Do I keep my same Google account?

[Montaro]

I've been using the same google account across all my Android phones (as I continually upgrade) for the past few years and I have just ordered an Acer Iconia A500 tablet to continue on with my Android obsession.

One thing I am thinking of prior to it arriving, is should I keep the same account on my new tablet that I use on my phone?

What are the pros and cons of using the same account on both devices, or to using a seperate account?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[sdcromer]

If you buy an app for one device you can use it on all that have the same Gmail account. That's a plus!

 

[Montaro]

True, didn't think of that!

I have hundreds of contacts on my phone (synced to my gmail account obviously), if I use the same account would it interfere with those contacts? Would it sync them onto the tablet, because I have no need for them on there? I guess I can just be selective about what I want it to sync.

I have alot of phone specific apps on my phone, I'm thinking that when I sync my tablet for the first time to the same gmail account, its going to want to install all those apps again, but if I then uninstall them on the tablet, it will remove them from the account and if/when I upgrade phones again it won't want to automatically resync them. Of course I could just manually install them again, but then if I wipe the tablet or something then it will want to sync the phone apps again. Infinite loop?

 

[sdcromer]

No it will not install the apps all automatically, and as far as I can tell it will not sync the Gmail contacts automatically either.

 

[Walkop]

Contacts are automatic to the best of my knowledge. You can, however, set them not to sync after you set up your tablet.

Apps are definitely not synced. You can download any paid apps you got through your account for free, however. Big plus.

I own an Eee Pad Transformer and it synced my contacts automatically.

If this is your first tablet, then I have a few software and app suggestions for you. It can be really hard to find the best stuff for your tablet. I did see searching for myself and found a few pretty good solutions.


1. MoboPlayer. One of the best mobile video player apps around, in my opinion. Since Android lacks a dedicated built-in video player, this fills the gap perfectly. Just make sure you get the proper Codec (the app will guide you to it) and you'll be golden. Too bad it lacks a good folder-based navigation system, though.

2. SoundHound. I don't know if you've ever heard of Shazam, but this does a similar thing and it's free. Unlimited tagging - it can figure out what a song is by listening to it from the built-in mic.

3. Sprinkle. It's Tegra optimized, with great graphics. One of the best Tegra games out there, especially considering the price. It was recently dropped to $1.47 from $1.97, making it an even better deal! You put out fires using a giant water cannon, using the water to push obstacles, pool water, etc. to put out the fires before they reach the houses. It's a great game, with Angry Birds-quality gameplay but with a great water physics system and super great graphics.

4. Fruit Ninja THD. It's the Tegra-optimized version of Fruit Ninja, except its free! Ad-supported, and no ads when you're offline. Great graphics. Many people have complained about a crash on game-opening which makes the game basically unpayable (myself included), but the game seems to work perfectly after a device reboot!

5. Star Traders RPG. Great space-based strategy game.

6. PULSE. One of the best news apps out there, with a great tablet-optimized interface.

7. Google Earth. Neat app to have, with 3D buildings as an option in most major cities. Ties in with the other apps as well, like Navigation.

8. Jet Car Stunts. Great skill-challenging racing game, involving skill and rockets to jet from platform to platform in either a certain amount of time our with the least amount of resets.

9. Game Dev Story. Great game, a hit success of iOS and really deep gameplay. Pixel graphics, you aster put in charger of a game company to develop games with you're staff, which can bee trained and leveled up; and as new consoles are released, you can lucerne them to developfor them.great game, worth the money.

10. UpNPlay. This app allows you to access your network-based videos and media. Great if you have a home network with a media center; works great. You can even download to your Tab through it.