7 Things You Didn't Realize You Could Do With a Tablet

Part of the fun of getting a new Galaxy tablet is learning its capabilities. Most of these are pretty straightforward. You know you'll be able to browse your favorite websites, keep up with your friends on social media, and exchange emails and instant messages with people all over the world. Still, if you dig deeper into your tablet's features, you'll find there are some less-obvious capabilities that can make it even more useful.

1. Enjoy Remote Access

Running around to help your friends, family or co-workers with computer problems can be a serious drain on your time and productivity. With the Galaxy Tab® S 10.5, you can fix problems without leaving your chair. You'll need to log in to your Samsung account from any computer you want to access remotely, and perform a one-time setup. After that, if trouble arises, you can log in remotely. You'll have full control of the computer, just as if you were sitting right there. It's also handy for tapping into your own computer, when you need access to files that aren't on your tablet.

2. Side By Side

If you've ever wished it were easier to transfer information between your computer and your mobile device, you'll love Samsung's SideSync app. It comes preloaded on the Galaxy Note® Pro, and can be downloaded for other Galaxy tablets. Install the computer version of the program on your PC as well, and you're off to the races. With SideSync, you can drag-and-drop files and images between your computer and tablet, and use the computer's mouse and keyboard to enter data into the tab. You can even drag your tablet's display onto the computer screen, and control the tablet from your computer.

3. Change the Channel

Samsung devices including the Galaxy Tab S® 10.5 come preloaded with software to turn them into powerful universal remote controls for your audio and video devices. You can play movies, record your favorite shows or mute your home theater system's volume simply and easily from your touchscreen. The Galaxy Tab® S 10.5 offers even better functionality, because it comes with Samsung's powerful WatchON software loaded as well. WatchON provides a detailed interactive program guide for your favorite shows, and neatly controls both streamed programming and shows from your regular TV provider.

4. Go Big and Stay Home

Your photos and streaming video will play beautifully on a Galaxy tablet, but there will be times you want a larger screen. If you have a Samsung Smart TV, or any TV connected to an Allshare Cast Wireless Hub, your tablet can use it as an external display through Screen Mirroring. On your TV's remote, press the "Menu" key and then select "Network," "Allshare Settings" and "Screen Mirroring." On your tablet, touch "Apps," and then "Settings," "Connections" and "Screen Mirroring." You'll see an Off/On slider on your screen. Slide it to "On," and choose your TV from the list of available devices. Anything on the tablet's screen will now display on the TV as well.

5. A Gentle Shush

Unless you're something of a hermit, you probably have a degree of real life going on around you while you're using your tablet. If you're coping with frequent interruptions, fiddling with the on-screen controls or hardware volume button can quickly become an exercise in frustration. Fortunately, there's an easier way. Your Galaxy Tab® S 10.5, Galaxy Tab® Pro and Galaxy Note® Pro all support a feature called "Palm Motion." To set it up, go into your Settings screen and touch the "Controls" tab, and then "Palm Motion." Touch the On-Off slider to turn the feature on. Once it's configured, you'll be able to mute or pause your media by simply placing your palm on the tablet's screen. What could be easier?

6. Tune Your Guitar

Of course, you can do lots of offbeat things with your tablet by downloading specialized apps. For example, there's no need to tote a guitar tuner to social occasions or jam sessions. Just install TPV Guitar Tuner from the Samsung Galaxy Apps store on your Galaxy Tab® S 10.5 or other tablet, and you're good to go. The app uses the built-in microphone on your Galaxy Tab, with a big graphical display to take advantage of all that screen real estate. Aside from the standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning, you can use the app to tune your guitar down a half-step or full step just as easily.

7. Fill Your Pocket

So many articles, so little time. If you stopped to read every link that looked interesting, you'd never get anything done. It would be really convenient if you could take a Web page and tuck it into your pocket, like a magazine, to read later when you have time. That's exactly what you can do, with an app called Pocket. Save interesting articles, blog posts, videos or content whenever you see it, and Pocket will sync it across all your devices. When you and your Galaxy Tab have quality time at your disposal, you can sit and read to your heart's content even if you're offline.