Galaxy Tab: The Missing Manual

Charger/Accessory Port

Down at the bottom edge of the Galaxy Tab if you’re holding it horizontally, with the small photo lens at the top, you’ll find a port for charging your Tab and for connecting it to a computer for transferring music and files. (For details, see Transferring Files from Your PC and Mac to Your Galaxy Tab.) The Tab comes with a special cable, one end of which connects to this port, and the other end of which connects to a computer via a USB connection. The Tab can connect to both Macs and PCs.

If you often use power-hungry features like video and GPS, you may have to charge your Tab every night. If you use it less often, you might be able to get by with every other day.

Word To The Wise: Maximizing Your Battery Charge

If you use a lot of power-sucking features, your Galaxy Tab may not even get through a whole day without having to recharge. In addition to turning off the screen when you’re not using it (Locking the Screen), you can do a lot to make your battery last.

• Be smart about email fetching. The more often the Tab checks for and retrieves email, the faster the battery runs down. Either check email manually only when you need to, or increase the interval at which the Tab checks. Launch the Email app, press the Menu button, and then tap your email account. In General Settings, you see an entry for “Inbox check frequency.” Tap it to change the interval from anywhere between every 5 minutes and every hour. You can also have it never check, so that you have to check manually.

• Turn off antennas you’re not using. If you’re not using a Bluetooth headset and don’t need Wi-Fi services at the moment (or 3G or 4G connection if you have a Tab with those capabilities), by all means, turn them off. They use up tons of power. Use Flight mode to turn them all off. Turn them off individually from the Wireless and Networks Settings page (Wireless and Networks).

• Watch out for power-sapping apps. Some apps, such as 3D games, can use serious amounts of juice. If, after installing an app, you notice your battery running low quickly, consider deleting it or running it only when necessary.