Google Nexus 7 Tips and Tricks

[vgjfelix]

Sorry, posted in wrong thread. Delete...?

 

[ChromeJob]

Just edit your post and select delete. If that option is still there...?

I'm about to unsubscribe here, the frequent postings of "how to" videos are of diminishing value to me. I'm here for tricks, not someone reading the manual for those who can't RTFM.

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Just edit your post and select delete. If that option is still there...?

I'm about to unsubscribe here, the frequent postings of "how to" videos are of diminishing value to me. I'm here for tricks, not someone reading the manual for those who can't RTFM.

 

[Elsaaliyah]

Yes it does I use my gs2 as a hotspot and T-Mobile just recently got truly unlimited so now I have internet connection on my nexus7 everywhere I go, its freaking awesome!!

 

[jairusz]

For those who still use their home phone this is neat trick to port a landline number to Google Voice and eliminate a monthly home phone bill.

Google Voice: a step-by-step primer on ditching your land line while keeping your number | ZDNet

Then use a VOIP app that allows logging into GV such as GrooveIP or Talkatone (what I use).

 

[vgjfelix]

Today's tip is that you can plug this into laptop to charge it (no plug needed).

 

[ChromeJob]

Today's tip is that you can plug this into laptop to charge it (no plug needed).

Welcome to today, mate. USB 2.0 ports are limited to 500mA maximum charging per port, barely enough to keep the Nexus alive if you have the screen on. The charger provides up to 2100mA of charging current (I've measured up to 2300mA), so unless you use a 900mA FastCharge USB port, using your laptop isn't going to do much.

You're better off doing double duty with your phone's 1000mA charger, you'll get twice as much current than from that laptop, heck you might even increase the battery charge. Whoopee doo!

 

[vgjfelix]

Welcome to today, mate. USB 2.0 ports are limited to 500mA maximum charging per port, barely enough to keep the Nexus alive if you have the screen on. The charger provides up to 2100mA of charging current (I've measured up to 2300mA), so unless you use a 900mA FastCharge USB port, using your laptop isn't going to do much.

You're better off doing double duty with your phone's 1000mA charger, you'll get twice as much current than from that laptop, heck you might even increase the battery charge. Whoopee doo!

Sure this is all true, and I do use my phone charger. It's just one of those 'Did you know' things which aren't always obvious. Other tablets simply don't charge when plugged in so it's a nice little 'Basic' feature.

And today's tip is another just like that. Using memory device is tricky on the Nexus 7 but plugging into the PC is still solid and reliable:

Another 'Did you know' today. You can plug the Nexus 7 into your PC and use it as a hard drive:

 

[ChromeJob]

Really, really basic stuff here, and not specific to the Nexus 7. Your videos will get more visibility, and benefit the appropriate audience, in the Android General Help section. Here on a Nexus 7 tips thread, it's like link spam.

// Posted from my Nexus 7 with the Android Central app //

 

[smartk9s]

I agree, ChromeJob. In fact, a solution would be for the forum admin to move all of them to their own topic as a group and make it a sticky.

 

[vgjfelix]

I agree, ChromeJob. In fact, a solution would be for the forum admin to move all of them to their own topic as a group and make it a sticky.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Some are simple tips, some aren't I just include them all as someone always seems to say, "I never even knew this!".

vgjfelix

 

[mainmellowdello]

Thank you to all the posters for their tips and tricks regarding the GN7 on this forum. This is my first "smart" tech purchase on the android platform, and the included guidebook found on the GN7 was sadly lacking (except for the most primitive information, and its obvious predisposition towards Google Play and its paid content). Most of the important stuff that I was interested in was found here. A special shout-out to vgjfelix for his time and effort in producing his GN7 tutorial YouTube videos, which I eagerly watch.

 

[ChromeJob]

Yes, it is fun and gratifying to post info that others say, "Oh, I didn't see that in the manual," or "I never tried that," or better yet "Oh, that's something I've wanted to do." I'm right proud of some of my video reviews and lessons, when I can claim to demonstrate or simplify concepts to others. (Paddy Hirsch is my hero. )

But you have to be careful not to provide misleading or outright incorrect information. USB charging and USB sync connection are nothing new under the sun, but saying "Hey, you can plug your tablet that requires 2.1A to charge into a computer USB 2.0 port [which will never provide more than 500mA], and it will charge...! Oh, but by the way,... it won't charge very fast [actually, depending upon use, it won't "charge" at all]...." is not only uninformed, but liable to give new users incorrect expectations. ("Hey, this guy said it would charge. How come after two hours of use, I only went from 35% to 41%?!") It's great that you're creating information videos, but check you gotta your facts and RTFM first.

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.... the included guidebook found on the GN7 was sadly lacking (except for the most primitive information, and its obvious predisposition towards Google Play and its paid content). Most of the important stuff that I was interested in was found here. ...

I'm surprised they didn't automagically do this during setup, or first time login to Play, but the "Nexus 7 Guidebook" on the store is free, and full of detailed information about the tablet and Jelly Bean.

Here's tips after you buy it. Click the apps drawer, click Widgets, tap and hold the Book widget, and drag it to the desktop. Pick the guidebook. You can also tap/drag the Google Play Books widget to the desktop; you can scroll through your books, and leave the Nexus 7 Guidebook on top (more visible).

 

[smartk9s]

Good tip on the apps use...I need to get more into those, I think.

 

[vgjfelix]

Here are 10 tips rolled into a single video

Timestamps are:

@0:05 Ultimate Rotation Control Tip
@1:10 Place, Remove, Uninstall Apps
@2:21 Push App Installs
@3:12 Connect a Bluetooth Mouse
@4:58 Application Refunds
@6:00 Connect a USB keyboard
@7:05 Disable System apps
@8:33 Multiple Volume Levels
@9:25 Charging Via USB
@10:00 Transfer Files via Your Computer

Hope you find them useful.

 

[vgjfelix]

If notifications from certain apps are annoying you, you can disable them:

 

[haggie]

I was able to sideload Adobe Flash Player 11.1 and use it with Firefox Beta and Dolphin browsers.

 

[chuckr01]

Vgjfelix,
I personally really appreciate the time and effort you have put into these videos. These tips are very helpful and a video is worth a thousand words (or more) in a cryptic manual. I don't think you deserve the criticism received in previous posts in this thread, there are a lot of us that are new to the Android world and even the help with some of the basics that others have already mastered is a big plus for us Android dummies (no disrespect to others reading, just classifying myself and possibly other newbies). Don't stop posting, I watch for updates almost daily. Have you figured out how to get folder labels to appear in the task bar folders? Mine are labeled but only the folders appear, not the labels for these folders. The labels appear on my ICS phone task bar.

 

[ChromeJob]

Home screen's menu; the online "Help" for the Nexus 7 (and how to save it to the tablet)

Chuck, if you mean naming folders, click on a folder in the "hotseat" (most people call it the Favorites, but a Google documentation I was reading called it "hotseat"), click where it says "Unnamed Folder,", and type a name. If you mean actually displaying the folder name all the time, i.e. when the folder is collapsed, that may require a third party launcher.

I recently got a Motorola KZ500 Bluetooth keyboard with integrated trackpad off Woot.com (yeah, a bargain for the price I paid). Connecting to the N7, there are many keys that "just work." It seems this is a Windows keyboard (with dedicated Windows keys) that they've repurposed specifically for their Android phones (e.g. Xoom, Atrix, Razr), and labeled the special keys with Android functions: search, menu, home, back. Media player keys work with Google's Play Music app. Volume up and Volume down work.

The surprise to me is how easy it is to navigate the home screen with arrow keys ... someone at Google really thought out the sequential arrangement of icons, hot seat folders, etc. when you tab or arrow around. Just typing on the home screen brings up a Google Now search ... cool.

And the JB home screen has a menu! Brings up a menu with Wallpaper, Manage Apps (Settings | Apps | All), System Settings, and Help. Help takes you to www.google.com/mobile/bin/topic.py. The default choices there look pretty dry (even the pages are the usual boring Google branding). Click "Android 4.0" though and you enter a special place, "Android OS Help" with a sub-menu, "Android 4.1." Choices are Xoom, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7. Nexus 7 takes you to a mobile version of this section. If it looks familiar, it appears to be the same chapters and sub-heads as the Nexus 7 Guidebook. I still recommend getting the book, mark it in Play Books for "Keep on device," and creating a shortcut on the Home screen. (I'd kind of wondered where the Galaxy Nexus "guidebook" was, and now I've found it.

 

[izzydookz]

Android 4g and 3g users can use FoxFi to turn their phone into a free wifi hotspot.

Does anyone know how well this works?
Sprint only offers up to 6 gigs of hotspot data, and I deff need more.

 

[dsw1519]

Works really well with my droid 4 with VZW. Very simple to set up and easy to use.