Tablets like the iPad and Android devices have become more commonplace. In fact, more businesses are using them in new and innovative ways. Tablets are very flexible in the ways they are used and can be customized to fit many different business uses. However, tablets do have a reputation of being nothing more than a device to consume media. Some would even say they are not even useful as a business tool.
However, the fact that they are so flexible and portable, makes tablets a good business tool. They are not just for entertainment. Here are a few tips you can use to make the tablet more useful as a production tool rather than a device for entertainment.
Remove Games from the Tablet
It goes without saying that tablets are great for games. Mobile devices have revolutionized the way we play games. But, they can be a major distraction when you are using a tablet for productivity. Some games can even rob precious resources if left running in the back ground. The best thing to do is to remove the games all together if you are planning on using the tablet for work. Or, at the very least, store the games away in a folder on a screen you do not visit often.
Load Up With Useful Apps
Most tablets come with useful apps preinstalled. This can include things like a calculator, calendar and email. But, there are a ton of useful apps available for Android and iOS tablets. These can usually be found in the productivity sections of the respective stores.
One useful app to have on the tablet is a cloud based storage service. The most common one is Dropbox. There are other good solutions as well. These include SugarSync, OneDrive and Google Drive. All of them have apps you can download to use with your account.
Another useful app to download is a productivity suite. You can download Microsoft Office on Android or iOS. Apple has a useful suite called iWork. These both include basic productivity tools like Scrivener (a popular word processor, spreadsheet and presentation creator).
Organize Your Application Shortcuts
When you tablet gets loaded up with a lot of apps it can become difficult to locate them when needed. Any new apps are installed at the first available slot which is typically at the end of the other apps. iOS and Android gives you the ability to organize your apps.
It is a good idea to put your most commonly used applications on the first screen, or home screen. That should give you room for 20 to 30 shortcuts depending on your screen size. Other applications can be sorted by folder type in the following screens.
The idea is that the apps you use the most will be accessible from the first page. If you need an app you do not use as much you can find it in its relevant folder.
Tablets can be a useful tool in any type of business. They are becoming very popular in all sorts of industries for their mobility, long battery life and ease of use. Hopefully, these tips will help make your tablet more useful as well.
Do you have any other ideas to make a tablet more productive? Let us know in the comments below.