5 tricks for dealing with annoying tablet situations

To you, your tablet is sacred, but for a lot of activities it's simply impractical. Like when you want to watch a video and would like to fix the tablet in position somewhere, for example. But with the following tricks you can say goodbye to all your tablet trouble.

1. Fix the stand function

If the cover for your tablet isn't working properly, all you need is a ruler and two clothespins. Simply attach them to the back as in the picture below, so that your tablet doesn't tip over anymore when you tap and swipe on the screen.

2. Loudspeaker

A paper cup is no substitute for a real loudspeaker for your tablet, but at least you can significantly increase the volume of your device and steer the sound in your direction. Just make a cut near the bottom of the cup and slide it over the speaker — everything will be much easier to hear.

3. Protection from dirt

There are a range of situations when it makes sense to hang the tablet up instead of setting it on a surface. You might be familiar with one from kitchen: when you've found the recipe online and want the tablet nearby, but don't want to place it directly on the countertop. Just get a coat hanger and suspend it from a kitchen cupboard handle. Then hang your tablet over it. Now you have it at eye height and can comfortably follow the recipe without getting the screen dirty.

4. Bottle opener

Don't use your tablet as a bottle opener! That would be a disaster. Instead, try it with a section of the charging plug. You can remove the plug pins for an iPad charger. The remaining section is particularly good for opening soft drink and beer bottles if you don't have a regular bottle opener at hand.

5. Car seat holder

When a long car journey is imminent, this is the perfect "movie trick" if you're sitting in the back seat.

Lay the open end of a freezer bag over the front seat after first removing the headrest. Use a pen to mark the two places where the pegs of the headrest are usually inserted into the seat. Cut small holes out of the bag at these points. Place the tablet in the bag, lay the end of the bag over the seat as before, and put the headrest back in place. The bag won't fall down and you'll have the perfect tablet holder and free hands for doing other things.

Hopefully these tips have helped with those little everyday problems you might be having with your tablet. And it's definitely worth knowing what to do when you don't have a bottle opener nearby, or when just a little creativity is needed for setting up your tablet securely somewhere.