How To Use A Tablet Like A Laptop

Once considered too weak for handling serious tasks, tablet today are used by many professionals and businesses. I’ve done everything from coding websites to formatting spreadsheets with my Android tablet from T-Mobile.

An increasing number of writers, designers, and entrepreneurs are not only using their tablets to supplement their laptops, they’re outright replacing their laptops.

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The Benefits of a Tablet Over a Laptop
Tablet Tools And Apps

The Benefits of a Tablet Over a Laptop

For sure, laptops and desktops remain more robust and powerful tools for accomplishing many tasks, and are a must-have for some professionals. But if you can find the right mix of programs and tools to make a tablet productive, you’ll notice several benefits.

Longer Battery Life: An iPad or Android tablet can run all day without needing to recharge, far longer than the 4-5 hours that many laptops offer. Plus, you can keep them on standby-for extended periods.
Fast Operations: With your tablet on-hand in standby mode, you can fire it up anywhere and begin working right away. With a laptop, you may need to wait for an extended boot up process.
Simpler Interface: Even if you’re an expert at managing windows and jugging through complex programs, it can be a relief to use some of the smartly-designed tablet apps. They’re easier to operate and take up the entire screen, offering a measure of peace and clarity.
Easier to Carry: Most tablets are smaller and lighter than laptops, so you can be more mobile and experience less strain.

That said, neither an Android tablet nor iPad will likely be adequate out-of-the-box. Instead, you’ll want to invest in a few excellent business tools.

Tablet Tools And Apps

An External Keyboard

These days, you can find excellent wireless and docked keyboards that are made for Android and the iPad. You’ll type faster and in a better ergonomic position when you use a standard keyboard instead of a touchscreen keyboard. I’d look into options like this iPad keyboard and case combo or this Android-compatible keyboard

Access to Your Files

If you’re not already using Dropbox to sync your files across devices, then I’d start now. With both iPad and Android versions, you can access and edit your documents, graphics, and other files. Because Dropbox is so simple, you won’t have to upload files or worry about having different versions of the same file.

Edit Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations

With Dropbox installed, you can now use any number of programs to edit your files. I recommend QuickOffice for most people, as it provides viewing and editing for MS Office files. It connects directly to your Dropbox account, and offers a decent range of features.

Harnessing Your Primary Computer

If there’s a particularly powerful program on your primary PC, you may still be able to use it on your tablet. LogMeIn Ignition offers the ability to remotely control your PC, giving you a virtual desktop. Combined with your external keyboard, you can access just about anything.

Tools for Web Marketers and Developers

For access to Google Analytics, check out Analytics HD (iPad) and gAnalytics (Android).
If you need to edit an image, Photoshop Touch (Android and iPad) offers surprising capabilities. You can resize images, color correct, and even make complex graphics with layers and blending.
Codea (iPad) and DroidEdit (Android), meanwhile, offer robust text-editing programs with color-coding for syntax such as HTML.
Tools are also available for blogging, social media marketing, and SEO management.