Ultimate Guide To Android Tablets

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
ANDROID
TABLETS
110 pages of step - by - step advice
THE BEST GAMES, APPS & EXTRAS

FROM BASIC TIPS TO HIDDEN SECRETS From the
experts at
PC
WHICH TABLET TO BUY REVIEWS PC Pro
magazine PRO
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ANDROID FOR TABLETS
WELCOME
he world of mobile is the most where we cram in guides on everything
exciting arena of technology from how to synchronise music to your
today, and the biggest buzz tablet and get video files to play, to an
surrounds Android tablets. advanced tutorial for geeks on how to
That’s what this guide is all program your tablet.
about: we’ve packed it with tips, One of the biggest problems is the
in-depth guides and reviews to sheer number of apps to choose from,
help. Naturally, we have all the so each chapter includes our round-up
basics covered, but there’s much more of the key apps, whether office software
to Android tablets than browsing the or games. These include free options, so Jonathan Bray is
web and accessing email. you may not need to spend a penny. PC Pro’s reviews
Your Android tablet is a hugely editor and
flexible machine, expandable via apps HARDWARE GUIDE resident Android
– we review over 50 – and even extra If you haven’t bought your tablet yet, tablet expert.
hardware. So we’ve made sure this we’ve got every key choice covered. Our
guide includes all the information you reviews gather together 15 models,
need, illustrated with clear screenshots from the cheapest to the lightest,
and step-by-step instructions. sexiest hardware around. Whether your
budget is £99 or £400, we’ll make sure
FIRST STEPS you make the right choice.
We start at the very beginning, showing Our reviews don’t pull any punches
you how easy it is to set up an Android either. Each tablet has been thoroughly
tablet from scratch, and introduce all assessed using a suite of challenging
the key features, focusing on Google’s lab-based tests that reveal how fast it is,
brand-new tablet software: Android 3, how long its battery lasts in real-world
also known as Honeycomb. use and the quality of each screen.
Every Android 3 tablet comes with a In short, whether you’re thinking of
set of core applications, from the web buying, have already bought an Android
browser to the gallery and camera apps. tablet or are simply curious to know
We reveal how they work, and how to more, this is the guide for you.
make best use of them.
IN DEPTH
But there’s also a wealth of apps that let
you put your tablet to work as an office
workhorse, use your tablet as a giant
satnav, and even as a mobile gaming Jonathan Bray
and entertainment machine.
You’ll find all the information you Editor
need in chapters two, three and four, jonb@pcpro.co.uk
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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO
ANDROID 5 CHAPTERS
OF ESSENTIAL
ANDROID
TABLETS
KNOWLEDGE
THE BASICS BEYOND THE BASICS

From how to set up your tablet to downloading You can turn your tablet into an office
your first app, we have everything covered workhorse or even a satnav. We reveal how
ENTERTAINMENT HARDWARE REVIEWS

& GAMING Fifteen of the very latest tablets, plus bags,
Movies, music games and more - how to make the cases and accessories – all tried and tested
most of your tablet’s entertainment credentials
STAYING CONNECTED
Practical advice and tips on social networking,
email and using the web browser
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

TO ANDROID TABLETS
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WITH ANNOTATED NOTES

TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH
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ANDROID FOR TABLETS
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
THE BASICS
To begin we reveal exactly what makes an
Android tablet tick. You’ll find out how to set
one up from scratch, how to download and buy
your very first Android app, and why Android for
tablets is so good.
CHAPTER 2
ENTERTAINMENT
& GAMING
A tablet isn’t just for browsing the web! You can
watch movies, stream music from your PC,
download complete TV series for when you’re
travelling – and, perhaps best of all, it’s also a
brilliant way to play games. We explain how.
CHAPTER 3
STAYING
CONNECTED
Email, instant messaging, social networking,
internet telephony, browsing the web – you
name it, you can do it on a tablet. In this chapter
we reveal just how powerful a communications
tool your Android tablet can be.

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ANDROID FOR TABLETS
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 4
BEYOND
THE BASICS
We uncover some of the more unusual tasks
your Android tablet is capable of. Discover how
to turn your tablet into a productivity tool to
rival a laptop, an ebook reader and even a
giant satnav.
CHAPTER 5
HARDWARE
REVIEWS
If you haven’t bought a tablet already, you’ll find
everything you need to make your choice in this
chapter. We’ve reviewed 15 tablets that cover
the full range of prices, from bargain
basement to premium iPad rivals.
Acer Iconia Tab A100 .............. 078
LG Optimus Pad ..................096
Acer Iconia Tab A500/A501......080
Accessories........................098
Advent Vega ........................082
Motorola Xoom.................. 100
Asus Eee Pad Transformer ......084
Packard Bell Liberty Tab G100.. 102
Binatone HomeSurf 705 .........086
Samsung Galaxy Tab............ 104
HTC Flyer ............................088
Samsung
Cases & bags .......................090 Galaxy Tab 10.1 ................... 106
Jexaa JexTab 812 HD ..............092 Sony Tablet S ....................... 108
Lenovo IdeaPad K1................094 ViewSonic ViewPad 7x............ 110

1 THE BASICS WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
In this chapter
ANATOMY OF A TABLET What makes up a typical Android
tablet, and how do you choose one? All the answers are here, from ports
and sockets to what makes Android tablets so special.
WHAT IS ANDROID An overview of Google’s tablet operating

system: where it came from, what’s included in the different versions, and
what makes it so different from Apple’s iPad.
FIRST STEPS Getting started with your Android 3 tablet, from

setting up your Wi-Fi connection and Gmail account, to transferring
documents and music over USB.
THE ANDROID DESKTOP Find out why the desktop plays

such a crucial role in Android 3, how to find your way around the icons –
and how to personalise it.
THE KEYBOARD & SETTINGS Introducing Android 3’s

effective onscreen keyboard, and your tablet’s Mission Control – the
Settings menu.
DIFFERENT ANDROID FLAVOURS Not all versions of

Android are created equal – we explain the differences between them, and
how to work out which one your tablet is using.
APPS FOR EVERYTHING What makes tablets special? Apps,

of course: here’s a tour of the Android Market and how to install your first
app – and why some tablets don’t let you use the Android Market at all.
ALTERNATIVE APP STORES Not all Android tablets come

with access to the Android Market, but there’s no need to panic – we reveal
the best alternatives.
ANDROID FOR TABLETS

THE BASICS
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS WorldMags.net WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM
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If you’ve bought this guide then you’re either about to buy a tablet or have
just bought one. So what next? Over the next few pages, we reveal exactly
what makes an Android tablet tick. You’ll find out how to set one up from
scratch, how to download and buy your very first Android app, and why
Android for tablets is so good – and so different from the Apple iPad.

CHAPTER
ANATOMY OF A TABLET They may all look the same, but

not all tablets are made equal. What separates one from another? And how do you go about
choosing the best one for you? We reveal all
S
o what exactly is a tablet, and gaming. Web pages become easier can’t pinch to zoom or type quickly
what differentiates one from to navigate and read, movies more using the on-screen keyboard. Unless
another? It is, fundamentally, an compelling, and flicking through your Most tablets money is tight, avoid this type of screen.
LCD panel with a computer crammed photo collection on the sofa becomes a have a front-
behind it – a touchscreen laptop real pleasure. facing camera, THE EXTRAS
without a keyboard, if you will. So that The type of touchscreen you’ll find on which allows you Most tablets also have a camera, but do
display is the first thing you’ll need to a tablet varies too. Most modern tablets to make and check what type before you buy. To save
consider before deciding to buy. have a super-sensitive capacitive receive video money some only have a low quality
Size is critical. If you’re a bookworm screen, which allows you to tap lightly, calls using apps front-facing camera, intended mainly
and want a device mainly to read on, sweep gently and scroll, pinch and drag such as Skype. for video calls over the web. Others may
you should opt for a tablet with a 7in with little effort. However, not not have a flash.
screen. Most 10in tablets are quite Some cheaper tablets have resistive every tablet has You’ll need to check the amount of
heavy and uncomfortable to hold in screens. These require you to press a rear-facing storage space too. Most modern
one hand. A 7in tablet is easier to just down on the screen to select items and camera, which tablets come with at least 16GB of
sling in a bag. scroll through menus and web pages. you’ll need to storage built in, which is big enough
A 10in screen comes into its own for They’re not as responsive and don’t take snapshots for a sizeable collection of apps, music,
web browsing, entertainment and support multitouch; this means you and record video. video and games. Some low-cost
The
Motorola Xoom
sports a 10.1in
screen, which is
ideal for playing
games and
viewing movies.

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models, however, keep costs down by
It can be a bit
specifying as little as 2GB.
tiresome having to prop
The final big differentiating factor
your tablet up on your
between one tablet and the next is
lap, and laying it flat
connectivity – that is, how many ports
on the floor while
and sockets it has. The most common is
charging it is asking
a USB connector – you use this to
for trouble. You can
connect your tablet to a PC or Mac for
solve both problems by
general file transfer – but there are
taking advantage of
other options. Many come with HDMI
your tablet’s docking
outputs so you can connect your tablet
port, and buying a
directly to your HDTV. Some also allow
charging cradle. A cradle
you to connect USB memory sticks,
acts as a stand when
while others – such as the Motorola
you want to go
Xoom – include a docking port for
hands-free, and even
connecting extras such as cradles.
lets you use the tablet
Most have a memory expansion slot,
as a hi-tech photo
too, allowing you to increase storage.
This usually takes the form of a microSD
frame while it’s charging.
slot – the type of expansion slot you’ll
find in a smartphone. Occasionally
you’ll find a tablet with a full-size SD
card slot, which allows you to use the Most Android tablets can be connected to a PC or Mac via USB. However, some are
type of memory card most cameras use. more flexible than others, boasting not only connections that allow you to drag
and drop files from your computer but also ports that allow the connection of
USB thumb drives.
If your tablet has a rear camera, it’s useful to also have a flash. This
usually comes in the form of one or two LED lamps, which can be used
to illuminate subjects in poorly lit environments.
Your tablet will spend Many tablets come with
most of its life in your a decent amount of
hands or on your lap, but integrated storage –
you can also connect it anything from 8GB to
to your HDTV for that 64GB – but apps, games,
big-screen experience. and media take-up more
Many modern tablets than you might think,
have an HDMI output and there may come a
that allow them to time when you run out
behave just like a Blu-ray of space. Most Android
player, or as a high-tech tablets have a microSD
games console with card slot (often hidden
touch controls. under a flap), and this
allows you to add a flash
memory card to boost
this by up to 32GB.

CHAPTER
WHAT IS ANDROID You’ve probably heard a lot about it, but

what’s all the fuss about? Why should you buy an Android tablet instead of one from Apple? You’ll
find the answer to this question, and more, right here
Y
ou’ll probably be quite familiar
with our friendly green man: the
Google Android logo is liberally
scattered across the windows of every
major mobile phone emporium in the
country. But what exactly is Android?
And what makes it so different to
Apple’s offering?
In essence, Google Android is an
operating system just like Microsoft
Windows or Mac OS. And as with any
laptop or desktop PC, an Android tablet
will come with a version of the Android
OS preinstalled.
An operating system is like a
fancy control panel: it deals with
the complicated stuff,
talking to the
computer’s core
hardware in a
language it
understands, while allowing
you to push buttons and flick switches
to get things done. Without an OS,
you’d have to type complicated lines
of code to get it to do even the simplest
of things. Android tablets come in all different shapes and sizes. The Asus Transformer,
The difference between a standard for instance, looks like any standard laptop, but it runs Android 3 and can be
computer OS and Android is that, converted from laptop to tablet simply by unhooking the screen from the
where Windows and Mac OS were keyboard base.
designed to be controlled via a
keyboard and mouse, Android has with limited success, to put Android THE ANDROID DIFFERENCE
TIP been designed to be operated using on laptops. And most of the big names As well as variety of choice, Android
Wondering which a touchscreen. For instance, it uses in the consumer electronics industry tablets hold other advantages over the
Android tablet finger-sized buttons and controls. It have built entertainment devices on Apple iPad and iPad 2, and other
to buy? We review also supports “gestures”, such as flick Android: Samsung, Motorola, Acer and manufacturers’ tablets too. One of
all the best models
to scroll and the famous pinch-to-zoom Asus to name but a few. these is connectivity. On an Apple
later in this guide.
See chapter 5. gesture first implemented by Apple in This means a huge variety of tablets device there’s no way of expanding the
the original iPhone. with Android on board is available. Flick memory, for instance, but on
to Chapter 5 and you’ll find reviews of most Android tablets you can usually
THE SPICE OF LIFE plain 10in tablets such as Motorola’s simply slot in a card to boost the
As with Windows, Android comes Xoom, through Asus’ Transformer with amount of storage space. With an iPad,
preinstalled on all manner of devices, its optional keyboard docking base, to you’re stuck with whatever you can
from a range of manufacturers. the new wave of 7in devices such as afford when you buy; with most Android
You’ll find Android on smartphones, Acer’s Iconia Tab A100. There’s healthy tablets, you can add storage by up to
compact tablets with 5in and 7in competition among manufacturers of 32GB when the need arises.
screens, and 10in tablets. Some Android tablets, leading to greater Another advantage of Android tablets
manufacturers have even attempted, choice for you. is you can drag and drop whatever files

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make the switch and take all of your
apps with you.
In short, Android is a much more
flexible operating system than its
main rival. It’s available on more
devices, it doesn’t carry as many
restrictions, and it leaves your future
choices much more open.
Manipulate lists, web pages and THE APPLE ADVANTAGE

photos using intuitive “gestures” But we shouldn’t be blind to Apple’s
instead of buttons and scrollbars. advantages. It’s the most established
tablet, and that shows in the maturity
you like in and out of the tablet’s of the apps available to it. While
memory. If you want to use software to Android is rapidly catching up, there are
synchronise your music, video, and more high-quality apps available for the
photos, you’re not limited in your choice iPad – and because Apple checks each
either – you can choose to use Windows
Media Player, DoubleTwist or Songbird,
and every new app before it’s made
available, that helps weed out Android
to name but a few. substandard offerings of dubious value. a potted history
Widgets, meanwhile, give you a By controlling the hardware as
window on your information directly well, you can be confident of a slick Android started out life in 2008
from the desktop; Apple’s iPads can’t interface and smooth performance. The on a smartphone. At the time, the
offer this sort of rich interaction. And newer Android tablets made by only rivals to the Apple iPhone were
with these widgets offering at-a-glance big-brand companies all include fast complicated and fiddly to use on a
updates, they can save a lot of time too. processors and lots of memory, but touchscreen (such as Windows
The biggest advantage with Android, there are dozens of Android tablets Mobile), or were corporate devices
though, brings us back to that variety of made by manufacturers that have poor targeted specifically at business people
choice. If you buy into the Android way build quality and cut-down and didn’t support touch operation at all
of doing things, your future upgrade specifications. That means using them (such as the older BlackBerrys).
options aren’t dictated by the whims is often a frustrating experience. Google spotted a gap in the market
and mood of a single manufacturer. If As such, be careful before you buy. If and, in partnership with Taiwanese
you see a tablet in the shops made by a you’re still on the lookout for a new smartphone manufacturer HTC, produced
different manufacturer, you can simply tablet, read our reviews. the G1 smartphone. It was plagued with
problems: battery life was poor, it was
very basic, and there weren’t many apps
to start with either.
Google quickly improved Android,
however, moving from version 1 to 1.5,
then 1.6. Since then it has gone from
strength to strength, moving through the
gears to version 2, right through to 2.3
before introducing Android 3 – the
tablet-specific version that’s the subject
of much of this guide.
Google gives each version of Android a
dessert-related codename; that’s why
you’ll see Android 3 referred to as
Honeycomb throughout this guide. Other
codenames include Gingerbread (version
2.3), Cupcake (version 1.5) and Ice Cream
Sandwich – the next version of Android,
which will amalgamate both tablet and
One of the major advantages of Android is that you can switch tablet smartphone versions of Android for
manufacturer, and still take the apps you’ve purchased with you. the first time.

CHAPTER
FIRST STEPS Before you can use your tablet to the fullest, you need to
connect it to the internet and set it up with all your online accounts and services – think Gmail in
particular. Here’s a quick guide to the process
W
hen you switch on your Once you’ve provided information attempt to purchase an app that
tablet for the very first time, about your wireless network, you’ll isn’t free, your tablet will launch a form,
there are a number of be asked for a Gmail username and asking for your credit card details.
things you need to do before you can password. It needs this to synchronise
exploit its full potential. your email, calendar and contact MUSIC MAESTRO PLEASE
TIP First up is the job of connecting your information. Also, without a Gmail Congratulations: your tablet is now
To save time, make tablet to the internet: you’ll need to be account, you won’t be able to access linked to the internet and you can
sure you find out the online before you can download and the Android Market to download buy apps. We now recommend you take
username and install new apps and games. and install apps. We provide a some time to copy across some music
password for your
Even if you’ve bought a 3G-enabled walkthrough of the process opposite, files, so you can listen to your favourite
wireless network
before you start. tablet, the easiest way to do this is via and if you don’t have a Gmail account, tracks while you’re out and about. You
your home wireless connection, so your tablet will guide you through the can do this wirelessly, but the easiest
make sure you know the name of your setup process. way of transferring any file is to plug
wireless network (often referred to as To purchase apps and games from into your PC or Mac via a USB cable.
the SSID) and its password. If you’re the Android Market, you’ll also need to When you do this, your tablet
unsure about these details, you should provide your credit card details. Google will appear on your computer just like
find it tucked away in the settings of calls this service Google Checkout. any USB memory stick would. Copying
any computer or laptop that already If you’ve already used Google files is then simply a matter of dragging
connects to the wireless network. As a Checkout to pay for goods online, and dropping them into the Music
last resort, contact the company that you won’t need to lift a finger. If folder on your Android tablet. You’ll find
provides your internet connection. you haven’t, the first time you a walkthrough to guide you overleaf.
If you want to
buy apps, you
need to set up
your own Google
Checkout
account.
Fortunately,
your tablet
makes this a
simple task.

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WALKTHROUGH Setting up Wi-Fi and Gmail
The first thing you Your tablet will now The keyboard will Google will then
need to do is tell scan for available pop up at this point ask if it’s okay to
Google which region wireless networks, and you’ll be asked use your location to
you’re in. If your one of which should to enter a password. collect anonymous
country isn’t be yours. Once it’s This is the password data and improve
pre-selected, tap the finished, you’ll you normally use to search results. If
menu and scroll probably see a connect your laptop you don’t want
through the list of number of options to your chosen to reveal your
countries, select it – if you don’t see wireless network. If location, untick
with a tap of your your network in the no-one’s looking the first one. If you
finger and then press list, you might be out over your shoulder, untick the second
the Next button in of range (or it might select the “Show option, your search
the bottom-right not be switched password” option to results won’t be If you don’t Leave the boxes
corner of the screen. on!). Move a little make sure you don’t “localised”, which have a Google ticked to back
closer to your router
and hit the Refresh
make any mistakes
on the onscreen
means if you search
for “supermarkets”,
account, tap up your tablet
button. Select your keyboard. Tap say, retail places “Create to your Google
network by tapping Connect to proceed near you won’t account” here. account.
it, then press the and wait for the next appear at the top of
Next button to screen. search results. Tap
move on. Next.
The next screen will Enter your Gmail Finally, on the next
ask you to enter the username and screen, make sure
date and time, but password and hit you leave the restore
you don’t need to do “Sign in”. If you and backup options
anything but check don’t have an ticked. If you ever
that the “Use account, tap the need to reset your
network-provided “Create account” tablet, these options
time” option is button, fill in the will ensure that
selected on the form, then press you’ll be able to
screen. Your tablet “I accept. Create retrieve your apps
will be able to set its my account”. The and data from the
clock by account should be Google servers. Tap
synchronising with a added to your tablet Done … and you’re
server online. automatically. If a done!
message appears
telling you there’s
You can set been a problem,
the time tap the Back button
automatically and enter the
— just leave this email address and
password yourself
option selected. on the following
screen.

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WALKTHROUGH Copying music from your computer to your tablet via USB
Dragging and
dropping isn’t
the only way to
transfer music.
On a PC; you can
also do it via
Windows Media
Player.
To select
multiple items
on a PC, hold
down the Ctrl
key while
clicking.
To search
through your
music library by
keyword, tap
the magnifying
glass icon.
In the box, the If you’re using a PC, If you’re using a Double-click the Leave that window to Now it’s time to To see the music you
manufacturer should the AutoPlay box Mac, the process will device storage icon, one side and open move some music. just copied across,
have supplied the should appear after a be slightly different. then double-click the folder where This is simply a launch your tablet’s
right type of USB few seconds, giving Instead of an the Music folder. This your music files are matter of dragging Music app from the
cable for your tablet. you a number of AutoPlay box, the is where your tablet located on your the albums and desktop and, from
Push the smaller different options to tablet will appear as stores all of its music computer. On tracks you require the dropdown menu
plug into the socket choose from. an external drive on files – if the a Windows 7 PC, from the folder on in the top-left corner
on your tablet, and Double-click the your desktop when manufacturer of your you’ll find these your computer of the screen, select
the larger one into a “Open device to view you plug it in. When tablet has preloaded under My Computer | across to your “New and recent”.
spare USB socket on files” option. Head this happens, simply any samples, you’ll Libraries | Music. On tablet’s Music folder. You’ll see all the
your Mac or PC. to step 4. double-click the find them here. a Mac, simply If you’re using a PC, music you’ve just
drive icon to open it. double-click the a pop-up box may transferred arranged
Music folder in the appear warning that in an attractive 3D
File Transfer utility. some files might not cover view – sweep
Position the window be playable. Ignore your finger across
next to the one you this by ticking the them to scroll
previously opened, “Do this for all files” through.
and move on to the box and clicking Yes.
next step.

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WALKTHROUGH Using an iPhone’s internet connection when out and about
If you don’t have a On the next screen, Just to be on the safe You need to turn off
3G-enabled tablet, select the “Wireless side, tap Bluetooth Bluetooth on your
you can still connect & network” option on Settings, and select phone before you
to the internet while the left-hand side, the Discoverable can connect. In the
you’re out and about then tap the option. This will iPhone Settings
with Bluetooth Bluetooth option on ensure your iPhone menu under General,
tethering. Here’s the right-hand side can “see” your tablet select the Bluetooth
how to do it with an to turn it on. over the Bluetooth option, flip the
iPhone. First, turn on connection. You’ll switch and go to the
Bluetooth on your need to run through next step.
tablet. To do this, tap the following steps
the clock in the quickly, however,
bottom right-hand because your tablet
corner of the screen, will only remain in
tap the clock again discoverable mode
when the for two minutes.
notifications menu The settings
pops up, then tap the screen is the
Settings option that control centre
appears at the
bottom of the menu.
for your tablet.
Any settings
that can be
changed are
located here.
Now you need to set On your tablet, hit Once the iPhone has
up your phone to the “Find nearby been located by the
share its 3G devices” option in tablet, select it and
connection. It’s a the Bluetooth wait. After a few
simple job – just go Settings menu. After seconds, a small box
into the Settings a few seconds of should appear
menu once again scanning, your containing
and, near the top, iPhone should instructions on how
you’ll find an item appear in the list. If to hook the two
called Personal you’re having devices together.
Hotspot. Select it, trouble, press the Ignore those and
turn it on and when “Scan for devices” quickly, before the
the option to use option to try again. boxes disappear,
Bluetooth is offered Make sure your press the Pair button
in a pop-up box, iPhone remains on the screen of each
tap it. switched on. device. Last of all,
Make sure you keep your once the iPhone is
iPhone switched on during displayed as paired
on your tablet’s
the pairing process.
Be quick here. screen, tap it to
connect. You should
If you dither now be able to use
too long the box your phone’s 3G
will disappear. connection to
browse the web.

CHAPTER
THE ANDROID DESKTOP Getting to know your tablet

starts with the Android desktop. It’s the heart of everything you do, from launching apps to
checking your email, so it’s well worth spending some time familiarising yourself with its features
Adding items to
the desktop is
as simple as
clicking on the
“+” symbol
T
here are 101 different things you Unlike a PC or Mac, though, Android To use it, tap the magnifying glass
can do with your Android tablet, isn’t limited to only one desktop space. and begin to type using the keyboard
from browsing the web to Sweeping your finger right or left on the that pops up. Or hit the microphone
playing videos, from streaming music to desktop reveals more: Android 3 tablets icon to its right and your tablet will try
editing your holiday snaps, but it all offer up to five desktop spaces. Adding to recognise what you say. Opposite the
starts at the Android desktop. items to them is simply a matter of search tool, in the top-right corner, is
TIP When you switch on your tablet it’s tapping the “+” symbol in the top the Apps icon. Tap this to bring up the
If your desktop the first thing you see; it’s where you right-hand corner of the screen, then so-called App Drawer: a list of all the
doesn’t look like the launch your favourite apps and games choosing your items from the menu apps installed on your tablet.
one pictured above, from, and you can use it to keep an eye that appears. You can bring up the same At the very bottom of the screen is a
it’s been customised.
on your email without lifting a finger. menu by pressing and holding a finger thin black bar – the System Bar. In its
See p24 for more
details If you’re used to using a Windows PC, to the desktop for a second or so. right corner is a clock and an area for
a laptop or a Mac, many features will alerts and notifications. A quick tap
look familiar. The main part of the SEARCH ME reveals details of battery life, wireless
screen, for instance, acts as a workspace But there’s much more you can do from network status, and lets you adjust the
you can customise and drop various the desktop. At the top-left corner of the brightness of your screen.
items onto. These items can be screen, you’ll see a magnifying glass Finally, three further icons in the
shortcuts for apps you’ve downloaded, symbol next to the word Google. This is bottom-left corner are your main
bookmarks for your favourite web the quick search box – one of Android navigation controls: Back, Home and
pages or one of Android’s interactive 3’s most powerful features. From here, Recent Apps. Tapping the latter pops up
widgets – your Facebook feed, for you can search the web, and the a list of the five apps you most recently
instance, or the weather forecast. contents of your tablet, all at once. used. Just tap one to launch it.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Introducing the Android 3 desktop
Press and hold your The press-and-hold The Analog Clock is

finger on any vacant technique can also just one of many
Five desktops area of the Android
desktop and the
be applied to app
shortcuts and
widgets that comes
preinstalled with
offer plenty of customisation menu widgets to reposition Android 3. Not only
space to drag zooms into view. or remove them. does it look great, it
your shortcuts Here, you can add Hold a finger to the also gives quick
and widgets new widgets, change item you want to access to the alarm
onto. the desktop’s
background image
change and, after a
second, a faint-blue
settings of your
tablet – just tap it.
and create shortcuts grid appears. Keep
to your favourite your finger held to
apps. Just drag the surface then
an item from the drag your item
bottom half of the elsewhere. Remove
screen to one of it by dragging it to
the five desktops the bin icon in the
at the top to drop top-right corner, or
it into place. move it to another
desktop by dragging
to the left or right
edges of the screen.
As you
type, search
results appear
automatically
here.
It’s easy to search Tapping the Recent Keep an eye on the You can also access
both the web and Apps icon instantly bottom right-hand a number of quick
your tablet. Tap the brings up a list of the corner: this is where settings from here:
magnifying glass to five apps (more in email, calendar tap the bottom-right
type using the portrait mode) and download corner once, then tap
onscreen keyboard. you’ve most recently notifications appear. the clock and you’ll
Results appear in used, complete with Tap the menu bar be able to adjust the
two columns: on the a thumbnail so you once to view screen brightness
left, suggested can see exactly messages in more and switch into
searches appear as where you left off. detail, then tap an “Airplane mode”
you type; on the To launch any of the item to view it. (which switches off
right, contacts and apps, tap its all radios, such as
websites. You can hit thumbnail. Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G).
Enter at any point to
search the web, or
select one of the Tap the
options that appears clock to view
onscreen as you
type. If you prefer,
notifications
tap the microphone in detail.
and say your search
term out loud.

CHAPTER
THE KEYBOARD & SETTINGS The keyboard isn’t

as basic as it looks. Take control of your Android tablet by learning the keyboard’s hidden features,
and familiarising yourself with its hidden settings secrets
T
here’s more to Android tablets corner, which is perfect for those long, Correction to “Aggressive”, and Show
than just the desktop. To use fiddly spellings you’re not quite sure of. Correction suggestions to “Always
your tablet to the full, you’ll need But the key to quick, accurate typing show” in the keyboard settings (see
to familiarise yourself with other key with the Android 3 keyboard is to use overview, right) to reap the full benefit.
TIP
elements. Take the keyboard: it’s Auto Correction and Show Correction.
probably the part of Android you’ll use The first corrects misspellings and DULL BUT WORTHY
Keep an eye on the the most after the desktop, but you typos every time you hit the spacebar or It’s also worth exploring your tablet’s
narrow black strip just need to explore its settings and practice enter a punctuation mark, and it’s so main Settings menu. This seemingly
above the keyboard using it before your typing gets fully up good you can let your fingers fly across bland collection of tickboxes and
for word suggestions
to speed. the key-tops without worrying too options is your tablet’s Mission Control,
and spelling
corrections. Armed with a little knowledge, you’ll much about hitting the right letter. and you’ll uncover all sorts of tasty
be able to insert special symbols in a Most of the time the keyboard will titbits if you take the time to familiarise
trice. Common symbols can be inserted choose the right word for you. yourself with it.
with a simple long press: just look for As you practise your typing, keep an Here, you can change everything
keys that have secondary characters eye on the line just above the top row of from the screen brightness to the sound
displayed in the top-right corner. And if keys. Here, Android displays the words it your tablet makes when an email
the symbol you’re looking for isn’t there, thinks you’re typing based on the arrives, and you can also control how it
or it’s numbers you want, a quick tap of letters you’ve hit so far. Tap a word to connects to the internet, stop apps
the “?123 key” will bring up more. insert it, then move to the next one. running, uninstall them, and even
There’s even a voice-recognition You’ll need to turn each of these monitor battery and storage usage. We
button lurking in the bottom-right options up to the maximum. Set Auto walk through its key options overleaf.
Android’s
keyboard might
look basic, but it
harbours hidden
depths; master
these and you’ll
be typing almost
as quickly as you
can on a laptop
keyboard.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Mastering the Android keyboard
Not sure of a
spelling? Hit the
microphone key
and speak into
your tablet
instead.
Grey symbols in
the top-right
corner of keys Auto Correction
can be entered keeps typos
with a long to a minimum,
press. but can be
switched off.
As you type, the Numbers and Sometimes, it’s In the bottom-right Android’s Look at the comma, One of the great
keyboard can be set common “special” nice to hear the corner of the auto-correction full-stop, benefits of Android 3
up to display word symbols can be keyboard respond to keyboard, you’ll see facility will correct apostrophe and (the latest version,
suggestions that run accessed with a your input, as well as a key with a typos every time you hyphen keys and also referred to as
along the top. If quick tap of the see the letters microphone symbol hit the spacebar or you’ll see a Honeycomb) is that,
you’re a slow typist, “?123” key to the appear on screen. on it. Tap this, and enter punctuation; secondary symbol in if you don’t like the
or find yourself left of the keyboard. Key-press sounds Android will launch it’s a great tool for the top-right corner keyboard, you can
constantly making If you can’t find what can be turned on in its speech careless typists. If of each one. To enter download another
mistakes, this can be you’re looking for on the Settings menu; recognition mode you’re finding it a one of these symbols from the Android
a godsend. To switch this keyboard, hit again, to access – excellent for little too eager, – a question mark, Market and switch to
this feature on, tap the More button to these settings, entering long, tricky however, it can be for example – keep that instead. The
the Settings symbol display a selection of tap the small words. “turned down” so your finger on the Thumb Keyboard,
(the dial shape) in advanced symbols. Settings symbol in only common typing key instead of pictured here, is one
the bottom-left You can get back to the bottom-left mistakes are tapping it. of the best
corner, then tap the main keyboard corner of the corrected, or alternatives, offering
Android keyboard display at any time keyboard, then switched off a split keyboard
settings | Show by tapping ABC. select “Android entirely. Hit the arrangement so you
correction keyboard settings”. Settings key, select can type more
suggestions | “Android keyboard comfortably with
Always show. settings”, then “Auto your thumbs.
correction”.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Mastering the Settings screen
Many more
advanced
settings
reside in the
Applications
settings area.
For a quick
overview of how
much storage
space you have
left, tap on
Storage.
If you need
to reset your
tablet to
factory
settings, you
can do so here.
Wherever you are in The Settings screen You’ll need to visit You can adjust the The screen There are lots of If you want to add
Android 3, you can is split into two the “Wireless & volume settings brightness and auto options crammed extra email or Gmail
reach the Settings areas. On the networks” option quickly by using the brightness options into the “Location & accounts, you can do
screen in the same left-hand side are all when you’re volume buttons on can be accessed security” section. it on the “Accounts &
way. Tap the clock in the main categories; connecting to a new the edge of your more quickly via the You’ll need to come sync” screen. You
the notifications tapping each one wireless network, tablet, but the Sound Quick Settings menu, here to switch GPS can also control how
area at the bottom reveals a different hooking up a section in the but the Screen on or off if you want often your tablet
right. Then when a set of options to the Bluetooth device, Settings page adds section hides some to use your tablet as checks (“syncs” to
menu pops up, tap right. such as a keyboard, more options. Tap other important a navigation device, use Google’s
the clock at the top mouse or headset, or the Volume option at display-related and there’s also a terminology) for
of it. This launches adjusting the 3G the top and three controls, too. Here host of security new items here; if
the Quick Settings settings when you’re sliders appear: the you can prevent the options. You can set you receive a lot of
menu. To access using your tablet top one is the main tablet screen from up a screen lock email, turning off
the main Settings with a SIM card. But volume control, and automatically password, whether the Background and
screen, select the that’s not all: you can underneath it are rotating into portrait via a PIN or pattern, Auto-sync options
Settings option at also set up a portable controls for how loud mode, and set how and for extra security when using a 3G
the very bottom. hotspot if, for notification alerts long your tablet will even encrypt all the connection can save
example, you want are (for new emails sit idle before data on your tablet. you from receiving
to share your tablet’s and messages), and automatically an expensive bill
3G data connection. likewise for the turning itself off monthly, and extend
clock alarm. to save power. battery life too.

WorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
DIFFERENT ANDROID FLAVOURS Not every

tablet on the market runs the latest version of Android, but what’s the difference and should you
even consider buying one?
The HTC Flyer

may not run
Honeycomb, but
its proprietary
customisations
make it easy
to use.
H
oneycomb, or Android 3, is the pixellated, while menu options stretch interface “skin”, the results are often
most recent version of Android, across the full width of the screen, quite successful.
and it’s the only one Google wasting precious space. Earlier versions Take the HTC Flyer, for instance (see
has built specifically with tablets in of Android do work, but they certainly above and right). Although one of the
mind. You might be surprised to find, aren’t as attractive as Android 3. more recently launched tablets – it
however, that it isn’t the only version of came out long after the Android
Android in town. MARKET UP TO EXPERIENCE 3-equipped Motorola Xoom – HTC
Take a look at the reviews section at Another difference is that some tablets decided to stick to Android 2.3. However,
the back of this MagBook and you’ll find with earlier versions of Android on the Flyer’s interface (dubbed HTC Sense)
TIP a few tablets running Android versions them don’t have access to the Android is very pleasing to the eye, and works
If you’re tempted to 2.2 and 2.3 instead of Android 3 – the 7in Market. This is a bigger problem than superbly on the device’s 7in screen.
buy a non-Honeycomb Samsung Galaxy Tab and HTC Flyer ugly graphics. Without a means of easily The Jexaa JexTab 812 HD (see p92) is
tablet, make sure it being two major examples. Desperate downloading and installing apps, the another recent tablet that shuns the
has Android Market,
to cash in on the success of the Apple usefulness of any tablet is limited. There delights of Android 3. Like HTC, Jexaa
or apps will be hard
to come by. iPad, many manufacturers decided they are alternative app stores you can has installed its own modified version
couldn’t wait for Android 3. install on your non-Honeycomb tablet of Android 2.3, which allows you to
The key difference between these (see p28), but they don’t have anywhere squeeze more shortcuts on the Android
earlier versions of Android and near as much content as Google’s desktop, than would be the case with a
Honeycomb is that they were designed official Android Market. standard smartphone install. The
principally for smartphones. And In general, tablets running earlier adaptations aren’t anywhere near as
because smartphones have much versions of Android aren’t as good as extensive as HTC’s, nor are they as
smaller screens than tablets with lower the latest devices, then. But there are innovative. However, the changes do
resolutions, the graphical user interface some exceptions to the rule, and where work a lot better than the non-modified
often doesn’t look right. manufacturers have taken the time and user interface on tablets such as the
Icons look oversized and may be made the effort to develop their own Advent Vega (see p82).

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Why the HTC Flyer’s interface makes sense
Splitting
applications into
“panes” helps
make the most
of the larger
screen of a
tablet.
Tap the Flyer’s

stylus on its
screen and it
takes a quick
screenshot, The Android
ready for Market
annotation. application on
the HTC Flyer
works fine, but
not all Android 2
tablets give you
such access.
A tablet doesn’t need The Flyer’s core In Android 2.3, you One thing to note is Here’s something One weakness of With the HTC Flyer,
to have Android 3 to email app again hold your finger to that smartphone you can’t do on a non-Android 3 you can use the
work well, and HTC’s makes the most of the top of the screen versions of Android Honeycomb tablet: tablets is that you Android Market to
7in Flyer tablet (see the extra screen size. and pull it down to have been around for pinch your fingers can’t fit many app download and install
full review on p88) is Instead of simply view notifications, longer than the together on the HTC shortcuts onto the apps, just as you can
a brilliant example. displaying emails in and here HTC has tablet version, so Flyer’s homescreen desktop. The HTC on any Android 3
Although the version a plain list, the added modifications. manufacturers are and the view pulls Flyer only lets you tablet. However, it’s
of Android on the screen is split into Hold the Flyer in more comfortable back, giving you an squeeze 16 on at any important to note
HTC Flyer was two “panes”: tap the landscape mode and with adding overview of all your one time; with 10.1in that this isn’t always
originally designed email you want to you’ll see that the advanced extras. The desktops. The Flyer Android 3 tablets, the case with
for a smartphone, read in the list on the screen has been split HTC Flyer, for gives you eight that number rockets non-Android 3
HTC has adapted it to left-hand side of the into three sections: a instance, has a stylus desktops to drop to a massive 56. tablets. Some have
work perfectly on the screen and the detail list of icons at the that allows you to shortcuts and alternative app
larger screen. Here, of that email will top left lets you flick pen handwritten widgets onto, stores preinstalled,
you can see that the then appear on the between apps; the notes directly onto compared with the and some have none
homescreen works right, ready for you options to the right the screen, then five you get on at all. Check carefully
just as well in to read and reply to. give quick access to share those notes Android 3 tablets. before you buy.
landscape common settings; with friends, or
orientation as it does and the notifications catalogue them via
in portrait. appear in a an online note
scrolling list at service such as
the bottom left. Evernote.

CHAPTER
APPS FOR EVERYTHING Now you know your way around

the Android OS, it’s time to install a few apps. These are the difference between your tablet being
a glorified touchscreen and the most useful piece of kit in your house
W
hile apps gained popularity apps, filling the majority of the page; Installing paid-for apps is almost as
through Apple’s iPhone and and categories on the right-hand side. easy. Once you’ve entered your credit
Google Android phones, the To get a feel for the sort of apps card details for the first app you buy,
larger screen space of a tablet gives available for your tablet, flick through details are stored for later purchases.
them a new lease of life. the Categories links. If you have an app And if you don’t like an app you’ve paid
TIP You can download an app to read in mind, or a particular job you want an for, the Android Market gives you a
Look at our favourite novels on, interactive apps for your app to do, tap the Search Market box in 15-minute grace period during which
entertainment apps favourite magazines, apps for making the Action Bar at the top of the screen you can remove it for a full refund.
on p38, games from free phone calls, apps for sharing files, and use the onscreen keyboard to A current annoyance of the Android
p42,and our top
shopping and more. In short, you can search via keyword. Market is that there’s no distinction
business picks on
p60 and p62. find an app to do pretty much anything made between apps for tablets and
you can think of, and the best thing INSTALLING APPS smartphones. That can make it difficult
about them is they’re a doddle to install. Installing an app is simple: just tap it in to find apps that make the most of your
Your route for adding apps is the the Market view to bring up the details tablet’s larger, higher resolution screen.
Android Market, and you’ll usually find a page. This lets you view a description of Adding “HD” to your search may narrow
shortcut to it from the main desktop (if the app, plus screenshots and user results to apps that work on tablets’ HD
you can’t see it, your tablet may not ratings. If you’re happy, hit the Install screens, but this isn’t foolproof.
support the Market; turn to p28). link to the left and tap OK to agree to The good news is that, although
It’s split into three “panes”: a scrolling the terms and conditions. You’re then many smartphone-specific apps don’t
carousel at the top for the apps Google transferred to the My Apps view, which look great on a big screen, most still
wants to show off; more “featured” shows the status of your install. work perfectly well.
The “featured”
apps area, which
runs along the
top of the
Android
Market’s
homescreen, is a
great way of
discovering new
apps and games.
Google updates
it with new
suggestions
each day, so it’s
worth checking
in regularly to
see what’s new.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Installing your first app
If you have more Each category

than one Gmail is broken
account set up down into
on your tablet, subcategories
you can switch to help you
between accounts browse in a more
by tapping here. focused manner.
If you’re paying
for an app, an
“Uninstall and
refund” option
appears here
after you
download, giving
you a 15-minute
window to
cancel the
purchase.
The main Market Angry Birds should If you don’t have a Angry Birds is free If you want to install You’ll now be Sometimes, the
screen offers several appear in the specific app you’re on tablets (although one of the thousands transferred to the My download doesn’t
ways to find the app top-left corner of looking for, you can you’ll have to put up of paid-for apps, Apps section of the start automatically.
you’re looking for. the results screen, browse the market with some onscreen you’ll need to go Market. This section If this happens,
You can browse by along with a list of by category. Each ads), so the next through an extra of the app (which and you’re still
the most other potential main category stage will see a stage and fill in your can be accessed at twiddling your
downloaded free and results. Tap it and the screen is split into permissions box pop credit card details. any time by tapping thumbs a minute
paid-for apps, by details screen will four sections: an up. This might look This is a little the “My apps” after tapping Install,
category, or simply appear. Here, you animated carousel of daunting, but it’s laborious, but once button in the switch over to the My
search by keyword. can swipe your featured apps simply a heads-up to done you won’t need top-right corner of Apps part of the
We’re going to use finger up and down running along the warn you which to go through the the screen) is where Android Market
the keyboard to on the right half of top, then selections resources the app process again. The you manage your app and scroll down
search for and install the screen to reveal of the top paid-for will use when you Android Market uses apps. The status of the list of apps in the
the perennially more information and free apps below fire it up. It’s nothing Google’s Checkout your download left panel until you
popular Angry Birds about the app, read this, and a list of much to worry about, service to store your appears in the get to the Not
game. Click Search user reviews, see subcategories to the so go ahead and details, so the next top-left corner of Installed section.
Market and then screenshots and right. You can see click OK. app you buy will be a the screen, complete Your download
type “Angry Birds” even view videos of that Angry Birds is one-click operation. with a progress bar should appear
(without the quote the app in action. To among the top six and details of the here – select it and
marks). Then hit the proceed, tap the free games in the size of the download. then tap Install.
Return key. Install button on the Android Market. To cancel the
left-hand side. download, tap Stop.

CHAPTER
ALTERNATIVE APP STORES Some tablets don’t come

with the Android Market installed, which you might think would be an insurmountable problem.
Don’t panic, though – there are plenty of alternatives you can use
Android Market
isn’t the only
app store in
town for
Android tablets
— there’s a
whole world of
alternatives.
Although it isn’t
pretty,
AndroidPIT’s
App Center is
among the
easiest to use.
A
pps are what make Android the main website is the download page use, but it’s packed with content.
tablets special, but not every for App Center. This is AndroidPIT’s SlideME (www.slideme.org), and its
tablet comes with the Android alternative Market application, and you associated store application, SAM,
Market installed. For example, some need to install it first. focuses on promoting the work of small
manufacturers choose not to include it Just tap the “Install App Center” developers – you won’t find big titles
to save costs. button; this will download a special APK here, but you might just unearth a gem
TIP Fortunately, there are many install file, just like a “Setup” file on a PC no-one else has heard of.
Enable your tablet alternatives to the Android Market, each or Mac, which you launch from your There’s also Mobihand’s onlyAndroid
to install from of which has been steadily building up a tablet’s notifications area. Again, see (http://onlyandroid.mobihand.com),
“Unknown sources” decent collection of apps and games, opposite for full instructions. Aproov (www.aproov.com), which
if you want to use an
both free and paid-for, over the years. Once done, you’ll find the App Center focuses purely on free apps, and
alternative store to
download apps. Installing apps from these alternative sitting in your tablet’s App Drawer, AppsLib – the app store for owners
“stores” is just as easy as it is with the ready for launch. You’ll need to create of Archos Android tablets.
official Market. The main obstacles are an account if you want to download In some cases you can even
setting up your tablet to accept non- paid-for apps, but there’s plenty of free download the app you’re looking
Market installations (see step 1 of our stuff to play with. for directly from the developer’s
walkthrough, right) – and finding and website. But whatever method you
setting up the stores in the first place. YET MORE CHOICE use to download, the method remains
AndroidPIT (www.androidpit.com) is If you don’t find what you’re looking for the same. Turn on non-Market
the easiest to start with. Enter the on AndroidPIT you can always try one of installations in the settings, download
address into your tablet’s browser, and the many other alternative app stores. the APK file, and tap it in the
the first thing you’ll see before you hit GetJar (www.getjar.com) isn’t as easy to notifications area to install.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Installing apps with AndroidPIT’s App Center
Make sure that
your tablet
accepts
Before you do The next step is to The file – called de. If you’re installing non-Market
anything else, you
need to prepare your
visit the AndroidPIT
website and
androidpit.apk
– shouldn’t take long
on an Android 3
tablet, the file will
apps by ticking
tablet to accept download the App to download. You can appear in a different “Unknown
non-Market Center app. Type monitor its progress area of the screen sources”.
applications. To do www.androidpit.com in your tablet’s – in the toolbar at
this, go to the into the address bar notifications area, the bottom right of
Settings menu on in your tablet’s which can be pulled the screen. Look for
your tablet, tap the browser, then just down from either the a small arrow
Applications tap the Install App top or the bottom of pointing down, tap
submenu, and tick Center button in the the screen. Once the it, and then tap the
the “Unknown centre of the screen. progress bar box that pops up. On
sources” option. disappears, tap the the following
file in the menu, window, tap Install,
then tap Install. and you’re done.
Go to the Android Type your search On the following
app drawer and find term – we’re looking page, it’s simply a
the App Center for Paradise Island case of tapping App
application. Tap it, – and press the Center’s Install
and you’ll be greeted Search button just button, waiting for
by the App Center beneath the search the download to
homescreen, with a box. The app you complete, and then
list of featured apps want should be at tapping Install when
taking up the bulk of the top of the list on your tablet asks you
the screen, and a the following page, if it’s okay to install
range of buttons with the developer’s the downloaded
along the bottom – name – Cooper application. Once
including Search. Media Corp – this is done, you’ll
We’re going to displayed just find Paradise Island
search for and install underneath. nestling in the
a popular game, so App Drawer along
tap Search next. with all your other
stuff. Simple.
AndroidPIT will automatically The

detect your device and provide a notifications
download link. bar is in a
different place
on Android 2
tablets — you
pull it down
from the top.
There are
plenty of good
games available
in App Center,
Paradise Island
being just one.

2 WorldMags.net
ENTERTAINMENT & GAMING
CHAPTER
In this chapter
SHOOTING & SHARING How to use your tablet’s camera to
take stills and home movies, and then share the results over the internet
with your friends and family.
WATCHING VIDEO A tablet is ideal for watching movies and TV

shows. We take you through the options and reveal how to convert video
on your PC so you can play it on your tablet.
ENJOYING MUSIC Take a tour of Android 3’s musical capabilities

and find out how you can synchronise your music collection over your
wireless network. The good news: it’s surprisingly simple.
APP REVIEWS VIDEO, MUSIC & PHOTO Android’s

preinstalled offerings are pretty good, but what are the first apps you
should download? Here’s a selection of the best entertainment apps.
GAMING FOR TABLETS An overview of your tablet’s gaming

abilities, plus reviews of the very best games for tablets, from the classic
Angry Birds to the frantic Bang Bang Racing THD.
ANDROID FOR TABLETS

ENTERTAINMENT
& GAMING
WorldMags.net
We’ve covered the basics: now it’s time to get motoring. In this chapter, we
revel in the sheer fun you can have with your Android tablet, from watching
prerecorded TV to downloaded movies, from shooting video with your
tablet’s camera to exploring the full abilities of your tablet as a music-
playing device. And there’s also the small matter of playing games…

2 WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
SHOOTING & SHARING While we’d never suggest replacing

your DSLR with a tablet, many devices include decent cameras. Here’s how to make the most of
them, from capturing special moments, to sharing them with family and friends
The Camera
app looks simple,
but hides some
advanced
functions.
The ring of
icons around
the Shutter
button lets you
control the
white balance
and exposure of
photos, provides
access to a
range of special
effects and
scene modes,
and even allows
you to shoot
timelapse video.
M
ost tablets include a camera, low-light shots. For videos, the flash can THE FUN SIDE
so you can snap stills and be switched on to help illuminate a Others options are more fun. Hit the
even use it like a camcorder. poorly lit subject. small chequered icon to bring up a
The process is straightforward: launch If the colours look odd indoors – a list of creative effects. Using these, you
your tablet’s Camera app and hit the little too blue or yellow – it’s usually can turn your photos black and white,
Shutter button. There’s normally a because the camera has set the white apply a negative effect or give them an
TIP shortcut on the desktop, but if not, balance wrong. This can be fixed by old-fashioned look with a sepia tint.
To take a self portrait, launch the App Drawer and select the adjusting the settings under the AW There’s an even more exciting option
use the front-facing Camera app from there. (white balance) control. Other settings, if you switch to video mode: timelapse.
camera by tapping You can leave it at that, shooting in found under the Spanner icon, include Using this you can set your tablet up to
the small camera
automatic mode to your tablet’s the ability to boost the brightness in a shoot an accelerated sunset or sunrise,
icon in the bottom
right-hand corner. memory and browsing the results using scene by changing the exposure, alter or even your very own stop-motion
the Gallery app. But by acquainting the picture size and quality (important video, Wallace and Gromit style.
yourself with the Camera app’s expert if you’re running out of space), and Better still, though, is how easy your
functions you’ll shoot much better change the focus mode. Android tablet makes sharing photos
photos and video clips. You’ll find these If you’re uncomfortable tweaking the and videos with family and friends. The
controls on the ring surrounding the settings manually, but want to improve large bright screen makes it perfect for
shutter release button. your photos, try one of the Scene handing around at gatherings, and its
Some of these are purely practical: modes. These include presets for action internet connection makes sharing
the lightning bolt symbol gives access photography, beach snaps, sunsets and photos and videos across the web an
to the flash settings. You can force the landscapes to help you get the best absolute doddle. The walkthrough
flash on, or switch it off for moody, results possible. opposite shows you how.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Sharing photos and videos with Picasa
To find out
more about a
picture, tap
the Info icon To share your photos Now select the The next step is to
in the top-right and videos, the first pictures and videos tap the Sharing icon
corner. Tap the step is to choose you want to share. in the top-right
Camera icon in what you want to
upload. Launch the
Press and hold a
finger to one of the
corner of the screen.
You’ll see there are
the Gallery view Gallery app, and tap photos to select it; all sorts of options to
to instantly the Camera Album to the tablet will then choose from. For the
launch the see your most recent go into selection purposes of this
Camera app. photos and videos. mode and you’ll be walkthrough,
able to select as however, we’re going
many others as you with Picasa. Tap that
like with a single tap. option, and then
If you need to, you move onto the next
can deselect items step.
by tapping them
again.
You’ll be prompted to Now type the name To share the album, Now it’s simply a
give your items a into the text box. visit the Picasa matter of typing the
caption, and to This is a private website at http:// email addresses of
select the album you album, so we’ve picasaweb.google. whoever you want to
want to upload them selected the Unlisted com – your tablet share the items with
to. You can pick one option. This means should log you in into the To: box,
you’ve already only people you’ve automatically – then adding a message
created, but we’ve chosen can see the select the album you and hitting the
chosen to create a item you’ve shared. uploaded and tap “Share via email”
new album. the Share icon just button at the bottom
above it. of the page.
To view a
slideshow of
your uploaded
images, just
tap the
Slideshow link.

2 WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
WATCHING VIDEO Enjoy the big screen on the small screen thanks
to streaming and local video playback. We reveal exactly how to take advantage of on-demand
services from the big broadcasters and how to convert your own videos for playback
O
ne of the best things about a noting, though, that most Android all. Instead, take advantage of your
tablet is its huge screen – in tablets support Adobe Flash, so you can tablet’s built-in video player and make
comparison to a smartphone, at use the web browser to view TV and sure you have a selection of video files
least. It’s great for all sorts of things, not video clips on www.bbc.co.uk and many stored in the tablet’s memory.
least watching TV, movies or your own other sites. Some tablets, including the HTC Flyer
TIP home-grown movie clips. And there are Another way to watch films and TV and Samsung’s Galaxy Tabs, have their
Third-party video all sorts of ways you can do this with shows on your tablet is to stream them own video stores, where you can rent or
apps support more file your Android tablet. from your computer. There’s a wide buy videos to download and watch on
types and have more The easiest and simplest is via a array of software on offer to do this, but your tablet’s built-in video player.
options than the stock
streaming service. The gorgeous Plex is the best we’ve seen. It costs £3.05 For playing other files (whether
app. It’s well worth
downloading one. YouTube app comes preinstalled on from the Android Market and, after downloaded or shot on your camcorder)
your tablet and gives access to millions installing it on your laptop or PC, you’ll it’s a little more complicated. Android’s
of clips, from funny snippets to movie be able to view all the video you have built-in video player is fussy about what
trailers, and even full TV shows. stored directly over your home network. type of video files it will play, so copying
You’ll find the YouTube app in your It even works for music. files across to the tablet’s memory can
tablet’s App Drawer. If you’re in the UK, be hit and miss. You’ll normally have to
we recommend you take advantage of VIDEO RENTALS convert files first using an application
the BBC iPlayer app in the Android & DOWNLOADS on your PC.
Market, because it gives a smoother While streaming video is great, there The walkthrough to the right guides
viewing experience than watching clips are times when you won’t have a fast you through the process, using a free
directly on the BBC website. It’s worth enough internet connection – or any at program called Handbrake.
Your Android
tablet is fully
compatible with
all the latest
web video
standards, which
means you can
browse and
watch video on
the BBC iPlayer
website — just
like on a laptop
— without the
need for a
special app.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Converting a video file using Handbrake
Handbrake also
lets you queue
up videos for
conversion, one
after another.
Be careful not
to choose any
other options
or the video
might not play
on your tablet.
First, visit the With the software Next, choose where This is where we To make the most of Finally, hit the big You can now enjoy
download section of installed, your first you want the file to determine precisely your tablet’s Start button in the your converted
the Handbrake step is to select the be saved on your how the video is to high-resolution toolbar and prepare video, making the
website (http:// video file you want computer using the be converted. On the screen, you need to for a wait: the most of your tablet’s
handbrake.fr/ to watch on your Browse button – for main screen, look for change the conversion process glorious screen. Fire
downloads.php), tablet. Click the the sake of a panel called resolution of the can take a long time. up the Android
select the version Source button in the simplicity, we Presets. From the video. In the Picture Fortunately, you Gallery app, select
appropriate to you top left of the recommend you Apple menu, choose tab at the bottom don’t need to do the Movies folder
and install it. window, browse to it make it the desktop the “iPhone & iPod left, type the same anything at this and tap your clip to
and click OK, so it’s easy to find Touch” option. value into the Width point, so feel free watch it.
ignoring any further when needed. Name box as shown next to to occupy yourself
boxes that appear. the file. “Source:” and hit the with another task.
Tab key on your Once the conversion
keyboard. There’s is finished, connect
only one exception: your tablet to a
if the value is 1,920, USB port on your
type 1,280. computer and drag
the file into the
tablet’s Movies
folder, clicking Yes if
any message box
appears.

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ENJOYING MUSIC Browsing, playing, buying and streaming. There

really is no limit to your Android tablet’s tuneful talents, so follow our advice and place it at the
centre of your musical world
The “New and

recent” view
displays all the
music you’ve
recently added
to your tablet
in an attractive,
spinning 3D
carousel,
organised by
album. Just
flick your finger
across the
screen to
browse, and tap
to view albums in
full detail.
A
ndroid 3’s Music app is a sight to something else – browse your email, PLAY THE MARKET
behold. Fire it up and you’ll see or read a few pages of your latest Another option is to buy and download
exactly what we mean, with a Kindle ebook – while the music music straight to the tablet. All the main
screen filled with 3D album covers continues to play in the background. music services have their own free apps,
greeting you. The controls are still close at hand, but Amazon is probably the first you’ll
This is the “New and recent” view, a though: tap the headphones icon in want to download. It isn’t yet optimised
TIP smoothly scrolling carousel you can the Notifications area in the bottom- for the larger screen of a tablet, but it
The scrollbar on the flick back and forth effortlessly with a right corner of the screen and up pops works perfectly well, allowing you to
right-hand side of the finger. It’s where the music player a small box complete with the song purchase and download music directly
screen lets you scroll displays all the tracks you’ve played, name and artist, plus skip and pause to the tablet from Amazon’s huge range.
through your entire
downloaded or transferred in the past track controls. And there are all sorts of apps in the
music library in one,
fluid movement. few weeks. To stretch your tablet’s musical Android Market that let you do even
It isn’t the only way of viewing tracks, legs, you’re going to need to add a more. You can stream music over the
though. Options in the Action bar at the few more tracks than the small internet using Spotify, or listen to tracks
top of the screen let you sort your music handful of samples provided. You from another laptop, PC or Mac over
by album, artist and song title. There’s a can do this in a number of ways. The your home network without having to
full-blown keyword search tool, simplest method is to drag and drop copy them across to your tablet first.
allowing you to pinpoint exactly what folders full of music tracks straight to You can even sync your tablet over
you’re after in seconds, and creating your tablet’s Music folder. Just plug the Wi-Fi, transferring music and playlists
playlists is a doddle too. tablet in and use the file browser on without ever having to physically
And, once you’ve set your tracks your computer to transfer the tracks connect your tablet to your computer.
playing, you can pop off and do you want to listen to (see p16). The walkthrough opposite shows how.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Synchronising music wirelessly with AirSync
Before you start, Search for With both Fire up doubleTwist

make sure both your doubleTwist in the doubleTwist apps on your computer. It
tablet and computer Android Market app installed, launch scans the network
are connected to the on your tablet, and AirSync from the App and asks for the code
internet via your then install both Drawer and follow displayed on your
home network. Now, the doubleTwist the (very) simple tablet. All music,
visit the doubleTwist Player and the instructions to set it video and photos
website (www. doubleTwist AirSync up, making careful stored on it will now
doubletwist.com) on (£3.05) apps. note of the code appear under
your PC or Mac, hit provided. Devices.
the download button
and install the
software.
Type
“doubleTwist”
into the Android
Market search
box to find the
apps you need
to install.
Your tablet and Click on the Music Select your tablet

computer are paired. link in the Library under Devices in the
We’re now going to section of the left-hand pane.
send a selection of left-hand pane. You Under the General
tracks to the tablet can either drag and tab, make sure only
over Wi-Fi. The first drop files to the the Music option is
step is to create a playlist, or select selected, click
new playlist by tracks, right-click Choose Playlists
clicking the Playlist your selection, then “Only the
Setup option in the choose the Add To selected”, then
You can import left-hand pane and Playlist option and select the playlist
your playlists giving it a name – select your playlist. you just created.
from iTunes we’re calling our Continue to build in Finally, hit the Sync
instead. Select playlist “Music”. this way until you’ve button in the bottom
iTunes and click chosen all the tracks
you want.
right, sit back and
relax.
Import.
Annoyingly, the
To select AirSync app isn’t
multiple tracks, designed to
hold down Ctrl rotate into
while you’re landscape mode,
clicking on but fear not –
tracks with it still works
your mouse. fine.

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CHAPTER
ESSENTIAL APPS top five for entertainment

Wondering which apps to download next? These five will allow you to make the most of
your tablet’s multimedia capabilities, and should be the first you download
Plex
Price: £3.83
Moving video from your computer onto an
Android tablet usually involves converting the
file, then copying it into the tablet’s video
folder. With Plex, you can stream your video
files straight from your PC or Mac – just install
the accompanying helper application on your
computer, point the Plex app at your machine’s
IP address and it will stream everything from
Full HD camcorder clips to recorded TV files,
straight to the screen of your tablet. It works
remotely too, if you’re prepared to fiddle with
your router settings.
SoundHound doubleTwist Flixster PicSay

Price: Free (with ads), £3.06 AirSync Price: Free Price: Free, £2.42
(extra features) Price: £3.05 (extra features)
Not so much a playback app as a
So, there’s a song on the radio and While not a specific tablet app, tool for finding out what’s on and A picture may say a thousand
you didn’t catch the title or the AirSync is still well worth its price. where, but there are few better words, but what if you want it to
band? With SoundHound running, Download and install it, along free Android apps than Flixster. It say a few more? PicSay lets you
tap the “What’s that song?” button with the accompanying provides reviews and ratings from apply all sorts of fun effects to
while the music’s playing, and it doubleTwist PC and Android the Rotten Tomatoes website, your pictures, from speech
will identify the track from its client, and you’ll be able to hosts photos, trailers and a bubbles for putting words in your
unique sound wave signature. And browse the contents of your synopsis for each film to help you friends’ mouths, to clip-art
that isn’t its only trick: once your tablet directly from your desktop, decide what to watch. Once you’ve graphics and a pen for
track’s identified, you can listen to and synchronise music, videos decided on your movie, you can highlighting details. Also sports
preview clips of other tracks by and photos over your Wi-Fi see which nearby cinemas are advanced features such as tint,
the same band, explore similar network. Setup is surprisingly showing it, complete with show hue, exposure, contrast, and
artists and even head directly to simple and, once done, you just times and contact details. A film saturation adjustments, while the
the Amazon MP3 store to buy the leave it running in the buff’s dream, and so much better Pro version has fantastic resize,
track and download it. background. See p37 for more. than flicking through a local paper. crop and straighten tools.

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2 WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
GAMING FOR TABLETS You’ll be amazed at how much

fun you can have with an Android tablet. With console-quality games and hundreds of free
time-wasters, you’ll never be bored again
T
here’s no longer any need to buy of games, suited to different types of suffix tacked on the end. These have
a dedicated gaming device. Your Android device. Because the Android been designed with higher-resolution
tablet will do everything a Market provides both smartphone and graphics, and take full advantage of the
Nintendo DS or Sony PSP can, but on a tablet apps, many titles you’ll find in a more advanced graphics processors in
larger, higher-quality screen. The quick search won’t be optimised for the Android tablets. You can simply browse
TIP advanced hardware packed into large, high-resolution screen. Nano the games section of Android Market
Type “HD games” Android 3 tablets means effects and 3D Panda and Chalk Ball – both superb for these, but narrowing down your
into the search box graphics look incredible. Nor is that the games – can’t be played in landscape hunt by typing “HD” into the keyword
in the Android only advantage of owning a power- mode; instead you have to hold your search box at the top of the screen will
Market to find games
packed Android tablet. tablet vertically, like a phone. help speed up the search.
suited specifically
to tablets. As with standard apps, games are And if you own a tablet with an
much cheaper than they are on a games FANTASTIC TEGRA Nvidia Tegra 2 chip inside, you can also
console, portable or not, with prices Even those smartphone games you can download the Tegra Zone app. This is a
starting at a paltry 69p and topping out play in landscape won’t necessarily look portal that gathers together all the
at around £5. Many great titles are great: the graphics will usually have games designed specifically for this
available completely free. been designed with smaller screens and type of tablet (games are often suffixed
We’ve listed our favourite games lower-power hardware in mind, and “THD” or “for Tegra”), and includes
overleaf, but there are hundreds more may have “pixellated” graphics. summaries, reviews and even news of
just waiting to be discovered and The first tactic to employ in tracking upcoming titles.
downloaded. Before you start, though, down tablet-specific games is to keep Before you take the plunge, read our
be aware that there are different types an eye out for games that have the HD reviews for a round-up of the very best.
Owners of
tablets with
an Nvidia Tegra 2
chip inside can
install the
Tegra Zone
app, which
rounds up all
the games aimed
specifically at
the latest
Android 3
tablets.

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2 WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
GAME REVIEWS our pick of the top titles

There are so many games, and with new ones being released every day, it can be
difficult to know where to start. Here’s a selection of our favourites
Pinball HD
Price: £1.83
Modern Android tablets have impressive
graphics capabilities, and nowhere is that more
obvious than in Pinball HD (which only works on
Tegra-equipped tablets). There are three tables
to choose from: Wild West, Jungle Style and
underwater-themed The Deep. The 3D graphics
are superb and impeccably smooth, zooming in
and out on parts of the table when necessary,
and coping with multiple balls zipping around
without as much as a dropped frame. If you’ve
got stereoscopic glasses handy you can even
experience true 3D graphics.
Angry Birds Qbism HD Bang Bang Radiant HD

Price: Free Price: £1.31 Racing THD Price: £1.49
Price: £3.70
No gaming guide would be Qbism is a simple-sounding 3D If you have a soft spot for retro
complete without Angry Birds. The puzzle game. You’re given a 3D There are plenty of impressive- games, Radiant should be right up
premise is simple: using a template and a selection of looking 3D racers in the app your street. It’s Space Invaders
catapult, launch your birds across blocks; your challenge is to fit the stores, not least Need For Speed: with a twist, enhancing the
the screen to kill all the pigs. Your blocks together in the template in Shift, and Raging Thunder 2. classic title’s blocky graphics with
enemies lurk behind walls of the shortest time and fewest However, Bang Bang Racing’s modern transparency and glow
wood, ice and stone, and it number of moves. It starts off top-down approach has an effects, and a thumping music
requires birds of different abilities easy and gradually becomes old-school arcade charm that soundtrack. That’s not all: Radiant
to crack their resolve – from trickier: with hundreds of levels none of these can match . You also adds end-of-level bosses, and
ice-breaking cluster birds, to to perfect, it could keep you hurtle your car around a variety of a weapons shop between levels
boomerang birds that can spin diverted for weeks to come. It’s courses, attempting to avoid for boosting firepower. This app
around corners. Fiendishly one of those games you’ll start obstacles and collisions with rival has a pick-up-and-play appeal
addictive, and with a new update playing, then look at your watch cars, nipping through shortcuts that many games lack these days,
released every few months, it’ll and find an hour has disappeared. and into the pits to keep your and is guaranteed to keep you
keep you well and truly hooked. Download at your peril. motor in tip-top condition. coming back for more.

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Fruit Ninja Guerrilla Bob Air Attack HD Infernus: Verse 2

Price: 78p Price: £1.84 Part One Price: £1.23
(£1.96 for THD version) (£2.45 for THD version) Price: Free
Moody, spooky and atmospheric,
Available in both enhanced Tegra Guerrilla Bob is a top-down If you like your shoot-em-ups fast Infernus: Verse 2 brings the
and standard versions, Fruit Ninja shooter of stunning polish. You and furious, Air Attack HD should first-person adventure game to
is a frenzied fruit-slasher of epic control Bob’s movement with be top of your shortlist. In this Android tablets with aplomb. The
proportions. As bananas, your left thumb and shoot with vertically scrolling classic, you graphics are detailed, the
pineapples and watermelons fly your right, picking up points, cash pilot a World War II fighter plane soundtrack tense, and you’ll soon
up from the bottom, your task is to to buy extra weapons and flying over enemy territory. While be so immersed in a world of
chop them in half with a swipe of power-ups as you progress dodging bullets, shells and waves puzzle-solving you’ll find it
your finger before they fall back through each level. The cartoon- of enemy aircraft intent on difficult to drag yourself away.
down, avoiding the booby-trapped style graphics look great – blasting you out of the sky, the Can your character escape the cell
bombs along the way. Extra points especially on the very reasonably aim is to reach the end of the level block? Can you figure out the
can be gained through combos, priced THD version – and there and bring the boss down. With fiendish computer code? You’ll
and the game offers three are also some great multiplayer non-stop action, Air Attack will need your wits about you to
single-player modes and a fun options. You can team up friends satisfy the most demanding progress far. Be warned, though,
head-to-head, two-player variant. in split-screen mode or over Wi-Fi. gamer, and best of all it’s free! it’s not for the easily offended.
Reckless Glow Hockey 2 Pool Break Pro Rocket Bunnies

Racing Play Price: Free Price: £1.85 Price: Free
Price: £3.09
Air hockey has been entertaining Snooker, eight-ball and English It may be free, but Rocket Bunnies
A top-down 3D perspective racer, legions of bored teenagers at pool, billiards and carom – pretty has bags of polish. You slingshot
Reckless Racing moves the action beach-front arcades for decades. much any cue- and table-based your rabbit around the planets in
onto the dirt. You choose from six Now you can experience the game you can think of has been each level in a bid to rescue the
off-road vehicles, each with their unique thwock, thwock, thwock squeezed into this excellent title. bunnies in the shortest possible
own handling characteristics, and of puck hitting mallet on your The gameplay is realistic and time, watching out for marauding
proceed to hurl yourself around a tablet, and this rethinking of the challenging without being too spiders, exploding asteroids and
selection of five circuits. While game, complete with stunning tricky, and you can play against other lethal obstacles as you go.
the price is above average, the neon graphics and a variety of the computer, a friend in “pass Time your slingshots right and
graphics are high quality and the playing options, works brilliantly and play” mode, or another you pick up speed; time them
gameplay is second to none. Our on a large touchscreen. You can opponent on the other side of the wrong and it could all be over. It’s
only complaint is that there isn’t take on the computer at a variety world in network mode. You can addictive, fun and the graphics
enough of it. After you’ve tried of difficulty levels, but the best even add some extra fun to the look great on your tablet. An
each car and track, you’ll be way to play is to go head-to-head mix by playing on a hexagonal essential download for anyone
gagging for more. with a friend. table with six pockets.. after some less frantic fun.

3 STAYING CONNECTEDWorldMags.net
CHAPTER
In this chapter
BROWSING THE WEB Introducing Android 3’s powerful new
built-in web browser: discover its hidden features and find out how best
to take advantage of them.
MASTERING EMAIL We take you on a tour of Android’s

extensive built-in email capabilities, and explain how to send and
receive messages from non-Gmail accounts.
USING SOCIAL NETWORKS Whether you’re into Facebook,

Twitter or Google+, we show you how to make your Android tablet part of
your online social life.
ESSENTIAL APPS FOR COMMS & WEB A selection of

the best tablet communications tools, from Twitter and Facebook apps to
Skype and the amazing alternative browser Skyfire.
ANDROID FOR TABLETS

STAYING
CONNECTED
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Email, instant messaging, social networking, internet telephony, browsing

the web – you name it, you can do it on a tablet. In this chapter we reveal
just how powerful a communications tool an Android tablet can be, how it
can help bring you, your friends and family closer together, and how it
might just revolutionise the way you use the internet.

3 WorldMags.net
STAYING CONNECTED
CHAPTER
BROWSING THE WEB Android’s integrated web browser is

powerful and easy to use, but you’ll need to learn a few tricks to make the most of it. Here we
reveal some of the features that will help you master the internet
There are
thousands
of free Flash
games on the
Kongregate
website that
play back
perfectly in
the Android 3
web browser.
T
he internet is now so central to into Android 3. It supports the use of your favourite pages with a tap of the
our lives that we often take the tabs, which allow you to have several finger, and browse through the pages
software we use to access it for web pages open at once – very handy you’ve visited recently.
granted. That’s as it should be, and for keeping on top of the football Perhaps the Android 3 browser’s most
Android 3’s web browser makes the task results while putting together the powerful feature is its support for
more of a pleasure than most. weekly shop! A single tap is all that’s Adobe’s Flash technology. Flash is the
TIP Android’s multitouch gestures mean required to add a new one, and flicking standard that allows websites to play
If a site opens in you can scroll up and down web pages between them is just as simple. video content directly from the web
mobile phone view, it’s with an effortless flick of the finger. You page, and many advanced websites also
easy to change. You’ll can pinch two fingers together to zoom ADDRESS CODE rely on it to power graphics-heavy
usually find a link to
out for an overview, and pinch them The browser’s address bar also behaves interactive elements. It’s often used
the desktop version at
the foot of the page. together again to zoom in. You can also in much the same way as Chrome’s. As for games, too (check out www.
drag pages about as if you were well as using it to enter addresses in the kongregate.com to find out more).
shuffling paper around on your desk. normal way, you can also type search The BBC website, for example, is
Take a little time getting to know terms into the same box. Once you get packed with Flash video clips that play
Android 3’s web browser better, used to this approach, it becomes the back perfectly in the Android 3 browser.
however, and you’ll be able to do much natural way to search Google. This is a big advantage Android tablets
more than zoom in and out and follow And if you really hate typing, there’s hold over the Apple iPad 2, which simply
links. There’s a lot of power hidden an option to search by speaking into doesn’t support Flash content, and it
away under the surface. your tablet’s microphone; look for the makes your tablet the perfect device
Much of the power of Google’s microphone icon and tap it when it for browsing and enjoying the full
Chrome desktop web browser is packed appears. You can add bookmarks for richness of the web.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Tapping the web browser’s hidden powers
Tap the “X” icon
to close
individual tabs.
Android 3’s browser The Android 3 Over time the Accessed by pressing
shares many features browser supports browser will build up the menu button in
with its desktop Adobe Flash, the an archive of the the top-right of the
counterparts, and technology behind websites you’ve browser window,
there’s no better much of the web’s visited, enabling the Settings menu
example than its use online video content, those pages to load lets you change
of tabs. These allow such as the BBC’s quicker when you advanced features
you to have more iPlayer and news visit them again. You such as which search
than one web page videos. Other Flash can browse this list engine it uses by
open at a time. sites include games by tapping the default, the size
Simply tap a tab to portal Kongregate bookmark icon in the at which text is
switch to that web (www.kongregate. top right of the displayed onscreen
page, or press the com), as well as a browser window, and the default zoom
plus icon on the right number of children’s then selecting the level used when
to add a new one. educational sites. History option. opening a website.
As we mention By default, the Hidden away in the
above, the browser browser records Settings menu,
tracks the websites every page you visit under Labs, you’ll
you visit and and every search find “Quick
displays a grid of term you use, saving controls”. This lets
thumbnail images of the data to its you use your thumbs
the ones you most archive for retrieval to access the
frequently use when later. If you don’t like browser’s most
you fire up the that idea, or you common controls:
browser for the first need to cover your slide a thumb into
time. To visit one of tracks – perhaps the screen from the
the websites, tap its you’re arranging a edge and a dial
icon. This very handy surprise weekend appears with back,
feature isn’t enabled away – you can forward and refresh
by default, however. browse using an buttons on it, for
You need to go to the Incognito tab, example. A number
Labs section of the launched with the of other actions can
browser’s Settings Menu button. also be controlled in
menu to switch it on. this way.
Press the menu button to If the browser

access extra functions such becomes
as the Downloads area. unresponsive,
try switching
the “Enable
plug-ins”
option to
On demand.
You can search

Google in the
usual way or use
the address bar
at the top.

3 WorldMags.net
STAYING CONNECTED
CHAPTER
MASTERING EMAIL Android 3’s excellent apps make it so

easy to keep on top of your mail that you may find you never go back to using your laptop again.
We explain how to take full advantage using Gmail and Yahoo’s service
S
ocial-networking services such as The screen is split into two panes. The in “conversation” view, grouping all
Facebook and Twitter may be navigation pane sits on the left-hand messages with the same subject line
starting to dominate much of our side. When you first launch the Gmail together, helping you to keep track of
time as well as our social lives, but app it displays a list of folders (or Labels, lengthy email exchanges.
you’re still likely to spend more time as Google is fond of calling them), while If you’ve bought the tablet for the
TIP typing emails than almost anything your pile of emails sits on the right. whole household, you can add multiple
Can’t find an email? else. Fortunately, the ability to do this Gmail accounts for each member of the
The Gmail app effortlessly lies at the core of Android 3. GETTING AROUND family if you like. Switching between
searches messages In Chapter 1, we discovered that in Tap a folder on the left-hand side and all them is simple: tap the email address in
on Google’s servers,
order to unlock the full potential of the emails associated with that label the top right-hand corner of the screen
as well as your
locally stored email. your Android tablet you need a Google will appear in the pane on the right. Tap and a menu will appear listing all your
account. That’s taken care of during the on the message subject and the body of Gmail accounts. You then choose which
setup process (see p15), and when you your email will appear, sweeping in account you want to access.
fire up your tablet’s email app for the from the right. An index of your email It’s not just Gmail that’s made simple,
very first time you’ll find it already remains in a pane on the left, so you can however. Android 3’s Email app, which is
populated with all your messages. quickly browse your messages with a effectively the same thing as the Gmail
You’ll also find that Android’s core tap of your finger. To return to the main app, lets you add anything from your
email application – which is in the overview you tap the Gmail envelope Outlook work email to your Yahoo or
app drawer under the Gmail icon – icon at the top of the screen. Hotmail accounts. We show you how to
makes reading and responding to your Just as with your web-based Gmail add a Yahoo account in the
emails an absolute pleasure. account, emails are displayed by default walkthrough overleaf.
The Gmail app

makes the job
of managing
and reading your
emails easy by
splitting the
view into two
panes: labels
are displayed on
the left and
email headers
are listed to
the right.

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WALKTHROUGH Tapping the power of the Gmail app
To remove
emails and
conversations
from your inbox
without
permanently
deleting them,
tap the Archive
button.
Switching
between
multiple Gmail
accounts is
simple: just tap
the address in
the top-left
corner.
If you want
Gmail to
double-check
when you delete
an email, the
option can be
turned on in
General
preferences.
The way the panes You can manipulate To save you Gmail search is a Advanced settings If you receive an Gmail’s advanced
work in the Gmail each email just as bandwidth and powerful tool. Tap are hidden away email you want to settings let you
app are key to its you would on your speed up the the magnifying glass under the Menu keep close to hand, tweak all sorts of
usability and power. PC or Mac. Here, the retrieval of email, icon at the top left button in the you can add it to useful bits and
Not only does the reply screen allows the Gmail app and a small box will top-right corner of your “starred” pieces. You can
two-pane system you to choose to doesn’t display appear, ready for the Gmail screen. emails. Tap the small choose how often
provide a great way Reply all (in the images in emails by you to enter your Among these star shape next to your tablet checks
of navigating case of multiple default. However, keyword. This will settings is the the email in question for email, which
through your Gmail recipients), Forward turning images back search your entire rather useful Mute and it will turn folders (labels, to
folders (see the email, add on is a simple job: Gmail archive if it tool. If you’re part yellow. Later, to find use Google’s term)
opposite), but you attachments such just tap the Show doesn’t find a match of an ongoing it, head to the you want to sync,
can also drill down as pictures or pictures link that locally, and display conversation that overview screen (tap change the alert tone
on each label while documents and add appears at the top all the emails you’ve you’d rather not the Gmail icon in the for new emails and
retaining the same CC or BCC fields to of each email and received from a clutter your inbox top-left corner) and more. To get there,
layout. As the body copy people in on they’ll magically particular contact. As with any more, hit hit the Starred tap the Menu button
of your selected your conversation. appear. you type the address Mute and any future option in the in the very top-right
email appears in the you’re looking for emails that arrive left-hand pane. You corner of the screen,
right-hand pane, into the box, a list of as part of that can remove starred then press Settings.
the list of emails possible matches conversation bypass emails by tapping
it replaces smoothly appears below; select your inbox and are the yellow star next
moves over to one to show emails sent directly to your to them again.
the left. from that person. Gmail archive.

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WALKTHROUGH Adding alternative email accounts
Make sure you
write down all
the details in
this step — You don’t need to To add a new email On the next screen
if you miss stick with Gmail – account, launch the you’ll be asked for
anything out, your Android tablet Android 3 Settings your username and
the process will can handle accounts
from many different
menu: on the
desktop, tap the
password. Enter
those details, hit
probably fail. types of email bottom-right corner, Next, and the tablet
provider. First, you’ll tap the clock box at will attempt to look
need to gather all the top of the up the correct
your account details resulting menu and settings and set up
together: your then press Settings. the email account
username, password Next select automatically. If
and the details of “Accounts & sync”, you’re lucky this will
your service tap the “Add work first time, and
provider’s email account” button in you can skip straight
servers. Here we’re the very top-right to Step 7. If not,
going to be adding a corner of the press “Manual
Yahoo mail account: screen, and choose setup”.
you’ll find these Email from the
details by logging in following box.
and searching the
help section for
You can also use “setting up IMAP”.
your tablet to
receive Outlook-
based work
email. Tap the
Exchange
button to set
it up; you may
need the details
from your IT
department.
Non-Gmail mail
This is where you On the “Incoming The last step is to set You’re all done now. arrives in a
choose the account server settings” your account Confusingly, separate Email
type. The options are page, check the options. This isn’t a however, you won’t app, although
quite cryptic, but details against those very important email find your newly set it has similar
most third-party
email providers will
you wrote down in
Step 1. In this case,
address, so we’re
going to tell the
up email account in
the default Gmail
features to
offer both POP3 and the details are tablet to check for application – you’ll the main
IMAP email wrong: we’re going new email only once need to launch the Gmail app.
connections. It’s best to change the IMAP every 15 minutes. App Drawer (on the
to go with IMAP if server address to the You can set this desktop, tap the
you have a choice, as correct one by interval to a longer Apps button in the
this supports more adding “.mail” or shorter period by top right-right
advanced options between “imap” and pressing the small corner) and look for
such as folders. “.yahoo”, and we’re downwards arrow. the Email icon. Mail
Choose your option going to change the Tap Next to finish. from your newly
to progress to the security type to SSL. added account will
next stage. Hit Next, check the arrive here.
SMTP server details
are correct, change
the security settings
to SSL, and tap Next
once again.

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STAYING CONNECTED 3
CHAPTER
USING SOCIAL NETWORKS Although there are no

social-networking apps built into Android, you can easily add support for the likes of Facebook
and Twitter with the help of third-party software
The official
Twitter app
isn’t that
impressive, but
have a dig around
in the Android
Market and
you’ll find plenty
of alternatives.
I
f there’s one area where Android is customised depending on your update. The latter isn’t quite as slick as
deficient, it’s social networking. requirements. When you launch the app TweetComb, but it has been designed
Surprisingly, there’s no built-in it displays three columns: your timeline specifically for Android 3 and has the
support for Twitter or Facebook, let to the left, mentions in the middle and distinct plus of being free.
alone services such as Flickr or Last.fm. direct messages on the right. As with the core email app, Friend Me
Even more surprising is how sluggish splits its main view into panes: the left
the networks have been in supporting
Android tablets. The situation may
CUSTOM VIEWS
This can be changed, however: you can
pane is for navigating between
Facebook’s main sections – from News
TIP
Once you’ve installed
change eventually, but early adopters set up custom searches, subscribe to to Notifications – with the rest of the all your social
will have found that the official Twitter lists and have them all displayed side screen split in two or three columns, networking apps,
app is basic in the extreme, and no by side right there on the dashboard. depending on the section you’re in. It’s a check to see if any
new widgets have
official Facebook app at all. And there’s no need to restrict yourself great way of updating your status, and been added too.
Fortunately, Android tablet owners to just the three visible columns, browsing your Facebook photos and
have access to the Market, and that’s either – you can add more, and when friends’ Walls. The only omission is
where you should head if you just can’t you do they’re simply added to the right support for Facebook Chat, but you can
live without tweeting your every move of the screen, accessible with a swipe of fill that gap with the free Go!Chat app
or updating your Facebook status. the finger. from the Android Market.
The first app we recommend you For Facebook access, your best bet is For other social-networking services,
install is TweetComb, which has been either the website itself or Friend Me. the advice remains the same: have a
developed specifically for Android 3 The disadvantage of the former is that good old rifle through the Android
tablets. TweetComb’s main draw is its you don’t get automatic notifications Market – you’ll more than likely find an
dashboard view, which can be when one of your friends posts an app to suit.

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WALKTHROUGH Tweeting with TweetComb
TweetComb’s main Posting a tweet is You can tailor

dashboard view as straightforward the TweetComb
You can check features three main
columns, really
as you’d expect: tap
the Status Update in
Dashboard to your
needs. Just tap the
for new tweets making the most of the action bar at the menu button in the
at any stage your tablet’s screen. top of screen and top-right corner
by tapping Here, we have our then type what’s on of the screen,
the Refresh Timeline on the left, your mind using the select Customize
button. Mentions in the
centre column and
onscreen keyboard. Dashboard and, in
the pop-up window,
a custom keyword select from the
search for any tweet list of choices by
mentioning Arsenal tapping/ticking the
in the right column. boxes to the right
of each option. Hit
the Close button
to finalise your
selection.
On your Twitter
profile page
you’ll also find a
personal
timeline,
comprising
tweets,
message replies
and mentions.
Tap the Profile Want to find Other Twitter If you want to

option in the bar someone to follow? users’ profiles change how
at the top of the Then tap the Profile are displayed in TweetComb
screen to view Search button at a similar way to behaves, press
information related the top right of the your own, with the menu button
to your own Twitter screen. Be careful, profile information, in the top-right
profile. Again, though: this only a history of corner, then hit
TweetComb splits searches usernames recent tweets Settings. Here
the screen into so you’ll have to and “Favorites” you can change
three columns, get the name of ranged across the the text size,
with your profile the person you’re screen. If you tap alter how often it
information on looking for exactly the small triangle checks your Twitter
the left, your right if you want to in the corner of account for new
tweets listed in find them. each tweet, a updates and choose
chronological box appears with whether to receive
order in the middle a list of actions notifications for A useful little
and any tweets you can perform, timeline messages, option, this:
you’ve marked as
“Favorites” in the
including replying,
retweeting,
mentions and direct
messages.
tap it to jump
right-hand column. sharing and direct instantly back
messaging. to the top of
the list.

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WALKTHROUGH Using Friend Me to access Facebook
Friend Me’s main Friend Me is To access the

page is split into actually easier Preferences
Use the icon two main columns,
with a narrow
to use in some
respects than the
screen, press the
menu button, then
bar on the navigation strip Facebook website. Settings. Here
left-hand side running down the To see your own you can tell Friend
to move from left-hand side. profile and recent Me how often you
section to The default view activity, including want it to check for
section. is your news feed,
with posts from
all your photos
summed up in one
updates – you can
choose anything
friends in the neat page, tap the between five
centre; to bring up Profile option in the minutes and four
details of posts, navigation bar on hours – whether to
tap the entry you’re the left-hand side. use its own internal
interested in and The one thing you web browser to
they’ll pop up in can’t do here is edit open web links and
the wider column and update your whether you want it
on the right. profile – you’ll have to use Android 3’s
to log on to the notification system
Facebook website to let you know
proper to do that. when friends have
Don’t want to made new posts.
receive Android
notifications
of Facebook
activity? You
can turn them
off here.
If you’re on One of the best Keeping track of Alas, Friend Me

Facebook, you’ll things about what your friends doesn’t support
probably want to Facebook is photo are up to is what Facebook Chat,
update your status management, and makes Facebook but there are apps
at some point. To Friend Me doesn’t so great, and in the Market that
do so using Friend neglect this side Friend Me has that do. Go!Chat for
Me, simply tap the to the website. Hit covered. Tap the Facebook is one of
“What’s on your the Photos option Friends icon in the them, and it comes
mind” button in in the navigation navigation bar and with a handy widget
the top right-hand bar and you’ll find you’ll find your you can drop on
corner, fill in the you can browse friends’ profile your desktop for
box using the all the photos details, plus what’s displaying recent
onscreen keyboard you’ve uploaded on their wall, all in messages both
and hit Share. to Facebook over one handy location. received and sent.
the years, with Use the central
albums displayed in column to find If you want to
the centre column the friend you’re see a friend’s
and the photos looking for and tap photo albums,
themselves shown
on the right. To
their photo to see
their details.
simply tap on his
enlarge a photo, or her profile
tap it once. picture.

3 STAYING CONNECTED WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
ESSENTIAL APPS for comms and the web

The default Android apps for email and the web are good, but you can add further
features thanks to a wealth of third-party apps from the Market. Here are 13 of the best
TouchDown HD
Price: £12.55 (30-day trial, free)
The Android 3 email client is great, but for sheer
power and control you can’t beat TouchDown,
especially if you want to keep your work and
personal email separate. It keeps all your
emails, contacts and calendars in a single app,
and supports push updates so you’re never left
out of the loop.
Two features really stand out: data encryption
and a brilliantly effective remote wipe facility.
This allows you to send an email with a kill code
to wipe your data from a lost or stolen device.
For some users, that alone will make it worth
the price.
Taptu TweetComb Dolphin HD Opera Mini

Price: Free Price: Free Price: Free Price: Free
The multi-platform Taptu keeps With no native support for Dolphin was one of the first If your tablet is 3G-enabled, the
tabs on your news feeds and Twitter accounts in Android 3, alternative web browsers to Opera Mini browser may save you
social-networking accounts in finding an app for the job is vital. appear on Android. It’s packed from smashing through your data
one enormous scrollable grid. It’s Fortunately, you don’t have to with features, not least the ability cap. Instead of downloading
impressive to behold. Feeds can look far. With its efficient to disguise itself as a desktop PC full-res images on every website
be resized and dragged and column-based approach, browser so websites don’t default you visit, Opera Mini compresses
dropped into your preferred order, TweetComb shows more to a basic mobile phone view. It the page on its own servers
allowing you to give greater information on a single screen supports gestures, so you can before sending the slimmed-down
emphasis to the photos shared by than many paid-for alternatives. access common functions by page to your device. This can lead
your Facebook friends, for With support for multiple drawing shapes onscreen. The to blurry images and occasionally
example. Taptu may lack frills, but accounts, optional push best bit about Dolphin, though, is sluggish page rendering, but
it provides an efficient, at-a-glance notifications and the ability to its huge selection of free plugins, better that than a stonking data
summary of your social life in an send tweets longer than 140 which include web-page screen- bill. If you’re running on Wi-Fi,
easy-to-read format – and it won’t characters, TweetComb is a capture utilities and a tool for Opera Mobile offers better
cost you a penny. valuable freebie. saving pages to read offline. support for HTML5 and Flash.

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Skype Friend Me Go!Chat for Seesmic

Price: Free Price: Free Facebook Price: Free
Price: Free
You can’t make traditional Taking its influence from the likes For the social-networking gadfly,
phone calls on an Android 3 of TweetComb and TweetDeck, Oddly, most of the Facebook Seesmic offers a way to make
tablet, even if you’ve chosen to Friend Me brings Facebook to apps available for Android – sense of the chaos. It brings
purchase a 3G model, but you can Android tablets. Its column-based including Friend Me (see left) – Facebook, Twitter, Salesforce
add the ability to do so with the layout is clean and clear, and lets leave out the chat feature. Chatter and Google Buzz into one
free Skype app. Simply download you see all your friends’ activity at Go!Chat for Facebook fills in that single, neat application, and
and install the app from the a glance. It also integrates nicely gap, offering Android 3 means you won’t have to keep
Android Market, enter your with the Android 3 notifications notifications when chats arrive, switching between multiple apps
existing username and password, system to bring you alerts while and it also includes a handy to keep on top of all your feeds.
and you’re read to go. It doesn’t you’re out of the app itself. It notifications widget you can drop Once you’ve entered and verified
look pretty, but it offers free calls doesn’t quite have all the features on to your desktop. It’s basic and your account details, status
to and from your other Skype we’d like – there’s no support for doesn’t support the new video updates are displayed in a
contacts. And, if you buy credit, it chat, and it doesn’t let you upload chat feature, but this free app straight feed, with tabs for
lets you make and receive landline photos or video – but Friend Me does the job effectively and subsections arrayed across the
and mobile calls too. looks great and is a doddle to use. without fuss. top of the page.
Google+ Flash Player Skyfire Synker

Price: Free Price: Free Price: £1.88 (with video capability) Price: Free
Google+ is the search engine Despite the name, this app isn’t Skyfire takes a similar approach to Once you’ve set up all your email
giant’s attempt at beating that flash; it does all its work Opera Mini, compressing web and social-networking accounts it
Facebook and Twitter at their quietly in the background. But to pages with the aim of saving you can be hard to keep track of
own game, offering its own twist appreciate advanced internet bandwidth and speeding up page what’s using your tablet’s data
on streams of status updates, content such as embedded video load speeds. Skyfire’s difference is connection. Owners of 3G tablets
photo uploads and group clips and radio interviews on the that it will process embedded web with capped data plans may well
communication. The app BBC News website, it’s essential video and compress that too. It find themselves exceeding their
integrates with the service fairly you have the latest version of works beautifully, loading pages data allowance more quickly than
well, but it isn’t pretty. Alas, as with Adobe’s Flash Player installed. and video over connections that they expect. Synker offers a way
many of the social-networking Many tablets come with it built would otherwise cause you to of keeping on top of things,
tools, it isn’t optimised for tablet in; many don’t. So, just to make gnash your teeth in frustration (on providing synchronisation
screens. We hope Google sees the sure, before you do anything else one BBC video it saved us 70%). It notifications to let you turn on
light soon and introduces a get yourself along to the Android can also switch between mobile and off automatic updates. It also
version better suited to non- Market, type Flash into the search and desktop web page views with lets you create widgets for all the
smartphone displays. box and download it. a tap of a toolbar button. accounts you care about.

4 WorldMags.net
BEYOND THE BASICS
CHAPTER
In this chapter
USING THE CALENDAR Get yourself organised and keep up
to date with all your business and personal appointments with the help
of the Android Calendar app.
ESSENTIAL APPS FOR PRODUCTIVITY Android 3 isn’t

supplied with any kind of word processor, spreadsheet or even note-taking
app. Here’s our pick of the best on the Android Market.
EXTENDING YOUR TABLET How to transform your Android

tablet into an office workhorse, from downloading office suite software
to installing a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
READING ON YOUR TABLET There’s no need to lug around a

separate ebook reader as well as your tablet: Amazon’s Kindle app provides
all the functionality of the real Kindle on your Android device.
MAPS & NAVIGATION Still using a printed atlas or a traditional

satnav? Time to upgrade to Google Maps and its built-in navigation aid.
TomTom eat your heart out!
MAXIMISE YOUR BATTERY LIFE Keep going for longer

away from the mains with our tips and tricks on squeezing more juice out
of your tablet’s battery.
PROGRAMMING YOUR TABLET For more advanced

tasks there are a few essential programming tools every Android tablet
owner should own. Find out what they are here.
ESSENTIAL APPS BEST TOOLS AND UTILITIES

We choose the best apps for everything from syncing your tablet with your
desktop computer to protecting yourself from viruses.
ANDROID FOR TABLETS

BEYOND THE BASICS
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This chapter uncovers some of the more unusual tasks your Android tablet
is capable of. Over the next few pages you’ll discover how to turn your tablet
into a productivity tool, an ebook reader and even a giant satnav. We’ve also
rounded up the best office apps and utilities on the Android Market.

4 WorldMags.net
BEYOND THE BASICS
CHAPTER
USING THE CALENDAR Android’s powerful Calendar

app will help keep you on top of your schedule, whether at work or play. Here we reveal some of
its cleverest features and explain how to take full advantage
Android 3’s
Calendar app is
simple to use
but deceptively
powerful,
allowing you
to display
appointments
from multiple
accounts side
by side in the
same view.
S
o far we’ve concentrated on the reminders and specify if a meeting The Android 3 Calendar app will even
lighter side of life: how your repeats daily, weekly, monthly or handle multiple accounts. Add another
Android tablet can be used for annually. You can also invite contacts Gmail account or a corporate email
personal entertainment and keeping on on your tablet to meetings. account via the “Accounts & sync” menu
top of your social life. But a tablet can Perhaps the app’s most powerful option in the main Settings menu, and
be used for work too. feature is its ability to synchronise you’ll see the name of that account
TIP At the heart of any working day is appointments with the “cloud”; that is, appear in a list with your original Gmail
Tap the names on the your diary – without it, a chaos of all those services that live online. As account name on the right-hand side of
right of the Calendar missed meetings and forgotten events with the other core apps – email and the main calendar screen.
to make related would ensue. Android 3’s Calendar app contacts – the Calendar app is linked By default, the Calendar app will
appointments appear
is the perfect way of organising it all. directly to your Google account and the display appointments from each
and disappear from
the view. You’ll find it in the App Launcher. online Google Calendar tool. account side by side, colour coding
You can choose a day, week or month appointments depending on the
view; just tap the options in the top left THAT SYNCING FEELING account from which they originated.
of the screen to switch between them. Set up an appointment or meeting on That’s brilliant, but if you’re particularly
You can navigate between days and your tablet and it appears in your online busy, things can start to get messy and
weeks with a sideways swipe of a finger, calendar. Set one up online and your difficult to read. A simple tap of the
or use the month panel on the right to tablet will remind you it’s about to start, finger on the account name on the right
skip into the future. wherever you are. Google calendars can will fix that, effectively turning off
To add an appointment, hit the be shared between colleagues, too, appointments from that particular
button and fill in a form. You can search enabling you to set up appointments account, allowing you to concentrate
appointments by keyword, set for a whole department to see. on one schedule at a time.

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WALKTHROUGH Viewing and setting up appointments
Setting up
recurring
appointments is
as simple as
pressing this
button.
Press on the
link and you’ll be
taken straight
to your meeting
location in
Google Maps.
You can tailor the The Calendar app’s All the navigation Setting up an In addition to the Cleverly, any details Unusually, the
Calendar app’s Month view works controls are on the appointment is easy. core app, there’s entered into the Calendar app’s
view to your own slightly differently right-hand side of Meetings can run all also a widget you Location field of an Settings menu
preferences. Tap the to the other main the Calendar screen. day or be set to a can drop on to your appointment will (accessed by
Day option (top views. First, there’s In the top corner are scheduled time slot, desktop. This show up as a link to pressing the icon
left), and you’ll see no navigation panel buttons for search, and you can give useful titbit displays Google Maps (see in the top-right
your appointments to the right. To move adding new events each one a location, today’s date, as p68) once it’s been corner) isn’t stuffed
displayed across around in this view, and skipping to set recurrences (if well as a scrollable inserted into your with options.
most of the width of you swipe up and today’s date. Below, you want a meeting list of upcoming schedule. Tap any However, it’s worth
the screen. Swipe down with your a small panel lets to take place every appointments, which appointment then remembering that
your finger up and finger. Second, you quickly select a Monday, for you can tap to view the location link, and you can add extra
down to browse that there’s no right or specific week or day, example) and full details. You can your tablet will show accounts from here
24-hour period, and left swipe option. If and an upwards or multiple reminders. also add a new you exactly where it (the process is the
right or left to go to you want to view a downwards flick of You can also add calendar item is on the map. same as detailed
the next or previous specific month a the finger takes you the email addresses quickly from here by opposite) and
day. The Week view year or two into the back or forward a of colleagues you pressing the small change basic view
displays each day of future, you just have month. The switches want to invite to the icon in the top right settings such as
the week in narrower to keep scrolling at the bottom let meeting: if they corner, or launch which day you want
columns, while the until you get there. you show and hide accept the invite, the Calendar app the calendar’s
Month view gives appointments for a the meeting will by pressing the date weekly view to start
you a quick overview particular account appear on their in the widget’s on: Saturday, Sunday
of your schedule. with a single tap. own calendars. top-left corner. or Monday.

4 BEYOND THE BASICS WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
ESSENTIAL APPS for productivity

It may be a lot of fun to use, but your Android tablet also excels at the more mundane
tasks in life. All you need are a few choice apps from the Market
ThinkFree Mobile
for Tablet HD
Price: £6.14
When it comes to office software, most Android
apps offer the bare minimum of editing tools
and a very basic front end; not so ThinkFree
Mobile. Its word processor, spreadsheet and
presentation tool are compatible with the latest
Microsoft Office formats, but its key attraction
is its feature-rich user interface. The word
processor, for instance, offers column, table
creation and drawing tools. There’s no
integration with online services, but you get
1GB of online storage on ThinkFree’s own
servers, and the price is reasonable.
Dropbox ColorNote Google Docs Quickoffice Pro HD

Price: Free Price: Free Price: Free Price: £12.59
The “cloud” synchronisation You don’t need fancy formatting For document editing, creation Quickoffice Pro HD offers office
service Dropbox is arguably the for jotting down quick notes or sharing and collaboration, Google document creation, editing and
most convenient way to share reminders, but it does help to offers its own free app for management facilities, with its
documents and files between have some useful extras. That’s accessing the Google Docs service. spreadsheet, word processor and
different computers and users. Set precisely what ColorNote offers, One of the app’s best features is presentation tools able to handle
yourself up with a free account, allowing you to create plain text its ability to snap a picture of a Microsoft Office formats. Editing
install the software on all your notes or checklists in a variety of piece of work, upload it as part of facilities are basic and there are
devices (Android and iOS different colours, then “pin” them a document and have Google some file compatibility issues –
smartphones and tablets, plus to your desktop. We’d like the transform it into editable text. there’s no RTF support, for
Windows PCs and Macs, are all process of pinning to be more However, the editing functions instance – but it offers seamless
supported), and sharing files intuitive, but this attractive app is themselves are basic. It’s good for integration with online services
between them becomes as simple otherwise very easy to use, and emergencies, but if editing Google such as Google Docs, Dropbox
as dropping them into the 2GB offers the handy extra of being Docs is a regular requirement, and box.net, plus the ability to
Dropbox folder. This is accessible able to send notes via email once you’re better off paying for drag and drop documents from
online via any browser, too. you’ve finished writing them. Quickoffice Pro HD (see right). one location to another.

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WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
ESSENTIAL APPS for productivity

Evernote
Price: Free
Evernote’s superb cloud-based, cross-platform
note-taking and web-clipping service is a great
way of organising and storing stuff you want to
remember. It allows you to store notes, photos,
web pages and even audio clips online ready to
access from your PC, tablet or smartphone at
any time. This app has been specially optimised
for Android tablets and works beautifully, with
a split-screen, pane-based view that makes the
most of a tablet’s high-resolution widescreen
display. The default view is especially elegant,
displaying notes in a timeline with the most
recent shown first.
Due Today Documents To Go Thinking Space Pro PrinterShare

Price: £1.85 Price: £9.99 Price: £2.99 Price: Free
Everyone needs to make to-do Of all the office “suites” available Mind-mapping software is often After doing all this work, it stands
lists at one time or another, but for Android, Documents To Go is used to brainstorm, organise ideas to reason that at some point
Android offers no such facility the most basic. You get the usual or as an alternative to planning you’re going to need to print out
built in. Due Today fills the gap word processor, spreadsheet programs. There are plenty of a document. However, as Android
with aplomb: you can create and presentation tool and choices on the Android Market, tablets have no printer drivers
simple lists of tasks and give them compatibility with Microsoft but Thinking Space Pro is the best built in as standard, you’ll need
priorities and due dates as normal. Office formats, but it hasn’t been mind-mapping app we’ve come to download extra software to do
Tasks can also be assigned to tailored for tablets. In particular, across so far. Creating basic maps it. The solution is to set up Google
“contexts” (to help you keep work graphics look chunky and basic, is straightforward enough – and Cloud Print on a PC at home and
and home items separate, for the in-document options are all they look good even if you use use the PrinterShare app to print
instance), to projects and to accessed via drop-down menus, the default settings – and you documents through your PC over
people. It’s easy to use, with a and there’s no support for pinch can also customise your maps the internet. It’s basic, and you
simple yet effective front end, and to zoom. You can use it to access with different colours and styles, need to leave the PC that’s
you can even synchronise with Google Docs directly, but add link arrows, attach files and connected to your printer on, but
online to-do-list services. otherwise this is a basic offering. even add notes. it’s very effective.

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WorldMags.net
4 WorldMags.net
BEYOND THE BASICS
CHAPTER
EXTENDING YOUR TABLET If you want to use your

tablet for work as well as play, you’ll need to think about buying an extra accessory or two, along
with the apps to make the most of your device
W
e’ve seen how you can use bumps and scrapes, but many cases This isn’t as simple a process as you
your tablet to organise your also double as stands, allowing you to might expect. Some tablets have
life and that, with the prop up your tablet at a comfortable full-sized USB ports that allow you to
addition of a few apps, you can even angle for typing on screen, or for using hook up any standard computer
produce and edit full-blown office on a desk with a keyboard and mouse. keyboard, but depending on the
TIP documents. But if you really want to We’ve reviewed our favourites on capabilities of your tablet and the
To choose the make the switch from laptop to tablet p90, but the key features you should version of Android it’s running, you may
right Bluetooth for working on the move, you’ll need to look for are an adjustable tilt setting, not be able to hook up both keyboard
keyboard for your think of investing in an extra or two. plus cut-out holes that allow you to and mouse simultaneously.
needs and budget,
The best enhancement we’ve seen for charge your tablet, plug in headphones Most tablets are equipped with
see our reviews
on p98. a tablet is the keyboard base for the Eee and so on while it’s still in the case. You Bluetooth, however, and this is the best
Pad Transformer (see p84). This provides don’t want to be constantly slipping the way to go about connecting keyboards
everything you need to turn your tablet tablet in and out of its case just to and mice. Note you can connect both at
into a workhorse, from a decent charge it, as many are quite a tight fit. once only if your tablet is running
keyboard and touchpad to an extra Android 3.1 or later.
battery. Its big drawback is simple: cost. TYPE CASTING There are plenty of Bluetooth
Fortunately, it’s easy and affordable If you plan on typing for long periods of keyboards available, starting at prices
to achieve a similar effect with some time, you should certainly consider under £10. We’ve selected a few of
carefully chosen accessories. First on purchasing a decent keyboard and the better ones on p98, and we show
your list should be a quality case. Not mouse. Android’s onscreen keyboard is you how to set them up in the
only will this protect your device from good, but you can’t touch-type on it. walkthrough opposite.
The ultimate
tablet
accessory is the
Asus Eee Pad
Transformer’s
keyboard and
touchpad base,
which also
includes an
extra battery.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH How to connect a Bluetooth keyboard
You’ll find the
Bluetooth
settings
under the
Wireless &
networks menu.
Some Bluetooth
keyboards come
with a button
you can press
to put it into
pairing mode.
If your
keyboard shows
up as not
connected, tap
on-screen once
Make sure you to connect it.
enter the
four-digit
code on your
Bluetooth
keyboard quickly.
If you aren’t already If it isn’t selected Now switch on your Now tap the “Find Our test device Next, you should see You should now be
there, go to the already, tap the Bluetooth keyboard devices nearby” appears as Bluetooth a small box appear ready to start typing,
Android desktop and “Wireless & and put it into option. The tablet Keyboard here, but in the centre of but before you exit
tap the notifications networks” option in pairing mode. This will then perform a that may not be the the screen titled the Settings menu,
area in the very the list running up procedure varies scan for nearby case on your device “Bluetooth pairing check the status of
bottom right-hand the left-hand side of depending on the Bluetooth devices – sometimes you’ll request”. It will ask your keyboard in the
corner of the screen. the screen. Then, in device you’re using. and display them in see the product you to enter a short, “paired devices” list.
When the menu pops the larger pane to Our keyboard, made the “Found devices” name or even just four-digit code on If it reads “Paired but
up, tap the box at the the right, look for by Voix, has a small list. Depending on a series of letters your Bluetooth not connected”, tap
top and select the Bluetooth button on the rear the number of active and numbers. keyboard and then it once to connect.
Settings to launch options and tap the you need to press to Bluetooth devices in Whatever name the press Enter. Do this
Android 3’s Settings tickbox immediately put it into pairing the vicinity, this may manufacturer has straightaway – if
menu screen. next to it. mode. Normally take some time. given your keyboard, you’re not quick
you’ll see an LED Have patience and though, it should enough off the
flashing at this wait for the scan to display a small mark, the box will
stage. complete; your keyboard symbol disappear. The rest
keyboard should next to it in the list. of the pairing
appear near the top Select the device by procedure should
of the list. tapping it once. complete
automatically.

4 WorldMags.net
BEYOND THE BASICS
CHAPTER
READING ON YOUR TABLET Envious of your fellow

commuters with their Amazon Kindles? No need. Your tablet can be an ebook reader too, enabling
you to enjoy thousands of books on the go, as well as magazines in glorious colour
The
PressReader
app lets you
read newspapers
on your tablet,
just as they are
on paper. Just
pinch your
fingers apart
to zoom in on
the story you
want to read,
pinch out to
zoom out again
and swipe left
to get the
next page.
T
he Amazon Kindle has been a your books on multiple devices and guidebooks and works of reference. But
massive success since its launch synchronises your books, bookmarks you don’t have to stick to one-off
in 2010. You can hardly board a and notes across all of them. You can publications. The Zinio app means you
train without seeing at least one also install the Kindle app on many can subscribe to your favourite weekly
Kindle-toting commuter ploughing types of phone and, if you happen to and monthly magazines, and they look
through the latest crime thriller. leave your tablet at home or the battery great on a tablet’s colour screen. Best of
TIP However, tablet owners don’t have to runs out mid-chapter, you can pick up all, the latest edition is delivered
Keep the Kindle app buy a separate reader device. Amazon’s where you left off on your phone. The automatically, wherever you are.
open at all times so Kindle app is available through the Kindle app even remembers the page You can also get your fix of news
it can synchronise Android Market, enabling you to buy you last read, so the transfer is seamless. from your daily newspapers, laid out
the last page you
and download books instantly as long just as they are on paper. Install the
read if you switch to
another device. as you’re connected to the internet . COOLER SHAKER popular PressReader app, for example,
The app stores all your books in its Your tablet isn’t tied to just one service, and you’ll be able to have publications
memory, so you don’t have to cart a pile though. Other ebook reader apps are ranging from The Guardian and the
of heavy novels around with you on available from the Android Market, such Financial Times to The Sydney Morning
holiday, while the fantastic screen as the excellent Cooler Reader, which Herald delivered automatically to your
quality of many modern tablets means you can use to read free books from tablet, over the internet, whenever they
it’s almost as comfortable to read as the websites such as Project Gutenberg become available.
printed word on paper. (www.gutenberg.org). In fact, with your tablet in tow, there’s
The Kindle app also supports The Android Market also has a library a whole world of publications right at
Amazon’s amazing “Whispersync” of books available as individual apps, your fingertips. All that remains is
technology, which allows you to read including the Bible and all sorts of finding the time to read it all.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Buying, downloading and reading books with the Amazon Kindle app
If you
accidentally
delivered your To make buying With that sorted, On the Kindle home
book to the books quick and it’s now time to screen you’ll find
wrong device, simple, you’ll
need a credit card
move over to your
tablet. First, fire
a couple of free
samples. Options
you’ll find your stored in your up Android Market, down the left
book in the Amazon account. download and let you filter the
Archived items If you don’t, log install the Amazon contents of this
section (see on to the Amazon Kindle app, then screen: you can
step 5). website, click the
Your Account link
find it in the App
Drawer or on the
view everything,
items you’ve
at the top right, desktop and launch downloaded,
then “Manage it. Enter your archived items
Your Payment Amazon username (books you’ve
Methods”. Enter and password in the bought but haven’t
your username boxes and move on downloaded yet),
and password, to the next step. or magazines and
click “Add a Credit newspapers. At the
Card” and select top are a search
the 1-Click box tool and a button
before selecting to change the view.
the appropriate Tap the link to the
If you’ve delivery address. Kindle store.
already logged
into Amazon
on a different
device, you
need to select
your device
before you click
Buy now.
You’re whisked If you’ve previously With your first The Kindle app
off to the Amazon installed the book paid for offers several
Kindle website, Kindle app on and downloaded, options to improve
which launches in another device, reading it is your reading
the tablet’s default the following page simplicity itself. comfort too: tap the
web browser. Find may ask you which Just launch the title centre of the page
the book, as you device you want the with a single tap and, in the top right
normally would book delivered to. of the finger. Once corner, you’ll see a
when buying a Select your tablet you’re in, you can brightness control
printed copy, then and click Continue, turn pages either (keep this as low as
click the button then launch the by tapping in the is comfortable to
labelled “Buy Kindle app from right or left margins avoid eye-strain),
now with 1-Click” the App Drawer of the page, or by an option to change
and confirm your once again, and swiping your finger the text size and a
Amazon username watch as your book left or right. switch for changing
and password. is automatically the colour scheme. To add a
downloaded. Black on white is bookmark, tap
the default, but once in the
you can also read in
sepia, or have white
top-right
text on a black corner of the
background. reading view.

4 WorldMags.net
BEYOND THE BASICS
CHAPTER
MAPS & NAVIGATION When you start to use Google Maps on a

tablet you’ll get a feel for its massive potential: your handheld device can drill down to the tiniest
street or give you an overview of a continent. And it’s rather handy at telling you where to go, too
N
ot long ago, an atlas was an versions of Google Maps, you can terrain, train lines and even links to
essential part of any search locations and points of interest geo-specific Wikipedia articles.
household’s private library. But by entering a keyword. With everything That’s not all, though: Google Maps
just like the poor old encyclopaedia, the from local businesses to major can also give you walking or driving
internet has consigned atlases to the sightseeing attractions and hotels in directions, and if your tablet has a GPS
TIP dustbin of history. Nowadays, Google Google’s vast databases, you’ll almost chip, it can even act as a full-blown
With two fingers Maps rules the world of cartography, certainly find what you’re looking for. satellite navigation system, just like a
resting on the map, and you’ll be delighted to discover that TomTom. Enter a destination using the
drag them down one of Android 3’s core apps is designed VIEW FROM ABOVE keyword search, then when you’ve
– the map will tilt,
specifically to take advantage of it. As As with Google Maps online, you can found what you’re looking for, tap the
giving a neat
perspective view. always, you’ll find it in the App Drawer, also view maps in a number of different flag on the map to bring up its details.
under the title Maps. ways. There’s the standard road map The final step is to tap the Directions
A tablet brings the digital world of view – useful for sorting out directions button in the panel.
Google Maps to life in a way that a – but you can also display the map as a Just watch out for your data usage.
laptop or PC just can’t. Pushing and giant satellite photograph, with Google Maps may give you the feeling
dragging the map around with your uncannily detailed aerial shots of that you have the whole world at your
finger is effortless, and you can also (almost) everywhere on the planet. fingertips, but in fact all the data lives
pinch your fingers to zoom in and out, You’ll find this option if you tap the on Google’s servers, and your tablet
just as you would in the browser. Layers button in the top-right corner of needs to download the maps each time
It’s a beautifully designed piece of the screen next to the menu button, you browse to a new location or
software and, as with browser-based alongside options to display traffic, calculate a new route.
Google Maps lets

you use your
tablet just like
an atlas, but it
puts a whole lot
more power and
interactivity at
your disposal,
from business
listings and
directions to
satellite
navigation
features..

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Using your tablet as a satnav
Google Maps is
free, which in
this case means
ad-supported.
Luckily, the ads
don’t get in the
way too much.
The blue circle

indicates the
accuracy of the
GPS signal.
Launch the Google Tapping the flag that In the box that pops You can now pop the There are a number As you preview your One of Google Maps
Maps app from appears on the map up next, select tablet on its mount of advanced options route in this way, Navigation’s most
either the desktop will launch the Driving Navigation. (if you have one) it might be useful to you may also notice powerful features is
shortcut or the App location’s details After searching for a and start driving. The be aware of at this a couple of extra its “alternative
Drawer. When it fires panel. Here, you can signal from the GPS Navigation view stage. If you’re stuck buttons appear at routes” function. Tap
up, type your take a look at a satellites, Google shows your current in traffic you can the bottom of the the estimated time
destination into the panoramic view of Maps should enter location in the take a virtual tour of screen. Tapping the of arrival button at
search box in the your destination the voice-guided bottom-right corner the next part of your figure of a man will the bottom and
top-left hand corner using the famous satnav mode. The and the estimated route, for instance. launch Google Street you’ll see three
of the screen. For Google Street View, GPS chip in your time to arrival in the Just tap the green View, giving you a different routes to
simplicity’s sake, browse photos and tablet needs a direct bottom-left corner. bar at the top of the photographic your destination,
we’ve searched for even read reviews view of the sky to At the top you’ll see screen and the view preview of that complete with
London Zoo, but you and write your own. lock on to a signal. an icon showing the will advance portion of your route colour-coded traffic
can also enter an We want to get While you’re waiting, next turning; a green smoothly to the next – very useful for data - red for heavy
address in the directions, however; you can tap the bar displaying the turning. As it does roundabouts and the traffic, green for
normal way, or tap to do this, tap the small square button name of the street this, a small arrow like. To return to your none. To use one of
in a postcode. Directions button in the bottom you need to turn will appear in the current location at the alternative
Alternatively, if you to enter navigation right-hand corner down next; and a top-right any point, tap the routes, tap it and
just want directions mode. of the screen to get small, grey icon corner – tap this to blue arrow in the then press the blue
to a city centre, a full list of the indicating the advance to the next bottom left-hand arrow at the bottom
simply enter the driving directions turning after that. turning, and the corner of the screen. to go back to the
city’s name. for your route. next, and so on. navigation view.

4 WorldMags.net
BEYOND THE BASICS
CHAPTER
MAXIMISE YOUR BATTERY LIFE With so

many features on tap, if you’re not careful your tablet will soon have its battery life sucked out of
it. Here, we explain the chief culprits and offer some tips on how to conserve power on the move
If you want to
see exactly
which apps and
components
have been using
your battery,
and for how
long, check out
the Battery
usage page. You’ll
find this in the
Settings menu
under About
tablet.
T
he best tablets will last for more the screen’s power draw, and there are “Accounts & sync” section of the
than ten hours of continuous several ways of doing this. The key is to settings menu you’ll find you can
use from a single charge, and for make sure it isn’t on for any longer than change when and how often your tablet
several days if used more sporadically. If necessary, and when it is on, to keep the synchronises your various email and
you’re not careful, however, you may brightness as low as possible. You’ll find social networking accounts.
find yourself having to charge your details in the walkthrough opposite. Other apps – such as weather
TIP tablet more often than you’d like. There’s
DATA DRAW
updates, a widget that checks stocks or
Keeping on top of nothing more irritating than taking your a newsfeed reader – may also be listed
battery-hoggers can tablet from its bag to be told battery life The other key things to consider are the here. Ask yourself if you really need this
be tiresome, but is running low. mobile broadband and Wi-Fi adapters information to be updated constantly. If
battery-saving apps
If you follow a few simple guidelines, your tablet uses to connect to the the answer is no, make sure you change
on the Android
Market will help. however, you should be able to keep internet. With browsing at the core of the settings of each app individually to
going as long as the Duracell bunny. The what you do with your tablet, it’s little make sure it isn’t sneaking on to the
place to start is the screen. Go to the wonder these give the battery a internet behind your back.
Settings menu, tap “About tablet” then thorough workout. And with so many Last, but by no means least, take a
“Battery usage”, and you’ll see which apps constantly checking for messages trip to the My Apps section of the
apps and components are taxing your and updates in the background things Android Market and make sure that
battery most. The screen will probably can quickly get out of hand. automatic updates for all your apps are
be top of this list: it’s the most power- You can find details opposite on what switched off. App updates can be quite
hungry component of your tablet. to do to minimise the impact internet large, and updates, especially over a
If you want your tablet to last longer connectivity has on your battery, but mobile internet connection, can be a
between charges, you need to minimise again, the key is control. In the serious drain on your battery.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Seven steps to better battery life
The automatic
brightness
setting is The screen on The next best way of When your screen
useful, but it your tablet is eking extra minutes automatically
isn’t very the main culprit from your battery is rotates from
aggressive when it comes
to swallowing up
to use flight mode.
This switches off
landscape to
portrait mode, or
— often you’ll battery life – the the power-hungry vice versa, it’s using
save more power brighter it is, Wi-Fi radio and precious battery
by doing it the more power disables 3G and life. If you use it in
yourself. it uses. The best Bluetooth so you mostly landscape
way to resolve this can be sure nothing mode, you can turn
issue is to use the is sucking away off auto-rotation. In
“Auto brightness” power. Only use this the Settings menu,
setting, which in emergencies, select Screen, then
dims the screen though, as you tap the “Auto-rotate
automatically, won’t be able to screen” tickbox.
depending on the browse the web or While you’re there,
ambient light: to send and receive set Timeout to 15 or
set it, tap the clock email while flight 30 seconds. This will
in the bottom-right mode is on. You’ll ensure the screen
corner, then the find it in the same isn’t on for longer
clock in the pop-up place as auto than necessary.
menu, then AUTO. brightness.
Not all apps

with internet
connectivity will
be listed here.
Make sure you
know what they
are and check
their settings
individually.
Another way of Again, turning off Some apps – Adobe For ultimate control
rationing your all background Flash Player, for over battery-
tablet’s use of data may seem like example – may be hogging apps
its 3G and Wi-Fi overkill. If you want set to automatically and hardware,
connectivity is to your tablet to keep download and download a battery
alter its Autosync checking your email install updates management
settings. Under in the background, without your app from the
“Accounts & sync” but nothing else, intervention. To Android Market. We recommend
in the Settings this isn’t the setting stop this, and save JuiceDefender is our switching off
menu you’ll see to use. To do this, battery life, go to favourite. It lets you automatic
several options leave background the Market app, tap manage power- updating for
for managing the
frequency with
data ticked and, in
the app list below,
My Apps and select
an installed app.
related settings
on an app-by-app
apps. The
which the tablet tap the green Check in the pane basis, allowing Market app will
and specific apps icons next to the on the right that Gmail access to the still check for
connect to the apps you don’t the tickbox next to net, for instance, updates and
internet. Disable want to connect “Allow automatic but stopping tell you about
background data
and apps will
to the internet
automatically.
updating” isn’t
ticked.
TweetComb from
downloading
them, but it
connect to the updates until you won’t download
internet only when launch the app and install them
you ask them to. itself. for you.

4 WorldMags.net
BEYOND THE BASICS
CHAPTER
PROGRAMMING YOUR TABLET As if Android

tablets weren’t flexible enough already, you can make them even better. The magic of Tasker lets
you create your very own Android apps, without learning a programming language
T
hink of anything you want to do Actions – the three core elements that There are location-based Contexts
with your tablet, and chances Tasker uses to do its job. Profiles are the that trigger actions depending on
are there will be an app in the tasks or individual jobs you want Tasker where you are. Apps can be triggers too,
Android Market that lets you do it. But to carry out: sending an email based on setting off actions when they’re
what if you want to do something that your location, for instance, or adjusting launched; or you can use the time or
TIP isn’t covered? What if, no matter how the volume level whenever your plug in date, and even certain system-level
If you don’t want to much digging around you do, you just a pair of headphones. You can create events. You can trigger your Profile
splash your cash, can’t find an app to do what you want? any number of Profiles, and each can be every time you turn on or shut down
there’s a 14-day If that’s the case, and if you’re of a switched on or off, as you see fit. your tablet, for example.
free trial of Tasker
technical bent, you might want to Finally, Actions are what you want
available on the
Android Market. investigate Tasker. It isn’t free, but it PUTTING IT IN CONTEXT your tablet to do once the Profile is
enables you to program your tablet to That’s easy to wrap your head around, activated. In the walkthrough to the
do almost anything you can think of, but now we get to the more difficult right, we explain how to set up a Profile
without the need to learn a programming part – Contexts. In Tasker, each profile that launches the Music app, sets the
language. Want to send an email to your has one Context attached to it, and this volume level to ten, then tells you what
other half when you reach a certain acts as the trigger that sets the Profile it’s done in a pop-up message, but you
stage of your commute? Set the tablet in motion. This can be almost anything can add many more actions.
to silent when you go to bed? With you can think of. You can use hardware In fact, with a little perseverance and
Tasker, you can do all this and more. triggers: onscreen gestures, plugging in application, you can do almost anything
The key to working with Tasker is to those headphones or reaching a certain you want with Tasker. The only limit is
understand Profiles, Contexts and battery level, for example. your imagination.
Tasker lets you

set up any
number of
different
automated
tasks, and
they’re easy to
switch off and
on at will.

WorldMags.net
WALKTHROUGH Programming with Tasker
We’ve picked a Before you do Now you need to Next, we need to tell
hardware action anything else, set up select your Profile’s Tasker what to do
to trigger our a new action, or
Profile as Tasker calls
first context. Despite
the obscure name, a
when the headphones
have been plugged
program, but you them. We’re going to context is simply a in and the context
can base your create a profile that trigger, like the has been triggered.
programs on sets the music movement sensor Tap the New Task
location, time volume to ten and that sets off a button and type a
or gesture. automatically
launches the Music
burglar alarm. In our
case the trigger is a
name for the action
in the box: we’re
app whenever pair of headphones going to set the
headphones are being plugged in, volume and launch
plugged in. To create but it could be the the Music app, so
a new profile, tap the time of day or the we’ve called it Setvol
plus symbol in the launching of a Launchmusic. Tap
bottom-left of the specific app. Tap the tick and you’ll be
screen, type State, Hardware, presented with a
“Plugheadphones” Headset Plugged more complicated
into the New Profile then tick to confirm Task Edit box; this is
Name box and tap that this action where you define the
the tick button to applies to any type actions that make up
continue. of headset. the task.
There are
hundreds of
other actions
you can select,
from changing
the display
brightness to
switching
“airplane” mode
on and off.
We’re going to tell To launch the Music As a finishing touch, All that remains is to
the tablet to set its app, we need to we’re going to make sure the profile
volume to medium. create another stage. generate a pop-up is up and running.
Tap the plus symbol Tap the small plus box as a reminder Tap the tick in the
in the bottom-left symbol in the Task that the volume level bottom-left corner
corner of the Task Edit window once has been changed. of the Task Edit box
Edit window, then again, then select Once again, the to close it and, on
select Audio, Media the App option in the process is simple: the following screen,
Volume, and adjust following window, tap the plus symbol ensure the tick next
the slider to the tap Load App, and in the bottom-left to Plugheadphones
appropriate level. select Music from corner, but this time profile is green and
Drag it to the right a the scrolling grid of select the Alert that the small button
few steps, then tap applications. To option, followed by in the bottom-right
the tick symbol in finish, tap the tick in Popup. On the next corner of the screen
the bottom-left the bottom-left screen, type “The is set to On. Now, You can adjust
corner of the corner of the volume level has whenever you plug the length of
window. You’ll now window, and you been set to 10” into your headphones in, time the
be returned to the
Task Edit box, where
should now see
another action added
the Text box and tap
the tick in the
the tablet will
automatically
warning message
the new task will to the Task Edit bottom-left corner launch the Music app stays onscreen
appear at the top of window. to confirm. and set the volume by adjusting the
the list. to ten. slider.

CHAPTER
ESSENTIAL APPS The best tools and utilities

Want to access your desktop PC from your tablet, touch-type on the screen or protect
your device from viruses? This selection of useful utilities lets you do all that and more
LogMeIn Ignition
Price: £8.99
Remote control apps let you access your
desktop or laptop directly from the screen of
your Android tablet, and there’s no better
solution than LogMeIn Ignition. As with most
other remote control apps, you install partner
software on your PC or Mac, then sign up for an
account and download the app from the Market.
Then just sign in and access your computer
directly from your tablet. It’s quick, the
multitouch controls are a revelation, and it also
lets you browse the file system of your target
PC, which means you can get access to
documents you may have left at home.
File Manager HD TeamViewer JuiceDefender Plus Anti-Virus Free

Price: Free Price: Free Price: £1.99 Price: Free
A file browser is essential for any If you’re unwilling to pay the big If you find your battery runs out The problem isn’t as bad as it is
discerning Android tablet owner, bucks for LogMeIn, there’s quicker than you’d like, this clever with Windows PCs, but viruses
and File Manager HD is the best always TeamViewer, which app adds extra tools to help you are beginning to target Android
we’ve seen for Honeycomb tablets provides a more basic remote control precisely when your tablet devices. For peace of mind, this
so far. Its grid view takes full control service for free. Don’t uses its power-hungry Wi-Fi and scanner from virus veteran AVG
advantage of your tablet’s large expect the slick, tablet-friendly 3G radios, switching them off when will check files and apps for
screen, the multi-select tool makes experience you get with LogMeIn they aren’t needed. Originally viruses as you download them,
shunting files around a doddle, – when signing in you’ll need to designed for smartphones but just and adds a few extra features.
and a series of shortcuts and turn your tablet around to as effective with tablets, you can Perhaps the biggest is that if your
user-definable bookmarks to the portrait mode, and there are no set JuiceDefender Plus to turn off tablet is lost or stolen, you can
left of the screen ease navigation advanced file-management tools everything at night, switch Wi-Fi locate it via Google Maps. There
around Android’s complicated file – but as a basic remote control hardware off automatically when are task killer, backup and app
system. There’s even a LAN tool for tool it does the job brilliantly. you’re out of range of your usual management tools included, and
browsing local network shares, And best of all, it’s completely network and control hardware a tool to protect you from
and a built-in text editor. free for personal use. use on an app-by-app basis. phishing websites.

WorldMags.net
Thumb Keyboard
Price: £1.56
Anyone who doesn’t have hands the size of a hairy
yeti’s will find typing with their thumbs a bit of a
stretch on the latest 10in Android tablets.
Beansoft’s superb Thumb Keyboard offers a handy
solution. It splits the keyboard in two, placing the
letters in smaller clusters to the right and left of the
screen so you can reach them more easily, with less
commonly used symbols, numbers and navigation
keys in the centre. It works beautifully, with superb
word suggestion smoothing out the worst of your
typos, an enhanced normal keyboard and optimised
layouts for every size of tablet screen.
Widgetsoid Tasker Wi-Fi Analyzer WiFi File

Price: Free Price: £3.99 Price: Free Explorer Pro
Price: £0.99
The list of standard desktop Tasker lets you set up macros that Having trouble with your Wi-Fi?
widgets on Android 3 tablets is a run a series of actions based on This handy utility could help. Four For transferring small numbers of
little thin, but you can boost it predefined “triggers”. The different views display wireless files over your wireless network,
for free with the excellent possibilities are endless: you can networks in the surrounding area you couldn’t ask for a simpler
Widgetsoid. Sporting quick toggle use it to dim the brightness at in different ways, to diagnose and method than this. Simply enter
switches for Wi-Fi, flight mode and certain times of day, set a long detect problems. There’s a signal the supplied address into your
Data Sync to name but a few, screen timeout when you’re using strength “speedometer”, a graph computer’s web browser, and
alongside a healthy set of display an ebook reader, or link actions to displaying signal strength over you’ll be able to use the website
options (size, colour, transparency hardware events such as the time and a screen showing which that appears to copy files directly
and so on) for you to tailor, this accelerometer or onscreen wireless channels neighbouring to and from the memory of your
free application provides a great gestures. Want to launch an app networks may be using. You can tablet. You can’t upload whole
deal of choice. It’s initially with a shake? Or fire up an app use the information to ensure folders to your tablet, but other
confusing, and not helped by a automatically when you first turn your network doesn’t clash with useful features include the ability
poorly worded FAQ, but stick with your tablet on in the morning? anyone else’s, and improve the to compress and rename folders
it and you’ll be rewarded. You can do it all with Tasker. reliability of your connection. and stream media files.

5 HARDWARE REVIEWSWorldMags.net
CHAPTER
In this chapter
ACER ICONIA TAB A How does LG OPTIMUS PAD Enter another
Android 3 fare on a 7in screen? dimension with LG’s 3D-capable Optimus Pad
ACER ICONIA TAB A /A An ACCESSORIES Boost your tablet’s

Android 3 tablet aimed at those on a budget capabilities with our choice of essential extras
ADVENT VEGA It may cost just £200, but MOTOROLA XOOM How does the original
the Advent Vega is fast and feature-packed Android 3 tablet match up to the new arrivals?
ASUS EEE PAD TRANSFORMER PACKARD BELL LIBERTY TAB G

A unique combination of laptop and tablet Speed and style comes at a reasonable price
BINATONE HOMESURF TABLET SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB It’s been around a

Can a £99 Android tablet match its pricier rivals? while, but the 7in Galaxy Tab is still a fine option
HTC FLYER Innovative technology from SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB . The latest
the successful smartphone manufacturer offering from Samsung sets the standard
CASES & BAGS Keep your device protected SONY TABLET S We preview Sony’s
with our selection of the best bags and cases strikingly different and innovative tablet
JEXAA JEXTAB HD A superb display, VIEWSONIC VIEWPAD X ViewSonic

Android Market and 3G support at a low price overhauls Android 3 for its groundbreaking 7X
LENOVO IDEAPAD K Loaded with ports

and software, the K1 is ideal for work and play
ANDROID FOR TABLETS

HARDWARE
REVIEWS
WorldMags.net
If you haven’t bought a tablet already, you’ll find everything you need to
make your choice in this bumper chapter. We’ve reviewed 15 tablets that
cover the full range of prices, from bargain basement to premium iPad
rivals. We’ve tested the tablets to within an inch of their lives, and to cap it
all, we’ve also picked out some essential accessories, cases and bags.

5 HARDWARE REVIEWS WorldMags.net
CHAPTER
Small and lovely: the Acer Iconia Tab A100 is a

rarity with its 7in screen and compact dimensions.
Acer Iconia Tab A100

Cute, and compact enough to fit in your pocket, the Acer Iconia Tab A100 is a
charming rarity – a 7in tablet with Android 3 onboard
T
he first batch of Android 3 real-estate, and typing on the standard auto-rotating, and all the ports and
tablets were restricted to screen Honeycomb keyboard is a little more sockets (the 3.5mm audio output, Micro
sizes of 9in or above. With fiddly, but we’d take those small niggles HDMI, and proprietary docking port) are
Android 3.2, smaller devices with lower for the sheer portability. It’s compact located sensibly on the short edges.
resolution displays became possible. enough to slip into an inside jacket
The first to appear was the Acer pocket, and reasonably light at 400g. RAW PERFORMANCE
Iconia Tab A100, which comes with a 7in, The rest of the design is perfectly So the A100 is as easy to use as its larger
1,024 x 600 resolution screen, and acceptable too. The grey glossy plastic cousins, and internally it’s also up to
Google has done a fine job adapting its back isn’t luxurious, but general build scratch. There’s no 3G option, but you
software for use on smaller screen sizes. quality is good, and we like the fact get 8GB of internal storage and a
In use, the A100 is almost as easy to that, when you hold it in landscape microSD slot for expansion. It’s powered
manipulate as its larger cousins, with orientation, the extended ends give by a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2
menu options, buttons and bars all your thumbs somewhere to rest. processor and has 1GB of RAM to back
perfectly proportioned. There are other nice touches: next to that up, so Android flies along.
The smaller screen means widgets the volume rocker there’s a lock switch Scrolling, panning and pinch-to-zoom
and icons occupy more desktop for preventing the screen from operations are as responsive as you

WorldMags.net
The rear of the tablet sports a smart In brief
grey gloss finish and a 5-megapixel
autofocus camera with an LED flash. Price £299
Internet www.acer.co.uk
Good Competitive price; Android 3
inside; small screen works well
Bad Mediocre screen quality; poor
battery life; camera isn’t great
Verdict It has some flaws, but for the
price we can’t help but like this little
Honeycomb tablet
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3.2
Screen & Weight
7in, 1,024 x 600/400g
Processor
Dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2
Storage
8GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Benchmarks
Battery life
(hrs - higher is better)
4:53
1 15
12
BBC desktop
The A100 may be homepage
compact and load time
light, but it isn’t (secs - lower is better) 05
particularly slim. 06
Measured brightness
(cd/m 2 - higher is better)
50 239
500
All the buttons

could hope for, and we found standard-
and ports are but brightness and viewing angles leave The 5-megapixel camera is another
definition BBC iPlayer and YouTube
on the A100’s much to be desired. We measured a disappointment. Stills, even in good
videos played smoothly, although HD
short edges: maximum brightness of 239cd/m2 – not light, are spoiled by heavy compression.
streams were hit and miss. The only
the headphone bright enough to use outside, and Video shot at 720p and 20fps is
caveat is that horizontal scrolling
socket and colours change hue as you tip the tablet extremely soft and lacks detail.
animations in the App Drawer view
power button back and forth in landscape orientation. So, with average screen quality,
shudder slightly as you swipe left and
on the left; The next problem is battery life. below par battery life and a poor
right, but this is a mild glitch.
everything According to Acer’s specifications the camera, you may think it’s one to steer
And our tests show it’s easily the
else along the A100 is capable of “up to five hours”, and clear of. But the Acer A100 is likeable. It’s
match of most other Android tablets. It
loads complicated pages quickly and
right edge. sure enough we achieved a time of 4hrs
53mins in our looping, low-resolution
nice to use, snappy and responsive, and
looks more attractive when you put it in
without fuss, with the BBC homepage video test. That’s well short of average context: it costs the same as the ageing
appearing in five seconds flat. for a Honeycomb tablet, and lags 7in Samsung Galaxy Tab, and is cheaper
Generally, we’re big fans of this neat significantly behind its main rival for than the 16GB HTC Flyer. If a 10in tablet
little tablet, but there are annoyances. the 7in tablet crown – the HTC Flyer doesn’t appeal, this mini alternative – or
The first is the screen. It’s sharp enough, – which managed 8hrs 4mins. the ViewSonic ViewPad – just might.

CHAPTER
As with most
Android 3
tablets, there
are no buttons
on the front
of the A500
— all the
controls you
need are hosted
onscreen.
Acer Iconia Tab A500/A501

The Iconia Tab A500/A501 undercuts much of the opposition, but has Acer cut too
many corners to hit the low price?
A
cer’s Iconia Tab A500 was one of The A500 also sports a 5-megapixel though, weighing in at 756g and
the first Android 3 tablets to hit camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel measuring 260mm across. That may
the shelves, arriving on the unit on its front, while the edges are sound close to the Xoom’s 730g, but the
scene at about the same time as both home to a good selection of ports: an extra ballast is instantly noticeable.
the Motorola Xoom and the unusual HDMI output, a full-size USB port and a The Iconia is pleasingly light on its
Asus Eee Pad Transformer. It can’t match microSD slot on top. For those who need feet, though. Android 3’s menus and
the Transformer for innovation, but as a data on the move, there’s a 3G-equipped animations whizz by. Our performance
straightforward tablet it gives both a version – the A501 – available for £536. tests back this up, with the BBC
run for their money. Both versions include GPS. homepage loading in an average time
The hardware cuts a familiar dash. As Physically, the Iconia Tab A500 sits of four seconds. The games we tested
with the Xoom and the Transformer, somewhere between the Xoom and the played smoothly, from sedate offerings
there’s a 10.1in 1,280 x 800 resolution Transformer: it isn’t as attractive as the such as Angry Birds to more intensive
display, and the tablet is powered by former, but its aluminium exterior, titles such as Need for Speed Shift.
the dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 which wraps around the top and Battery life is middling. With a
processor. There’s 1GB of RAM and 32GB bottom edges, makes it look and feel low-resolution video on loop, and the
of integrated flash storage. more expensive than the latter. It’s hefty, screen set to medium brightness, the

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price £350, 32GB Wi-Fi (A500);
£536, 32GB 3G (A501)
Website www.acer.co.uk
Good Attractive design; very quick;
reasonable price
Bad A little heavy; screen isn’t the best
quality around
Verdict A competent tablet, but it’s a
little heavy and struggles to stand out
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3
Screen & Weight
10.1in, 1,280 x 800/756g
Processor
Storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (only A501 has 3G)
The rear of the
A500 is finished Benchmarks
attractively Battery life
in brushed, (hrs - higher is better)
cool-to-the-
touch aluminium.
10:01
1 15
The HDMI port

lets you BBC desktop
12
connect the homepage

A500 directly to load time 04
an HDTV. The A500 tablet is slim but hefty, (secs - lower is better)
tipping the scales at 756g. 06
Measured brightness
50 343
500
Iconia lasted 10hrs 1min. That’s slightly A full-size there’s SocialJogger, and although work Predictably, the Iconia’s LED-backlit
longer than the tablet part of the Asus USB socket is covered by Documents to Go (see screen isn’t as punchy or vibrant as
Eee Pad Transformer, but behind the means you p62), this isn’t the full version. the IPS screen on the Asus Eee Pad
12hrs 49mins of the Motorola Xoom. can connect It isn’t all bad news. The LumiRead Transformer. The display looks perfectly
a wired mouse ebook reader comes preinstalled, along acceptable in isolation, but it comes
PLAIN JANE or keyboard, with three HD games – Need for Speed second best to many of its rivals.
Unlike rivals, Acer has chosen to leave or even a USB Shift, Let’s Golf and Hero of Sparta. Most In fact, the A500 comes second best
Google’s Android 3 user interface as is, thumb drive for useful is Acer Sync, which takes care of in a number of areas, including battery
bolstering it with a few extra apps. First transferring synchronisation and backup duties. life and weight. But this isn’t to dismiss
up is a rather pointless launcher, which files. The cameras’ image quality is above it entirely. You’ll struggle to get more
largely duplicates the Android desktop. average. Photos look soft and highlights storage for your money, and while Acer
Acer’s Clear.fi app enables media often look blown out (you won’t be does make compromises, none are fatal:
streaming from and to DLNA servers, ditching your compact camera), but it’s quick in use and well made. Add in
but we found it of limited use as the decent shots are possible with care. It some useful software (once you’ve
A500 is picky about which video formats even stretches to half-decent video, deleted the dross), and you’re left with a
it will play. For social networking, with 720p resolutions shot at 30fps. strong budget choice.

Under the skin, there’s power aplenty: in
CHAPTER fact the Vega sports the same processor
as most modern Android 3 tablets.
Advent Vega
The Advent Vega combines a low price with cutting-edge power and the potential
for an upgrade to Android 3 – what’s not to like?
T
he Advent Vega has been around another it’s powered by cutting-edge of built-in storage, a full-sized USB port
for some time now. Although it hardware. Under its unassuming skin and an HDMI output to display videos
looks similar to the recent batch lies a dual-core, 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 and pictures on an HDTV.
of Android 3 tablets, it was actually processor to match anything modern
launched before the first of them saw Android 3 tablets have to offer. DISAPPOINTMENTS
the light of day. As such, it doesn’t have And it has some other features That hardware should be more than a
Android 3 on board – only version 2.2. worthy of praise too. Despite being match for Android 2.2 as well, but that’s
Nor can it match many for design: relatively fat at 13.6mm, it’s quite light where we encountered some
clad in glossy black plastic, it looks and for a 10.1in tablet at only 700g. Battery frustrations. Sometimes the operating
feels cheap, and when you rap the case capacity is good, with the Vega lasting system flies along, but at others it
with your knuckles it gives a hollow ten hours in our looping video test. seems to stall for a moment.
sound. There’s no 3G option, no It also bulges with ports and The edges of the screen aren’t as
rear-facing camera and no GPS either. expansion options. In addition to the responsive as the centre. Too frequently
Yet there are reasons you might 3.5mm headphone socket and power it took us two or three jabs to convince
consider the Advent Vega. For one, its input, you get a microSD card slot with the Vega that we wanted to hit an icon.
price is very reasonable indeed, and for a bundled 4GB card to add to the 512MB It isn’t a complete disaster, but it makes

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price £200
Website www.pcworld.co.uk
Good Low price; very fast; good
community support
Bad Cheap-feeling; low-resolution
screen with poor viewing angles
Verdict Decent core hardware ensures
performance is decent, but the quality of
the screen is poor
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 2.2
Screen & Weight
10.1in, 1,024 x 600/700g
Processor
Storage
512MB
The Vega is a
Connectivity
Wi-Fi
barebones
tablet, with no
rear-facing Benchmarks
camera, and no Battery life
3G option for (hrs - higher is better)
internet
10:00
1 15
connection on
the move. 12
BBC desktop
The tablet’s homepage
10.1in screen has load time
(secs - lower is better) 05
a resolution of
1,024 x 600, 06
which can feel Measured brightness

cramped at (cd/m 2 - higher is better)
times. 50 235
500
Advent’s tablet more frustrating to use Full-sized dramatically once you move away from some perseverance, can be installed.
than it should be. USB and HDMI the optimum position. You can even install Honeycomb and
We found a similar problem when sockets sit That’s a real shame, because in many enjoy all the benefits that brings.
web browsing, with a very slight lag under a flap ways the Vega is perfectly set up for the It’s unfair to expect perfection in a
between us tapping on the screen and on the tablet’s web. Support for Flash means you can £200 tablet, and Advent has inevitably
the browser dragging downwards. edge. watch services such as SeeSaw and had to make compromises. But it has
Again, it isn’t a damning flaw, just a bit iPlayer, and its benchmark figures made them in the right areas, without
frustrating. We also found its reveal potential. The BBC homepage sacrificing core performance or
permanently viewable menu bar a appeared in five seconds flat. connectivity. We’d still recommend a
hindrance when browsing: rather than If you have a little technical know- fully fledged Android 3 tablet such as
have 1,024 x 600 pixels to play with, you how, you can make the most of its raw the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or Asus
only have 1,024 x 540. horsepower. The Vega has acquired a Eee Pad Transformer for a smoother,
The quality of the screen is poor, too. good deal of support among the slicker experience. But, if you have only
While it’s bright, with perfectly Android developer community since its £200 to spend and don’t mind getting
reasonable colour balance and launch, and there are a number of your hands dirty upgrading, the Vega is
sharpness, its viewing angles fall off alternative user interfaces that, with a viable budget option.

The Transformers’s 10.1in screen
uses IPS technology,
CHAPTER guaranteeing good colour quality
and wide viewing angles.
Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Asus adds an ingenious keyboard dock to its Android 3 tablet, producing an
impressive tablet that can be used for both work and play
N
o other tablet is quite like the a drab brown (or if we’re being kind, JavaScript test, three to load the BBC
Transformer. Half laptop, half bronze), plastic-feeling chassis. A homepage and scoring 2,041 in the
tablet, it combines the joys of variety of buttons and ports adorn Quadrant Android benchmark. The
Android 3 with the typing power and the edges, including mini-HDMI and latter two results beat the Motorola
pointing precision of a keyboard and a microSD slot, while the bottom has Xoom, although it’s worth bearing in
touchpad. It’s an intriguing proposition, a proprietary power and docking mind the same sticking points apply:
and one that makes the Transformer connector. The standard model offers the browser remains a tad juddery and
the most flexible tablet on the market. only Wi-Fi and 16GB of storage, but YouTube HD clips aren’t totally smooth.
The device comes in two halves. The 32GB and 3G-equipped versions are The screen is the Transformer’s best
tablet part can be used on its own, or also available. feature. It’s an IPS panel that’s
the Transformer can be employed as a Inside, it sports the same 1GHz Tegra 2 significantly brighter and punchier than
pseudo netbook: clip it into the hinge of chip as many of its rivals, and feels as the Xoom’s display, and the resolution
the optional keyboard base (around responsive and slick as the best Android ensures it’s sharp and clear. It’s slightly
£100) whenever the fancy takes you. 3 tablets. Speed tests show no different, sunk from the bezel, which reduces
It’s quite long, with a widescreen with the Transformer taking two viewing angles, but it’s a perfectly
1,280 x 800 display embedded within seconds to complete the SunSpider pleasant display to look at for long

WorldMags.net
In brief The camera is
capable of Price 16GB, £342; 32GB, £419
shooting Website http://uk.asus.com
5-megapixel Good Excellent screen; ingenious
pictures, but keyboard dock; reasonable price
there’s no flash Bad Average battery life without the
to help out in dock; no flash for the camera
low light. Verdict A flexible, well-designed
tablet, with good performance and at a
very reasonable price
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3
Screen & Weight
10.1in, 1,280 x 800/690g
Processor
The keyboard dock Storage
includes an extra 16/32GB
Connectivity
battery, boosting Wi-Fi (plus 3G on 32GB model)
the stamina of
the Eee Pad
considerably. Benchmarks
Battery life
8:37
1 15
12
BBC desktop
homepage 03
load time
(secs - lower is better)
The Transformer can 06
be clipped neatly into a
special keyboard dock, Measured brightness
turning it instantly (cd/m 2 - higher is better)
into an Android 3 50 326
500
laptop.
periods. The speakers are fairly loud but controls along the top edge. You can premium: the dock is also a battery
don’t pack a great deal of bass. adjust the screen, close it like a netbook, extender. The tablet alone lasted 8hrs
There’s a 5-megapixel camera on the even pick it up by the screen edge – and 37mins in our tests – a good four hours
rear, which produced sharp images with it won’t budge until you release the less than the Xoom – but the base feeds
good colours. However, we noted quite latch to separate the pieces again. power into the battery to give you
a bit of noise and chromatic aberration, The big question is why you’d bother another 7hrs 6mins.
so don’t expect it to be as good as a with the full keyboard and tablet set Overall, that makes the Asus Eee Pad
proper compact camera. The video when you could buy the 16GB tablet on Transformer an attractive proposition.
camera can shoot 720p video at 30 its own for £342. One huge benefit is for The screen is as good as any on a tablet,
frames per second, but quality is similar. work: with the dock in place, you can the price of the 16GB Wi-Fi-only version
easily edit Microsoft Word, Excel and is very reasonable, and the option of the
THE KEYBOARD DOCK PowerPoint files using the bundled keyboard dock adds further appeal. For
The keyboard on the docking station is Polaris Office suite. the ultimate tablet experience, we still
standard modern netbook fare, with the The dock also adds two USB ports prefer the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, but
addition of an Android home key and a and a full-sized SD card reader, but if you want to spend a little less then
useful row of shortcuts and playback there’s a bigger reason to pay the £70 the Transformer is a great choice.

CHAPTER
The HomeSurf’s screen uses

resistive technology, which means
it isn’t as responsive to the
touch as we’d like.
Binatone HomeSurf Tablet 705

You don’t have to spend a fortune to lay your hands on an Android tablet, as this £99
device from Binatone proves. Unfortunately, too many corners have been cut
B
inatone’s HomeSurf 705 is one of The screen is surrounded by flimsy, Unsurprisingly, performance is poor.
the cheapest tablets around. It cheap-feeling plastic, with its black It took 29 seconds to load the BBC
costs just £99, and that alone bezels and chrome-effect border homepage, which makes web browsing
makes it a tempting proposition. But to unsuccessfully aping the iPhone 4’s as much fun as reading blank paper.
say that the budget price is clearly design. A microSD card slot can add up Even Android’s unlocking slider takes a
evident would be an understatement. to 32GB to the 2GB of onboard storage, couple of seconds to respond, and
A quick look at the specifications but that’s it for connectivity. navigating the App Drawer and some of
reveal its 7in screen uses cheap resistive The bargain exterior is matched by the OS’s menu screens is very sluggish.
technology. This requires you to exert the hardware inside. The HomeSurf 705 The combination of screen and
physical pressure to activate onscreen is powered by a Rockchip RK2818 hardware is especially disappointing:
buttons, rather than brush it lightly. Its running at 600MHz – 40MHz slower than firm touches are required to make any
resolution is low, at 800 x 480, and the chip’s maximum speed, and several impact, and it regularly takes a couple
quality is poor, with pallid colours and a hundred megahertz behind most of of seconds for the OS to recognise that
grainy finish. A maximum brightness of today’s tablets. It’s also paired with only you’re interacting with the device at all.
189cd/m2 is also very low, meaning your 256MB of RAM. There’s no Bluetooth, nor It will play back 720p video, but the
eyes will struggle to read it outside. 3G for data connectivity on the move. web browser lacks Flash support. More

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price £99
Website www.binatonetelecom.com
Good Low price; very light weight and
portable
Bad Cheap feeling; slow and
unresponsive; awful screen
Verdict Yes, it’s cheap and small, but
those are the only positives. This tablet is
outdated, tacky and painfully slow
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 2.1
Screen & Weight
7in, 800 x 480/300g
Processor
It looks a little like an Apple device, Single-core 600MHz Rockchip
Storage
but sadly doesn’t behave like one. 2GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Benchmarks
Battery life
From some angles, the Binatone
looks quite smart, with its silver
4:00
One positive is 1 15
trim and compact, bag-friendly the microSD

dimensions. slot, allowing you BBC desktop
30
29
to increase the homepage
built-in 2GB of load time
storage to (secs - lower is better)
34GB if you buy 15
a 32GB card. Measured brightness

50
189 500
demanding games such as Angry Birds with few recognisable apps – and when features such as USB tethering or Flash,
Seasons ran at one or two frames per we downloaded Angry Birds Seasons, it nor any prospect of Honeycomb’s
second and were impossible to play, was in Japanese. tablet-specific tweaks. Binatone won’t
and the battery drains at an alarming The trio of buttons at one end of the be offering Android upgrades either; we
rate. Our looping low-resolution video bezel suggest it’s a portrait tablet, but might see Android 2.2 on the next
ran it dry in only four hours. That’s the the Binatone logos suggest a landscape version of the HomeSurf, by which point
worst result of any tablet, and only a view. Indeed, while some things work the rest of the world will be on Android
third of the lifespan offered by the both ways, others (such as the home 3.1 at the bare minimum.
Motorola Xoom. screen) don’t. Some apps ignore the All of these criticisms must be
button positioning entirely: the Giga tempered by that £99 price, for which
GIGA FLOPS Store forces you to flip the tablet so the you are getting a basic web browser
Software is a major issue. The Android buttons are upside-down on the top. and media player. That might be enough
Market is off-limits, with Binatone Consistency is not much in evidence. for some, but with no updates in
instead bringing you the Giga Store. And then there’s the HomeSurf 705’s prospect, no Android Market and some
This is one of the more dubious final big problem: Android 2.1. It’s of the worst tablet hardware around,
unofficial Android stores we’ve seen, already outdated, with no sign of we’d advise saving for something better.

CHAPTER
The Flyer is
equipped with a
5-megapixel rear
camera that
can also shoot
720p video.
The Flyer’s 7in

display may be
small, but it’s
lovely to behold:
bright, clear and
very colourful.
HTC Flyer
Smartphone manufacturer HTC’s very first Android tablet has a diminutive 7in
screen and one or two unusual features up its sleeve
H
TC is well known for ploughing with a stylus for pen operation, down. The selection of brushes and
its own furrow when it comes augmenting the usual finger-driven nibs, plus HTC’s Notepad app, will give
to mobile devices. It insists on tapping, swiping and pinching. your doodles a new lease of life.
using its custom Sense UI on Android It’s different, but is it any better? It The Flyer is hewn from a chunk of
smartphones, and the HTC Flyer, its first certainly looks the part. The 1,024 x 600 aluminium with white plastic bumpers
Android tablet, is no different. Where screen is bright (at 379cd/m2, it’s much at the top and bottom of the rear panel,
most modern tablets opt for Android 3, brighter than the 7in Samsung Galaxy and feels better made than the Galaxy
the Flyer plumps for a Sense-enhanced Tab or the Acer A100) and contrast is Tab or the Acer. It’s light enough to hold
version of Android 2.3. good, lending images real punch. comfortably in one hand and use as an
If that sounds strange, wait until we We like the idea of the stylus, too. Tap ebook reader, which you certainly can’t
get to the rest of the Flyer’s quirks. on a screen and the Flyer takes a say of the 10in Android tablet crowd.
Instead of joining the 10in herd, it’s a 7in screenshot that can then be annotated In fact, as it’s running Android 2.3, the
device like the Acer Iconia Tab A100, and using a series of pens and brushes. Hold Flyer feels more like a phone than most
it doesn’t have a dual-core processor down one button on the stylus and you tablets, an impression underpinned by
either – in its place there’s a fast, can highlight text; hold the other and the HTC Sense user interface. This is
single-core 1.5GHz CPU. It also comes you can erase what you’ve scribbled packed with slick, preloaded widgets

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price 16GB, £480 (Wi-Fi only); 32GB,
£543 (Wi-Fi, 3G)
Website www.htc.com
Good Slick front end; beautiful design;
the stylus is a useful addition
Bad Expensive; no Android 3
Verdict A fine 7in tablet, and the lack
of Android 3 doesn’t hurt it much, but the
price is far too high
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 2.3
Screen & Weight
7in, 1,024 x 600/420g
Processor
Single-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm
The 32GB model Storage
comes with 3G 16/32GB
connectivity Connectivity
for internet Wi-Fi (plus 3G on 32GB model)
access on
the road.
Benchmarks
Unusually, the Battery life
Flyer comes
with a stylus, so
8:04
1 15
you can make

hand-written 12
notes on screen. BBC desktop

homepage
load time
A white slip case (secs - lower is better) 06
is bundled with 06
the Flyer — a
worthy inclusion. Measured brightness
50 379
500
and apps, which allow you to access up there with its Tegra-equipped over-compression ruining shots in all
your email and social networking rivals. The UI is responsive, with conditions and noise spoiling video and
content directly from the desktop. transitions from desktop to desktop stills in low light. Although you can add
Other pre-loaded apps include HTC feeling snappy. Our only concern is a microSD card to the device, it also
Watch, which adds a movie purchase some choppiness when scrolling lacks an HDMI output.
and rental portal, while My Shelf adds through web pages. All this pales into insignificance next
an ebook store, courtesy of Kobo. Battery life is good compared to to the fattest fly in the ointment: the
Some may criticise HTC for sticking other 7in tablets: our looped video Flyer’s price. The 16GB Wi-Fi version will
with Android 2.3, but on this evidence played for 8hrs 4mins, which puts the set you back £480 and the 32GB with 3G
we’ve no complaints: the Flyer is as slick Flyer on a par with the 7in Samsung costs £543, which is substantially more
and easy to use as any Android 3 device. Galaxy Tab and is far better than the expensive than most 10in Android 3
Acer Iconia Tab A100. tablets. It’s a lovely device, and well
SPEED KING There are problems, however. The made too, but the price would have to
Performance is excellent. The Flyer 5-megapixel, 720p camera on the rear be £150 lower for it to really appeal –
took only six seconds to load the BBC has no flash or image stabilisation, especially when compared to the £299
homepage over a fast Wi-Fi link – right and image quality is poor, with heavy Acer Iconia Tab A100.

CHAPTER
Cases & bags

Bought a tablet? The next thing to do is get yourself a case or bag to protect it.
There are many on the market, but below is a selection of the very best
Zenus Prestige Stand ZooGue Case Genius

Series for Motorola Xoom Price: £40 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
Price: £50 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
Available for the Samung Galaxy Tab and the Motorola Xoom, ZooGue’s
Made from stiff, reinforced leather, the Zenus fits the Motorola Xoom like Case Genius is beautifully made from black, padded leather, and it’s
a glove, and although there’s no padding, there’s plenty of protection. lined with microfibre. It can double as a stand: two Velcro strips run
There are cutouts for all the ports and sockets, and you can unclip the along the front flap that let you position the legs at any angle, and
top, fold it back and use it as a stand for use with a keyboard and mouse. there’s also a sturdy elasticated strap for one-handed carriage.
SD TabletWear Stand and Type Proporta Neoprene Sleeve

Price: £16 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk Price: £15 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
Smart but cheap, this case is ideal if spending £40 or £50 seems Proporta sells all sorts of premium cases, but this neoprene slip case is
excessive. It isn’t particularly luxurious, with stiff, unforgiving leather dirt cheap. Designed to fit all 10in tablets, its soft, furry interior will
and little protective padding, but it does let you prop up your tablet in protect your tablet, and the green pinstripe that wraps around the case
two positions, it comes in a range of colours, and it’s available for the looks smart. As it’s universal, though, don’t expect a particularly snug fit:
Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Asus Eee Pad Transformer. all the 10in models we tried in it slotted in with room to spare.

WorldMags.net
Tech21 Premium D30 Leather Slip Case Case-Mate Barely There

Price: £33 Supplier: www.enhanceyours.com Price: £25 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
Designed to fit most 10in tablets, Tech21’s classy slip cases have D3O The name says it all: this case is for those who want protection for their
impact-resistant material hidden away inside. This is designed to absorb tablet but not the bulk of a traditional case. Available for the Samsung
and dissipate sharp shocks, and is also used in protective clothing for Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Motorola Xoom, it snaps snugly and securely into
military personnel and motorcycle racers, so you’re getting a high calibre place, has cutouts for all ports, camera and speakers, and the soft-touch
of protection for your tablet. The price is rather high, though. plastic it’s made from feels silky smooth in the hand.
Boblbee People’s Delite Aero Tuff-Luv Black Leather Book Case

Price: £184 Supplier: www.amazon.co.uk Price: £40 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
For the ultimate protection on your ride to work, this bag’s 3.5mm-thick Tuff-Luv’s cases not only look stylish, but also provide a good deal of
polycarbonate shell protects your tablet, while an air-cushioned back protection for your tablet. Available for the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and Asus
panel doubles as a CE-certified Level 2 back protector to safeguard your Eee Pad Explorer, the tough leather Book Case provides plenty of padding
spine in the event of a fall. It’s practical, too, with a 20-litre capacity, and and a thick flap to cover the screen. There’s also a kick-stand attached to
a padded pocket for any size of tablet inside. the rear with a couple of press studs, allowing it to double as a stand.

CHAPTER
Measuring 8in
across, with a
high resolution
of 1,024 x 768,
the high-quality
screen is the
star of the
JexTab show.
Jexaa JexTab 812 HD

With an excellent capacitive 8in touchscreen and a very tempting price, this
well-made tablet could appeal if you’re on tight budget
J
exaa is UK company that specialises afflicts the Advent Vega’s front end, for Android tablets, it has a resolution of
in producing cheap Android tablets example. There’s plenty of room on the 1,024 x 768, which means it’s easier to
and, like other models at this price, desktop for shortcuts and widgets too; use in portrait orientation than tablets
its JexTab 812 HD doesn’t sport Android at least as much as you’ll find on an with wider aspect displays.
3. Instead, you get a slightly modified Android 3 tablet.
version of Android 2.3. Nor is it poorly made. It’s slim and FLASH IN THE PAN
On many other tablets this leads to light, and although the rear panel is There’s plenty more to like. Android
major flaws: smartphone graphics don’t cheap glossy grey plastic, the front Market is preinstalled, so downloading
normally scale up well to a tablet’s fascia’s aluminium finish feels apps and games is simple. Flash support
larger screen; the hardware is usually expensive. It’s the screen that’s the star means you get the whole web, not just
slow; and, critically, there’s usually no of the show, though: it measures an part of it. And, while there’s no Bluetooth
access to Android Market. unusual 8in across the diagonal, uses or GPS, connectivity is good: a microSD
The JexTab 812 HD knocks all these capacitive touchscreen technology, and slot allows the 8GB of storage to be
preconceptions on the head. Its its quality is excellent. expanded, and a full-sized USB socket
modified user interface looks sleek, The other thing to note about the lets you connect thumb drives and even
with none of the pixellation that display is that, unlike most other 3G sticks for mobile internet access.

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price £200
Website www.jexaa.co.uk
The JexTab has Good Lovely screen; Android Market; 3G
support via the USB socket
front and rear Bad Browsing performance is sluggish;
cameras for weak Wi-Fi
video calls and Verdict A good screen and decent
occasional photos. battery life offset the lack of Honeycomb
and average performance
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 2.3
Screen & Weight
Slim and light, 8in, 1,024 x 768/560g
the JexTab Processor
feels well Single-core 1.2GHz Rockchip
put-together. Storage
8GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (3G support via optional dongle)
Benchmarks
Battery life
9:50
1 15
12
BBC desktop
homepage 10
load time
06
Measured brightness
The JexTab has 50 208
500
HDMI, microSD
and full-sized
Under the hood a single-core, 1.2GHz
USB sockets. lasted 9hrs 50mins when playing a JexTab 812 HD won’t be able connect
processor provides the tablet’s power, low-resolution video on loop with the at all. Finally, it’s nice to have both
coupled with 512MB of RAM. On paper, screen set to medium brightness. front (2-megapixel) and rear cameras
these specifications look plenty; in Oddly, though, web browsing isn’t as (3-megapixel), but neither produces
practice, they’re not fully up to the job. slick. It took the JexTab a sluggish ten good-quality results.
As a media player, the JexTab excels. seconds to render the BBC homepage, Admittedly, those issues aren’t small
You can comfortably play music and and scrolling and panning around ones, and the absence of Android 3 is a
local video files up to a resolution of wasn’t exactly smooth. That said, disappointment too. Nevertheless, the
1080p, and output them to your HDTV downloading a third-party browser JexTab 812 HD is a perfectly reasonable
via the HDMI socket on the right. It also such as Dolphin HD or Opera Mini (see tablet. It has a lovely screen, access to
plays games smoothly: Angry Birds, p54) does improve matters a little. the Android Market, plenty of useful
Raging Thunder 2 and Dragon Fly! were Another problem is that the wireless features such as support for USB 3G
all handled perfectly. hardware in this tablet isn’t very strong. sticks and an HDMI output, and it makes
Even battery life is decent, and in our If you have areas of your house or flat a marvellous games and media
tests the JexTab 812 HD managed to last where a laptop struggles to connect to machine. When you consider the £200
well beyond the claimed eight hours. It your wireless network, it’s possible the price tag, it looks a tempting buy.

CHAPTER
The IdeaPad
K1’s home
button is
touch-sensitive:
to go back, just
swipe your
thumb across it
in a downwards
direction.
Lenovo IdeaPad K1
Lenovo brings a touch of corporate style to its well-priced tablet, plus a whole bundle
of interesting software tweaks and extras
L
enovo is known more for And just as with the company’s “favourite” apps section to the bottom
executive IT equipment than laptops, the K1 is loaded with software. of the Android App Drawer, and
shiny gadgets, but its IdeaPad K1 Lenovo provides its own app store in bizarrely a duplication of the recent
Android 3 tablet is a sign it wants to addition to the Android Market, a fully apps menu too. Instead of appearing in
bring its expertise to a wider audience. licensed copy of DataViz Documents To a straight line on the left, Lenovo’s
There are several different colours Go, its own versions of the Music and version pops up on the right as a
available and all look smart (Lenovo Gallery apps, two video-editing apps spinning circle of thumbnails, launched
says only the black version will be and a selection of HD games. via a button on the system bar.
available in the UK, but we’ve spied It has also tweaked the Android 3 Plus, in a final creative splurge, the
others in the shops). Plus, there’s a operating system. The system bar that K1’s single, physical home button is
laptop-like array of connection runs along the bottom of the screen has touch-sensitive.
options, with expansion for microSD bolder, brighter icons, and the menu An upwards sweep of the thumb
flash memory cards, a micro-HDMI you get when you tap the notifications pops up the context menu; a
output and a cable in the box for area in the bottom right has more downwards sweep takes you back a
connecting USB memory sticks, a options and is scrollable. There’s a step; and pressing the button returns
keyboard or a mouse. replacement keyboard, a new you to the main Android desktop.

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price Wi-Fi, £360
Website www.lenovo.co.uk
Our review Good Responsive and speedy; plenty of
preloaded apps
unit was Bad Flimsy build quality; a little
supplied with oversized; screen is a touch dim
an attractive Verdict A great choice if you’re on a
leatherette tight budget and you’ll take advantage of
rear panel. In Lenovo’s generous software bundle
the UK, though, Overall rating
only the black
plastic version
will be available. Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3.1
Screen & Weight
10.1in, 1,280 x 800/770g
Processor
Storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Benchmarks
Battery life
1
8:35
15
The IdeaPad
feels well made, 12
but it’s also on BBC desktop
the heavy side. homepage
load time 04
06
Measured brightness
50 301
500
On the left-
INSIDE STORY
hand edge are
the power and hardware and/or software, because we its wide bezel makes it feel significantly
In terms of core specifications, the K1 is
volume buttons, experienced no problems. The K1’s larger in the hands than its main rivals.
a little more mainstream. As with many
a screen battery, meanwhile, lasted 8hrs 35mins The final problem is with the 10.1in,
other Android 3 tablets, there’s a
rotation lock while looping a low-resolution video 1,280 x 800 resolution screen: it isn’t the
dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 CPU
switch and a – unexceptional, but hardly disastrous. brightest around, at 301cd/m2.
under the hood, backed by 1GB of RAM.
memory It all starts to go awry with the Despite the niggles, though, this is a
There’s 32GB of storage, GPS for
navigation and Bluetooth.
expansion slot. cameras. There are front and rear units
on the K1, with resolutions of 5- and
decent tablet at a more than decent
price. There’s a generous helping of
This results in performance that’s 2-megapixels respectively, and a single preloaded apps and games, a healthy
indistinguishable from the rest of the LED flash to help out in low light. 32GB of storage space and we’ve no
Android 3 crowd, with a BBC homepage Quality, however, is terrible, with soft, complaints about performance. Rivals
load-time of four seconds, and generally over-compressed images and video. such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
responsive panning and zooming. Early Nor are we convinced by the chassis. offer superior hardware and a better
reviews complained of sluggishness The rear panel is so flexible that if you quality all-round package, but none
and instability from the K1, but this was push it too hard the screen begins to quite manages to match the Lenovo
presumably due to pre-production ripple and flash. It’s heavy at 770g, and IdeaPad K1’s bang per buck.

CHAPTER
The 8.9in screen

makes the LG
easier to carry
around than
most 10.1in
devices.
LG Optimus Pad
LG takes a gamble with its first Android tablet and, while not every risk pays off,
the 3D camera and unusual screen size set it apart from the opposition
L
G came to the tablet party late text easier to read. It’s disappointing shoot, browse, share and play 3D
with the Optimus Pad, so it then, to find that the Optimus Pad is footage on the tablet you have to use
needed to do something special rather thick at 18mm and weighs more different apps from the standard
to stand out. And it does have a couple than the larger Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Android 3 ones, which is confusing at
of nifty tricks up its sleeve. LG’s other unusual offering is 3D, with first. These have no options to upload
The first is its size. With its 8.9in 1,280 a pair of 5-megapixel digital cameras on footage directly to YouTube and share it
x 768 screen, the Optimus Pad sits apart the rear able to capture stereoscopic with friends; you have to flip back to the
from the crowd. It’s a good compromise 720p 3D video. It’s effective, but to make standard app for that.
between the more common 7in or 10in the most of it you need to plug the
models, but it isn’t without its problems. tablet into a 3D-ready TV using its HDMI CORE FEATURES
On the plus side, it’s a little more output. The tablet’s screen isn’t properly Aside from the headline features, the LG
portable than most 10in tablets, and 3D-enabled, and thus you have to use Optimus Pad is a solid tablet. It’s well
thus better suited to reading on the go. the supplied glasses to view the 3D made: the soft plastic rear doesn’t creak
It’s also more comfortable for browsing video, which is less than satisfactory. or bend, and the finish makes it easy to
the web than a 7in tablet, with its larger, To make matters worse, software grip and comfortable to hold. The
higher-resolution screen making small integration is almost non-existent: to display itself is bright and clear, with a

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price £750; also available on contract
Website www.lg.com
Good Compact and quick; the screen is
bright with good contrast
The LG Optimus’ Bad Far too expensive; a little on the
screen is bog heavy side
standard, which Verdict A solid tablet, but its 3D video
means to view features and slightly smaller size aren’t
3D you have to worth paying such a huge premium for
don the bundled Overall rating
red and blue
glasses.
Key specifications
Operating system
On the rear are two 5mp cameras, Android 3
Screen & Weight
which allow the tablet to shoot 8.9in, 1,280 x 768/620g
video in stereoscopic 3D. Processor
Storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, 3G
Benchmarks
Battery life
7:24
1 15
The SIM card 12

slot sits under BBC desktop
a plastic panel homepage
on the rear, but load time
there’s no way 06
of expanding 06
the tablet’s Measured brightness

memory. (cd/m 2 - higher is better)
50
398 500
maximum brightness of 398cd/m2 and a any tablet. It also records smooth, crisp other foibles shouldn’t put you off the
good 622:1 contrast ratio. and detailed 1080p video. Under a small Optimus Pad. It’s a solid tablet with good
Inside the chassis, the Optimus is plastic panel at the rear lurks a slot for a performance and a decent camera.
powered by the same dual-core 1GHz SIM card, allowing you to untether the What isn’t so attractive is the price.
Nvidia Tegra 2 technology used by all tablet from your Wi-Fi network and use If you buy one SIM-free you’re looking
other Android 3 tablets, and the figures it anywhere you can get a mobile phone at £750, which is ludicrous – higher
show it’s just as nippy. In the SunSpider signal. And there’s a decent 32GB of than every other tablet on the market
JavaScript benchmark, the LG gained a storage on board. today, and for a product that’s solid
result of 1,994ms, loaded the BBC Battery life is average, though: in our rather than spectacular.
homepage in an average time of six looping low-resolution video test, the Until the price falls, then, we’d urge
seconds over a fast Wi-Fi connection, Optimus lasted just 7hrs 24mins – you to look elsewhere. For a quality
and achieved 1,923 points in the significantly short of the Motorola compact Android tablet, the HTC Flyer
Android Quadrant benchmark. Xoom’s 12hrs 49mins, but similar to represents better value, and for a
The 5mp camera, used in 2D mode, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. larger-screened tablet the Samsung
produces good-quality shots: in fact, There’s no microSD slot – another Galaxy Tab 10.1 knocks spots off the
they’re as good as any we’ve seen from disappointment – but this and a few Optimus Pad in most departments.

CHAPTER
Accessories
Stands, keyboards and speakers – you name it, there are all sorts of ways you can
extend the capabilities of your Android tablet. Here are some of the best
Full-sized Bluetooth keyboard Wowee One Classic

Price: £30 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk Price: £40 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
If you need to type more than a paragraph or two, nothing beats a This pocket-sized “hybrid” speaker is designed to improve on the tinny
physical keyboard. This light, cheap Bluetooth model is just the ticket: the audio most tablets pump out. Weighing just 200g, it uses traditional
keys have a crisp, positive action, there’s a smattering of handy media speaker technology to produce high- and mid-notes and a gel pad that
buttons on the top row, and it’s powered by a pair of AA batteries. A makes the surface it sits on vibrate to create bass. Sound quality is a
couple of negatives: it has a half-height Enter key, and it feels a tad flimsy. touch harsh, but it’s loud and the “gel audio” is surprisingly effective.
Hard Candy Stylus Dual-Connect Slimline Bluetooth

Price: £30 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk Keyboard and Trackpad
Price: £37 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
Fingers and thumbs are all very well, but they’re no good for sketching
or penning handwritten notes. That’s where the Hard Candy Stylus This pocket-sized Bluetooth keyboard is very light at 119g, packs five rows
comes in: finished in shiny chrome, its weight gives it a high-quality feel. of keys in, including a dedicated number row, and includes a small thumb
The soft, capacitive nib allows accurate control of your tablet, and it’s trackpad for precise mouse control. A switch on the rear allows you to
double-ended, with a top-quality pen under a cap at the other end. switch quickly between two devices. It works well, but it’s a touch pricey.

WorldMags.net
Standard dock for Motorola Xoom Wireless keyboard for Motorola Xoom
Price: £35 Supplier: www.motorola.com Price: £65 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk
The official stand for the Motorola Xoom is beautifully made and it has a It may have the Motorola logo plastered all over it, but this keyboard
good solid weight to it that helps keep your Xoom anchored to the desk. works with any Bluetooth-enabled tablet. It has a nice feel to the keys,
Around the back are connectors for a charger and a pair of speakers. It’s and it’s also the most robust keyboard we’ve yet seen for tablets. As
great for leaving on your desk, but that weight makes lugging it around with the Full-sized Bluetooth Keyboard, though, it has a half-height
impractical, while the angle at which it holds your tablet is a touch steep. Enter key, which could be irritating for touch-typists.
Griffin WaveStand Just Mobile Encore

Price: £17 Supplier: www.mobilefun.co.uk Price: £48 Supplier: www.amazon.co.uk
There isn’t much to the Griffin WaveStand, but it does its job: to be a If the cheap Griffin WaveStand isn’t your cup of tea and you don’t own a
simple tablet stand. Its wide, rubber-lined mouth holds all but the Xoom, the Just Mobile Encore might be the answer. It’s actually an iPad
chunkiest tablets firmly in place, a tongue extends from the rear so it stand, but it will work with any Android tablet. It’s beautifully made, with
won’t tip over when you prod the screen, and its ingenious design also a solid matte-silver metal base, a hinged support that lets you prop up
lets you prop up your tablet at a shallower angle for typing. your tablet at any angle you like, and a rubber lip to prevent scratching.

CHAPTER
The Xoom’s 1,280

x 800 resolution
screen is both
bright and crisp.
Motorola Xoom
The first Android 3 tablet to arrive on the market now lives up to its name, with
powerful core components on the inside matched by some slick design
T
he Motorola Xoom was the very as quickly as you’d ever need, and video from your tablet on your HDTV.
first Android 3 tablet to hit the zooming and panning in web pages is There’s also a pair of cameras. The 5mp
shops, and when it appeared it as slick as it is on Apple’s iPad 2. It’s unit on the rear includes a dual-LED
had a few rough edges. It didn’t feel as simply a joy to use. flash and is capable of shooting 720p
responsive as we hoped, and there was The powerful processor is backed up video, while the 2mp camera on the
the odd bug too, such as a microSD slot with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, front is just for video calls.
that didn’t work properly. Since then, and if you want data connectivity on As on most tablets the cameras are
however, the Xoom has been updated the move, there’s also a 3G version – average in quality, but the same can’t be
with a new version of Android 3 – 3.1 – the SIM slot is situated under the said of the 1,280 x 800 10.1in screen. It’s
and those issues no longer apply. same flap (on the top edge of the one of the best, with a high maximum
As with every other Android 3 tablet tablet) as the microSD card slot. The brightness of 358cd/m2, but it’s the
on the market, it features a dual-core latter allows you to add a further 32GB contrast ratio that really impresses. At
1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor under of storage to bring the total up to a 1,377:1, it lends movies and images
the hood, and finally it feels as if the highly respectable 64GB. solidity and a sense of realism. Its only
Xoom is able to fully tap into its power. Further practical touches include a weakness is that it lags behind a little in
Menus scroll and respond to the touch micro-HDMI port, allowing you to watch the vibrancy of its colours, but this is

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price Wi-Fi, £399; 3G, £479
Website www.motorola.com
Good Great design; quick and
The Xoom is responsive; fantastic screen;
equipped with Bad Camera isn’t the best; a little on the
weighty side; not the cheapest option
a 5mp camera Verdict A well-made, slick and quick
and a dual-LED Android 3 tablet – only the cameras could
flash to help in give any cause for complaint
low light.
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3.1
Screen & Weight
10.1in, 1,280 x 800 / 730g
Processor
Storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (3G optional)
A micro-HDMI
socket lets you
connect the Benchmarks
Xoom directly to Battery life
an HDTV. (hrs - higher is better)
The microSD
12:49
1 15
expansion slot
sits behind a 12
small flap on BBC desktop
the top edge. homepage
load time
06
Measured brightness
50
358 500
only obvious when placed next to the The volume What the Motorola Xoom doesn’t inconsiderable £399. That’s around £50
Asus Eee Pad Transformer or Samsung controls are offer is a great deal of bundled more expensive than the 16GB Eee Pad
Galaxy Tab 10.1. located on the software. In fact, the only preinstalled Transformer (see p84), Acer Iconia Tab
left edge of extras you get, beyond the standard A500 (see p80) and Packard Bell Liberty
POWER TRIP the tablet. selection of Google apps, are a file Tab (see p102) models. It’s even slightly
Battery life is brilliant, lasting an manager and video-editing app. The pricier than the lowliest Samsung
impressive 12hrs 49mins in our looping latter is worth having, and good for Galaxy Tab 10.1 (see p106), which is
video test with the brightness turned cutting a few simple scenes together, slimmer, lighter and altogether more
down to around a third. And the design but don’t expect to create home-movie desirable than the Xoom.
of the Xoom puts it right up there with masterpieces. If you’re really serious That said, the Xoom’s excellent build
the most desirable technology around. about editing video, you’re still better quality puts it a notch above every
Its subtly curved rear-panel is decked off doing it on a PC or Mac. other Android 3 tablet bar the Samsung,
out in cool anodised aluminium and Note also that there’s no low-cost so if you can find it at a lower price it
topped with a tactile, soft-touch black 16GB Wi-Fi-only version of the Xoom, comes highly recommended. It’s an
plastic strip; it’s lovely to hold in your which is a shame because that means excellent product, and much improved
hand, and feels built to last. the cheapest version comes in at a not thanks to the updates.

CHAPTER
There’s a
2-megapixel
front-facing
camera for
video calls with
services such
as Skype.
Packard Bell Liberty Tab G100

It’s a stylish Android tablet at a reasonable price, but can Packard Bell’s latest
offering compete with the best around?
P
ackard Bell is owned by PC and and microSD slot are on the top, there’s and the way the chrome strips wrap
laptop giant Acer, and as a result a full-sized USB port on the left, a 3.5mm all the way round to the rear of the
many of the two brands’ headphone jack and micro-USB socket device. The only negative points stem
products look alike. But the similarities on the right and a proprietary docking from the Liberty’s plastic rear panel (the
between Packard Bell’s new tablet and connector on the bottom. Each tablet Acer’s is metal), which makes it 1.5mm
the Acer equivalent are striking. In fact, weighs exactly the same too: 756g. thicker. Despite that, we prefer the
if you were to place the Packard Bell A closer look reveals some subtle Liberty’s design.
and the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (see p80) differences, however. The corners have
side by side with the screens facing up been rounded off here, as have the top HARD CHOICES
and the logos hidden, you’d be hard and bottom edges; small changes, you The hardware specifications make for
pressed to see any difference at all. might think, but they make the Liberty familiar reading, but that’s no bad thing.
Both tablets have 10.1in, 1,280 x 800 more comfortable to hold. The 5mp camera on the rear shoots
screens, and both are smartly flanked Flip the tablet over, and you’ll see the 720p video at 30fps and is capable of
with metallic strips. The position of all rear has a different design too. This has some good results with the help of
the major ports and components is the no practical effect, but we prefer the good light and a bit of TLC. There’s also a
same: the volume buttons, lock switch Liberty Tab’s sparkling red-wine finish 2mp camera on the front for video calls.

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price 16GB, £350
Website www.packardbell.co.uk
Good Slick performance; good looks;
decent screen quality
Bad A touch on the heavy side; the colour
scheme is a tad garish
Verdict Not as sleek and slim as some,
but once it includes Android 3.1 the Liberty
Usefully, there’s Chunky: the Tab will be an attractive proposition
a full-sized USB Liberty Tab
socket on the is one of the Overall rating
side, so you can thicker, heavier
connect thumb tablets around, Key specifications
drives for at 15.6mm and
extra storage. weighing 756g. Operating system
Android 3.0.1
Screen & Weight
10.1in, 1,280 x 800/756g
Processor
Storage
16GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Benchmarks
Battery life
8:05
1 15
12
BBC desktop
homepage
load time 04
A micro-HDMI
port allows you 06
to connect the Measured brightness

tablet to your TV. (cd/m 2 - higher is better)
50 346
500
Inside, there’s a dual-core Nvidia falls behind the best for viewing angles Let’s Golf HD and Need for Speed Shift
Tegra 2 processor, coupled with 1GB and contrast, so blacks don’t look as dark HD are all included.
RAM, which are enough to keep Android as they should. Battery life is good, but We enjoyed using the Liberty Tab,
3 skipping along at a respectable speed. a surprising two hours down on the and the price is reasonable: the 16GB
In our tests, it loaded the BBC Iconia’s score in our looping video test. version costs £350 (there’s no 3G option
homepage in an average of four Luckily, though, it doesn’t come with the as yet, and the 32GB version wasn’t
seconds, about what we’d expect. But at Acer’s pointless hub and Clear.fi apps; available at the time of writing), which
the time of writing the Liberty Tab was just a well-chosen selection of more puts it on a par for value with the Asus
still running Android 3.0.1, and useful apps and games. Eee Pad Transformer.
responsiveness left a little to be desired, Social Jogger amalgamates your For our money the option of the
with web-page scrolling feeling a little Facebook and Twitter feeds, there’s a keyboard dock, a lighter weight and
choppy and sluggish at times. Still, an handful of ebook and digital magazine better-quality display edges things in
over-the-air update is in the pipeline, readers, a media server app lets you favour of the Eee Pad Transformer, but if
which should improve matters. share your tablet’s media files over a none of these is a deal-breaker then the
The screen is bright and punchy, with local network, and for pure Packard Bell adds up to a nice package
good contrast, but – as with the Acer – it entertainment Heroes of Sparta HD, that won’t disappoint.

CHAPTER
The 3mp camera

is accompanied
by an LED flash
for snaps in
poor light.
The Samsung
Galaxy Tab was
among the first
rivals to the
Apple iPad to
be launched, but
it hasn’t aged
too badly.
Samsung Galaxy Tab

The original Android tablet has been around for a while now, but it’s still worth
considering if you want a lightweight and compact device at a reasonable price
A
lot of tablets have passed under The 7in screen means it’s lightweight are good choices considering this
the bridge since the Samsung and compact, and easier to hold in tablet’s 7in size.
Galaxy Tab was first unleashed one hand than larger-screened devices. A version of ThinkFree Office is also
upon the world. Back then, it was one of Even with a relatively low 1,024 x 600 included for editing and viewing office
the few alternatives to the iPad worth resolution it’s better suited to the job documents. This lets you read PDF files
giving the time of day to, but it was far of an ebook reader as a result. And and edit spreadsheets, presentations
too expensive. But now the price has despite its lowly 3mp resolution, the and Word files. As long as the document
dropped to £299 for the Wi-Fi version quality of the on-board camera is doesn’t include complicated formatting,
and around £330 for the 3G one, it’s an pretty good too. you should be pleased with the results.
entirely different proposition. Samsung has tweaked the bundled You can’t create new documents from
It doesn’t run Android 3, but a few calendar and email apps to work in scratch, but it’s still possible to work
things still go in the Galaxy Tab’s favour. landscape mode, and has also around by creating a blank Word
For instance, with the 3G version you included a video store app for document, say, and placing it in the
can send texts and make phone calls downloading and renting films, while Documents folder.
(you’ll need a Bluetooth headset for the an ebook reader, linked to the Kobo Finally, it should also be noted that
latter), which Android 3 tablets can’t do. book store, and Zinio for magazines the Galaxy Tab provides access to the

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price 16GB, £299 (Wi-Fi only); 32GB,
£330 (Wi-Fi, 3G)
Website www.samsung.com/uk
Good Small and compact; far better than
bargain-basement tablets
Bad Runs an older version of Android;
sluggish compared with modern tablets
Verdict A decent tablet at a good price,
but not as polished or slick as newer rivals
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 2.2
Screen & Weight
7in, 1,024 x 600/385g
Processor
Single-core 1GHz ARM Cortex A8
Storage
16GB
The Galaxy Connectivity
Wi-Fi (3G optional)
Tab has
The small 7in a proprietary
screen, makes USB connection, Benchmarks
this compact so you’d better Battery life
device ideal for look after (hrs - higher is better)
use as an ebook the cable.
8:00
1 15
reader.
12
BBC desktop
homepage 11
load time
06
Measured brightness
50
289 500
official Android Market, which not all centralised properly, and menus look the best either. Its maximum brightness
tablets of this ilk do. That capability large and awkward. In short, it looks is only 289cd/m2, which means it isn’t
opens the door to thousands of like an enlarged smartphone, and it very readable outside under cloudy
high-quality apps and games. feels clumsy as a result. skies, let alone in sunny conditions.
Performance from the older- The Samsung Galaxy Tab is certainly
LIFE IN PLASTIC generation single-core 1GHz ARM Cortex showing its age, then, and with both the
The Galaxy Tab’s design is A8 processor isn’t much to write home Acer Iconia Tab A100 and ViewSonic
disappointing, though, with its about. The Galaxy Tab loaded the BBC ViewPad 7x offering the delights of
glossy white and black plastic homepage in a sluggish 11 seconds, and Android 3 tablets at a similar price, it’s
chassis feeling cheap in the hand. It’s this lack of speed is reflected in general hard to see its appeal – at least in its
thick, too: compared to the svelte HTC use, from menu scrolling to web-page 16GB Wi-Fi-only guise.
Flyer, it’s a porker, and we prefer the panning. Even typing on the keyboard The 32GB 3G model, however, remains
Acer Iconia Tab A100’s design, too. suffers from a delay between tapping a a tempting buy, and at just £330 is
Often, the fact it’s running Android 2.2 key and text appearing onscreen. considerably cheaper than the only
is also far too obvious. Some widgets At eight hours in our test, battery life other 3G-connected 7in tablet – the
don’t fit neatly on the screen or can’t be is underwhelming, and the screen isn’t 32GB HTC Flyer.

CHAPTER Samsung’s preinstalled “live panels” include
photo frame and weather widgets.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Light and thin enough to challenge Apple’s iPad 2, Samsung’s stunning 10.1in
Galaxy Tab sets the Android tablet standard
T
his is the tablet Apple wanted to 492cd/m2. The only downside is that the Samsung’s TouchWiz 4.0 customises
ban. Legal action halted its sales widescreen format is slightly unwieldy the regular Android interface and
across Europe for a week, and in portrait orientation, but that’s no includes “live panels” – information
the dispute rumbles on. It’s easy to see different to every other 10.1 tablet. widgets such as a weather forecast for
why: not only is there a physical Internally, the Tab 10.1 is based on a your home screens. There’s also a “Mini
resemblance, but the Galaxy Tab 10.1 dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. Apps Tray” along the bottom, giving
has many brilliant things in its favour. This is a common component in Android quick access to your favourite apps. The
It’s the lightest 10.1in Android tablet 3 tablets, so it was no surprise to see notification and settings area at the
on the market by a distance at 565g, and similar performance. The BBC homepage bottom is replaced with Samsung’s own
it’s thin too, at 8.6mm. The plastic back opened in six seconds, and in use the version, offering simpler one-touch
isn’t quite as bulletproof as the metal tablet felt as snappy as you’d expect. We access to frequently used settings.
casing of the HTC Flyer, but it’s sturdy found that 720p YouTube videos played A showy “tilt to zoom” feature has
and far from cheap-feeling. without a hiccup, as did standard- also been added to the browser and
The multitouch 1,280 x 800 LCD screen definition content from the BBC iPlayer various interface elements have been
is a delight, offering excellent viewing mobile app, although high-definition spruced up. These changes aren’t too
angles and a maximum brightness of streams were unwatchable. intrusive, but they add little to the

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price: Wi-Fi: 16GB, £399; 32GB, £479;
64GB, £559. 3G: 16GB, £499; 32GB, £579;
64GB, £659
Website www.samsung.com/uk
Good Thin, light and responsive; bright
screen with great colours
Bad Proprietary connector; no memory
expansion
At 8.6mm, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is Verdict The slickest Android tablet yet
almost impossibly thin.
Overall rating
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3
Screen & Weight
10.1in, 1,280 x 800/565g
Processor
Storage
16/32/64GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (3G depends on model)
Benchmarks
Battery life
1
7:18
15
12
BBC desktop
homepage
load time
06
Measured brightness
The rear of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is (cd/m 2 - higher is better)
coated in rubbery plastic, giving a 50
492
good, grippy surface.
experience. Potentially more useful is speakers deliver remarkable volume It’s annoying too that the only regular
the preinstalled copy of Polaris Office, considering the size of the device. connector is a 3.5mm headphone socket
plus some bespoke Samsung apps. The rear-facing camera captures 720p (plus a SIM slot on the 3G version).
These include Social Hub, which video footage, but it’s a little grainy. Otherwise, all power and data goes
combines social-network services such Stills look better: the rear autofocus through a proprietary 30-pin socket. If
as Twitter and Facebook into a single camera takes 3.2mp photos with crisp you want to hook up an external
interface, and the Music Hub, a music detail and realistic colours even in low display, you’ll need the external HDMI
store powered by the 7digital service. light. There’s an LED flash to help out if adapter, available for around £20 online.
things get too dark. The front-facing There’s no microSD slot, but Samsung
TRANSFER MARKET camera is sharp, too, but uses a smaller offers a wider choice than most, with
Transferring media files from your PC to 2mp sensor and a fixed focal length. 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions.
the Tab 10.1 is a breeze. Samsung’s Kies We do have a few gripes. The biggest With its slick performance, light
software offers wireless syncing, and is battery life: in our continuous video chassis and superb screen and speakers,
once the drivers are installed onto your test it managed only 7hrs 18mins of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 matches the appeal
PC the tablet also works as a regular playback – 1hr 20mins less than the of Apple’s iPad better than any of its
mass storage device. The excellent Asus Eee Pad Transformer. rivals. It’s the best Android tablet yet.

CHAPTER
The 9.4in screen

makes for a
tablet that’s
slightly more
compact and
lighter than
most 10.1in models.
PREVIEW
Sony Tablet S
Sony’s strikingly different tablet looks set to shake up the tablet market and boasts a
handful of unusual features that make it stand out from the crowd
S
ony often turns up late at the guide was published a little too early for Sony has opted not to use aluminium
technology party, but when it Sony to give us the full retail version to in its construction, but the silver and
does arrive, it usually does so with test, so we’re unable to reveal figures glossy black plastics that have been
a bang. And that looks to be the case and battery life at this stage.) used feel high quality. The rear panel is
with its first Android tablet, the rather It’s the design of the S that will really slightly textured, giving your fingers a
awkwardly named Tablet S. turn heads, though. The 9.4in screen chance to gain plenty of purchase, and
Not that Sony strays from convention means it feels a little more compact the rear edge looks as if it’s been folded
when it comes to the core specification, than most of the 10.1in Android 3 crowd, back on itself, giving the S a novel
with a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and it’s extremely light and well put wedge-shaped profile – thicker along
powering the Android 3.1 operating together. Sony’s official specifications one long edge than the other.
system. With identical specifications to place it at a mere 598g – only the This odd shape has two advantages.
so many other tablets, it’s hardly Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is lighter First, when the S is put down on a flat
surprising to find that the Tablet S is among 9/10in tablets. We like the surface, the screen is set at a slight
pretty slick, with menus, animations screen, too: the 1,280 x 800 resolution is angle. So, rather than forcing you to
and scrolling and panning in web pages generous, and as we’d expect from any crane your neck to look from above, it’s
as responsive as they come. (Alas, this Sony display it’s bright and punchy. quite usable from a sitting (or standing)

WorldMags.net
The Sony Tablet S is designed with one long edge thicker

than the other, tipping it up at a convenient angle when
it’s placed on a desk.
As you’d expect
from a Sony In brief
device, build Price £400 (16GB, Wi-Fi only)
quality is high. Website www.sony.co.uk
Good Clever design; universal remote
control features; very light
The textured Bad Expensive; not everyone will get on
rear of the S with the asymmetric design
Predictions With some truly unusual
makes it easy to yet useful features, Sony’s new tablet will
grip in your hand. gain many fans
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3
Screen & Weight
9.4in, 1,280 x 800/598g
Processor
Storage
16/32GB
Hidden away
Connectivity
Wi-Fi (3G optional)
on the S’s
rear panel is
position. In addition to easier typing,
an infrared control, courtesy of an integrated supported hardware. The final attraction
this makes it far more pleasant to watch
emitter, allowing infrared transmitter and some clever is PlayStation certification. That means
a video or read a web page with the
the tablet built-in remote control software. it’s possible to download and play PS
tablet flat on a desk.
to be used Hundreds of TV brands and models One games, such as Crash Bandicoot.
Second, when you pick up the S, the
as a remote are preconfigured, so most people will The price is no different from the
thick edge gives a good chunk of plastic
control for your be able to select their TV set from a list premium competition – the basic 16GB
for your hand to grip, making it more
TV and other and get channel-hopping right away. If Wi-Fi model is £400 – so whether Sony’s
comfortable to use as a reading device
entertainment your TV isn’t listed, an IR receiver allows Tablet S is good enough to edge out
in portrait orientation.
equipment. you to program the requisite codes Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 depends on
using your old remote. your priorities. If you plan on using your
LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU Another party trick is the ability to tablet mainly in the living room, we’d go
The key to the S’s appeal over other “flick” movies and music wirelessly to for the Sony for its coffee table-friendly
Android tablets looks set to be its home other devices. You don’t need a Sony TV shape and media facilities; out on the
entertainment qualities. First among for this: it will work with any TV with road, though, we’d prefer the larger
these is the ability to use the Tablet S as up-to-date DLNA support, although screen, lighter weight and slimmer
a (very expensive) universal remote we’re yet to see a definitive list of profile of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

CHAPTER
There’s a flash
to go with
ViewPad’s
5-megapixel
autofocus
camera, and it
can shoot 720p
video too.
At 7in across
and with a
resolution of
1,024 x 600,
the screen
offers enough
space for
comfortable
web browsing.
ViewSonic ViewPad 7x
ViewSonic introduces a very different Android tablet, with a small screen and a
host of innovative software and hardware features
M
ost manufacturers choose to Grab or tap the slider, and it zooms The ViewSonic’s standard desktop
leave the Android 3 software out to give a 3D overview, allowing you spaces are also different. You can still
front-end well alone: it’s easy to flick between desktops much more drop shortcuts and widgets wherever
to use, looks great and runs smoothly. quickly than on a standard Honeycomb you like, but with the ability to organise
ViewSonic, however, has revamped the tablet. The ViewPad 7x also ups the shortcuts into folders you can squeeze
software from the ground up for its standard Android 3 desktop count from much more onto one screen.
pocket-sized ViewPad 7x. five to seven and you can add up to a ViewSonic has replaced the Android
You can tell it’s different from the massive 15 desktop spaces. keyboard with one from specialist
moment you switch it on. You can still Tap another button in the zoomed- developer TouchPal, adding several
navigate between desktops by swiping out view and you can choose from a alternative layouts. Finally, the
your finger, but each desktop space has number of full-screen widgets to slot horizontally scrolling Android 3 App
an outline that makes it look like a pane into your carousel of desktops. These Drawer has been supplanted by a
of frosted glass. The controls in the top take over all the space on any desktop, vertically scrolling one.
corners have also disappeared: instead, and there are four to choose from: a Once you’ve finished exploring
a horizontal slider is wedged above the world clock panel, a weather panel, what the front-end has to offer,
system bar at the bottom of the screen. calendar and a Flickr photo panel. there’s also a selection of extra apps

WorldMags.net
In brief
Price £299, 8GB
The red trim and Website www.viewsoniceurope.com
deep red rear Good Excellent software tweaks;
The ViewSonic panel look good, compact and light
but pick up Bad Screen isn’t the brightest; rear panel
has 8GB of scratches easily. prone to scuffing; poor camera
storage on Verdict A nicely put-together 7in
board, and you tablet that’s quirky without being clumsy.
can add more via We like it.
the microSD Overall rating
slot on the
right-hand edge.
Key specifications
Operating system
Android 3.2
Screen & Weight
7in, 1,024 x 600/380g
Processor
Storage
8GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Benchmarks
Battery life
1
6:37
15
12
BBC desktop
homepage
Stereo speakers load time 04
reside sensibly on (secs - lower is better)

each edge. 06
Measured brightness
50 240
500
available, including a fully licensed web pages pan and scroll without There are two cameras – a front-
version of DataViz Documents To Go hesitation, and they load quickly. The facing 2-megapixel and a rear-facing
(normally £10). BBC homepage took only four seconds 5-megapixel one – but quality is deeply
to appear over a fast Wi-Fi connection. mediocre. Heavily compressed, smeary
PACKING IT ALL IN Battery life is good for a 7in tablet: it and detail-free images are the order of
ViewSonic hasn’t neglected the lasted 6hrs 37mins in our video playback the day. It can shoot 720p video as well,
hardware either. The ViewPad 7x is test, much better than Acer’s Iconia Tab but footage looks similar.
powered by a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia A100, which lasted under five hours. In all, though, the ViewSonic ViewPad
Tegra 2 processor, has 1GB of RAM, an FM The main disappointment is the 7in 7x is a decent tablet for the money. It’s
radio tuner, HDMI output and a microSD 1,024 x 600 resolution screen, which isn’t compact, light and combines this
slot. The latter helps compensate for the crispest or brightest we’ve seen. The with slick performance and reasonable
only 8GB of storage. And it squeezes all ViewPad can’t match the HTC Flyer for battery life. There isn’t much to choose
this into a tablet that’s both compact build quality, either. The deep red between this and its main rival, the Acer
and light, at under 400g. plastic back with red trim surrounding Iconia Tab A100, but if you’re after
Even with all the extra software, the looks smart enough, but the rear panel something a little different then the
Android 3 interface feels responsive, is prone to scratching and scuffing. ViewPad edges it.

WorldMags.net
ANDROID FOR TABLETS H

GLOSSARY HD video There are two types of HD
video – 720p and 1080p (or Full HD)
– and the difference between the two is
essentially the number of pixels used
(the resolution). A 720p HD video is 1,280
3G The type of data connection first
used by smartphones and advanced
business laptops, 3G allows you to
F
Flash A special type of web
pixels wide and 720 pixels high; a 1080p
HD video is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
connect to the internet wherever technology that allows website HDMI A type of digital video
you can get a good mobile phone developers to place more advanced and connection that allows devices to be
signal. Not everywhere is covered interactive elements on pages, such as connected directly to an HDTV. Tablets
by a good signal, though, and owners video players and games. Most modern typically use either mini- or micro-HDMI
of 3G-enabled tablets may find that Android tablets have support for Flash; ports, but cables are rarely included.
their tablets drop into GPRS (general the iPad 2, famously, does not.
packet radio switching) mode, which Honeycomb Google’s codename for
is much slower. fps Movies are made up of many Android version 3, and the only version
thousands of still images played in of Android so far designed specifically
1080p See HD video. sequence to give the impression of for tablets.
movement. Frames per second, or fps, is
720p See HD video. essentially a measurement of that, and HSDPA See 3G.
indicates the frequency with which a
A
Adobe Flash Player See Flash.
video camera captures a scene – the
higher the fps, the smoother the video. IIce Cream Sandwich The
Froyo Google’s codename for Android codename for Google’s next version of
B
Bluetooth A wireless technology
version 2.2. Most commonly used on
smartphones, but also employed as the
operating system in cheaper tablets.
Android. Ice Cream Sandwich is set to
unify the smartphone and tablet
operating systems, giving both types of
used for the connection of peripheral device a similar look and feel.
devices such as keyboards, mice and
headsets, and also for tethering your
tablet to a mobile phone to use its 3G
G
Gingerbread Another Google
IPS Stands for “in-plane switching”
– a type of TFT screen technology used
data connection. Bluetooth typically codename, this time for Android version in more expensive monitors and tablets.
has a range of around 10m. 2.3. Most commonly used on Used by the Asus Eee Pad Transformer
smartphones, but also employed as the and Apple’s iPad 2, IPS displays boast
C
Capacitive (touchscreen)
operating system in cheaper tablets.
GPRS See 3G.

superior colours and wider viewing
angles to standard TFT screens.
Used in most premium tablets and

smartphones, capacitive touchscreens
require a much gentler touch to
GPS Standing for Global Positioning
System, the GPS “radio” is the
M
Megapixels Refers to the total
activate than resistive types. technology that enables devices such number of pixels a tablet’s camera is
as tablets and satnavs to pinpoint their able to resolve. The Asus Eee Pad
cd/m2 This is the measurement we geographical position, and so provide Transformer is capable of shooting
use to indicate how bright a tablet’s driving instructions and other 5-megapixel stills (five million total
screen is. Fully expanded, it stands for location-based services. GPS requires a pixels) with a resolution of 2,592 x 1,944.
candela per metre squared, and we view of the sky to receive a signal from
measure it using a piece of equipment GPS satellites, so doesn’t work indoors; microSD Like the SD cards used in
called a colorimeter. The maximum although tablets can still establish a digital cameras, but much smaller,
brightness figure is derived from a pure loose position by analysing the names microSD cards allow you to expand
white screen with the tablet’s of local Wi-Fi hotspots and matching the storage of your tablet on the
brightness setting turned right up. them against Google’s global database. cheap so you can fit more music,

WorldMags.net
video and other files in. 32GB cards cost

from around £40. T
TFT This is the standard type of
EDITORIAL
Editor Jonathan Bray: jonb@pcpro.co.uk
Multitouch Refers to the ability screen used in tablets today. TFT stands Managing Editor Priti Patel
of a touchscreen to accept input from for “thin-film transistor”, but due to Design & Layout Jo Clements
more than one point on a screen variations in manufacture, quality
simultaneously. Multitouch screens control and the electronics behind LICENSING & SYNDICATION
allow the use of advanced gestures, them, there’s a vast difference in quality Licensing
such as the pinching in and out of the between different tablets. Hannah Heagney, hannah_heagney@dennis.co.uk, +44 20 7907 6134
fingers to zoom in and out of web Syndication
pages, and the rotation of photos
with two fingers. Multitouch also
allows more effective keyboard data
U
USB There are several different types
Anj Dosaj-Halai, Anj_Dosaj-Halai@dennis.co.uk, +44 20 7907 6132
ADVERTISING & MARKETING

entry, as you can hold down Shift to of USB connection, but all allow the Advertising Manager Matt Wakefield +44 20 7907 6625
type capital letters. connection of two devices together Digital MagBook Account Manager Katie Wood +44 20 7907 6689
for the purposes of transferring files. Production Manager Nicky Baker +44 20 7907 6056
Resistive (touchscreen) This Android tablets can usually be MagBook Manager Dharmesh Mistry +44 20 7907 61 00
is the cheapest type of touchscreen connected to a PC or Mac using a Marketing & Editorial Executive Emily Hodges +44 20 7907 6270
technology available to manufacturers. micro- or mini-USB socket. Some have a
A resistive touchscreen requires full-sized USB socket, which allows the MANAGEMENT
pressure on the screen to activate connection of USB memory sticks and Managing Director John Garewal +44 20 7907 6000
buttons and links. They’re generally hard disk drives, keyboards and mice. Deputy Managing Director Tim Danton
to be avoided, as they (usually) don’t MD of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans
support multitouch, and aren’t
particularly responsive or accurate. V
Viewing angles Not all tablet screens
Newstrade Director David Barker
Chief Operating Officer Brett Reynolds
Group Finance Director Ian Leggett
S
Stop motion If you’ve seen Nick
are made equal, and poor viewing
angles can seriously affect your
enjoyment. With a tablet that has poor,
Chief Executive James Tye
Chairman Felix Dennis
Park’s superb Wallace and Gromit or narrow, viewing angles, the screen
animations, then you’ll know what must be held square on to the eye line
stop-motion animation is. It refers to – as soon as it’s tilted slightly away, the
a movie created from many thousands colours change, or shift, making viewing
of snapped still images, and allows difficult or impossible. Not what you The “MagBook” brand is a trademark of Dennis Publishing Ltd, 30
skilled animators to bring inanimate want if you’re sharing a movie or photos Cleveland St, London W1T 4JD. Company registered in England. All
objects to life. Android 3 tablets have a with friends or family. material Dennis Publishing Ltd, licensed by Felden 2011, and may not be
stop-motion tool built into the video reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the publishers.
camera app, which snaps still images at
predefined intervals then stitches them
all together for you, for effortless
W
Wi-Fi The most common wireless
Liability
While every care was taken during the preparation of this MagBook, the
stop-motion home movies. technology included in tablets, Wi-Fi publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information
lets you hook into your broadband or any consequence arising. All judgements are based on products
Streaming Refers to the process of connection at home (or at a hotel/ available to us at the time. “Value for money” comments are based on
playing video or music files stored in a café-based hotspot) and browse the current UK prices. Dennis Publishing takes no responsibility for the
remote location on your tablet, without internet, transfer files from computer to content of any external websites mentioned.
physically copying the file to its local tablet and back again, and even stream
storage. Good examples of this are BBC video from device to device. There are Printed by BGP, Bicester, Oxfordshire. The paper used within this
iPlayer and YouTube videos, where a several different types of Wi-Fi, MagBook is produced from sustainable fibre, manufactured by mills with
website stores the file, and streams it denominated by cryptic phraseology a valid chain of custody.
via a special web page-based video and acronyms written into tablets’ ISBN 1-907779-78-7
player, in this case Adobe Flash. You specifications: 802.11g is the older,
can also play media files hosted on a slower type; 802.11n is more modern, Thanks to MobileFun.co.uk for supplying the majority of the cases and
networked PC or Mac using a client/ faster and may also allow a tablet to accessories for the reviews.
server app such as Plex. connect from further away.

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ANDROID FOR TABLETS
INDEX
3D................................................096 Clock............................................ 019 Programming ................................ 072
Accessories, reviews...................... 098 Customising.................................. 018 Reading........................................066
Acer Iconia Tab A100 ...................... 078 Desktop........................................ 018 Remote control.............................. 074
Acer Iconia Tab A500/A501 .............080 doubleTwist................................... 037 Resistive touchscreen .................... 010
Advent Vega.................................. 082 ebooks .........................................066 Samsung Galaxy Tab....................... 104
AirSync......................................... 037 Email.................................... 048, 050 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 ................ 106
Amazon Kindle .............................. 067 Facebook ...............................051, 053 Satnav..........................................069
App reviews File transfer (via USB) .................... 016 Screen lock ................................... 022
Comms and the web .................... 054 Flash Player, Adobe........................046 Search.......................................... 018
Entertainment............................ 038 Flickr............................................ 051 Settings ....................................... 022
Games....................................... 042 Friend Me ..................................... 053 Sharing ........................................ 032
Productivity...............................060 Gallery ......................................... 032 Social networking.......................... 051
Tools and utilities....................... 074 Gaming.........................................040 Sony Tablet S................................. 108
Android, history of ........................ 012 Gmail ....................................015, 049 Streaming .................................... 034
Android, versions .......................... 024 GPS .......................................022, 068 Symbols ....................................... 021
Android Market ............................. 026 Hotspot .........................................017 Synchronising ............................... 037
AndroidPIT.................................... 028 HTC Flyer .............................. 024, 088 Tabs ............................................. 047
Appointments, setting up............... 059 Jexaa JexTab 812 HD ....................... 092 Tasker........................................... 073
Apps, installing ............................. 026 Keyboard...................................... 021 Tegra Zone ....................................040
Asus Eee Pad Transformer...............084 Last.fm......................................... 051 Tethering.......................................017
Auto correction ............................. 021 Lenovo IdeaPad K1.........................094 TweetComb ................................... 052
Battery life ................................... 070 LG Optimus Pad .............................096 Twitter...................................051, 052
Binatone HomeSurf Tablet 705 ........086 Maps............................................068 Video .................................... 032, 034
Bluetooth keyboard ............... 065, 098 Motorola Xoom........................ 011, 100 Video conversion (via Handbrake) ... 035
Brightness settings ................022, 070 Music ........................................... 036 ViewSonic ViewPad 7x .....................110
Browsing ......................................046 Navigation....................................068 Voice search.................................. 019
Calendar ....................................... 058 Office tasks ..................................064 Widgets........................................ 018
Camera......................................... 032 Packard Bell Liberty Tab G100 ..........102 Wi-Fi, setting up ........................... 015
Capacitive touchscreen .................. 010 Pairing ......................................... 065 Yahoo email, setting up.................. 050
Cases and bags, reviews.................090 Picasa .......................................... 033

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Ultimate Guide To Android Tablets

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO

THE BEST GAMES, APPS & EXTRAS

ANDROID FOR TABLETS

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

THE BASICS BEYOND THE BASICS

ENTERTAINMENT HARDWARE REVIEWS

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

WITH ANNOTATED NOTES

Visit our website at www.accessoryvillage.co.uk

ANDROID FOR TABLETS

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

ANDROID FOR TABLETS

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

WHAT IS ANDROID An overview of Google’s tablet operating

FIRST STEPS Getting started with your Android 3 tablet, from

THE ANDROID DESKTOP Find out why the desktop plays

THE KEYBOARD & SETTINGS Introducing Android 3’s

DIFFERENT ANDROID FLAVOURS Not all versions of

APPS FOR EVERYTHING What makes tablets special? Apps,

ALTERNATIVE APP STORES Not all Android tablets come

ANDROID FOR TABLETS

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

ANATOMY OF A TABLET They may all look the same, but

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WHAT IS ANDROID You’ve probably heard a lot about it, but

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS WorldMags.net WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM

Manipulate lists, web pages and THE APPLE ADVANTAGE

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THE ANDROID DESKTOP Getting to know your tablet

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Press and hold your The press-and-hold The Analog Clock is

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

THE KEYBOARD & SETTINGS The keyboard isn’t

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS WorldMags.net WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM

DIFFERENT ANDROID FLAVOURS Not every

The HTC Flyer

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS WorldMags.net WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM

Tap the Flyer’s

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

APPS FOR EVERYTHING Now you know your way around

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS WorldMags.net WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM

If you have more Each category

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

ALTERNATIVE APP STORES Some tablets don’t come

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AndroidPIT will automatically The

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

WATCHING VIDEO A tablet is ideal for watching movies and TV

ENJOYING MUSIC Take a tour of Android 3’s musical capabilities

APP REVIEWS VIDEO, MUSIC & PHOTO Android’s

GAMING FOR TABLETS An overview of your tablet’s gaming

ANDROID FOR TABLETS

WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS

SHOOTING & SHARING While we’d never suggest replacing

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WWW.MAGBOOKS.COM WorldMags.net THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ANDROID TABLETS