11 Best Android Tablet Apps for Newbies

Your Android tablet is a wonderful e-reader, and the Kindle for Android application brings Amazon.com’s collection of more than 750,000 digital books directly to your device. The app lets you purchase books any time you have wireless connectivity and read whenever you have battery life. Many classic books are free, and best-sellers start at just $9.99–less than what you’d pay for a print version in a bookstore. You can preview books before buying and read them on multiple Kindle devices, thanks to the app’s Whispersync technology, which transfers bookmarks and other annotations between devices.

Download Kindle from the Android Market

The Android How To Guide: Tutorials, Tips, and Updates

Google’s new social network, Google+, is not available to the masses yet, but if you’re one of the lucky few who got in on the initial beta, you’ll definitely want to check out the free Google+ mobile app for Android, which provides the vast majority of features and functionality found on the full desktop Google+ page with a streamlined, user-friendly interface. Check your stream, update your status, join and contribute to “Huddles,” add and view photos, view individual “Circles” and more, all from your Android tablet.

Download Google+ from the Android Market

• 10 Google+ Tips for Beginners

• 5 Google+ Tips for Advanced Users

• Google+ Privacy: 5 Settings You Need to Know

Poynt is the only mobile, local-search application for Android you’ll ever need. The app uses your current location, based on GPS or user-input, to find the closest businesses, retailers, restaurants, gas prices, events and much more. Poynt offers a dedicated weather section, too. You can find local movie theatre listings and purchase tickets via Android. And the app integrates with your Google calendar and address book so you can quickly add contacts or events.

Download Poynt from the Android Market

The Android How To Guide: Tutorials, Tips, and Updates