In This Chapter

Using dictation

Reorienting the tablet

Setting options quickly

Improving your typing with suggestions

Minding the battery hogs

Starting an app from the Lock screen

Placing phone calls

Reviewing appointments

Adding contact photos

Becoming a genius with Google Now

Have you ever tried to tie a string around your finger to remember something? I’ve not attempted that technique just yet. The main reason is that I keep forgetting to buy string and I have no way to remind myself.

For your Android tablet, some things are definitely worth remembering. From that long, long list, I’ve come up with ten good ones.

Dictate Text

Dictation is such a handy feature — don’t forget to use it! You can dictate most text instead of typing it. Just tap the Microphone key on the keyboard — or anywhere you see the Microphone icon — and begin speaking. Your utterances are translated to text. In most cases, the translation is instantaneous.

• See Chapter 4 for more information on Android tablet dictation.
• Google Now doesn’t require you to tap the Microphone icon. Instead, utter the phrase “OK Google” and it starts listening.

Change the Tablet’s Orientation

Larger-format Android tablets have a natural horizontal orientation. Smaller tablets beg to be held vertically. You won’t break any law by changing the tablet’s orientation.

Apps such as Chrome and Gmail can look much better in the horizontal orientation, whereas apps such as Play Books and Play Music can look much better in the vertical orientation. The key to changing orientation is to rotate the tablet to view the app the way you like best. Rotate!

• Not every app changes its orientation. Some apps — specifically, games — appear in only one orientation: landscape or portrait.

• eBook reader apps have screen rotation settings that let you lock the orientation to the way you want, regardless of what the tablet is doing.

Work the Quick Settings

Many tablet controls are available at a single, handy location: the Quick Settings drawer. Pull it down to turn tablet features on or off, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, screen orientation, and other On–Off settings. Using the Quick Settings drawer is far more expedient than visiting the Settings app.

• Some tablets feature a vast array of Quick Settings, only a handful of which appear at a time. Try swiping the Quick Settings left or right to see more.
• As a bonus, you may find a Settings app shortcut in the Quick Settings drawer.

Employ Keyboard Suggestions

Don’t forget to take advantage of the predictive-text suggestions that appear above the onscreen keyboard while you’re typing text. In fact, you don’t even need to tap a suggestion; to replace your text with the highlighted suggestion, simply touch the onscreen keyboard’s Space key. Zap! The word appears.

Refer to Chapter 4 for information on using the keyboard suggestions.

Avoid the Battery Hogs

Three items on an Android tablet suck down battery power faster than a massive alien fleet is defeated by a plucky antihero who just wants the girl:

• The display
• Navigation
• Wireless radios

The display is obviously a most necessary part of your Android tablet — but it’s also a tremendous power hog. The Adaptive Brightness (also called Auto Brightness) setting is your best friend for saving power with the display. See Chapter 19.

Navigation is certainly handy, but the battery drains rapidly because the tablet’s touchscreen is on the entire time and the speaker is dictating your directions. If possible, plug the tablet into the car’s power socket when you’re navigating.

Wireless radios include Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth, and GPS. Though they do require extra power, they aren’t power hogs, like navigation and the display. Still, when power is getting low, consider disabling those items.

See Chapter 22 for more information on managing the tablet’s battery.

Unlock and Launch

Quite a few Android tablets feature special Lock screen icons. For example, you may see an icon representing the Camera app. Samsung tablets can sport several app icons on the Lock screen. To unlock and launch an app, swipe the icon across the screen. That app instantly runs.

• Depending on the screen lock that’s installed, the app may run but the tablet won’t be unlocked. To do anything other than run the app, you must work the screen lock.
• Samsung tablet lock-screen icons work only when the swipe lock is set.

Make Phone Calls

Yeah, I know: It’s not a phone. Even Android tablets that use the mobile data network can’t make phone calls. Why let that stop you?

Both the Hangouts and Skype apps let you place phone calls and video-chat with your friends. Boost your Skype account with some coinage and you can even dial into real phones. See Chapter 8 for details.

Check Your Schedule

The Calendar app reminds you of upcoming dates and generally keeps you on schedule. A great way to augment the calendar is to employ the Calendar widget on the Home screen.

The Calendar widget lists the current date and then a long list of upcoming appointments. It’s a great way to check your schedule, especially when you use your tablet all the time. I recommend sticking the Calendar widget right on the main or center Home screen panel.

• See Chapter 18 for information on adding widgets to the Home screen; Chapter 14 covers the Calendar app.

• As long as I’m handing out tips, remember to specify location information when you set up an appointment in the Calendar app. Type the information just as though you were using the Maps app to search. You can then quickly navigate to your next appointment by touching the location item when you review the event.

Snap a Pic of That Contact

Here’s something I always forget: Whenever you’re near one of your contacts, take the person’s picture. Sure, some people are bashful, but most folks are flattered. The idea is to build up the tablet’s address book so that all your contacts have photos.

When taking a picture, be sure to show it to the person before you assign it to the contact. Let them decide whether it’s good enough.

Use Google Now

Google is known worldwide for its searching capabilities and its popular website. By gum, the word Google is synonymous with searching. So please don’t forget that your Android tablet, which uses the Google Android operating system, has a powerful search, nay, knowledge command. It’s called Google Now.

• On most Android tablets, you access Google Now by swiping the screen from bottom to top. This trick may even work on the Lock screen.
• The Google Now app is titled Google.
• The Google Search widget provides a shortcut into Google Now.
• Review Chapter 14 for details on various Google Now commands.
• Beyond Google Now, you can take advantage of the various Search icons found in just about every app on an Android tablet. Use the Search icon to search for information, locations, people — you name it. It’s handy.