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Any practical accessories out there?

Dngrsone

Dngrsone

Android Expert
I work in avionics (aircraft electronics), and one of the reasons I bought this Galaxy Tab 2 was to save me having to pull out the big 17.3" laptop when going on road-trips-- that thing is too big to pull out when flying anywhere.

So, I can use the Tab to read an eBook, watch a movie, listen to music without draining my phone battery.

Theoretically (because I haven't tried yet), I could probably load some schematics onto the tablet (they are generally .pdf format), though I don't know how readable they would be on a 7" screen.

SO, to justify to my wife that I have this thing for work (and not just for playing Angry Birds), and because I like having useful tools of the portable kind, I am looking for applications and accessories to improve the utility of my device.

I know there is an oscilloscope plugin for the iPad; I wish I could find one like that that would plug into the Galaxy Tab, but I guess the Samsung interface isn't nearly ubiquitous enough for that, yet. Though I did find a handy little handheld digitizing oscillosope that I might get for my tool bag.

I also have a wifi scanner app that actually is useful for work, though it is still a rare occasion that I have to troubleshoot wifi on an aircraft (considering the installations are mostly under two years old).

My question then-- what tools have you found for your Galaxy Tab 2 7.0?
 
Very basic, but just make sure that you have it (and you probably already do): the adobe pdf reader. I have a bunch of training materials (500+ pages) loaded on my tablet and was struggling to read them using the standard installed apps. Only after I had installed the real thing I started to appreciate how easily I could consult them on the tablet (compared to the laptop or paper).

Afraid I can't help you on the more technical apps. Most of what I have installed is travel or media (mainly news) related.
 
For someone who travels a lot, the GPS chip should come in handy. It's so much easier to read maps on a 7" screen, than on a cell phone. It was one of the reasons I bought my Tab 2 instead of the Nexus 7, or iPad Mini, which do not have a genuine integrated GPS chip.
 
I have mhl adapters for both my phone and tablet (7.0+, actually). Super useful!

An app that lets you answer phone texts from your tablet is also nice. I've been using Tablet Talk, though it's pretty dodgy on Bluetooth. It does forward mms.
 
bob60626 said:
I have mhl adapters for both my phone and tablet (7.0+, actually). Super useful!

An app that lets you answer phone texts from your tablet is also nice. I've been using Tablet Talk, though it's pretty dodgy on Bluetooth. It does forward mms.
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Contrary to claims made by Samsung, it appears that there is no means of getting video from a Tab 2 7.0 to a television.
 
Dngrsone said:
Contrary to claims made by Samsung, it appears that there is no means of getting video from a Tab 2 7.0 to a television.
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Actually if you have a DLNA-enabled smart tv, or streaming media device, you can view videos on your tv from the Tab.

Alternatively, there are apps like DoubleTwist which include Airplay support, that can be used to stream Tab videos to a TV from an Apple TV, but it's the same thing as using DLNA, just initiated from the Tab instead of the TV/streaming media device.
 
jwither said:
Actually if you have a DLNA-enabled smart tv, or streaming media device, you can view videos on your tv from the Tab.

Alternatively, there are apps like DoubleTwist which include Airplay support, that can be used to stream Tab videos to a TV from an Apple TV, but it's the same thing as using DLNA, just initiated from the Tab instead of the TV/streaming media device.
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Limited use and application... it's like trying to use Kies to move data to and from: sure it works, kinda, but only for certain file types, and only one file at a time.
 
Dngrsone said:
Limited use and application... it's like trying to use Kies to move data to and from: sure it works, kinda, but only for certain file types, and only one file at a time.
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How many videos do you need to watch at once?

I'm not sure why anyone would use Kies to move data when other options are available.

Dngrsone said:
Contrary to claims made by Samsung, it appears that there is no means of getting video from a Tab 2 7.0 to a television.
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Misleading, and inaccurate. I hope you apply better accuracy to your chosen craft (avionics?), so to speak.

Where exactly are the claims that Samsung has made about Tab video to tv? The fact is, there have been no claims made by Samsung that this device supports video out via the 30-pin connector.
 
I used third party information gleaned from these forums to dismiss a utility that appears to be of little use and entirely no interest to me. I apologize and assume full responsibility for my actions.

With that said and done, if you know of a better method of moving folders of data between an Android device and a laptop without having to remove the SD card (specifically an S2E4GT), I would very definitely be interested in that.
 
Dngrsone said:
...if you know of a better method of moving folders of data between an Android device and a laptop without having to remove the SD card (specifically an S2E4GT), I would very definitely be interested in that.
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Two methods off the top of my head, and this assumes your laptop isn't a Mac. Not that it's not possible, but I use Windows PCs and servers almost exclusively.

There are several file manager apps in the Play Store. The one I use may not be the fastest, but it's the one I chose and I'm satisfied with it. File Manager HD allows me to browse systems (Windows shares) on my network via wifi, copy and paste files and folders, etc.

Of course you have to authenticate with a valid user name and password for the Windows system you're connecting to, but it's a one-time login.

That app will also allow you to create bookmarks on its opening screen for those shares, which makes the process much easier.

The other method would be to use the Tab's included USB cable. That requires the Samsung mobile driver be installed on the PC in order to use Windows Explorer to browse the Tab. To my knowledge, the only way to get that driver installed on a Windows system is to install Kies for Windows. There is an option during the install routine to install something like a "universal driver" for Samsung mobile devices. I can't remember if I selected that option or not, or thought the process would install a single device-specifc driver.

You can then uninstall Kies for Windows and select the option to leave whatever driver it installed, in place.
 
I love AirDroid - free in the Play Store

Dngrsone said:
I used third party information gleaned from these forums to dismiss a utility that appears to be of little use and entirely no interest to me. I apologize and assume full responsibility for my actions.

With that said and done, if you know of a better method of moving folders of data between an Android device and a laptop without having to remove the SD card (specifically an S2E4GT), I would very definitely be interested in that.
Click to expand...
 
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