Galaxy Note or phone plus tablet

[pickerd]

Hi all,
I'm pretty new to android. I have a Galaxy Note and I am pretty happy with it. It has however made me realise that there is more to android that I may not be making the most of.
I use a laptop for documents and light office work. The android apps on the Galaxy Note such as scanners, printing, polaris office suite etc have made me realise that the vast majority of my office tasks and internet browsing would be best (more comfortably) done on a tablet.
The Galaxy Note appears to be a Jack of all Trades in that a smaller less capable android phone and an android tablet may suit my needs better.
Can anyone help with a few questions I have?

1 - If I have an android phone and tablet will I be able to access the same apps on both simultaneously via my google account?

2 - Is there a good 'small' android phone out there bearing in mind the screen size is not important as documents and browsing will be mainly done via a tablet. I expect to mainly use this for email, texting, phone, sat nav, alarm, music etc - some internet browsing but not a lot. I have been considering the Sony Xperia Ray? (gives an idea of the size I am looking for)

3 - Which a tablet? Need to be able to use an external keyboard and interface with an external hard drive, other than that I'm open to ideas. I have considered the Asus Transformer Prime but I'm not sure this can interace to an external hard drive?

Any ideas????

 

[mrcaptain]

Yes, you can access the same apps on numerous devices, as long as you use the same gmail address. You will have to download them on every device, but you won't ever have to pay twice for the same app.

I don't quite understand the other questions, or the need for them.

You have the Galaxy Note, which is a tablet. I also have the Note, and do all my work on it, which includes large excel documents and large word documents.
You can use a mouse and keyboard with the Note. Best combo I have found is a USB mouse and bluetooth keyboard. You need to buy a micro USB - USB adapter, but these can be found on ebay for a few pounds. Using this adapter, you can also use external Harddrives with the Note.

I also have the Acer a500 tablet, and before I got the Note, I used this for work. Since I got the Note however, I hardly use the tablet at all, let alone for work. The screen size on the tablet is obviously twice that of the Note, but I don't find using the Note uncomfortable, especially when using an external keyboard.

Most (more than likely all) tablets that have a POWERED micro USB/USB port will be able to have an external harddrive plugged into them.

It depends on your budget what tablet you go for.

Personally though, I would just stick with the Note. Perhaps buy a second battery if you need to use it out of the office/home a lot. Another option would be to buy an MHL adapter for your Note, and connect it to your TV/monitor if you really want a bigger screen.

 

[dan330]

i am in kind of the same spot as you...

i have an old OG EVO... and considering getting a bigger upgrade phone... maybe the new 4.7" EVO LTE.

or

keeping my old EVO.. and getting the new Nexus 7 tablet for $199 from Google Play store. I can tether the tablet to my evo. buying a new phone will cost me the same, but this way.. have a tablet too.

just not sure which way to go yet.