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Written by: Tamar Auber

This year, many students will find a new Android tablet under their Christmas tree or exchange their Hanukkah gelt for a trendy new tablet. While Android tablets are usually hyped as entertainment systems intended to play Angry Birds, watch videos or check your e-mail, serious students can turn their new toys into a power study tool with free apps that can help make cracking the books a little easier.

An Android tablet can be a powerful study tool.

While not a replacement for a laptop, the touch screen capability and portability of a tablet makes it the perfect take along study aid. In addition, while lacking the cool factor of an iPad and the Apple store, Android users will be pleasantly surprised by the number and variety of applications available, often for free, in the Android Market.

As a graduate student and researcher, my Acer Iconia tablet is my go to gadget for reading files, keeping notes tidy, and even scanning documents during my hours of weekly library research. Want to put your tablet to work on campus this semester? These five apps can help you make the most of your study time and your tablet.

iFlashcards- If you are studying a subject that requires memorization, this is the perfect app for you. The iflashcards app allows users to create cards, sync cards with the web, and even transfer them between devices using an sd card, so that you can practice using your phone or computer as well as your tablet. Last semester, I put this handy little free app to great use memorizing dates for history and verb conjugations for Hebrew class.

Evernote-Evernote is the ultimate note taking and filing system for your tablet. While my tablet will not allow me to take notes directly on the touch screen, I can snap a picture of my handwritten notes or type with the on screen keyboard and Evernote quickly files it away for safe keeping and exam time. You can also install Evernote on multiple devices and work with your stored information from several locations, great when you have a term paper to write or a final exam information to cram.

Repligo Reader- This free app is buggy at times, but it is still my favorite pdf reader. With Repligo, I am able to download all of my semester’s articles from my course web site onto a thumb drive at the beginning of the term and open the files with ease on the week the readings are assigned. Repligo also allows me to annotate files, turn pages easily, and access multiple articles quickly. The downside is that occasionally Repligo ‘forgets’ that the thumb drive is docked in my tablet, and I have to exit the program and try again. Repligo will also work if you do not have a USB drive, but requires more work since you have to e-mail yourself the article first.

CamScanner-I was skeptical of this free app. However, the fact the ancient scanner at my school’s library was always down encouraged me to take the risk. I was very pleasantly surprised. Camscanner works just as promised, allowing me to use my tablet’s camera to snap pictures of documents, pages in reference books or anything else I need to keep handy. An added benefit, CamScanner works keep track of quotes and sources for term papers, simply snap the page where the information is found and the title page.

Google Books-For students of history, literature any many other fields, Google Books is a must have in your study arsenal. The free app, pre-installed on many tablets, offers thousands of searchable academic books, many of which can be viewed in their entirety. Looking for a specific phrase or keyword? No worries, Google Books will allow you to search inside the texts and show you exactly the page on which the phrase is found.

These free apps can turn your Android Tablet into a hardworking student tool that will help you keep your notes and research organized and study time more productive, leaving more free time to enjoy Angry Birds or your favorite movie on your new tablet.

Written by: Lisa Pearson

The iPhone is known to have some great apps, but what about those who have Android phones? Android devotees need not worry; phones on the ave equally fun and functional apps to help make life more interesting.  Take a look at the list of top five free apps on Android market  and see if it compares to your top five list.The Android market has a plethora of applications available from games, music, books, and movies. Many of the games and books are available for free on the Android market while many of the apps available on the iPhone require a nominal fee. If you are one of the many people who love to play games or listen to music in their spare time, the cost of apps can add up fast. According to Distimo, which is an app store analytics company, in 2010 57 percent of Android apps were free compared to the 28 percent of free apps on the iPhone.
If you are new to Android phones and the market, take a look at the helpful video below which takes you step-by-step through downloading and uninstalling apps.

For those who are already well-versed in the Android market, consider adding these top five free apps to your arsenal of applications:

1. PandoraMusic lovers can create their own music stations with this handy app. If you love the sounds of Adele and create an Adele station; Pandora will also play other singers with similar style of singing such as Duffy or Amy Winehouse. The great thing about Pandora is that you have the opportunity to listen to other artists you might not have discovered on your own.
2. Google Currents-This app delivers magazine-quality articles that you can read offline on smartphones and tablets. There are a variety of magazines and websites to choose from and you can also share interesting stories through email or a social networking website.
3. Alfred -Meet your new drinking and dining helper. You can “teach” Alfred what your favorite bars and eateries are and he will make recommendations on new places to visit. The more you tell him about what you like, the better his recommendations will be. Everyone can use this clever app is a great tool to help navigate you to all the great hangouts.
4. MyFitnessPal - For anyone who is trying lose weight, exercise more, or just eat healthier; this app tracks all of these things and then some. You can set a weight loss goal for yourself and the app will calculate the number of calories you should consume per day in order to reach that goal. It also has a huge database of food, drinks and exercises so you can input all your meals, drinks, snacks and workouts throughout the day.
5. Llama-Does your phone always ring at inopportune times? Llama is a location aware mobile app. You can have your phone set to silent but still have calls from your boss or family come through. You can also set a timer for a specific profile so if you’re going to be on a conference call for the next hour you can set it to silent for 1 hour and then it’s back to normal.

Hopefully, you discovered some new things from the list of top five free apps on the Android market. Before you pay for any apps, always look at the list of free offerings. You will likely find a comparable free app to the paid version. Happy hunting!