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Five great tips to get you started with the Nexus 7

Here's a roundup of the best Nexus 7 tips and tricks to help get you started with your shiny new tablet.

Jason Cipriani Contributing Writer, ZDNet
Jason Cipriani is based out of beautiful Colorado and has been covering mobile technology news and reviewing the latest gadgets for the last six years. His work can also be found on sister site CNET in the How To section, as well as across several more online publications.
Jason Cipriani
3 min read
Jason Cipriani/CNET

Getting started with the Nexus 7 can be a bit daunting if it's your first tablet, or if you're not familiar with Android. But, that's why we're here. We have rounded up the best Nexus 7 tips and tricks to help get you started with your latest tech addiction.

Customizing the Nexus 7
The first thing you're going to want to do is personalize and customize your Nexus 7. Donald Bell came through with a great video full of Nexus 7 tips and tricks. You will be shown how to change widgets, the wallpaper, or even unlock the Nexus 7 using nothing more than your pretty face. You'll feel a lot more comfortable with the Nexus 7 after watching the video.

Google Nexus 7 tips and tricks.

Taking a screenshot
After customizing your Nexus 7, you'll probably want to show off your setup. You can take a screenshot on the Nexus 7. With the new actionable notifications in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, sharing a screenshot is possible from the notification tray.

Learn how to take a screenshot on the Nexus 7

Print using the cloud
From time to time you may need to print a document, photo or even a screenshot from the Nexus 7. Thankfully, setting up Google Cloud Print and using an app to print from your Nexus 7 is a breeze.

You can print e-mail attachments and nearly any document or Web page from the device to any printer you have set up with Google Cloud Print.

How to print from the Nexus 7

Where's the camera app?
The Nexus 7 comes equipped with a 1.2 MP front-facing camera, and no rear camera. The front camera is intended to be used for video chats, but third-party apps can also take advantage of the less-than-stellar quality camera.

One thing you'll find missing from the Nexus 7, however, is the Android Camera app.

Well, thanks to a developer, you can install an app from Google Play and gain access to the standard Jelly Bean Camera app.

How to access the camera app on your Nexus 7

Turn the Nexus 7 into a Kindle Fire -- kind of
If you're switching from the Kindle Fire to the Nexus 7, bringing content you've already purchased over with you is possible -- to an extent. The process is simple; you'll just need to know what settings need to be changed and how to access the Amazon App Store on your Nexus 7.

Thankfully, Donald Bell has put together another great video showing you how to get your Kindle Fire content on to your Nexus 7.

How to turn a Nexus 7 into a Kindle Fire

Bonus tip

USB accessories
Sharon Vaknin recently showed us all how a little $2 adapter, called a USB on-the-go (OTG), would allow you to connect USB accessories to an Android device. She was able to connect and use a PS3 controller, a keyboard, a wireless mouse, and even her iPhone with an Android device.

Make sure you read the list of supported Android devices and accessories in her post, then watch the video to see how easy a USB OTG is to use.

Clever adapter connects USB accessories to your Android device