My Google Nexus 7 and Nexus 10

Craig James Johnston has been involved with technology since his high school days at Glenwood High in Durban, South Africa, when his school was given some Apple ][ Europluses. From that moment technology captivated him, and he has owned, supported, evangelized, and written about it.   Craig has been involved in designing and supporting large-scale enterprise networks with integrated email and directory services since 1989. He has held many different IT-related positions in his career ranging from sales support engineer to mobile architect for a 40,000-smartphone infrastructure at a large bank.   In addition to designing and supporting mobile computing environments, Craig co-hosts the CrackBerry.com podcast, as well as guest hosting on other podcasts including iPhone and iPad Live podcasts. You can see Craig’s previously published work in his books Professional BlackBerry, and many books in the My series, including My BlackBerry Curve, My Palm Pre, My Nexus One, My DROID (first and second editions), My Motorola Atrix 4G, My BlackBerry PlayBook, My HTC EVO 3D, and My Samsung Galaxy Nexus.   Craig also enjoys high-horsepower, high-speed vehicles and tries very hard to keep to the speed limit while driving them.   Originally from Durban, South Africa, Craig has lived in the United Kingdom, the San Francisco Bay Area, and New Jersey, where he now lives with his wife, Karen, and a couple of cats.   Craig would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact Craig about your experiences with My Google Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 at http://www.CraigsBooks.info. All comments, suggestions, and feedback are welcome, including positive and negative.

Prologue Getting to Know Your Google Nexus Tablet 3

Your Google Nexus Tablet’s External Features ........................... 4

 Nexus 7 ................................................................................................ 4

 Nexus 10 ............................................................................................. 6

Setting Up Multiple Users on Your Tablet ..................................12

Fundamentals of Android 4.2..........................................................15

 The Home Screen(s) .....................................................................17

 The System Bar ...............................................................................20

 Using Your Touchscreen .............................................................22

 Using Your Keyboard ...................................................................23

 Menus ................................................................................................27

Installing Synchronization Software .............................................29

 

1 People (Contacts) 35

Adding Accounts .................................................................................35

Navigating People ...............................................................................41

Adding and Managing Contacts ....................................................46

Adding a Contact to Your Home Screen .....................................56

 

2 Audio, Video, and Movies 59

Music ........................................................................................................59

Managing Playlists ...............................................................................70

Videos .......................................................................................................76

Movies and TV Shows.........................................................................81

YouTube ..................................................................................................88

 

3 Connecting to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and VPNs 97

Connecting to Bluetooth Devices .................................................98

Wi-Fi ....................................................................................................... 103

Wi-Fi Direct .......................................................................................... 108

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)................................................... 113

Near Field Communications (NFC) ............................................. 119

 



4 Email 123

Gmail ..................................................................................................... 123

Email Application .............................................................................. 135

Working with the Email App......................................................... 139

 

5 Browsing the Web with Chrome 149

Navigating with Chrome ................................................................ 149

Managing Bookmarks and History ............................................. 156

Customizing Browser Settings ..................................................... 161

 

6 Google Now and Navigation 169

Google Now ........................................................................................ 169

Google Maps ....................................................................................... 175

Navigation ........................................................................................... 181

 

7 Working with Date, Time, and Calendar 185

Setting the Date and Time ............................................................ 185

Clock Application .............................................................................. 187

Using the Calendar Application .................................................. 191

 

8 Working with Android Applications 203

Configuring Google wallet ............................................................ 204

Navigating Google Play .................................................................. 205

Keeping Applications Up to Date ............................................... 212

 

9 Customizing Your Google Nexus Tablet 215

Changing Your Wallpaper ............................................................. 215

Changing Your Keyboard .............................................................. 218

Adding Widgets to Your Home Screens................................... 220

Adding Widgets to Your Lock Screen ....................................... 222

Customizing Language ................................................................... 225

Adjusting Accessibility Settings .................................................. 226

Modifying Sound Settings ............................................................. 227

Changing Display Settings ............................................................ 228

 

10 Google Wallet 231

Setting Up Google Wallet .............................................................. 231

Adding Methods of Payment ....................................................... 233

Managing Reward Cards ................................................................ 235

Managing Offers ................................................................................ 236

Customizing Google Wallet Settings ......................................... 238

Using Google Wallet ........................................................................ 239

 

11 Books and Magazines 241

Books ..................................................................................................... 241

Magazines ............................................................................................ 246

 

12 Maintaining Your Google Nexus Tablet and

Solving Problems 251

Updating Android ............................................................................. 251

Optimizing Battery Life ................................................................... 253

 Looking After the Battery ........................................................ 253

Applications and Memory ............................................................. 255

See How Much Data Apps Use .................................................... 257

Caring for Your Nexus Tablet’s Exterior .................................... 258

Getting Help with Your Google Nexus Tablet ........................ 258

 

13 Taking Pictures and Recording Video 261

Using the Camera (Nexus 10 Only) ............................................ 261

Viewing and Managing Your Photos

(Nexus 7 and Nexus 10) ............................................................ 272

Managing Photos with Your Computer ................................... 280

 Manual Picture Management ................................................ 280

 Automatic Picture Management on a Mac ....................... 282

Synchronizing Pictures Using Your Google Cloud ............... 283

 

Index 285