Working with Text
51
Using a Physical
Keyboard
If you type a lot of text, work with large
documents, or just don’t like typing on
glass, you can use a physical keyboard.
You can connect the keyboard to your
Nexus via USB or Bluetooth and then use it
just as you would with a computer. For USB
connections, you may need an adapter
to connect the keyboard to the Nexus’s
Micro-USB port. To connect a Bluetooth
keyboard, see “Bluetooth Devices” in
Chapter 5. Bluetooth and unpowered USB
connections drain the battery quickly. To
connect multiple USB devices, use a pow-
ered USB hub.
When you connect a keyboard to your
Nexus, you can use it to navigate as well
as type text:
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Use the arrow keys to select items.
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Pressing Return when an item is selected
is equivalent to tapping that item.
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Pressing Escape is equivalent to tap-
ping Back.
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Pressing Tab or Shift+Tab jumps to the
next or previous text field.
Using Other Input Devices
You can connect joysticks, gamepads,
and other input devices to your Nexus.
If they work without special drivers or
adapters on your computer, they will
likely work with your tablet. To take
advantage of any special controls (such
as dedicated buttons) on an input device,
games and apps must be designed
explicitly to support them.
