shopping...QVC, CVS, ebay...
finance - my bank (passworded), and stock market
entertainment: ABC player, PBS, Pandora, comcast
health: myfatsecret (calorie counter)spark recipes
social: Facebook, gmail, pinterest
travel: mqvibe

I can see I have a lot to learn....you mean if I want to look up something on eBay or Amazon I need specific apps to be able to do it?

no you don't need them but if you do it a lot having the app makes it faster and easier.

I bet it will have the social media apps already on it like facebook and twitter all of mine did. It comes preloaded with a LOT of apps so be careful adding more that you are not replicating. And for each thing there will be multiple apps by different people some better than others the best way to judge is look at the number of people that have downloaded that app and read the reviews, don't get any brand new apps those are the ones that might have malware on them and not been caught yet.

Yes apps do take up space and memory! I have an app that keeps track of that for me.

You can get apps from the pre loaded google app store but there are other good app sources too but only use well known sources.

For security the best apps are lookout security and Avast both are free.
Be aware that some apps are trials so you may only get free use for a short time then get the nag screen for pay up.

I would use it for a few days as is just to make sure all is right with it before you add any extra apps so that if something goes wonky you know it is not from any new apps you added.

Also when you visit sites using your tablet you will see pop ups telling you this site has an app for you to use do not install all those apps just close out the pop up and go on with the site, and many will ask if you want to use the mobile version of the site or the full version I prefer the full version on my tablet, the mobile is more for a cell phone size screen.

There are also widgets as well as apps!
I always have a battery widget so I can see at a glance how much battery I have.
I have an app manager app that tells me in list form exactly how much each app is using which is really nice so I know if I need to get rid of something.

I will get an app and try it out immediately many are just not made for tablets and will not work right, some will tell you right when trying to download that it is not for your device.

I have a few games, card games like solitaire, some of the jewel games, some word games, angry birds, but I rarely do games other than solitaire. I will be happy to tell you the best ones if you ask, some are good some are junk. The free ones will come with ads that flash up on them so be aware of that.

I have several reader apps including kindle and aldiko which is my fave. I would suggest trying a few to find what you like best. One will come on the tablet. I did see you will be getting a free copy of a best seller and several free magazines with the nexus. Lots of freebies pre loaded from what I have read in the reviews.

you will need to set up your email on it like your gmail or yahoo or hotmail etc,you can do all of them. I use the actual individual mail apps for those not the one that comes on the tablet, so I have a gmail app, a hotmail app, etc.

sorry the lightening was getting bad so I had to go away.

some of my must have apps
android assistant
Astro file manager (must)
android system info
speed test to check my connection speed
a weather app/widget
a clock app/widget

games I like
solitaire free pack( about the best)
Aces solitaire also good
random mahjong my fave of the hundreds of them
touchy words
drop words
quell
I have a few jewel games, I like jewels maniac
angry birds
wheres my water

readers
Aldiko
kindle
FBreader
Nook reader

If you want one of those "assistants" like siri on the apple products there are a number of them for android, I have one that is pretty good on my phone, none on my tablet. I can look up which one if you are interested.

other stores I use
the amazon app store
Getjar
slideme
seems like there are more

I like last.fm for music to listen to.
Pandora gives me problems for some reason and it takes a lot of space but I like pandora

the best advice I can give is get registered at one of the new nexus 7 forums like the one at android tablets, get to know them, they will be your best resources and the best way to learn so much about your tablet and android too.

and READ the user manual that comes preloaded on the tablet! So many people never even look at that manual and it is a big big help.

BUT MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!! ENJOY YOUR NEW TOY!!!

I have a 16 gig iPad with *tons* of apps installed, as well as a few dozen books and a bunch of music and photos, and I've used only half of my available space. So I wouldn't worry about how much space they take up. If you run short, you'll just delete things you don't use.

Here are some of my favorites:
Evernote - a note-keeping app (not just text, but also pictures, video, and audio) that automatically syncs to the web and to any other devices where you install it. I used this *constantly*, though I couldn't imagine what a wonderful app it would be before I downloaded it and started using it.
Flipboard - it's a very cool way to read news and social media
Weather Channel
IMDB and Fandango, for movies
Word Warp and Boggle - they're word games
Scramble With Friends - as Words With Friends is to Scrabble, Scramble With Friends is to Boggle
Netflix
Unblock Me, Flow, Cut the Rope - more good games

Enjoy yourself!

Gazelle - If you use Quest Diagnostics for any tests. You can enter a request for your results to be sent to the app, which then allows you to send it to your email address. You just enter the date and location.

Giant Supermarkets has an app that displays weekly circular data.

K-9 App gives you email notification and links from one or more email addresses - even from multiple email servers - all in a single list.

The siri type app I have on my phone is just called assistant, I am pretty sure I got it from Google store.
If you use the various store customer cards there's an app you can load all of them on and use it at the store but I have that one on my phone.

I have quick office on all of them.

Oh and I love the swift key key board app, I did the trial and had to buy it but it is very cheap. It makes using the small keyboard much easier, it provides 3 guesses every time you begin typing a word so I rarely have to type more than 2 letters then just tap on the correct word. I have it on my phone and tablet. I hate when I use a device that does not have it. You can find it at the Google store.

Here is a link that might be useful: SwiftKey keyboard

An app to manage all your apps -- too funny!
(Nope, I'm behind the times: No smartphone yet, no tablet yet. But someday ...)

What is Astro file manager?

Thanks for all the apps and tips!! I didn't get very far with the setup because I don't know the password for my network. I'll get it from my DS tomorrow.

The box says, "Nexus 7 runs the latest version of Android and comes with all the Google apps you love. Check Gmail, browse the web with Chrome, watch videos on YouTube, and chat face-to-face witih up to nine friends with Google+ Hangouts." Sounds promising!

You can do a lot with it while waiting for your wifi password, I suggest writing it down on a card and taping it to the router being careful not to block vents, then next time someone needs to get on the wifi you know where to look.

Astro file manager is just that. Just like windows explorer, is the file manager on the pc (not to be confused with Internet Explorer)
Astro comes in very handy when you need to locate files, info, etc on the tablet, it can also be helpful to installing some apps. You will hear about side loading apps at some point, Astro makes it easier.

Turn that thing on and look at the free books, play some games, go through the manual play with some apps.

I also have several browsers on mine including firefox, opera mini, and I have firefox set up with adblock plus just like my pc., another great browser is dolphin.

I got my first Android phone last month, and one thing I LOVE is that I can make entries on Google Calendar on my computer or my phone and they sync with each other.

Love this post, lots of stuff here I've never heard of and am now going to try on my phone and some on my iPad.
I play Bejeweled Blitz a lot on my iPad.

Be careful to hold a pillow on your lap or something to support it, I got my iPad in November. My right wrist hurts a lot now, and I think it's from the iPad, playing with it unsupported.

joan have you considered one of the cases that has the part of the case that forms and stand, I have one like that for my Vizio so I can just pop up that stand and sit it on my lap or a pillow, when I am laying in bed I set it on my chest LOL Mine actually came with my vizio but there are lots of them on amazon and ebay for decent prices.This one is along those lines but if you search there are so many of them in various materials.
Case Star � Hot Pink 360 Degrees Rotating Smart Stand Case for Apple iPad

These type covers also come with a built in keyboard in some models which can really be nice.
I have seen them for pretty much any size tablet out there.
here is the amazon search with tons of them for ipad
ipad case
prices vary widely

For my Android phone, I downloaded ThickButtons (a free ap)for the keyboard. As you start typing, it ituitively selects possible next letters and enlarges the buttons for those letters. Once a few letters are typed, it lists about 4-5 words that it could be and then you just press on the correct work to select it. It is free.

Susan - did you see this?

Here is a link that might be useful: Hints for nexus

I use mine mostly for downloading books to read while I am walking on the treadmill. I also play Sudoku and Bridge on it. have quite a few apps for things for my GS to use but he is just now showing an interest (just turned 3).

Can someone explain to me about the game Words with Friends?

I have noticed that my pointer finger on my right hand hurts and I'm having trigger finger in the morning. I think it is because I'm flipping the page with that finger on my IPAD too much! How weird is that?!

Maire, I had high hopes for your link, but it took me to a Hotmail login screen. Try again?

Mboston, WWF is very much like Scrabble. So far I've played via Facebook, but the friends I play against are usually on their tablets or smart phones. A game rarely takes place all at once; more likely it takes a couple of days (or even more) to complete because each of us plays a word now and then. I have a lot of computer access most days, so I'm in a better position to play.

I've been reading about the Nexus 7, and have joined one forum. I also checked YouTube. Not too much there yet, although I did watch a very funny video that compared the Nexus 7's voice assistant (I don't think that's what it's called) with Siri, the one on the iPhone. Siri didn't do very well in that competition, and the video gets to be quite comical.

As for actually using the tablet and learning that way, I've just simply been too hot to think. Had to get a vehicle inspected today, and the waiting room A/C was broken. I felt as though every inch of me was sweating. Not much better at home, as I haven't wanted to use the window A/C until the new bracket arrives.

But I can say this about the Nexus 7: It's very pretty! :-)

oops - try this one.

Here is a link that might be useful: 40 tips

Much better, Maire. And very helpful--thanks!!

Those are very good tips and his blog is one I have recommended many many times, it was one of my first finds long ago and I still visit it often, he is also on several of the forums I am on.
One thing it took me a while to figure out was the notification screen, they kept saying pull it down from the top but I couldn't get it to pull down, well finally I did it and once you do you can do much easier. Also the long press on the screen I knew about that but kept forgetting, and each tablet I have is a little different which causes me confusion lol, but every day I learn something new. And you get to say you can use Linux.

I'm glad it was helpful.

I have to thank Ravencajun for recommending that site. I subscribed to it a long time ago when she first mentioned it.

Okay, a little progress today. Every little bit helps! I'm reading the Nexus 7 Guidebook online so I can apply the info to the tablet in my hand. (Once again, it sure is pretty.) I downloaded the Netflix app, and it synced to my account so I can watch shows on the tablet. Cool!

I watched a demo of Osmos and was fascinated. Beautiful graphics. I'll probably get that game. I also downloaded the TED talks app.

Here's a question: A friend recommended Talking Tom Cat (I think that's the name), an app that children enjoy. You talk to it, and a cartoon cat repeats whatever you say, using a funny voice. I thought it might entertain my grandson (while I hold the tablet, of course). So I purchased it (for 99 cents). But then a message came up saying I'd have to download 24MB of data onto my SD card in order to optimize the graphics on Nexus 7. But the N7 doesn't have a card slot, so I don't know what they have in mind. I cancelled the purchase for now.

Yes some apps require an sd card so you don't want to get those. As I said many apps are made more specific to certain devices and it should tell you that before you purchase. And if it happens to be an app for ipad or apple they aren't for Android unless someone has created an android version.

Thanks, Raven. I bought it from the Google store, and specifically mentioned the N7 when it said I had to download the data to an SD. Weird. Guess I won't be using that app. Plenty of others. :-)

Raven, thanks for your links. The problem I have is holding my hand up in the air, with or without a stand. I got a wrist brace and try to remember to keep the iPad as horizontal as possible, both help quite a bit.
The assistant is fun, thanks for posting about her.
I love Words with Friends, because as stated, it's like scrabble, but you can play whenever you get a chance. Sometimes a game takes me a week to finish.

If you're going to buy apps for your grandson to use, at least once he gets older, make sure you're aware of in-app purchases. A lot of the apps for kids are free or very cheap, but then they ask you to buy things from within the app. An example, one that Chloe got, is called Milkshake Maker. It gives you milk and ice cream and topping, and you drag them all to the blender and mix them into a milkshake. But if you want different types of ice cream, or toppings, or whipped cream, well, it all costs. And you can buy them with just the click of a button!

She racked up $40 in charges before I figured out what was happening and disabled in-app purchases.

We have Apple product, so I'm not sure it's a problem with Android, but it's something to be aware of for the future.

Here is a link that might be useful: Class action over in-app purchases

Wow, Joann, that would be so annoying! I have no intention of handing over my tablet to my grandson at any age. I'm sure he'll have his own one day--and by then my state-of-the-art Android will undoubtedly be obsolete. ;-)

I did see something on the newest version of Talking Tom Cat about buying new outfits for him. I thought they meant make-believe (virtual?) buying, but no, they were talking about new clothes for pay. For a cartoon cat.

I got my free NPR and Words With Friends apps today, and bought the beautiful Osmos game. And I tried out Google Now. You speak to the tablet, asking for information on whatever, and it responds in speech and on-screen info. Very fast and accurate. Fascinating stuff.

Oh, one problem. When I tried out Netflix on the tablet, playing an episode of "Cheers," the sound didn't cut out when I plugged in headphones. That is, it did for a moment, and then the sound came back. These earbuds are very cheap ($1), from the library. Maybe that's the problem?

If you have a big lots around you they have a large selection of earbuds for very cheap, even the big names. I have a few different ones, but my Vizio has amazing speakers, three speakers, and the sound from them is great so I don't use buds very much, my cell phone however I can barely hear.

Also be sure to check the Amazon app store daily they have a free app a day, all are normally pay for app.

There's another app store I use alot that routinely offers for free apps that are pay for apps on all the other stores. I will post a link to it but I have to find it.

One game I got there was the where's my water, it is fun.

OK here is a list of other app stores on the blog I like. This is a decent list, I have used most of them. Before buying any it's a good idea to check other stores often you can find a cheaper price, same as any other shopping.
Getjar has saved me on a few, they had free, and other stores wanted money.

Here is a link that might be useful: App store list

Raven: Thanks for sharing the apps you enjoy. Freecell solitaire is my fave and the app I had for that was decent. However, I tried Solitaire Free Pack and like the Freecell within that much better - thank you for the recommendation.

Other game apps I enjoy are:

Crack the Code (by Optime) - this is like Mastermind
Wordzup (by Anthrological)
Unblock Me Free (by Kiragames)
Tanagram Moment (by Pocket Storm)

The above are all available at Google Play, are free, and don't require an internet connection to play once they are installed.

Alisande, I've been following your threads as they relate to your new tablet - I have Nexus envy! I've never been one to buy the latest toy, gadget, etc. but for some reason, the Nexus is an exception. I just want that handy-dandy little tablet to keep in my purse.

Since many like word games you might want to try Letris2. It is free can be found at Google play and the other stores.
It is addictive. I have heard that once you have reached a certain level they ask for pay for the advanced levels, but I think you can refuse and keep playing. I have never had that happen yet.

I am happy to share, you are welcome.

Here is a link that might be useful: Letris2

I'll look for the Solitaire Free Pack, Crack the Code, and Letris2. Plus I'll check out the others you mentioned, Juneroses. Thanks! Has anyone used Classic Words? Looks like you can play Scrabble or WWF against the computer. That would be good.

If you find that a game is NOT addicting (you're not crazy about it), is it easy to uninstall it?

I just tried out the speech-to-text function, and see that I will have to slow down my speech or something. I left the following post on today's thread about book series. The mmm's are me, laughing. I started to say that I like both, but then things went downhill:

I like bull come now mmm mmm mmmbut when I find a good series can be a lot of fun to stock up on man I'm in george mason.

Well, so much for my attempt to use my tablet's speech-to-text function. LOL

Thanks for the Classic Words suggestion, Alisande. I downloaded it and have played one game. You do play against the computer - no internet connection required.

Your computer opponent comes up with some doozies, however, and it offers to define them for you. For the definitions to appear, you do need an internet connection. I checked out a few of them on my PC (I'm sitting next to it testing out the tablet game) and they were legit but obscure - mostly something that will never come up in a conversation.

Anyway, thank you for the suggestion. I do enjoy playing a casual game of Scrabble and Classic Words fits the bill for the tablet.

Thanks, Juneroses! I'll download it myself now. I installed Solitaire Free Pack and went immediately to Freecell. Good recommendation!

My DS just told me there's probably an exercise I should go through to acclimate the tablet to my voice before I start using it to post messages. Haha Speech works very well for looking up information or finding websites, though.

yes there usually is a pre talk thing you do for it to learn your voice. I can use it pretty well but you do have to say word by word slowly, I rarely use it though.

yes you can easily remove or uninstall anything you put on it. There are a few ways to do that, if the app is showing up on your main pages if you long press on any icon it will turn colors and kind of vibrate, a trash can will appear either top or bottom and you just drag and drop it into the trash can. Sometimes that only removes it from the page though so to make sure it is really gone go to settings, manage applications find it in the list click it when it opens the info for the app you will see a button for removal hit that. there are several apps that make that even easier.

I went through a ton of card game apps till I found the solitaire free pack, also very good is the Aces solitaire.
I love to play mahjong and have many of those but the best one I have found that is easier to see is Random Mahjon.

I also like Crackle you can watch a lot of shows and movies from there, I have enjoyed laying in bed and watching. It is free, so are the shows, find it at the google store.

I have an iPod and get my Apps from iTunes, but I know these titles are available for all devices.

Here are some of my most used Apps with brief descriptions from iTunes. You can click on the links, or Google the titles, for more info.

My Stuff 2 (My most-used inventory App)

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mystuff2/id354735594?mt=8

"It's now easier than ever to track of all your stuff. Organize collections, music, movies, books, video games, electronics, wine lists, jewelry, appliances, office supplies, or anything else with this easy to use but powerful database and inventory application.

Avoid buying something you already have. Make it easy to find your stuff. Be prepared in case of theft, fire, or flood.

There is a free/lite version of "MyStuff2" so you can try before you buy. The only difference is the free version has a limit of 15 items."

Sewing Kit

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sewing-kit/id382162683?mt=8

"Sewing Kit is the new home for all of your sewing needs!

If you've ever been in a shop looking at patterns, but couldn�t remember if you already bought the one you like, or if the fabric you like will work with the project you're working on, then you will love Sewing Kit!

Scan the pattern envelope while in the store to look it up, and add it if you don't have it!

Sewing Kit lets you search through all of your patterns, fabrics, projects, and people to make sure you are not buying something twice, or getting home and finding out you forgot to get something you really needed!

With Sewing Kit you can store and search on all of your:

- patterns
- fabrics
- projects
- measurements for people

All of these things, all in one place."

Home Routines - Melds well with the basic FLYlady routines.

http://www.homeroutines.com/

"HomeRoutines is simple, encouraging, and designed to support the structure of housework systems that you already know and love, while remaining flexible to your own customizations or your own way of working.

In our app, we�ve brought together some of the best big ideas in home and household productivity, mixed them up, given them a good shake, and put them together again in a new way.

iBird Pro
http://ibird.com/products/android/ibird-pro/

"iBird PRO is designed to satisfy the demanding needs of advanced birders and professional naturalists. It offers comprehensive identification, behavior, habitat and ecology information, twice as many search attributes as Plus, hand-drawn illustrations, professional photographs, range maps, and playable calls for 924 North American and Hawaiian bird species."

I also have the Audubon and Peterson birding apps.

I could go on and on...as I am prone to do!...but you can go to your device's source for apps and "search" for whatever interests you.

I have Apps for: Google Earth, NASA, PBS, SkyView, The Weather Channel, Arkansas and Delaware State parks, NYC and London walking tours, Pioneer Woman, health apps for Blood Pressure Monitoring, "Breathe," Sleep Stream 2, My Fitness Pal, Weight Watchers mobile, Beekeeping, iHandy Level, How to Can, Garden Guide, Martha Stewart's "Cocktails," "Cookies," "Smoothies," and "Egg Dyeing," (all of which were free at various times.)

Kindle App on the iPod does nearly everything a Kindle does, too.

Apps take up very little space on your device. Right now I have 99 full-length audio books, 977 songs, 25 videos, 1,076 photos, and 159 apps all running in the iPod. I still have 5 GBs empty.

The "Contacts," "Clocks", and "Notes" were built in apps. I use them daily.

Enjoy your new toy; I hope it becomes as useful to you as mine is to me.

Got a Nexus 7 two days ago. - my first Android. Got a $25 credit for App purchases. Nice surprise. Put a virus checker on, a pinball game, a live wallpaper and a mah jongg game. The kindle app allowed me tof load 2500+ books. I even figured out how to load 70+ books onto Aldiko (paid version). Disappointed in that it isn't as fully featured as iBooks. Would like to rearrange individual books on the shelf. I love the lightness of it for reading compared to my iPad. It will not be a replacement though.

I wanted to mention another app I love, especially on my phone since I take a lot of pictures with it, but applies to any thing you have pictures on. It is called Quickpic image viewer but it does a lot, so much better than the standard gallery viewer that comes standard. I have it on all my devices. It quickly finds any and all images, list them, when you select the image it then has options to resize, crop, and the share icon is there to allow you to easily send it by email, Facebook, etc.
I hate the Gallery on my android phone it is constantly not showing all my pictures so that I have to go to Astro file manager to find them, but with this awesome app they are all right where they should be.

Here is a link that might be useful: Quickpic

Thanks for another good idea, Raven. I won't be taking pictures with my tablet (it's not designed for it, I don't think, plus I've never even taken photos with my phone), but I'm sure others will give Quickpic a try.

I was looking forward to SwiftKey, but am holding off for the time being. I've read that there's an issue with the new tablet version, so I'll wait to see if there's a fix.

Does anyone here play Osmos? I haven't tried it yet, but it's visually beautiful and I love the music.

I did the osmos demo. You can use Quickpic even if you don't take pictures, you likely will download pictures to the tablet so it still would apply.
I have been using swift key for a long long time, I automatically get all updates and have had zero problems with it. I love it.

Raven, these are the sorts of things I've been reading about about SwiftKey. I wonder if the problem is specific to the N7....? I was going to buy the $3.99 version 3 for tablets.

Please fix the issue of erasing on tablets (tf300). When pressing the back key to erase the app goes crazy and starts retyping whatever was typed last. This makes the app almost useless since the smallest of mistakes can not be corrected unless by changing back to the Asus keyboard. Solid 5 stars when an update fixes this.

The space and backspace doesn't function at certain times on my nexus 7. It's very frustrating. I understand this problem has been stated. I'll be disabling swiftkey until it's fixed.

This was the first purchase I made on my Nexus 7 and I have updated everything but this will not take. Brought it to dev friends to see if I am a moron, good news is I am not, bad news is It still doesn't work. Any direction would be greatly appreciated.

With Google, if you do not like a paid app, you have fifteen minutes to request a refund or you have to pay for it. So try it out right away. I have found the apps inferior to the iPad versions perhaps due to size. Almost all the free ones come with ads or in app purchases to be functional. Some you want to upgrade but there is no upgrade yet available. First app I loaded was a virus checker. Will be using mine primarily as an ebook reader. Already have 800 books on it. Two live wallpapers, Aldiko book reader a few basic games and a note maker will meet my needs. Music stays on my iPod.

My iPad will still be my primary device.

the best antivirus is lookout security which is free.

I've found another app to enjoy. If you like crossword puzzles, you may like it also. It's Shortyz Crosswords (free on Google Play). You do need an internet connection to download the puzzles but then you can solve them offline. You select a date and from among about 9 newspaper crosswords. You can select all crosswords available for a particular date or just a select one if you have a preference.

I selected all for a few dates so I could see which might be doable vs those I find totally frustrating. I know that I enjoy the Newsday puzzles, so I did download several days worth of those. I'm going on a cruise and am stocking up the Nexus so I have entertainment while in flight or in other "waiting" venues.

I'll go for that--thanks, June!

Ravencajun, did you HAVE to mention Where's My Water??? I have now found another excuse to spend time on my iPad! That cute alligator is addictive!!! :-)