Database Users

Handwritting / Taking notes?

Anybody tried taking handwritten notes (with a stylus) on this thing? I am wondering how that would work with your hand resting on the screen. I have a feeling it doesn't...

And if someone could tell if the precision is enough to select 4 pixels wide and 4 pixels high (or at least 8px wide, 8px high) objects with capacitive stylus it would be nice. I have an application with such small objects that I want to use through VNC and wonder if Xoom will be good enough for this.

Ordered a stylus today to try it.
I am also looking for a good app for this. iPad had some good apps but all I find now are for the Android phones.
If someone has suggestions on this I would like to know.

rljohnson said:
Ordered a stylus today to try it.
I am also looking for a good app for this.
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MaplePaint looks ok for taking notes.
Also, Repligo looks pretty awesome for annotating PDF documents. Simply print any doc to PDF, put it on your XOOM, and off you go. You can do handwritten drawings, notes, you can highlight, etc. and save your annotations back to your PDF. That one I definitely like!
But again, I believe that the hand resting on the screen will throw the whole things off and the stylus won't work.

I haven't tried it yet, but WritePad also looks promising. It's not free though and also not sure on the hand resting on the screen issue.

Try ezPDF!

I'm hoping one the HTC Flyer comes out their scribe app will get pulled out and put to real use on the XOOM.

RaptorMD said:
I'm hoping one the HTC Flyer comes out their scribe app will get pulled out and put to real use on the XOOM.
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Anything is possible but I would not hold my breath. Scribe is more than software. The stylus is made specifically for the digitizer and the software may not work with different hardware.

I'm still waiting for a killer notetaking app that allows stylus use. I have found Handrite to be serviceable. It doesn't let you rest your palm, but that hasn't been too much of an issue for me so far.
I've written the makers of Penultimate for the ipad and they responded that as of early March, they have no plans for an Android port :/

Stylus for A500?

Has anyone done testing with a stylus for the A500? If so, what were your thoughts?
I'd like something I can use to either draw quick sketches for photo ideas, or something I can use to jot a quick note here and there (of course, I'd probably need an app that supports handwriting, but those may come in time).

I purchased a Targus stylus today. Having come from the old pre-capacitive days when the stylus is hard, the new stylus' seemed a little odd but I must say the control is very good. Pin point accuracy - excellent for drawing.

Leechazoid said:
I purchased a Targus stylus today. Having come from the old pre-capacitive days when the stylus is hard, the new stylus' seemed a little odd but I must say the control is very good. Pin point accuracy - excellent for drawing.
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+1
I also got the Targus stylus a week or so ago; and it does works well.. I saw another stylus somewhere online that is supposed to give you even finer control and allow you to actually see exactly where the stylus is touching the screen, but now I can't find where I saw it. I'm thinking about giving the new one a shot too, if I can find it again. ;-)

JackMetal said:
+1
I also got the Targus stylus a week or so ago; and it does works well.. I saw another stylus somewhere online that is supposed to give you even finer control and allow you to actually see exactly where the stylus is touching the screen, but now I can't find where I saw it. I'm thinking about giving the new one a shot too, if I can find it again. ;-)
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I think you're referring to this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/DAGi-Stylus-P10...?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item41582701ff
I have one and it works very well in general. The only issue is getting it at the right angle with the screen - particularly if you have the screen at an angle. But I like it better than the rubber tipped ones.

I bought the Boxwave stylus. I like it a lot. However it doesn't always catch it, sometimes it clicks on a screen I don't want or am scrolling through. But other than that, I am very happy with it for detailed work. My fingers get sweaty on occasion and I have a hard time using the screen when they are like that. So the stylus is a nice addition to have, especially if you don't like fingerprints.
I do wonder if it will somehow mess up the screen though later on.

Just curious, is there any way to get hand writing recognition to work? So for instance, if I bought one of these stylus's, would I be able to use it and forgo the need for an on screen keyboard?

saeba said:
I think you're referring to this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/DAGi-Stylus-P10...?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item41582701ff
I have one and it works very well in general. The only issue is getting it at the right angle with the screen - particularly if you have the screen at an angle. But I like it better than the rubber tipped ones.
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Thanks. Yep, that's the one; I couldn't remember it's name at all.

kb_klash said:
Just curious, is there any way to get hand writing recognition to work? So for instance, if I bought one of these stylus's, would I be able to use it and forgo the need for an on screen keyboard?
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I'm using flexT9 app which has peninput, but its not perfect, the capacitive stylus is more like big stick then a pen

Can anyone recommend a stylus that's got more of a penpoint tip rather than something the size of a finger?

With a capacitive screen I don't think something like this exists. Although I was in a meeting today with somebody taking notes on an I pad, not sure how they were doing that.

I own this stylus and I really like it. This is the only stylus I have used so I cannot compare it to anything.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BSF1I8

propagandax said:
With a capacitive screen I don't think something like this exists. Although I was in a meeting today with somebody taking notes on an I pad, not sure how they were doing that.
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I got word yesterday that Acer is releasing one specifically for the A500. I will get more information and keep everyone posted.
I'm getting behind on everything as I had to go out of town for a few days on a business trip. Also, prototype custom Iconia case ships to me today for a review and should be available stateside after the 26th. It's similar to the FUSE.

I also use a Targus stylus for iPad as it was called.
Has a soft rubber tip, but works great on my device.

I have a griffin made for the Ipad but works on all my Android touch screens

drawing
This looks like a great one. I also found a video on you tube how to make one out of a pin and allum Fool
Going to try the DIY thing as it looks super accurate. If fails I'll be buying this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/oStylus-Capacit...?pt=US_Tablet_Accessories&hash=item4aab617685

propagandax said:
With a capacitive screen I don't think something like this exists. Although I was in a meeting today with somebody taking notes on an I pad, not sure how they were doing that.
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Youtube dagi stylus and you will see magic

my gf works at best buy and she got me the Rocketfish (best buy brand) stylus for 2 bucks lol. it works great with the iconia and ipads.

stylus
I picked up the targus stylus from staples.its kinda OK.
But I do enjoy my hair stylists She rocks.geeky girls can look hot as well.giggles

Has anyone found an app that allows taking handwritten notes? Everything I have tested is really laggy for note taking.

huxflux2003 said:
Has anyone found an app that allows taking handwritten notes? Everything I have tested is really laggy for note taking.
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Nah - all I've found are really crappy too.

[Q] sylus/maths/notes

Hey just had afew questions regarding the tablet and searching didn't answer them that well.
1. what is the best stylus to use when taking maths notes/ doing past paper questions. I thought a plastic nib one would be better but cant seem to find any?
2. are the more expensive stylus better?
3. is a tablet really worth it for doing maths/notes on. currently I use a pen and paper but Im disorganised and loose them within a week. I somehow don't think i could loose a tablet
Thanks for the help.

Try Tabnotes, a trial is available on the market and you can use squared maths paper as one of the paper settings.
I am using the Bamboo Stylus from Wacom, although it is quite expensive, it seems to be the best stylus for the Tablet. Boxwave come a close second.

Thanks do you use it for writing notes?

I only have some inexpensive iPad / iPhone styli. they work very well with my other 10" tablet with a capacitive touch screen. While they work on my ASUS Transformer, they are not as sensitive as my real finger. What that means is that applying the same touch with a stylus may not register as nicely as a finger. Is that because I have rather large hands and relatively large fingers, while the rubbery finger on these styli are smaller than a child's finger? I just don't know. What it means is that I prefer my real fingers on my ASUS, while a stylus is prefered for my Archos. Maybe that Wacom stylus is the answer for an ASUS, while an Archos will work with just about anything.
Bye.

I tried both the nub type (boxwave) and the plastic type (DAGI).
I think they both suck compared to paper or a true digitizer. Honestly it wasn't worth it for me...the letters are all fat and you can't fit them anywhere...also sometimes it skips...like when you are trying to do a lower case a...it looks fragmented and funky.
Also, when i write my palm is wresting on the device and it confuses it. So I have to put my hand in an awkward/tiring position.
maybe it is just my writing style though.

TomAnkcorn said:
Thanks do you use it for writing notes?
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Yes , I use this for handwritten notes, I have done a small review of the stylus and have a sample of the Tabnotes output on the following link post 13.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1081199&page=2

HasC said:
Yes , I use this for handwritten notes, I have done a small review of the stylus and have a sample of the Tabnotes output on the following link post 13.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1081199&page=2
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HasC - o...m...g. That looks awesome. Completely different from what I've experienced. How do you hold your pen? All I can say is wow. As soon as my replacement 16gb comes in and if it isn't disfunctional like my last two...I'm buying the bamboo.

newtybar said:
HasC - o...m...g. That looks awesome. Completely different from what I've experienced. How do you hold your pen? All I can say is wow. As soon as my replacement 16gb comes in and if it isn't disfunctional like my last two...I'm buying the bamboo.
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You can hold the pen normally, the only difference being that you cant rest your palm on the TF however what you need to bear in mind is that Tabnotes has a unique note entry system where you can position a block where you would like the text to start and a writing area is displayed at the bottom which you would use to write your notes.
As your notes are written, they are transferred to the writing area, this is excellent as it allows you to write slightly larger than normal and you handwritten notes get transferred to the writing area to a size that you determine by picking a pen size. There is another option that you can pick that allows you to draw freehand which makes this app so flexible.
The best thing since I wrote the review is that after the 3.1 update, the screen sensitivity has improved which makes writing even easier and I would say that it is on par with my DHD or even the IPad2.

Thankyou so much for all the advice!
and it looks better than i expected will definitely be checking out that app thankyou
looks like its time to make the purchase wooo im exited

TomAnkcorn said:
Thankyou so much for all the advice!
and it looks better than i expected will definitely be checking out that app thankyou
looks like its time to make the purchase wooo im exited
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No problems, that's what we are here for on this forum, glad to be able to help.

Stylus or no stylus???

What do you guys think? Is there a good use for it? Do you use it? What are your thoughts in general.

i use a stylus once in a while, but its not what i expected originally. I had played with the digitizer stylus on the htc flyer earlier, and that was such a fantastic stylus experience, i thought i would be able to have that same level of detail, but apparently it doesnt work that way on other tablets, htc flyer has a special digitizer layer on top of the capacitive screen, that makes input form the special digitizer pen more accurate, like i can literally write chicken scratch on that thing and it is perfectly legible.
but on regular capacitive screens, the best stylus wont do much more than what your finger does. If you want to use the stylus just for swiping, and moving stuff, then it's okay i suppose, especially when its cold. But its not a handwriting replacement, or even a decent sketching tool, just a finger replacement. Regular styluses have this weird squishy foam tip also, that annoys me.

fraz82 said:
i use a stylus once in a while, but its not what i expected originally.
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^^^^
This.
I have the Samsung stylus and use it all the time. To me, it's a tad more precise than my finger and it keeps the screen clean of finger prints. The only app it seems to work better than average in is the Asus notes app that's available in the dev section. Even then, it's for quick notes and phone numbers not actual writing.

I'm using one now. The biggest advantage for me is when entering text. My wife asked for one. I grabed one at Walmart, tried it out and had to get one for myself. I like it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Yep I agree with everyone above. I purchased the Jot stylus which is supposed to be one of the better ones and it was just bleh. I wanted to use my Tab for note taking and stuff and it just won't register cleanly especially if you're trying to write 'normally'. For drawing and bigger letters it's fine, but anything smaller, forget it.

spyder560 said:
Yep I agree with everyone above. I purchased the Jot stylus which is supposed to be one of the better ones and it was just bleh. I wanted to use my Tab for note taking and stuff and it just won't register cleanly especially if you're trying to write 'normally'. For drawing and bigger letters it's fine, but anything smaller, forget it.
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There's an app for that. Touchscreentune in the dev section. It helps a great deal, though it doesn't make the Tab perfect. One caveat... You need to be rooted to use it.

happy with the S-Pen, if yes explain

I am NOT very happy with my S-Pen because I have to press REALLY hard before the S-Pen touch register on the screen.
This makes the following very hard to do and not practical:
- Taking notes: kinda hard trying to take notes when I have to keep "jabbing" the screen really hard
- Drawing: forget about the pressure sensitive feature, there is only one for me --> press really hard!
I tried replacing the S-Pen (bought one from my local Fry's Electronics), no go.
How about you? Can you use the S-Pen on practical day-to-day basis...or this is just another "gimmick" for you?

I don't have to press any harder than I would with paper and a pencil. Although even now and again it will stop writing, like show a space between two lines because I didn't press hard enough. A lot of peoples are apparently too sensitive sometimes and will start to write above the screen... Samsung seems to have screwed up a few things with the note
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

Looks like you have a problems with touch screen.

I try to use it. But always end up shoving it back in it's holder and just tapping out texts the old way.
Find it difficult to write with anyway, it doesn't flow naturally and seems a little behind all the time. Not got use to how fast or slow to use it.

The S pen is ok. Its not as good as I thought it was and I actually only use it to make rage comics and post them on 9gag.
Its not very useful for taking down notes on the spot
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

My Problem is as follow :
There are 2 zones in my screen that don't respond to the pen at the First time,
I attached 2 screenshots showing :
The First with the blank untouchable 2 zones,
The second, is the same try, but I added some drawings later with my finger.
So this means that my screen is OK, and May be something is wrong with the S pen.
Any body experienced the same issue?
Sorry for the second screenshot, The volume bar came in
But you can clearly See the cercle with the + incidents. At the buttom zone.

Do you have a case with magnets?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

I use mine to play draw something and its great, love how accurate it is. Makes you seems like a right artist haahah

namelok said:
Do you have a case with magnets?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA
Click to expand...
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I tell you what,
Even If I stayed a month digging, I would'nt guess!
Thank you Thank you Thank you so much.
You saved my note
The First thing I will do now, is to throw my case away, and look for a non magnetic one.
Take a look at my thread, That could interest you:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620625

My S Pen works fine for writing and drawing. It's basically the same as writing with a pen for me in terms of pressure. Granted, it is thinner and a little less friction on the surface than pen and paper.
I write a lot on whiteboards for work and it is a little similar to that for me. When writing on a whiteboard, you don't anchor your hand on the surface like you would with paper.
Sometimes if I want to draw very accurately, I will anchor my writing hand on the fingers of the hand holding the phone that stick out from the right hand side. But I find writing like this slower.
I use the S Pen a lot more than I though I would before I bought it. I originally thought it would be a gimmick and just wanted the big screen, but I use it a lot for taking handwritten notes in FreeNote+ (I find this quicker than dealing with text conversion and auto-correction) and also find it a lot more accurate for drawing and photo editing.
I also find myself using it for Swype quite a lot. It's quicker than using my fingers. I think because there's less friction and you have a longer reach, so you hand doesn't actually have to move as much.
Also, the accuracy is excellent for some games like Fruit Ninja and Deer Hunter.

It works well for me. Though, need to get a bit of used to.
I use it mainly for taking notes...

I use mine when I am wearing gloves. No need to remove them.

I use it for taking notes an play DrawSomething! I love it. Everybody prases my drawings and at several iPhone players say they envy my Note and wish they had one
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

Those who enjoy using the on, do you see any issue with it? I.e. Pen not registering in screen, must press hard, etc.

Alexanderbooth said:
I use mine to play draw something and its great, love how accurate it is. Makes you seems like a right artist haahah
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+1
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

useful
I find the S-Pen incredibly useful whenever you want to write something down on the go.
I find it much faster to take out my phone and launch a smartly-placed app to start taking a quick note (phone number, adress, any work-related post-it...) rather than searching your pockets for something to write on and asking for a pen (though i still always carry one on me )
The trick is then to process the notes and not just leave them in that folder you never go to. Well, that just takes a little discipline.
As for good apps, i've only tried a few but i think the first important thing to look out for in such an app is it's capacity to transform you're wavery note-taking skills into a nice smooth handwritten text on the screen. The S-Memo tool does it pretty well but i would recommend something more like Papyrus (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1580716&highlight=papyrus) which has some pretty useful vector-imaging capabilities.
EDIT : I forgot to add that the s-pen is meant to work without pressure on the phone (though it still requires a minimum of contact), and works flawlessly on mine (i don't use cases or covers to protect the phone, i just take care of it.). Anyone needing to press hard on their phone for the s-pen to work has a problem, either with the phone or the pen. Consider having it checked.

I don't use it for all tasks, because that would just make things much harder. It's good for playing basic games though, like Draw Something, or just any other game where it feels better to use the S-Pen.

lanwarrior said:
Those who enjoy using the on, do you see any issue with it? I.e. Pen not registering in screen, must press hard, etc.
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No, I don't have such problem. Sometimes, I find it a bit sensitive than I had hoped.

If you have to press REALLY hard for it to register, it might be a good idea to go to a shop and test one out to see if it's the same as your unit.
Maybe try and test their S Pen with your phone to see if it's a problem with the S Pen or the screen.

I think the spen is to small for 1 handed users. But works perfectly fine for all spen activities.
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