Read and Chat with One Device

It used to be that the person who had the most devices to their name was obviously the one with the most tech knowledge. If you had a desktop computer, laptop computer, smart phone, multiple handheld gaming devices and the ever popular iPad, you were clearly “in the know.” These days, the rules have changed. Being tech savvy is less about quantity and more about quality; having one device that does everything you need saves money, space, and even time spent learning how your newest toy works in comparison to the others in your highly extensive technology library.

This is exactly what makes devices like the NOOK 7 inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, specifically, such and excellent choice for anyone looking to streamline their tech experience.

Breeding a Tech Hybrid

The great thing about devices like tablet eReaders is that they have the capacity to run the same apps as a tablet, with a more streamlined user interface thanks to the careful combination of eReader and tablet. For Samsung’s NOOK, this means you can expect fewer pre-installed apps and irremovable widgets cluttering up your home screen, reported by Engadget to be one the most favorable features of the new hybrid device. Barnes and Noble offer their own apps and features, but these are far less obtrusive and much more useful for anyone who picks up the NOOK in order to read with it instead of seeking out a “purebred” tablet.

As with any tech hybrid, there are a few complaints. Generally, the biggest complaint is that the device is too much like one parent and not enough like the other; for the Samsung NOOK, it’s a little more like a tablet than it is an eReader, but makes a concerted effort to achieve a balance between the two that definitely shows.

Benefits of Streamlining

The benefits of consolidating your daily functions into a single device are plentiful, not the least of which is—as mentioned earlier—saving money. Being able to buy a single device that operates on the same level as two other devices that generally cost more than the single hybrid unit is the obvious economic choice.

Another great benefit is ease of use and transport. With a tablet eReader, you can carry your entire digital library, all your favorite mobile games, a live online calendar and any other digital tool you use from day to day in a single device. This makes it easy to know you have everything you need to take on the next meeting, lecture or seminar with ease. The Samsung NOOK, in particular, offers even more in the realm of multitasking by allowing users to run two apps at the same time through a convenient split screen feature. This means that you can page through your textbook on one half of the screen and take notes at the same time without having to swipe between apps.

Growing Pains

It’s import to note, as reported by CNet, that hybrid devices generally have some growing left to do. This means you may experience a couple bugs, or wish there were functionality available that seems lie common sense to you but just hasn’t rolled out yet. However, this can actually be seen as a positive—by offering manufacturers your opinion on features you need and app programmers of the kind of tools you’re looking for, developers will often rise to the challenge. But getting in on the ground floor, you have the opportunity to help shape the next incarnation of your favorite tablet eReader; make your opinion known and people will almost always listen. It may take some time to see these new features roll out to all devices, but rest assured that change will be on the horizon before too long.

Try New Things

The best thing about streamlined devices like tablet eReaders is that you can experiment with them in ways that you can’t with more solid and familiar tech; find the place that tablets and eReaders overlap and see how far you can reach in either direction. Remember that 4GB micro SD card can hold literally thousands of books, according to Dummies.com, and it can also hold dozens of apps. Figure out how these two functions intermingle with each other, decide how you want to use them, and figure out how to make this new device your own.

At the end of the day, the best thing about tablet eReaders is that they exist at all: you can spend all morning reading your current favorite novel, prepare a presentation at work, direct a meeting, take notes during a seminar and forward a copy of those notes to everyone on your team with the same device. Gone are the days of emailing things yourself to transfer them from one device to the other, or relying completely on cloud storage to get everything on the devices that need access to it. Convenience has never been so easy.