It’s obvious that the iPad has changed the way we think about mobile computing, so it should be no surprise that Apple’s rivals are working on competing devices. In fact, Verizon has already announced a competing device: a $100 tablet running the Android OS. With Android-powered tablets right around the corner, let’s take a look at some apps that will round out the device to make it your go-to mobile machine.
AndTorrent Bit-Torrent Client
Bit Torrent has long been the darling of open-source software advocates, so it makes sense for this app to run on Android tablets, given the open nature of the operating system. With access to a bigger hard drive, people will finally have the capability to carry more media around with them on their tablet than on their phone. Torrent clients are a great way to port media from your other computers or to share files friends and strangers, and AndTorrent specifically is the most mature client available on Android. AndTorrent is a full-featured Torrent client, and all forms of media can be downloaded and shared; including photos, videos, music and any other file type you can think of.
DoggCatcher
Android tablets will be the perfect device on which to listen to podcasts; small enough to tote around while being large enough to effectively multi-task without running the battery down to zero. DoggCatcher is a great Android podcatcher, keeping track of subscriptions and downloads. The interface features the media player right up front, so you can easily listen, browse, and add new subscriptions simultaneously.
doubleTwist
Now that you’ve got all your media at your disposal, you’re going to need a way to organize and access it. Unfortunately, Android’s standard media player is bare bones, built with more size and speed restrictions than a tablet will have. The doubleTwist app offers a clean and organized way to view and play your media, as well as syncing capabilities. Not only will the app sync up your iTunes music to your phone (including all metadata: plays, ratings, etc) but it will also let you upload video, converting it to the proper files types in the process. No more searching for that rare codex; doubleTwist will take care of all your video formatting needs automatically.
Fring
Finally, we reach the one area where an Android tablet can get ahead of the curve and beat Apple to the metaphorical feature punch: by including a forward facing camera. As we saw with the iPhone 4, Apple’s new Facetime feature is guaranteed to make an appearance on the next generation of the iPad. Android tablet hardware manufacturers would be wise to include this feature in the first round of devices. If so, users can take full advantage by installing the Fring app. Fring is a multi-purpose IM, Twitter and video chat client. It supports nearly every service you can imagine, including Skype, Yahoo! and MSN video.
