Android tablets appear to be slumping exhausting: gross sales are down and builders aren’t occupied with supporting them with particular apps…not even Google. However with slumping curiosity comes depressed secondhand market gross sales, so tablets are additionally exhausting to eliminate. There are a lot of things you can do with a tablet you’re not using, however my favourite use is sticking it on an elaborate PC desktop and utilizing it as a devoted widget pad and notification middle. Right here’s the way you go about it.
Step One: Get a Customized Launcher
What we’re aiming for here's a giant, versatile space to refill with visible info. Google’s default launchers aren’t particularly well-suited for the duty, as they’re focusing increasingly more on particular person apps and animations, and the launchers grudgingly made by non-Google Android pill distributors are likely to vary from okay to horrible.
For choice, I exploit Nova Launcher. I’ve examined dozens and dozens of Android residence display replacements in a number of years of working for an Android weblog, and I've no reservations about recommending it. For the sake of this text I’ll be utilizing the free model of the app, however the $4 upgrade is completely value it if you would like additional options like customized gestures and notification badges. Nova Launcher additionally has the choice for built-in Google Now, which so far as I do know is exclusive amongst launchers on the Play Retailer.
The next setup directions could be duplicated on different launchers should you choose. However critically, Nova Launcher is great.
Step Two: Set Up Your House Screens
Within the Settings menu of the Nova launcher (which you'll be able to attain from the app drawer), go to the “Desktop” web page. Faucet on “Desktop Grid” to open up the spacing device.
The thought right here is to provide you a big canvas to refill with widgets and icons. For my Android pill, a Pixel C with a sightly wider than four:three facet ratio, roughly sq. works greatest, so I’ve set the grid at eight areas on all sides. However when you've got a widescreen pill with a 16:9 or 16:10 display, you could need to make it extra lopsided favoring the longer edge, like eight areas by six or twelve areas by eight.
Because you’ll be filling up a lot of the area with widgets, even numbers on each edges will help with group. Depart “Subgrid positioning” unchecked—it permits you to place icons or broaden widgets by half an area, which is untidy. Faucet “Completed.”
Beneath “Width Padding” and “Peak Padding,” select “Small” or “None.” These are the aspect and prime/backside margins of your house display, and also you need the widgets to have as a lot vertical or horizontal area as potential.
Disable the choice for “Persistent Search Bar.” A everlasting search bar takes up extra vertical area for widgets, and any Android pill can open a textual content or voice search instantly by long-pressing the house button.
The remainder of the choices on this web page are completely beauty, so set them up for no matter tickles your fancy. I choose to maintain animations and results to a minimal.
A simple solution to make more room shortly is to disable the dock, the usual bottom- or side-mounted space for semi-permanent icons. To do that, return to the primary Settings web page, then faucet “Dock.” Slide the button on the prime proper nook to “off” to disable it completely.
One final tweak: I favor to make the Android house button double as my icon drawer button, as soon as once more, to make more room for shortcuts and widgets. To do that, return to the primary Settings web page faucet “Gestures and Inputs.” Underneath “House button” set the motion to “App drawer.” Set the “Solely on default web page” as enabled or disabled based mostly in your choice.
Step Three: Set Up Icons and Widgets
Right here’s the place issues begin to look fascinating. For the aim of creating a notification middle, the widgets you need to use listed here are those from packages that may in any other case take up a bunch of area in your main pc display (or screens), however want to watch continually whereas working. E mail is an apparent selection, particularly in the event you use a number of inboxes directly, and I exploit a Twitter widget and an RSS reader along with the Google Now display in Nova Launcher.
To start out issues off, long-press on an empty space of the Nova house display. From this menu you'll be able to add additional clean screens by swiping to the fitting and clicking the large “+” button. Add as many as you need—they are often eliminated or re-arranged on this display by tapping and holding them, even when they’re filled with widgets and shortcuts.
So as to add a widget, simply faucet the “Widgets” button on this menu, then choose from the record obtainable based mostly in your put in purposes. As soon as a widget is positioned, you possibly can long-press it to vary the borders based mostly on the desktop grid you created in Step Two. For extra normal shortcuts, open the app drawer, then faucet and drag them into place.
Keep in mind, the thought right here is to get the utmost quantity of data out there to you directly. So I’ve set my middle “residence” display to a Twitter widget from Fenix, flanked by my most-used pill apps. The correct display is three separate e mail account widgets with my main Gmail account taking the most important block. And on the left I maintain my RSS reader for comics and podcasts, with Google’s useful Information and Climate widget beneath it for extra common information.
Right here’s a take a look at the complete factor, from left to proper:
A number of extra ideas, which you'll be able to apply or ignore at your leisure:
- Solely permit notifications from necessary purposes, and arrange totally different notification sounds for every alert that is available in. That approach you possibly can distinguish which app needs your consideration with out even wanting.
- Use Google Now’s always-on voice detection for “Okay Google.” That may let you make Google voice searches out of your desk hands-free.
- When selecting a wallpaper, decide one thing that’s muted and straightforward to differentiate from widgets and shortcuts, so your eyes don’t get overwhelmed. I like this set of geometric folds from DeviantArt.
- For even quicker launching of apps from any display, I’ve used and recommended SwipePad for years. It’s one other Android app that’s properly well worth the premium improve.
Step 4: Permit the Display to Stay On Whereas Charging
To ensure the display doesn’t flip off whereas the pill is in your desktop and charging, you’ll should dive into the primary Android Settings menu. Activate the Developer options page should you haven’t already: Head to Android’s Settings, faucet “About pill,” then faucet “Construct quantity” a number of occasions quickly till you see the message that claims “congratulations, you’re a developer!” (You in all probability aren’t. It’s okay, I gained’t inform anybody.)
Press the again button, then faucet on the “Developer choices” hyperlink that’s now seen. Inside, allow the choice labelled “Keep awake.” This can maintain the pill’s display from turning off when it’s charging, permitting you at-a-glance entry to all these widgets all day lengthy. However don’t overlook to show it off once you depart your desk, and infrequently let the battery drain down to offer it a break.
Step 5: Set Up Your Desk
To make your notification middle helpful, you’ll need to place it someplace in your desk that’s extremely seen, simply reachable for tapping and swiping, and inside attain of a charging cable. A desktop charging dock is right right here: you possibly can usually discover one for generic MicroUSB or USB-C devices on Amazon or different distributors. Full desktop PC customers will usually need to arrange their tablets between the keyboard and monitor, whereas laptop computer customers will need it on the aspect.
Some pill fashions have particular docks constructed for them, however in contrast to iPads, producers and accent makers not often splurge on model-specific docks. In case your pill has an oddly-placed charging port, like my Pixel C and its bizarre side-mounted USB-C port, a generic pill stand is extra applicable. I wish to pair it with an L-hinge charging cable (additionally obtainable for reasonable from on-line distributors) to make cable administration slightly extra snazzy.
Arrange your stand, be sure to’ve received energy, and also you’re able to go: now you'll be able to verify your e-mail, feeds, information, climate, no matter with a look, it doesn't matter what you’re doing in your fundamental PC.
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