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| Apple's iPad and other tablets can utilize apps to function as remote controls, word processors and phones. (AFP Photo) |
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It’s a few
weeks since Christmas, and the novelty of that new iPad or Android tablet may
be fading. You’ve already watched a Netflix movie, played “Angry Birds” and
maybe even downloaded an e-book from Amazon.com or Apple’s iBooks. What next?
Here are three
things you might not be aware you can do with your new tablet:
Use it as a
telephone: If you want to place a video call over a Wi-Fi connection, you’ve
got a lot of options, including Microsoft’s Skype and, for iPad users, Apple’s
FaceTime. But suppose you want to make and receive voice calls, and not just
with other Internet-connected devices but with traditional phones as well?
You could
set up a Google Voice account, which comes with its own phone number, and
download its app — which in the case of the iPad means an iPhone app blown up
to twice its usual size.
A more
elegant solution is Line2, an app from the cleverly named Toktumi, a San
Francisco company. For less than $10 a month, Line2 converts your iPad or
Android device into a fully functioning phone with its own number, voicemail
and a host of advanced features.
It works
not only over Wi-Fi, but also 3G and 4G wireless data networks — giving you
voice service any place and in any way your tablet can connect.
Even
better, the service is transferable from device to device. Put the app on your
phone too, and you’ve now got a second, fully-integrated line you can use for
business or in other situations where you don’t want to give out your personal
number. Toktumi also provides software to let you place and receive calls on
your Line2 number from Windows PCs and Macs.
Line2 for
Android provides a seven-day free trial before the $9.95 monthly fee kicks in.
For the iPad, the company, prodded by Apple, is in the process of moving to a
“freemium” model, with a no-cost level for calls with other Line2 users and a
paid service for everyone else.
You’ll also
want to invest in a Bluetooth headset. You’d look awfully silly holding an iPad
to your ear.
Run Windows
and Microsoft Office: Several apps allow you to create, open and manipulate
Microsoft Office files on a tablet, such as Documents To Go from Blackberry
maker Research In Motion, Quickoffice and, for iPad users, Apple’s iWork suite.
LogMeIn Ignition allows you to view and control a specific Windows PC over an
Internet connection, while Citrix Receiver is aimed at enterprise users.
Now OnLive,
a California-based online game service, has launched an app called OnLive
Desktop that puts a fully functional version of Windows 7, plus Microsoft Word,
Excel and PowerPoint, on your iPad — all for free.
The
Microsoft programs aren’t actually installed on your tablet. Rather, they are
running on OnLive’s servers, to which you connect over the Internet. You’ll
need a Wi-Fi connection, where the programs run smoothly; while you can
occasionally squeeze in a few minutes over 3G, don’t count on it.
The
documents you create are stored on OnLive’s servers; sharing them with other
computers, or uploading documents created elsewhere, is managed via the OnLive
Web site. The free app provides 2 gigabytes of storage, and OnLive says a
coming $10-a-month service will provide 50 gigabytes, plus the ability to add
and run more Windows programs. Enterprise and Android versions are also in the
works.
OnLive
Desktop uses a touch-friendly version of Windows 7; an on-screen keyboard also
is available. You’ll almost certainly, though, want to use it with a Bluetooth
wireless keyboard.
Entertainment
remote control: Here’s perhaps the only area where some Android tablets are
easier to use than iPads.
Most TVs
are being sold with some ability to put them onto a home network, either with
built-in Wi-Fi or an adapter port. Connecting your TV to a network means, among
many other things, that you may be able to control it with an app on your
Wi-Fi- connected device. Millions of TVs, though, don’t live on Wi-Fi networks.
Owners rely on the infrared technology in traditional remote controls to change
channels and adjust the volume.
Unlike the
iPad, some Android tablets have a built-in IR transmitter, allowing them to
function as universal remote controls for TVs and home-entertainment gear right
out of the box. Probably the best I’ve seen is the Tablet S from Sony, which
includes an app that mimics the functions of the company’s high-end standalone
remotes, including controlling non-Sony gear. Other Android tablets with IR
blasters include Vizio’s Vtab and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.
If you have
an iPad, or a non-IR-equipped Android tablet, your best bet is a device that
uses a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection to your tablet and translates its commands
into IR instructions. One that I’ve used is the Peel Fruit, which is currently
on sale for $79; other products that perform similar functions include
Logitech’s $100 Harmony Link and Griffin Technology’s $70 Beacon.
Whatever
you use, there’s one huge advantage to using a tablet over a traditional
remote: little risk of losing it in the sofa cushions.
Bloomberg
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