Because I just got mine this weekend! Woohoo! I got the Nexus 7 (no iPads for me!). I already knew I would love it because my SO has had one for a year and I have wanted one for myself.
So - suggestions? Good games, or apps you might recommend? Other fun things?
I use mine (an iPad 2) as a cookbook in the kitchen. I use the foldable cover as a stand, and use the web browser or various apps (I like Evernote Food) to display recipes. If you’re worried about messes, the touchscreen should still work through a zip-closed plastic bag.
E-reader, definitely. Download the Amazon Kindle app.
Hands down, my favorite app is the Audubon bird guide from Green Mountain Digital. It’s got the photos, text, and maps familiar from printed guides, but it also has audio samples of bird calls for most of the entries. I snagged it for my Nook when it was on sale and I use it a lot. ( I’d throw up a hyperlink but this library computer is infuriatingly slow.)
For example, last week I was awake at two-something in the morning and heard distant hooting. I grabbed my tablet from my bedside and looked up some likely species, comparing the recordings to what I heard faintly through my window. Turns out it was a pair of Great Horned Owls calling to each other, right there in my suburban neighborhood. I went back to sleep in a better mood.
A tablet is basically a smartphone with a bigger screen and without the phone, so I’d recommend thinking in terms of apps that really take advantage of that larger screen.
I definitely agree with the Kindle app (or whatever other E-reader suits your fancy). Hey, they’re all free - those folks make their money on book sales - so feel free to download a couple of those apps.
I’m personally hooked on a game called Tribez (think “farmville” but with natives on islands), which really takes advantage of the larger screen.
There are various astronomy apps for iOS and I assume similar for Android. With some, you can point your device at the section of the sky that you were wondering about and it will display the stars/constellations/planets in that spot. I don’t have a data plan on my iPad, but I have Star Walk on my iPhone for this purpose.
I took mine geocaching. Fun to use it as a big digital map and of course a camera.
It’s great for reading Straight Dope (using Tapatalk) or Reddit (BaconReader). Or anything, really. PDFs and books and such. I’ve had a lot of paper books digitized through 1dollarscan.com and read them on the tablet.
Got my new Nexus about a week ago and really like it, I had the first version last year but sold it because it just didn’t ‘feel’ good to use. 
Try one of the launcher applications (I use Nova Launcher) that allow you to change the look of the whole tablet - I’m using an iOS7 theme at the moment but there are a lot out there.
I’m a bit of an aviation buff so aircraft trackers that will give you the plane type, airspeed, altitude, flgiht route etc are fun. You can get ship and satellite trackers as well.
The tablet should have Google Sky on it already which is a pretty good astronomy app.
Google Earth and Google Sky are essentials. Google Translate, with its ability to function as a Star Trek Universal Translator, is pretty cool.
We very recently had a thread about good Android apps. As I said there, I love CrossMe and CrossMe Color.
Is the new one that much better? I have the older one but when I looked at the specs of the new one it looked almost the same. The rear-facing camera would be nice but that’s about it.
Is it like Farmville where you pretty much have to give your friends gifts and shit in order to get anywhere? Because my friends don’t play these games and I just want a single-player game.
I read my nook books on my tablet; the nook is gathering dust.
IIRC the processor is faster which would probably account for some of it, I went straight from and iPad1 to the original N7 while this time I’ve not had a tablet for about 6 months, so it may just be that break in using an OS made the transition easier.
I flashed a new ROM and kernal to it straight-away so its a lot smoother and faster than the stock version as well.
Kindle, Nook, and Stanza(if you can get it) are essential e-reading apps.
I use it sometimes as a remote for my Roku.
It’s board games all the way for me as well.
Whoa, wait, everything I want to play on mine says I need flash, and I can’t seem to figure out how to download it!!
Streaming video - if you have Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime streaming, there are apps for that.
Lots of cool stuff here! I already have installed the Kindle app - my Kindle isn’t gathering dust, since I still like reading on it best, but it stays home most of the time. I also have Google earth.
I am definitely going to get the Audobon Bird Guide - that sounds awesome.
Also maybe one of the astronomy ones.
I’ll also try Google translate. And I’ll try CrossMe, too! Thanks!
I don’t have a tablet, but I play a crapton of Blendoku on my phone and they have a set of levels meant for tablets. (God, it’s going to be so pathetic if that ends up being what propels me to buy a tablet.)
I never wanted a smartphone. I don’t want people to actually call me or anything! But the tablet was just right.
I was really wishing for it last week when i was lost in the village of Ballston Spa (I just got it friday). Actually, let me clarify. I wasn’t lost. I knew where I was - downtown Ballston Spa. I just didn’t know where I was going.
Yep. I’ve struggled for years with printouts and hints scribbled on pieces of paper. My car was littered with the remains of previous trips. GPS is so much nicer.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out is very funny and great for wasting huge chunks of time.
The biggest difference is the screen resolution - the old model has a 1280x800 screen, the new model is 1920x1200. It makes a huge difference if you use the tablet for viewing small text (e.g. PDF documents). It may not be noticeable if you mainly use it for games and video, or if you use large font on e-book readers anyway.
It also has a newer generation processor.