An Android tablet is an incredible device. Largely they are underpriced allowing you to get more power than an iPad for a fraction of the cost, and at the same time they are incredibly flexible and open in terms of what they can do.

In fact Android tablets can do so much that many people don't realize just how much they can do with it and aren't making the most of their device. Here we will look at some of the things you perhaps didn't realize could be accomplished with the humble Android OS or your hardware to help you to get more from your Android.



Media

First and foremost have a look and see if your Android has got a HDMI slot. If it does then this means you can plug it into your television to view things on the big screen and thus enjoy any of the films or shows you're carrying around with you in crisp HD.

If this isn't impressive enough for you then you should also look into some of the controller remotes that will allow you to control your PC with your Android device from a distance. If you're watching TV on your PC then you can use your Android tablet as a handy remote to pause and control the volume.

Another thing I'm going to recommend now is Spotify. This is an app that gives you the ability to stream music live from a huge online catalogue of tracks. It has a small monthly fee and you'll probably need a WiFi connection, but if you're okay with those things then this gives you a way to access any song you could ever want in seconds.

Games

The Android platform is very underrated when it comes to its games and if you have a high-end machine then you'll be able to play almost all of the games available on iTunes as well as some great exclusives.

However perhaps the most exciting thing you can do with an Android gaming wise though is to download emulators that allow you to play ROMs of Megadrive, SNES, Gameboy Advance and even PSOne and N64 games. Imagine getting Mario 64 or Sonic 3 & Knuckles in your bag for portable gaming - and as long as you have the original copy of the game somewhere it's not even against the law.

And if you want to play something a little more modern and you have a high spec device then you should consider cracking the Android device so that you can play Tegra Zone games which feature incredible graphics and features and almost rival console games in some instances.

PC Synchronization

If you have a PC lying around somewhere then you can get more out of both your devices with some clever apps. For instance by using DropBox you can make use of cloud storage in order to share files between your computer and your Android without having to e-mail them across or use wires. This enables you to simply 'drop' what you're working on into a shared folder and access it from both devices.

Meanwhile you can also make use of TeamViewer in order to give yourself control over your PC from a long distance. This way, as long as your computer is on and connected to the web, you will be able to view the monitor, control the mouse and even type on your PC. This gives you access to all your software (albeit with a slow refresh rate) and means that if you ever forget to bring a necessary file with you you can simply get someone to turn on your PC and then drag and drop it into Drop Box.

And if you have a 3G connection on your Android then you can even use the wireless tethering in order to share your internet with your laptop on the go.
 
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