Samsung Galaxy Tabs For Dummies
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The folks who sold you the Samsung Galaxy tablet may have already done some configuration before you left the store. That's great if it happened, but not terrible if it didn't. A cellular (LTE) tablet has most likely been unboxed and manhandled by the Phone Store people — maybe even in front of your own eyes!

That step is necessary before you can use an LTE tablet — even though it might have broken your heart (as it did mine).

  • The initial setup identifies the tablet with the cellular network, giving it a network ID and associating the ID with your cellular bill.

  • The Wi-Fi tablet doesn't require setup with a cellular provider, but it does require a Wi-Fi signal to use many features.

How to open the Samsung Galaxy Tab box

Both the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab fit tight and snug inside their boxes. You'll find yours lying right on top. Remove the device by locating and lifting the cardboard tab on one side of the box.

After liberating the tablet, remove the plastic sheet that's clinging to the device's front, back, rear camera lens, and maybe even sides. Toss out those pieces, unless you're enrolled in a college art class, in which case you can turn in the plastic sheeting for credit as an interpretive sculpture project.

In the box's bottom compartment, you may find

  • A USB cable: You can use it to connect the tablet to a computer or a wall charger.

  • A wall charger: It may be a single brick or come in two pieces. You'll find a USB connector on the charger, as well as a gizmo for plugging the thing into a wall socket.

  • Pamphlets with warnings and warranty information: If your tablet is like mine, you'll find that the safety and warranty information is far more extensive than the setup guide. See the priority our culture places on lawyers versus technology writers?

  • The 4G SIM card holder: For the cellular tablet, you'll need a 4G SIM card. The Phone Store people may have tossed its holder into the box as well. You can throw it out.

  • Jimmy Hoffa: The former labor leader disappeared in 1975, and no one has ever been able to find him. Look in the bottom of the box to see whether Hoffa's body is there. You never know.

Go ahead and free the USB cable and power charger from their clear plastic cocoons. If necessary, assemble the power charger's two pieces, which fit so snugly together that you'll probably never be able to pry them apart.

Keep the box for as long as you own your tablet. If you ever need to return the thing or ship it somewhere, the original box is the ideal container. You can shove the pamphlets and papers back into the box as well.

Where to keep your Samsung Galaxy tablet

Like your car keys, glasses, wallet, and light saber, you'll want to keep your Galaxy tablet in a place where it's safe, easy to find, and always handy whether you're at home, at work, on the road, or in a galaxy far, far away.

Make a home for the Samsung Galaxy tablet

It is recommended you keep your Galaxy tablet in the same spot when you've finished using it. The first suggestion is to make a spot next to your computer. Keep the charging cord handy or just plug the cord into the computer's USB port so that you can synchronize information with your computer regularly and keep the tablet charged.

Another handy place to keep the tablet is on your nightstand. It can also serve as an alarm clock.

If you have a docking stand, plug your tablet into it when you're not toting it about.

Avoid keeping the tablet anyplace where it may get too hot. Keep the tablet visible. Don't put it where someone might sit on it, step on it, or otherwise damage it. For example, don't leave the tablet under a stack of newspapers on a table or counter, where it might get accidentally tossed out or recycled. Never leave your tablet unattended on the planet Venus.

As long as you remember to return the tablet to the same spot when you're done with it, you'll always know where it is.

How to take the Samsung Galaxy tablet with you

The ideal storage spot for the tablet is a specially designed Galaxy Note or Galaxy Tab carrying case or pouch, such as the type of pouches mama kangaroos have, but without the expense of owning a zoo. A case keeps the tablet from being dinged, scratched, or even unexpectedly turned on while it's in your backpack, purse, carry-on luggage, or wherever you put the tablet when you aren't using it.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Dan Gookin combined his love of writing with his gizmo fascination nearly 30 years ago to produce more than 160 informative, entertaining books demystifying technology. Perhaps his most famous is DOS For Dummies, published in 1991, which became the world's fastest-selling computer book and launched the entire For Dummies franchise.

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