I’ll be blunt: A tablet makes an awkward camera. I mean, I just feel dorky when I hold up a huge-ass tablet to take a picture or shoot a video. I’m not as uncomfortable using a phone for that task, but tablets? Too big!

Still, phones and tablets do more than just take pictures. I’ve written books and books on all the marvelous things they do. Yet of all the useful and various tasks, one thing I find myself using tablets for more than anything is listening to music.

Specifically, I’m extremely fond of the TuneIn radio app. It’s available here at the Play Store if you don’t have it already.

The key to making TuneIn Radio work is to avoid draining the device’s battery while at the same time avoid racking up huge data surcharges. Both solutions are possible when you keep the tablet near you at your home or office: Plug the device into a power outlet or the computer, and ensure that you’re using Wi-Fi networking and not the digital cellular service. Trust me: Streaming music consumes a lot of data. I’ve had serious discussions with my kids about that.

Once you start TuneIn, browse for the music you want to listen to. Or you can look up local radio stations that simulcast their content over the Internet. In fact, you can find a “local” radio station anywhere on the planet, if you want to hear music from elsewhere or listen in on the news. Some radio programs are broadcast live, others might list archives of recent shows.

Figure 1. Browsing for something to listen to inside the TuneIn Radio app.

Figure 1 shows the TuneIn browse screen. Choose a category. When you find a station you like, mark it as a favorite: Touch the ♥ icon.

TuneIn doesn’t charge to listen, although a paid version of the app is available. It offers a heck of a lot more live stations, podcasts, and concerts.

Other streaming music apps are available, such as Pandora or Slacker. Pandora is interesting because it lets you customize what you like to hear. My kids actually prefer Pandora, but I have an affinity for “real” radio stations. The variety provided by the TuneIn Radio app is pretty broad. I especially enjoy that the app carries a lot of local stations — including stations from my old home town, which I enjoy listening to for nostalgic reasons.

The TuneIn Radio app has become a part of my regular routine. I listen to jazz while I write. That and a cup of good tea is the way I start my day.