Android tablets are comfortable and easy-to-use devices that serve purposes such as checking your mailbox, playing video games, watching videos and listening to music, or taking photos and recording videos. While using the same operating system, tablets differ slightly from smartphones. In fact, not only are the hardware specifications different, but the user interface is also slightly different.
Steps
Step 1. Set up your tablet
Android is a very simple operating system to use. First create an account to download apps on the Google Play Store or use an existing one.
Step 2. Study the functionality of the three touch function keys
These are the three basic controls, which are used to use applications and access menus:
- The Home button: This button is used to go to the home screen of the device. If pressed while an application is running, it will be placed in the background - to use Windows jargon, it will be "minimized". Note that the application will not be closed.
- The back button’": used to return to the previous page / tab or program
- Multi-tasking button: Tablets running Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) or newer have a multitasking button (the parallelogram button). Pressing this button will display a list of background processes and applications. Swiping your finger right or left on the application name will close the process. This is particularly useful for freeing up RAM and speeding up the device.
- Older tablets may have a Menu (or Configuration) button, represented by three parallel horizontal lines, which is used to access the Options menu within the app. It is not available on native Ice Scream Sandwich or Jelly Bean devices.
Step 3. Check the Android version
Each tablet uses a different version of Android. You can find out which version of Android is installed on your tablet in the "Device Information" section of the Settings menu.
- Most newer tablets are equipped with Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0), KitKat, or Jelly Bean (4.3, the newest).. Generally, the newer the Android version, the better the performance.
- Some older tablets use Android Honeycomb (3.x). Honeycomb was a tablet-specific operating system, not typically available for smartphones.
- Inquiring about the version of the operating system, in general, gives a generic idea of the tablet's characteristics. For example, tablets (and smartphones) with Jelly Bean have Google Now. (a voice assistance service provided by Google).
Step 4. Download the apps
The Google Play Store provides a wide range of tools, games and applications to make your Android experience better.
- Download an office app to view and edit documents. Most Android tablets come with a document viewer by default. If you want to download an app that also allows you to edit documents, you could download Kingston Office for free.
- You can also use your Android device to create reminders, take notes, mark events on your calendar, and get directions, as well as a host of other tasks.
- Also install the wikiHow app, to have access to a huge collection of articles on how to do it all!
Step 5. Personalize your Android
Google's open source operating system offers enormous customization possibilities.
- Create custom smart actions. Setting up your own custom smart actions will cause the device to perform specific actions when certain events occur. Smart actions can be, as already mentioned, customized to suit your needs. Note that these smart actions are not supported by all devices. Anyway, you can find many similar applications on the Google Play Store.
- Adjust the screen timeout. The first step in extending the battery charge is to set a lower screen timeout.
- Create your own wallpapers, widgets etc.
Step 6. Speed up the device
There are several ways to speed up your device.:
- Update the software and firmware. Often the device manufacturer will release updates to fix bugs, speed up the device… Install them.
- Download a task-killer and an antivirus program. Some devices are already equipped with a task manager, others do not. The task manager allows you to shut down background applications that use too much RAM at will, while the antivirus program will keep you safe from cyber threats.
- Remove widgets you don't need from the Home screen. Widgets are useful for accessing various features of the device, however, if you don't need them, it is best not to use them, as they slow down the tablet.
Step 7. Configure the synchronization options
A very useful feature of Android smartphones and tablets is synchronization. By syncing you can transfer data, photos, videos, contacts, messages, emails and more between various devices, including your PC. Configure the sync options for apps and accounts by going to “Settings -> Accounts & Sync”.
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Synchronize Gmail emails, contacts and calendar with those from Windows Outlook and other services.
- To use your Gmail account with Microsoft Outlook: Set IMAP as the server type. In the "Incoming mail server" field type "imap.gmail.com" and for outgoing server use "smtp.gmail.com". Enter your log-in information (Gmail username and password). On "More options" open the "Advanced" tab. Set the incoming server to 933 with SSL encryption and the outgoing server to 587 with TLS encryption.
- Use your Gmail account with Mozilla Thunderbird. Thunderbird is a cross-platform and open source email client. To configure Thunderbird to manage your Gmail mailbox, first enable IMAP in your Google settings. Then, open Thunderbird and go to “Tools -> Account Settings”. Add a new email account and enter your name, email address and password. Thunderbird will try to automatically configure the account.
Use an Android Tablet Step 8 Step 8. Make a backup
Back up your data to your computer, smartphone or external device. Alternatively, you could use Google Cloud.
Advice
- Turning off the device completely will cause the system to erase the temporary data, thus going faster.
- Set a secure key lock mode, such as “Maze Lock”. Go to “Settings” -> “Device” -> “Lock Screen”.
- Download a file manager to facilitate access to external data.
Warnings
- Installing custom ROMs may provide you with access to additional features, but at the cost of voiding the warranty. Furthermore, this operation will also have an impact on the performance of the device. If not done correctly, this could cause irreversible damage to the device.
- The steps to take to configure the device may vary depending on the device model and the version of Android used.
