combination of ‘phone’ and ‘tablet’ to mean a phone that is so large it resembles a tablet.

Phablets, then, aren’t actually tablets in the traditional sense but more of a fun name for oversized smartphones.

First, backup any data you don’t want to lose before you reset your Samsung device. Then, go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Factory Data Reset > Reset Device > Delete All. When you see the Android Recovery screen, hold the Volume Down button until Wipe data/factory reset option is selected, then use the Power button to confirm.

First, backup your device and any personal data (photos, videos, etc) you want to keep. Then, open Settings and select Device Options > Reset to Factory Defaults > Reset.

A tablet’s price varies greatly depending on its operating system, hardware specs, screen size, and storage. A Kindle Fire or Nook tablet costs around $130, while something like the Microsoft Surface 2 is over $500 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is nearly $1,400. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPad starts at $329.

Lifewire recommends the Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch as the best tablet in 2021 overall. It calls the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ the best Android tablet, while the Microsoft Surface Go 2 wins high marks for productivity. People looking for the best value should give the 2020 Apple iPad a try.

An Android tablet should automatically update as long as it’s connected to the internet and has power. If you want to manually update your Android device, go to Settings > Software Update > Download and Install.

The easiest way to connect your tablet to a TV is with an HDMI cable; you can get an HDMI to USB C cable for under $20, for example. If you want to connect wirelessly, you can use the Cast feature on Android or the AirPlay feature on iOS to stream content to a smart TV as long as both devices are on the same network. If you don’t have a smart TV, you can use a streaming device like a Google Chromecast.

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