USB keyboard or mouse or ??

[fred615]

Can any USB peripherals be used on the Galaxy Tab by just plugging into the USB/Power slot? Or is it necessary to use such devices through Bluetooth technology?

I know that other cheaper tabs have a USB slot that communicates directly with a USB device or card reader, so what gives with Samsung? Shouldn't we get something for our money (2 or 3 times as much as the cheaper ones) ??

 

[pbrauer]

The Galaxy tab supports a whole range of usb and BT devices.

 

[fred615]

The Galaxy tab supports a whole range of usb and BT devices.

Since the Sprint manual says absolutely nothing about the USB port (it only talks about Bluetooth access), do you have any hints on how I can make the USB port function to attach a keyboard or a card reader (to transfer photos from another memory card to the mounted microSD card) ??

 

[vferrari]

There is no USB port on the Tab per se, only a proprietary dock/sync cable connector (the sync cable allows you to sync and transfer data (such as photos, mp3's, and video files) via the usb port on your PC but it can't be used to "host" a usb peripheral such as a hard drive or keyboard). Some of the Galaxy tab accessory docks may have USB host ports, however I have yet to come across one. One dock has a built in keyboard and is fairly reasonably priced - the keyboard is customized for the Galaxy tab including shortcut keys to menu and settings functions on the tab and connects via the doc/accessory connector. For on-the-go use, about your only choice is a portable bluetooth keyboard. Do your research and find one that reviewers/buyers have confirmed is compatible with the Galaxy Tab. There are very few compatibility standards as far as bluetooth keyboards and android devices are concerned. Good luck.

 

[fred615]

There is no USB port on the Tab per se, only a proprietary dock/sync cable connector (the sync cable allows you to sync and transfer data (such as photos, mp3's, and video files) via the usb port on your PC but it can't be used to "host" a usb peripheral such as a hard drive or keyboard). Some of the Galaxy tab accessory docks may have USB host ports, however I have yet to come across one. One dock has a built in keyboard and is fairly reasonably priced - the keyboard is customized for the Galaxy tab including shortcut keys to menu and settings functions on the tab and connects via the doc/accessory connector. For on-the-go use, about your only choice is a portable bluetooth keyboard. Do your research and find one that reviewers/buyers have confirmed is compatible with the Galaxy Tab. There are very few compatibility standards as far as bluetooth keyboards and android devices are concerned. Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback.. Unfortunately, I may not have a choice in that I had hoped I could leave my laptop home when I am traveling and just backup my photos directly into the Galaxy. If I have to have my laptop to transfer the photos from there to the Galaxy, what's the point in having the tablet? I guess I'll have to eat a loss on the Galaxy and revert to a cheaper tablet that allows a direct USB connection to a card reader. They do exist but none have all the really neat stuff that the Galaxy has.. Shucks....!! (@#%*&*@%#+*)

 

[esampah]

so cmiiw: looks like the easiest way is to use dropbox, and keyboard/mouse is only limited to bluetooth varieties