Optimized Office Applications - Nexus 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Are there any actual smooth office applications that dont take too long to load larger files like pdfs, or word docs with a lot of images? Running the rooted stock JB 4.1.1 its sorta saddening when this beast lags trying to pan across a pdf document considering the power it has under the hood. I've tried nearly every office app on the playstore and the suggestions from people on different threads and none really satisfied what i was looking for. CloudOn also isnt compatible with my device according to the playstore :/

etern1ty said:
Are there any actual smooth office applications that dont take too long to load larger files like pdfs, or word docs with a lot of images? Running the rooted stock JB 4.1.1 its sorta saddening when this beast lags trying to pan across a pdf document considering the power it has under the hood. I've tried nearly every office app on the playstore and the suggestions from people on different threads and none really satisfied what i was looking for. CloudOn also isnt compatible with my device according to the playstore :/
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unfortunately, that's going to be the case until they come up with a better format than PDF (which is literally over 20 years old; evolved but not much...). Your best bet is to 1) reduce the quality of the PDF (usually flattens the images) or 2) convert them to Word files. Even updating PDFs to a newer version (Adobe 10 compatible) can be a bit better, but not perfect.
Even on my laptop with core I3 and discrete graphics I'll still lag sometimes on larger PDFs.

I agree with slack04, it's less about the client and more with the format. That said, I've used Kingsoft office on HTC Desire and Nexus S and found it to be not only free, but the best at opening pdfs and word docs. I don't tend to create much on it, as I use it to scan dl'd academic papers before transferring to pc/printer, but I know you can edit word etc. Also, I know it's available fr the N7, but I havent as yet bothered to dl'd it. Maybe you've already tried it? I'd think that optimised apps will appear shortly, but there are very few at this point

thanks for the replies. Are there are any recommended formats for converting to from pdf? I settled on smartoffice over all the others i tried(including kingsoft, i found it to be the most smooth on my N7, loaded everything the best and was pleasant to use (for word, excel and ppt). Im trialing ezpdf atm which works pretty well, im also trying mantano reader for pdfs which works pretty well for larger pdfs (1100 page full image pdfs - uni text books etc). If theres others looking to try some, see what they think of these
EDIT: mantano also allows pretty nice annotation of pdfs/books aswell as bookmarks etc. pretty handy!

Related

Why do you want to root your Nook Touch?

Just bought Nook Touch myself. Still have rooted CM7 Nook Color but wanted a simpler, distraction-free book reader and the promotion price at B&N was unbeatable (well, as I've also learned Best Buy has even better deal for the same price but with AC adapter and 2GB card thrown in).
I am usually, root first, think second kind of guy, but with Nook Touch I really want a reader-centric experience and I am happy that, B&N delivers here. Gone are Sudoku and Chess, gone is music player (and speaker in general). What's left is one of the best e-Ink screens in the business and super light, very responsive book reader.
So what drives you guys to root this thing? It will never hold a candle to true tablet even after CM7 port. The videos that I've seen so far of the rooted Nook Touches are borderline pathetic in how bad the experience is. Besides the geeky 'look what I can do' kind of stuff, nothing has any application in day to day experience. Yes, I would be able to load Aldiko and, my personal favorite, Moon+ reader on this device but why? To enable landscape orientation and night mode? They are not needed on the device that is so light and requires external source of light anyway. For any real application besides readers, the screen refresh rate is non-usable and will never be.
I must be missing something...
Well, let me see:
Live sync of books and files with dropbox and dropsync, amazon books with kindle, coolreader for even more format support (or any other as moon reader), better pdf support with ezPDF Reader (or any other free or not pdf app), overdrive for public ebooks, Mango manga reader for online manga and or mangawhat and Perfect Viewer for photos or cbr, etc files, rss feeds, light internet with opera mini or mobile, and many other things...... even light old games as chess or 4 in line or card games are playable. Modifying fonts, adding new ones, I don't know XD, many things are possible with this device.
Of course this isn't a tablet, it's an ereader, for reading, but rooting just makes it expand where other ereaders cant go, and of course brake its own limitations for example, why the hell didn't they add landscape mode? Now you can use it.
Usb audio will also come when usb hostmode is finished, after the kernel is properly built
So why rooting?
Well, if the limitations of the device are tolerable for you, and you wont do any manga, or other format reading, dont root.
If you want to expand its operability, root, and of course you havent got to play angry birds (nobody does).
What ed said. I just like having a single e-ink reader that can handle so many different ereading platforms.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
I rooted it to use the dictionaries I needed with the fora dictionary app or colordict
I'm french so it's a revolution for me to be able to read an english book with the dictionary I chose, just selecting the word :O
I learnt so much English with my android devices,
But the eink quality of reading and battery life with the freedom and the possibilities of android is just awesome!
Sent from my GT-P1010
Out of curiosity, how do color comic books look on this thing? Let's say the latest issue of Superman in cbr or cbz format? Sometimes the text in the bubbles can be tough to read. My understanding is that the new Nook ST doesn't have multi-touch. Does that make contant zooming in/out painful?
viniosity said:
Out of curiosity, how do color comic books look on this thing? Let's say the latest issue of Superman in cbr or cbz format? Sometimes the text in the bubbles can be tough to read. My understanding is that the new Nook ST doesn't have multi-touch. Does that make contant zooming in/out painful?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For comics its best to use Perfect viewer, if you know the layout and config it correctly there is no problem for zooming
I find coloured comics easy to read, other people may differ, they just appear as normal b/w ones.
https://androidmarket.googleusercon...et/com.rookiestudio.perfectviewer/ss-480-3-12
IMO, CoolReader is hands-down the best eBook reading software I have used. It works fantastically on the nook touch after root and gives the option to set the book's cover as your standby screen (instead of dead authors, etc). Aside from the few other apps I use, I would do it just for this.
One word: Calibre recipes auto-downloaded synced with dropbox, one touch sync to Nook Simple Touch with Dropsync.
Every morning I can hit that button and have ePub versions of my blogs, newpapers, etc. automatically downloaded to my Nook. Awesome.
You're right - I don't see much use in some of the traditional Android apps that you would use on a regular screen... the occasional IMDB lookup with that app and wikipedia lookup with the Opera browser also come in handy...
But mainly Calibre Recipes with dropsync.
Wow, Calibre looks really cool. Can you go into a bit more detail on how you use it with dropbox? Is it just that you set the default Library to your dropbox folder or is it something more?
I've rooted mine so I don't have to convert Kindle books, nor plug it into my computer to add books, or even to get books from the library using Overdrive. I've read a few Manga and other graphic novels on the device, its meh for that. Colours are so important, I feel like I'm robbing the artist by only seeing the work in greyscale.
I've done a few videos showing it off, here's a general one. If you're interested in what Manga looks like with the Mango reader, I have a video for that
http://youtu.be/mnfqD1lqL9g
i don't have an android phone so this allowed me to play with android for the 1st time.
It also help me sell the ipad2 that felt like a toy.
i wanted control. in addition to the reasons above there's rss feed reader and readitlater that i use to read this forum sometimes.
What i really want is a phone with eink display....
I admit the unique applications of a rooted eink android are not massive but for me my eyes find eink a lot easier to read.
The nook has tide me over delayed the upgrade cycle to a galaxy. This way i can wait until smart phones have 3 days battery life or eink like display i'm waiting for.
i also got ms word read/write support if i need it plus excel. With all this i should be able to carry the nook with all my docs.
guitar_east said:
I've rooted mine so I don't have to convert Kindle books, nor plug it into my computer to add books, or even to get books from the library using Overdrive. I've read a few Manga and other graphic novels on the device, its meh for that. Colours are so important, I feel like I'm robbing the artist by only seeing the work in greyscale.
I've done a few videos showing it off, here's a general one. If you're interested in what Manga looks like with the Mango reader, I have a video for that
[url
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why I wanted to root my Nook touch.
A minor bit of thread necromancy here, reaching back to last month.
My top 5 reasons for rooting the nook touch were:
A PDF viewer with zoom and graphics only modes for non-OCR or poorly OCR'd books.
Dropbox sync.
Word, Excel, and PPt viewers.
.chm file viewers
Renaming files from 02658x42.doc to "Widget Technical reference manual".
Since I've done it, I also got the following working and love it even more.
Offline Wikipedia a la WikiReader.
Mobile boarding passes.
Sudoku.
Password Protection.
Standby display text "This nook belongs to <name>. Please call her at <number> and return it for a non-trivial reward, gratitude, and karma."
Thanks everyone for making the nook touch even more awesome.
On a grossly unrelated note, +1 the xdadevelopers noob video. That was great.
The reasons for rooting my nook:
A better pdf reader
cbz,cbr support
Docs support
ICS keyboard
Really? The battery-life and eInk quality improves when rooted?
Hey, I am pretty much satisfied with what the nook touch does, but then I would like whatever it does to be done better
And since reading eBooks is all that I want to do in the nook, I am REALLY interested with the possibility of improving the battery life and especially the eInk quality... Also I HATE the Marriam Webster dictionary that comes with the stock nook.
Can you quickly point me in the right direction for a better eInk display profile and replacing stock with the kindle Oxford dictionary without adversely affecting the battery life?
Please any help is appreciated
stockhomer said:
I rooted it to use the dictionaries I needed with the fora dictionary app or colordict
I'm french so it's a revolution for me to be able to read an english book with the dictionary I chose, just selecting the word :O
I learnt so much English with my android devices,
But the eink quality of reading and battery life with the freedom and the possibilities of android is just awesome!
Sent from my GT-P1010
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reasons I rooted:
[*]Just for the heck of it
[*]Dropbox sync
[*]Being allowed to use it during school (Me: "It's essentially a book." Teacher: "ok")
[*]To become part of a great community which is XDA
brendan10211 said:
[*]Being allowed to use it during school (Me: "It's essentially a book." Teacher: "ok")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO, best way to pass exams XD!!!!!!! that made my day xD
darkguy2008 said:
LMAO, best way to pass exams XD!!!!!!! that made my day xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most teachers wouldn't allow a book during an exam, so that means no nook during exams.
notriddle said:
Most teachers wouldn't allow a book during an exam, so that means no nook during exams.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true, but it depends on where do you live and your skillz. Back in HS I used to bring one of those small memory-storing devices and it passed as a calculator, so...
Here in the US we would never be allowed to have a nook near us during the exam. But it is a great way to play sudoku and such.
brendan10211 said:
Here in the US we would never be allowed to have a nook near us during the exam. But it is a great way to play sudoku and such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but if only they would trust us enough to let us read AFTER we finished the final exams. They make us wait until after EVERYONE in the room finishes, and there's always that one person that either fails miserably, or just checks it over and over again until the teacher tells him to stop. /facepalm

[Q] How is the Nexus 10 for reading PDFs?

I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
beerope said:
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're set on a N10, i'd say give it a bit of time, the device is fairly new, so it can take Devs some time to update apps and get the bugs worked out of them. Personally, i'm looking at one for close to the same usage requirements, and still plan on getting one, even knowing that it may take a bit for the apps to catch up with the device.
Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
No problems with PDFs using moon reader pro. Can't really offer a comparison with ipad though.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
Is viewing PDFs in portrait mode an issue? For most of my PDF readings the "page" is actually two pages of a book scanned and made into one PDF page. Would I be able to zoom in on one column w/o issue or display the page entirely in landscape? Do you guys tend to hold your N10 when reading PDFs or use a stand?
404 ERROR said:
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird...Moon Reader and Adobe Reader has finger lags on my N10, even EZpdf lags...
Kalebima said:
Is viewing PDFs in portrait mode an issue? For most of my PDF readings the "page" is actually two pages of a book scanned and made into one PDF page. Would I be able to zoom in on one column w/o issue or display the page entirely in landscape? Do you guys tend to hold your N10 when reading PDFs or use a stand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way to view one pages with 2 pages is to flip it to portrait mode and then flip it to landscape mode without activating auto-rotation. You will swipe left to right in this case.
beerope said:
Weird...Moon Reader and Adobe Reader has finger lags on my N10, even EZpdf lags...
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Click to collapse
Either it's different sensitivity to issues or there might be something wrong. I just flung my finger across the screen and it just zoomed through. Images and stuff will load a bit later, but once the the app makes a cache, it doesn't take time to load them up anymore (so it's already there and ready to view).
404 ERROR said:
PDF reading is damn good. I'm using the Adobe Reader app and it scrolls a 1322 page PDF just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I've never had any lag on adobe reader even with large PDFs.
beerope said:
Get the iPad. Trust me, the Nexus 10 lags when you're reading PDF. I've tried most apps and the Nexus 10 runs like a dog on them. Except for mantano but in mantano there are several PDFs that could not be read. It just doesn't display anything I'm portrait, landscapes fine though, weird bug. I got the nexus 10 to read magazines on it and seriously, I am disappointed. Get the iPad if you wanna buy a tablet to read PDFs they've got better app support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know what the hell you're talking about. nexus 10 with adobe reader will read any pdf you throw at it just fine with no lag. lag in a pdf is just all kinds of fail and i'd say you have something very seriously wrong with something. but it's not the nexus 10's fault...
I can attest to the fact that ez pdf reader lags like hell on this device. I dont know if its software or hardware?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2
Anyone who suffers from lag with Adobe Reader; force GPU acceleration from Android's Developer Settings (a guide to enable such settings is somewhere on xda-developers); should make things a lot better
While it doesn't seem to cause issues for most, it can cause some apps to act strangely, and/or crash. If you experience any issues, try disabling the setting first.
I don't see lag, but the nexus aspect ratio is not ideal for reading PDF.
I've had the Nexus 10 for about a week now and I got it for the sole purpose of reading books and PDF files. I'm a full-time student so reading my assignments on my tablet is an absolute most. My wife has the iPad 3 and she as well is a full-time student. Now, for comparison sake the iPad 3 in my opinion is way better for downloading and reading PDF files through their built in iBook. It's built to work flawlessly with anything you throw at it. I love the way it saves my PDF files on iBook as if I bought it from the App Store. On the Nexus 10 defense, Google books and Google magazines are not built as smooth as iOS's iBook. I'm not talking about buying books or magazines from the Play Store or App Store and reading through those apps, I'm simply speaking about downloading here. I'm sure one day Google will add whatever feature Apple is using to their apps. Now, I use Dropbox to store my books and PDF files then download them to my Nexus 10. Here is my experience with Paid apps only excluding the Adobe Reader which is free.
Adobe Reader - great app for PDF reading. beautiful performance with zero to no lag. Only problem, it didn't display a few pages at all.
Aldiko Book Reader - Too slow for my liking. Not fully updated to take advantage of the Nexus 10 (the best app if you want the closes resemblance to Apple's iBook)
Moon+ Reader - Again, too slow for me. I prefer Aldiko to be honest.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form (THE BEST PDF APP FOR THE NEXUS 10 PERIOD!!!) This app is definitely utilizing the Nexus 10 power to the max. No hiccups and zero lag. I highly recommend this app to anyone who wants to read their downloaded PDF files. (I have not tested this yet with books downloaded from Dropbox, just PDF files. Before I forget, reading in Landscape mode will make you scroll but if you read in Portrait mode, it will be like reading from an actual magazine. Also, in settings, you have the option to turn pages much quicker as well. I switched mine from 1.5x to 3x.
I hope this helps anyone who are having a hard time finding a good app to display their PDF files with the same performance as iOS iBook. If you have any questions or want me to test anything before you purchase this app or Nexus 10, just let me know.
here is the link to Google Play Store for the best PDF app I found on the market.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...51bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwidWRrLmFuZHJvaWQucmVhZGVyIl0.
RawBott Bigg said:
I've had the Nexus 10 for about a week now and I got it for the sole purpose of reading books and PDF files. I'm a full-time student so reading my assignments on my tablet is an absolute most. My wife has the iPad 3 and she as well is a full-time student. Now, for comparison sake the iPad 3 in my opinion is way better for downloading and reading PDF files through their built in iBook. It's built to work flawlessly with anything you throw at it. I love the way it saves my PDF files on iBook as if I bought it from the App Store. On the Nexus 10 defense, Google books and Google magazines are not built as smooth as iOS's iBook. I'm not talking about buying books or magazines from the Play Store or App Store and reading through those apps, I'm simply speaking about downloading here. I'm sure one day Google will add whatever feature Apple is using to their apps. Now, I use Dropbox to store my books and PDF files then download them to my Nexus 10. Here is my experience with Paid apps only excluding the Adobe Reader which is free.
Adobe Reader - great app for PDF reading. beautiful performance with zero to no lag. Only problem, it didn't display a few pages at all.
Aldiko Book Reader - Too slow for my liking. Not fully updated to take advantage of the Nexus 10 (the best app if you want the closes resemblance to Apple's iBook)
Moon+ Reader - Again, too slow for me. I prefer Aldiko to be honest.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form (THE BEST PDF APP FOR THE NEXUS 10 PERIOD!!!) This app is definitely utilizing the Nexus 10 power to the max. No hiccups and zero lag. I highly recommend this app to anyone who wants to read their downloaded PDF files. (I have not tested this yet with books downloaded from Dropbox, just PDF files. Before I forget, reading in Landscape mode will make you scroll but if you read in Portrait mode, it will be like reading from an actual magazine. Also, in settings, you have the option to turn pages much quicker as well. I switched mine from 1.5x to 3x.
I hope this helps anyone who are having a hard time finding a good app to display their PDF files with the same performance as iOS iBook. If you have any questions or want me to test anything before you purchase this app or Nexus 10, just let me know.
here is the link to Google Play Store for the best PDF app I found on the market.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...51bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwidWRrLmFuZHJvaWQucmVhZGVyIl0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rawbot, thanks for your response! We're in exactly the same situation - I'm buying this almost solely to read PDF files and don't really care how well it performs for gaming or anything else. Could you tell me how you like the aspect ratio of the Nexus 10 versus the iPad 3 for reading pdfs? Especially when it comes to scanned book pages (i.e two book pages in one pdf "page"). Which do you prefer? Landscape or portrait?
Thanks! I already ordered the N10 but I can't test it out till I'm home on next week, I wish I could just load up a pdf on the darn thing myself but alas!
Kalebima said:
I was debating between the N10 and iPad for mostly reading pdf's and general schoolwork and decided to go with the N10. I've got to wait 'till I get home next week to use it but in the meantime I was wondering how pdf's look on 16:9 screen in both landscape and portrait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out ezPDFReader. It's probably one of the best. It has lots of functions and is very well supported with frequent updates.
Is there a way to enable infinite scrolling in ezpdf like nearly any other PDF reader does? I really hate this 1 page per scroll gesture.. Feels so choppy compared to the fluency of adobe..
Kalebima said:
Hi Rawbot, thanks for your response! We're in exactly the same situation - I'm buying this almost solely to read PDF files and don't really care how well it performs for gaming or anything else. Could you tell me how you like the aspect ratio of the Nexus 10 versus the iPad 3 for reading pdfs? Especially when it comes to scanned book pages (i.e two book pages in one pdf "page"). Which do you prefer? Landscape or portrait?
Thanks! I already ordered the N10 but I can't test it out till I'm home on next week, I wish I could just load up a pdf on the darn thing myself but alas!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In answer to your question, I prefer the Nexus 10 ratio over the iPad. Then again, many may prefer the iPad's ratio for reading. All I can say is when you get your Nexus 10 next week give it a try. Download the App I suggested and see how you like the ratio.
Here are two pictures I took of the iPad 3 and the Nexus 10 side by side with the same PDF file I downloaded from my Dropbox account. This will give you an idea of how your PDF will look like on each device. (PDF files are open in iBook and ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form) Screen brightness: 100% As you can see by the picture, iBook crops the PDF file to fit the 4:3 ratio, while the Nexus fits it perfectly. I actually like that for some strange reason. lol It looks like it was designed for the Nexus 10. Also, the black colors on the Nexus 10 look a bit better. You have to look hard to notice it but it's there.
ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form also has the option you asked which is reading two pages in one PDF page form. It is not enable by default but you can go to settings and enable the feature there. I prefer portrait for one page viewing only because landscape with one page means scrolling and for two pages means a bit of zooming but not by a lot. If you need pictures of that too let me know.
aritrea said:
Is there a way to enable infinite scrolling in ezpdf like nearly any other PDF reader does? I really hate this 1 page per scroll gesture.. Feels so choppy compared to the fluency of adobe..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've looked through the settings to find your answer but I'm afraid I didn't find infinite scrolling. The most I came close to finding was scrolling speed for turning page which by default is on 1.5x. You can change that to 3.0x and it should be faster. Also, the free version was choppy like you mentioned but not the paid version. You can try it for 15 minutes and if you don't like it you can get a refund.
I've tried like... all the pdf readers out there and all were lagging with any kind of pdf, i really don't know what these people are talking about... Since i got the nexus for reading a lot of pdfs I was really disapointed, then i found mantano reader by accident it's in fact an ebook reader but it also reads pdfs with unmatched fluency ! I'll howerver try to enable h/accel to see how adobe's perform.

[Q] Nexus 10 any good at scrolling and rendering PDFs?

I'm not sure if you're familiar with how well the Ipad renders pdfs. You can just stroke them and you can literally race through the PDF, at least that's what I saw in the store and in various youtube vids.
However, android devices seem to have an issue with pdf structure, and I don't want to convert them to mobi files, so I wanted to ask if the Nexus 10 is any good at rendering PDFs. I won't be buying it because it is fairly pricy and it's hard to find too, but it clearly has to be the closest thing to an IPad's retina display given its resolution and PPI.
Can they define the image super quickly, fastly scroll downwards (not sideways, none of that nonsense page flicking),
joaosplace said:
I'm not sure if you're familiar with how well the Ipad renders pdfs. You can just stroke them and you can literally race through the PDF, at least that's what I saw in the store and in various youtube vids.
However, android devices seem to have an issue with pdf structure, and I don't want to convert them to mobi files, so I wanted to ask if the Nexus 10 is any good at rendering PDFs. I won't be buying it because it is fairly pricy and it's hard to find too, but it clearly has to be the closest thing to an IPad's retina display given its resolution and PPI.
Can they define the image super quickly, fastly scroll downwards (not sideways, none of that nonsense page flicking),
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no way you can render pdfs as fast as an ipad does. I've tried every single app, mantano, adobe, ezpdf, them all lag- Adobe reader doesn't really lag, but has an incredibly slow transition. Mantano strugles if you try to skip two pages in a row, and ezpdf and others lag like hell.
conspicuous tskyuni
Straf said:
There's no way you can render pdfs as fast as an ipad does. I've tried every single app, mantano, adobe, ezpdf, them all lag- Adobe reader doesn't really lag, but has an incredibly slow transition. Mantano strugles if you try to skip two pages in a row, and ezpdf and others lag like hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I was fearing from seeing youtube vids on the subject. Hopefully, for me, the Nexus 10 is faulty and too busy powering up the resolution, or your Nexus needs a rom, because, although I hate all of ipads restrictions I constantly have to keep considering them on account of pdf rendition...
Hopefully someone can come in and pitch in something that'll redeem pdf rendition on a droid, preferably cheap?
Try SmartQ Reader, it's fast and have an awesone feature that it's crop auto or manual.
Enviado desde mi Nexus 10 usando Tapatalk 2
joaosplace said:
I'm not sure if you're familiar with how well the Ipad renders pdfs. You can just stroke them and you can literally race through the PDF, at least that's what I saw in the store and in various youtube vids.
However, android devices seem to have an issue with pdf structure, and I don't want to convert them to mobi files, so I wanted to ask if the Nexus 10 is any good at rendering PDFs. I won't be buying it because it is fairly pricy and it's hard to find too, but it clearly has to be the closest thing to an IPad's retina display given its resolution and PPI.
Can they define the image super quickly, fastly scroll downwards (not sideways, none of that nonsense page flicking),
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I bought my Nexus 7 specifically for the purpose of reading books and I don't see how you say that the Nexus devices are slow at rendering pdf books.
I can swipe across many pages whipping fast. I am using the mantano pro reader right now and it works nicely. I also use the Adobe Reader with no problems either. I don't know how fast the ipad swipes pages but the Android Nexus is very fast too. I would highly recommend a Nexus 7 or 10 for reading books.
It's pretty laggy normally. Mantano seems to be the smoothest PDF reader on the market, but it can't handle large PDFs very well.
However, if you enable Developer Settings and check Force GPU Rendering, using the Adobe Reader app becomes very smooth. I haven't experienced any negative side effects (crashes, UI quirks, battery drain, etc) from having this enabled, so I've left it on, as this is my primary use for the Nexus 10.
Dr_Knickers said:
It's pretty laggy normally. Mantano seems to be the smoothest PDF reader on the market, but it can't handle large PDFs very well.
However, if you enable Developer Settings and check Force GPU Rendering, using the Adobe Reader app becomes very smooth. I haven't experienced any negative side effects (crashes, UI quirks, battery drain, etc) from having this enabled, so I've left it on, as this is my primary use for the Nexus 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no problem at all reading PDFs on Repligo - and I read a lot of them on the Nexus 10. I can recommend that programme, if that helps?

Enough negativity, let's share the positives!!

I'm sad for those who are thinking of buying this tablet or those who just recently have and read all the negative things about this amazing tablet. Let's all share the things you love most about this awesome device.
I for one haven't had nearly as many issues as some have posted on xda or here. I think most are too picky or just don't know how to use it.
I love my tablet because it has one of the best screens available, it's snappy, I haven't experience lag with the right settings. I love the spen features, the size is perfect, the over all build is good to me.
With everything this device has to offer and how customizable it can be and even more so if you root or find the right apps the options are almost endless.
I look forward to reading what you all love most about your experience. Let's let's those on the edge about buying or keeping the Note 10.1 2014 edition know its a great buy worth the money!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
The S Pen is a god. I haven't used a piece of paper at work since August 2012. I am entirely digital with my notes and diagrams. This is something that just seemed impossible before the S Pen hit the tablet scene regardless of how much I wanted to get away from paper. That combination of a light portable 10" 16:10 Note tablet series with the S Pen is nearly unbeatable at the moment. It is the sweet spot for me.
How's that for positive?
My point being is with out knowledge of what your options are your going to be dissatisfied. Read up before complaining or ask us
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Stocklone said:
The S Pen is a god. I haven't used a piece of paper at work since August 2012. I am entirely digital with my notes and diagrams. This is something that just seemed impossible before the S Pen hit the tablet scene regardless of how much I wanted to get away from paper. That combination of a light portable 10" 16:10 Note tablet series with the S Pen is nearly unbeatable at the moment. It is the sweet spot for me.
How's that for positive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stocklone:
Care to shed any light on your workflow. I'm interested in what apps you use to take your notes, how you archive them, how you search for info at a later date, are they in a format where you can access them across platforms (PC, etc).
I've been wanting to go completely digital with my notes but still haven't been able to come up with a truly workable system.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk
ElectronKing said:
Stocklone:
Care to shed any light on your workflow. I'm interested in what apps you use to take your notes, how you archive them, how you search for info at a later date, are they in a format where you can access them across platforms (PC, etc).
I've been wanting to go completely digital with my notes but still haven't been able to come up with a truly workable system.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do everything through Lecture Notes currently. I used to do everything through Quill but I found Lecture Notes to be perfect for note taking since it allows for folders as well as notebooks. So I can jump very quickly to the notes I need for the current project I'm working on where everything is organized at the location I'm working at for a given project and the year and month if it was something very regular like weekly team meetings. That structure is good enough for me for retrieving whatever I'm looking for. I know Quill has tags if you want to filter individual pages in a given book but the GUI is incredibly slow once you have a lot of notebooks.
My folder hierarchy is typically Location\Building\Project\(Year\Month) for Lecture Notes. That allows me to split things up enough that I'm okay with combing through my notes from that point out. I do date each entry in my notes than highlight it in yellow so I can quickly find notes for a given day. I'm pretty sure LN offers some kind of tagging system if you wanted to make things searchable.
With Quill I backed up old notes to PDF and made a copy on my microSD and my notebook. I actually haven't archived anything yet with Lecture Notes but I know it can export to PDF so I will probably do that. Quill actually offers syncing notes between devices but I never used it. Quill also had automatic backing up to the microSD card.
I don't ever really access my notes on a PC. Due to computer restrictions where I work, my tablet pretty much has to remain an island unto its self while I am at work. If I wanted to make them accessible I would probably sync the PDF files with Dropbox I imagine.
I think Quill has the prettiest writing but Lecture Notes once you set it up is far more functional.
My system would probably fall apart if I wasn't working in an environment of multiple unrelated ever changing projects. If I only worked one project as my entire job, tagging pages would probably be much more important.
For future reference, a setup where you really don't have to think about anything for syncing between devices and backing up, OneNote with Office 2013 on a Surface Pro 2 is probably as simple as you are going to get. That's what my wife uses.
---------- Post added at 04:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:44 PM ----------
RussellEstridge25 said:
My point being is with out knowledge of what your options are your going to be dissatisfied. Read up before complaining or ask us
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally hate this tablet without root. Once I had root, this tablet became an absolute joy to use. I think rooting would be the best advice I could give to a new user that might be frustrated with their Note. Then nearly anything that pisses you off can be fixed in way or another.
Finding the right 3rd party apps is also crucial. I think that if you assume what Samsung provides is the end all of what works with the S Pen, you are really limiting yourself. Once you start branching out you see all the possibilities of the S Pen you can have a much better idea of how useful it is. Also, many times you have to turn on S Pen support for an app such as drawing and note taking apps. Until then it treats the pen like a finger. And sometimes some random 3rd party app may actually do something better than all the big companies with similar apps. Research seriously pays off with this tablet.
A not so super obvious benefit of the S Pen is gaming. I don't know how anybody plays R-Type with their finger when you have all those little enemies flying around the screen from every angle. The S Pen is a huge advantage there. Even casual games like Fruit Ninja, I can play way better with an S Pen because of the higher accuracy and less obstructed vision.
Stocklone said:
I do everything through Lecture Notes currently. I used to do everything through Quill but I found Lecture Notes to be perfect for note taking since it allows for folders as well as notebooks. So I can jump very quickly to the notes I need for the current project I'm working on where everything is organized at the location I'm working at for a given project and the year and month if it was something very regular like weekly team meetings. That structure is good enough for me for retrieving whatever I'm looking for. I know Quill has tags if you want to filter individual pages in a given book but the GUI is incredibly slow once you have a lot of notebooks.
My folder hierarchy is typically Location\Building\Project\(Year\Month) for Lecture Notes. That allows me to split things up enough that I'm okay with combing through my notes from that point out. I do date each entry in my notes than highlight it in yellow so I can quickly find notes for a given day. I'm pretty sure LN offers some kind of tagging system if you wanted to make things searchable.
With Quill I backed up old notes to PDF and made a copy on my microSD and my notebook. I actually haven't archived anything yet with Lecture Notes but I know it can export to PDF so I will probably do that. Quill actually offers syncing notes between devices but I never used it. Quill also had automatic backing up to the microSD card.
I don't ever really access my notes on a PC. Due to computer restrictions where I work, my tablet pretty much has to remain an island unto its self while I am at work. If I wanted to make them accessible I would probably sync the PDF files with Dropbox I imagine.
I think Quill has the prettiest writing but Lecture Notes once you set it up is far more functional.
My system would probably fall apart if I wasn't working in an environment of multiple unrelated ever changing projects. If I only worked one project as my entire job, tagging pages would probably be much more important.
For future reference, a setup where you really don't have to think about anything for syncing between devices and backing up, OneNote with Office 2013 on a Surface Pro 2 is probably as simple as you are going to get. That's what my wife uses.
---------- Post added at 04:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:44 PM ----------
I personally hate this tablet without root. Once I had root, this tablet became an absolute joy to use. I think rooting would be the best advice I could give to a new user that might be frustrated with their Note. Then nearly anything that pisses you off can be fixed in way or another.
Finding the right 3rd party apps is also crucial. I think that if you assume what Samsung provides is the end all of what works with the S Pen, you are really limiting yourself. Once you start branching out you see all the possibilities of the S Pen you can have a much better idea of how useful it is. Also, many times you have to turn on S Pen support for an app such as drawing and note taking apps. Until then it treats the pen like a finger. And sometimes some random 3rd party app may actually do something better than all the big companies with similar apps. Research seriously pays off with this tablet.
A not so super obvious benefit of the S Pen is gaming. I don't know how anybody plays R-Type with their finger when you have all those little enemies flying around the screen from every angle. The S Pen is a huge advantage there. Even casual games like Fruit Ninja, I can play way better with an S Pen because of the higher accuracy and less obstructed vision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. Care to share what apps you downloaded for the spen and how you turned on spen instead of having it act as a finger? Very interesting.
Great point about using the pen for gaming!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk
Stocklone said:
I do everything through Lecture Notes currently. I used to do everything through Quill but I found Lecture Notes to be perfect for note taking since it allows for folders as well as notebooks. So I can jump very quickly to the notes I need for the current project I'm working on where everything is organized at the location I'm working at for a given project and the year and month if it was something very regular like weekly team meetings. That structure is good enough for me for retrieving whatever I'm looking for. I know Quill has tags if you want to filter individual pages in a given book but the GUI is incredibly slow once you have a lot of notebooks.
My folder hierarchy is typically Location\Building\Project\(Year\Month) for Lecture Notes. That allows me to split things up enough that I'm okay with combing through my notes from that point out. I do date each entry in my notes than highlight it in yellow so I can quickly find notes for a given day. I'm pretty sure LN offers some kind of tagging system if you wanted to make things searchable.
With Quill I backed up old notes to PDF and made a copy on my microSD and my notebook. I actually haven't archived anything yet with Lecture Notes but I know it can export to PDF so I will probably do that. Quill actually offers syncing notes between devices but I never used it. Quill also had automatic backing up to the microSD card.
I don't ever really access my notes on a PC. Due to computer restrictions where I work, my tablet pretty much has to remain an island unto its self while I am at work. If I wanted to make them accessible I would probably sync the PDF files with Dropbox I imagine.
I think Quill has the prettiest writing but Lecture Notes once you set it up is far more functional.
My system would probably fall apart if I wasn't working in an environment of multiple unrelated ever changing projects. If I only worked one project as my entire job, tagging pages would probably be much more important.
For future reference, a setup where you really don't have to think about anything for syncing between devices and backing up, OneNote with Office 2013 on a Surface Pro 2 is probably as simple as you are going to get. That's what my wife uses.
---------- Post added at 04:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:44 PM ----------
I personally hate this tablet without root. Once I had root, this tablet became an absolute joy to use. I think rooting would be the best advice I could give to a new user that might be frustrated with their Note. Then nearly anything that pisses you off can be fixed in way or another.
Finding the right 3rd party apps is also crucial. I think that if you assume what Samsung provides is the end all of what works with the S Pen, you are really limiting yourself. Once you start branching out you see all the possibilities of the S Pen you can have a much better idea of how useful it is. Also, many times you have to turn on S Pen support for an app such as drawing and note taking apps. Until then it treats the pen like a finger. And sometimes some random 3rd party app may actually do something better than all the big companies with similar apps. Research seriously pays off with this tablet.
A not so super obvious benefit of the S Pen is gaming. I don't know how anybody plays R-Type with their finger when you have all those little enemies flying around the screen from every angle. The S Pen is a huge advantage there. Even casual games like Fruit Ninja, I can play way better with an S Pen because of the higher accuracy and less obstructed vision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also use Lecture Notes for work. Besides the notebooks and folders, you can use the index page function to easily find a particular part of a notebook later. I typically index more important meetings within a project notebook to easily reference later. For me this has worked so much better than the many separate paper project notebooks I used to have. I often remember a reference mentioned in a meeting but not the exact value. With my old paper system i would rarely find it. With the indexing in Lecture Notes, it's no trouble at all.
I prefer the Note 8 at work, because the size makes it easier to keep with me all the time. So far I use the Note 10 at home only, but I do backup my Note 8 notes to Dropbox and sync them to my Note 10 with Dropsync so I can pick up the bigger tablet if I ever needed to with all my notes in it already. I used to take notes on an Ipad. The Spen+Lecture Notes combination is a million times better.
I also use the widget or shortcut function of Lecture Notes to place 3 shortcuts on my main screen;
The main notebook of the project I work on for quick access, a notebook I call "to do list", and a blank new notebook in case of an unexpected new topic which I can later rename and organize as needed. All other notebooks and folders I access the normal way. But these shortcuts make it easy to jump between my most used notebooks, and I'm always ready for new topics with an empty notebook.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
l haven't rooted yet. What are the 3rd party apps you use after root. Also how hard is it to Unroot, say when an update Comes out.
l'm just curious how others use their tablets. I use S note. I have purchased lecture notes, but I haunt figured out how to set it up to a way I'm satisfied with. So what are some advantages to rooting?
jherring002 said:
l haven't rooted yet. What are the 3rd party apps you use after root. Also how hard is it to Unroot, say when an update Comes out.
l'm just curious how others use their tablets. I use S note. I have purchased lecture notes, but I haunt figured out how to set it up to a way I'm satisfied with. So what are some advantages to rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
turn on the filter (sativ something filter, can't quite remember. I use it at 7), that is the key to a good writing. Lecturenotes is good, but complicated.
jherring002 said:
l haven't rooted yet. What are the 3rd party apps you use after root. Also how hard is it to Unroot, say when an update Comes out.
l'm just curious how others use their tablets. I use S note. I have purchased lecture notes, but I haunt figured out how to set it up to a way I'm satisfied with. So what are some advantages to rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ad away='s no more ads. Titanium back up to get rid of bloat ware or freeze apps. Wanam xposed apps to change the framework and completely customize it. Custom recovery to be able to back up and restore. I just use kies or Odin to manually update. Works perfectly.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I also have the Note 8 & 10.1. The Note 8 is my main tablet, especially for work, due to its size. The Note 10.1 is mainly used for inventory, the larger screen.
Via my Note 3
S-Pen is a great tool. I use it frequently in almost everything (except games). Also there is plenty of useful applications that is specific to Samsung like S-Note, Ez-pdf reader, Moon reader, Office suite Pro, Digital Calculator (I don`t remember the exact name) and a lot of apps. Another feature which is useful to me which is Multi window apps (requires a rooted device).
But there is performance difference between LTE and 3G devices due to processor difference.
But finally I`m happy with this tablet.
Since I have gotten my Note 10.1, I rarely now use my Nexus 7 2013. I like the screen real estate and as crazy as it sounds, I like the TWZ apps (calendar, S Note, to name a few). I take sermon notes while in church and compared to my iPad 3, it's a gem. I use OfficeSuite 7 with the keyboard to keep up, but for everything else, normal speed writing, I use the S Pen. It's the biggest reason I got the tablet to start with. I played with the Tab Pro 10.1 in BB this weekend and it flies with KK, but I need my S-Pen, so hopefully we get KK soon.
Turn Off Wifi During Sleep -> Better Battery than iPad
Hi,
For those who complains about battery life sucks, here is one tip: turn off wifi during sleep.
I just went to the Settings -> Connection -> Wifi and enable that. Now my tablet battery is a lot longer than my iPad 2.
Not that I use my Note 10.1 for game or any CPU hungry tasks.
Positives of this tablets...
I love it!
Best for remote services like Splashtop. This tab had saved my butt many days at work where my laptop cannot handle certain files. I would use my powerful desktop at home to pull through the loading, then work from there.
This is also a really light weight tablet. Easily one of the more comfortable ones to use, thought it could be a little more balanced like the tablet Z from Sony.
It is impressive in a business scenario. When I use it to show or modify data with the S Pen, I get many Ooouu and Ahhh from older folks. It is a great thing, if you do any of that sort of business. These impressions stick to people, especially if it's their first time seeing a Note product.
Im also in love with how familiar it is to many people. This is debatable, but my family members, friends, and sometimes strangers could pick this tab up, and know how to use it right off the bat. (especially people with samsung phones) Something Android tabs are lacking just a few years ago. Nowadays, the Nexus 7 is the only other friendly tablet I could think of, though it lacks many many out of the box features like the Note.
mmmmm positive things
glad to have s-pen....
high resolution, maybe not for video but for drawing it fits
what else?... ok let's see... with this device you:
can download torrents with aTorrent...
can edit pictures with Adobe PS Touch...
can draw with Autodesk Sketchbook
can take notes with Lecture Notes (even record video)
can draw vectors with Infinite Design
can make animations with Animation Studio or FlipaClap (i really like the last one)
can add effects to pictures with Handy Photo, SnapSeed, Pixlr Express or Repix
can view Full HD videos with MX Player (they look really small with this screen resolution)
can edit PDF files with PDF Max
can scan documents to PDF with CamScanner
can edit office documents with Kingsoft Office or OfficeSuite
can create diagrams with TouchDraw
can switch from one app to another with Switchr
can decompress or compress files with ZArchiver
can edit videos or adding effects with VideoPad
can create isometric pixel art with IsoPix
can view Flash videos with internet browser
can create pixel like 3d images with Fumotrim
can share video or audio content and sync with TV
can connect to remote desktop with RD Client, SplashTop ot Team Viewer
can control tv through wifi with Unified Remote Control
can transfer content with SuperBeam or WifiDirect
can connect to TV with MHL adapter
can use multiwindow feature (with root you can run 4 "popup window" apps)
even better, you can encode video but believe me, i will take forever and you will burn your note...
and many things i can't remember right now...
fantasmanegro said:
mmmmm positive things
glad to have s-pen....
high resolution, maybe not for video but for drawing it fits
what else?... ok let's see... with this device you:
can download torrents with aTorrent...
can edit pictures with Adobe PS Touch...
can draw with Autodesk Sketchbook
can take notes with Lecture Notes (even record video)
can draw vectors with Infinite Design
can make animations with Animation Studio or FlipaClap (i really like the last one)
can add effects to pictures with Handy Photo, SnapSeed, Pixlr Express or Repix
can view Full HD videos with MX Player (they look really small with this screen resolution)
can edit PDF files with PDF Max
can scan documents to PDF with CamScanner
can edit office documents with Kingsoft Office or OfficeSuite
can create diagrams with TouchDraw
can switch from one app to another with Switchr
can decompress or compress files with ZArchiver
can edit videos or adding effects with VideoPad
can create isometric pixel art with IsoPix
can view Flash videos with internet browser
can create pixel like 3d images with Fumotrim
can share video or audio content and sync with TV
can connect to remote desktop with RD Client, SplashTop ot Team Viewer
can control tv through wifi with Unified Remote Control
can transfer content with SuperBeam or WifiDirect
can connect to TV with MHL adapter
can use multiwindow feature (with root you can run 4 "popup window" apps)
even better, you can encode video but believe me, i will take forever and you will burn your note...
and many things i can't remember right now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....and now hancom office!!!!!!!!! ))))
Inviato dal mio SM-P905 utilizzando Tapatalk
fantasmanegro said:
mmmmm positive things
glad to have s-pen....
high resolution, maybe not for video but for drawing it fits
what else?... ok let's see... with this device you:
can download torrents with aTorrent...
can edit pictures with Adobe PS Touch...
can draw with Autodesk Sketchbook
can take notes with Lecture Notes (even record video)
can draw vectors with Infinite Design
can make animations with Animation Studio or FlipaClap (i really like the last one)
can add effects to pictures with Handy Photo, SnapSeed, Pixlr Express or Repix
can view Full HD videos with MX Player (they look really small with this screen resolution)
can edit PDF files with PDF Max
can scan documents to PDF with CamScanner
can edit office documents with Kingsoft Office or OfficeSuite
can create diagrams with TouchDraw
can switch from one app to another with Switchr
can decompress or compress files with ZArchiver
can edit videos or adding effects with VideoPad
can create isometric pixel art with IsoPix
can view Flash videos with internet browser
can create pixel like 3d images with Fumotrim
can share video or audio content and sync with TV
can connect to remote desktop with RD Client, SplashTop ot Team Viewer
can control tv through wifi with Unified Remote Control
can transfer content with SuperBeam or WifiDirect
can connect to TV with MHL adapter
can use multiwindow feature (with root you can run 4 "popup window" apps)
even better, you can encode video but believe me, i will take forever and you will burn your note...
and many things i can't remember right now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any full hd video should scale to the screen very well I have no idea why they would look small.....but yes to all of the above
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I love this tablet too
RussellEstridge25 said:
I'm sad for those who are thinking of buying this tablet or those who just recently have and read all the negative things about this amazing tablet. Let's all share the things you love most about this awesome device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will never win this war against the doomsayer. They will find always something to blame this great tablet.
RussellEstridge25 said:
I for one haven't had nearly as many issues as some have posted on xda or here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me. And you can came with the argument and the doomsayer still exists that their problem is a general problem of the tablet.
RussellEstridge25 said:
I love my tablet because [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
RussellEstridge25 said:
I look forward to reading what you all love most about your experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything. Not only it replace my other (older) tablets but also my gsm for my daily use. I use my HTC One (so you see how high the level staff is) now only for phone calls and text messaging. All the rest I do now with my Note.
So, what I love? Touchwiz *g* Yes, I love it. And if we got the Magazine UX and other changes from the Pro, I will love it more. Because Samsung made a tablet interface out of it. Google has here still to learn that tablets are not bigger phones.
I also love the default apps from Samsung. They have many add-ons which the replacements are still missing. So, I use the default browser, the default launcher and so on.
What I do at the end with this great tablet:
- internet surfing
- social virtual life (facebook, twitter, linkedIn, Google+, Skype...)
- drawing and painting (and I didn't switch any longer to my desktop to finish it)
- taking notes
- prepare shopping
- listen music
- watch full HD films (on the Note or from the intranet or internet)
- software development
- remove to desktop pc (for small tasks)
- project films, photos to TV
- reading books
- reading comics
- use this forum

Do we need a better note taking app?

I am a student and use a note 10.1 and a note pro 12.2 for note taking. I use both tablets on a daily basis for several hours during class and at home. For note taking I mainly use LectureNotes and for pdf viewing I use the only good pdf viewer ebookdroid. I don't use any paper whatsoever.
I am getting increasingly frustrated with my setup, I have the feeling that it is holding me back and my workflow is not fluid/natural. I am mainly getting frustrated with LectureNotes and switching back and forth between lecturenotes for editing and ebookdroid for plain reading.
While LectureNotes is a great app, there are a few things that are really frustrating:
Pdfs get dumbed down into pictures/bitmaps: Loss of searchability, export of pdfs is images only, loss of table of contents, links and everything that makes pdf cool
Pdf import takes long because it has to render everything into images, import is not in background, i have to sit there and do nothing until its finished
Huge memory consumption. I have even increased my max memory per app to 768mb per app to avoid crashes.
Everything is in images
Large memory consumption
I write in portrait, if I rotate the device it gets pixelated
If I get a tablet with a different/higher resolution my previous notes are going to look bad
Menus are text only, takes long to find something. Ln has so many features, but I dont really want to bother to find them in all the menus
UI is in general slow and sluggish
notebook overview is slow
inserting a page can take a while
cant have multiple documents open in tabs (app would run out of memory anyways ...)
opening and closing of documents isn't instant
Ebookdroid is the perfect pdf viewer for me, it has tabs, lots of customization and is very fast. It just cant annotate pdfs.
Basically I am looking for a note taking app with the following feature set:
Simply fast and responsive
Based on vector graphics which will scale to any resolution
Instant pdf import and merging of notes taken in the application back into the pdf
Read only pdf viewing, so I dont have to switch to a pdf viewer just for viewing of pdfs
Navigating a document of several hundred pages should be easy and intuitive
Decent table of contents
quick/responsive overview with thumbnails
Multi device synchronous editing of documents. I don't want to have to wait 10 minutes for dropsync to synchronize my notes. (Specific to me)
Simple way to view documents on pc. Some tasks like creation of a table of contents, reording of pages and things that are quicker and easier with a mouse and keyboard can be done on a desktop client.
Can have multiple documents open at the same time
App in general should be user friendly and fun to use.
I have programmed in java and android before. I'm considering spending my holiday on writing a notetaking app. Atm I'm still evaluating the libraries, file formats, if I can pull it off, the time I will roughly need and if it's worth my time at all. The app will ofc be open source.
Is there any interest in a better note taking application or is it just me?
I don't believe there is an all in one solution that will do all you that you require in a single app.
But some basic suggestions.
I think Papyrus offers a lot of what your asking in the Note taking department, it's fast, vector based and has PDF import, I prefer 'Write' which is similar, but doesn't support .pdf. Perhaps you could send a message to some of the developers asking for some improvements, or features as they are often quite responsive.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.steadfastinnovation.android.projectpapyrus
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.styluslabs.write
You could also run two apps like Papyrus for notes and Ebookdroid or EzPDF for annotation in multiwindow mode as a workaround.
In terms of developing.
The new Android 'L' release apparently now has included a native PDF API function, so more apps will soon add PDF support I would imagine.
"New api class: PdfRenderer
This class enables rendering a PDF document. This class is not thread safe.
If you want to render a PDF, you create a renderer and for every page you want to render, you open the page, render it, and close the page. After you are done with rendering, you close the renderer. After the renderer is closed it should not be used anymore. Note that the pages are rendered one by one, i.e. you can have only a single page opened at any given time."
If you are serious about developing your own solution, perhaps check out the development of the open source Omni Notes, the code is already available, it's a simple but has a lot of potential the betas already have sketch mode implemented for notetaking with Spen, they could likely do with some other developer support for advanced functionality. Perhaps check with the dev in the Omni Notes thread.
Omni Notes:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/sho...tmctr=(not provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=38510752
Good Luck.
I think Papyrus would handle things like you want it!
It has PDF Import with noteability and Vektor based Drawing
But what I'm Missing are the Drawing features of LectureNotes like Diagrams, Arrows and so on... they are very basic in Papyrus!
Would be awesome if you decide to work on such a program!
I'm also a student who uses his Note 10.1 for notetaking!
If you want a tester, it would be cool if I can help you!
My Java is very basic, so in programming i wouldn't be a huge help. But studiyng the source code would be fun^^
Greets
Terrorhuhn
I have interest in a better note taking app!
I'm with you 100%. I use ezpdf but it isn't great. There is something wrong with every note taking app that makes it annoying.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk
I'm all for a good note taking app and I'd pay good money for it. Papyrus is my go to app, but it has its flaws....main gripes being no easy way to navigate large PDF files and no stylus button support on Samsung ROMs
Terrorhuhn said:
what I'm Missing are the Drawing features of LectureNotes like Diagrams, Arrows and so on... they are very basic in Papyrus!
Would be awesome if you decide to work on such a program!
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Currently I use also papyrus. But yes, I miss many other features, specially easy page navigation.
I am really interested with your idea!
I've been using the note 10.1 series for the past 1,5 years to study with and my conclusion while I was using the 2013 model has been that the only apps that were noteworthy were S-note and papyrus and lecturenotes.
On the 2014 model I eventually got bored of S-note and decided to look around:
-Papyrus's graphics were better then S-note on the 2013 model however with the 2014 model the graphics do not scale appropriately and well...it now looks pretty ugly.
-LectureNotes has the res. scaling, but not the beauty associated with the writing experience- although I've heard it provides nice functionality.
-Tried around 2 to 6 apps for writing, all with sucky writing experiences and expected functionality.
-INKredible: I recently stumbled across it (an iOS app port) in the playstore, it has the best writing experience that I've ever come across on android.
It has amazing graphics (vector based I assume) so you actually enjoy writing on a piece of glass. The app is free ,but provides in app purchases. You get the fountain pen for free.
The app itself is pretty barren when it comes to functionality (there are some bugs and you don't even get individual notebooks), but as the dev has stated they will include most of the missing functionality with their upcoming updates (they are focusing and the core necessities first). This app made me enjoy taking notes that much that I prep'd all of my exams on it in the past month (I manually managed my notebooks).
For me the common denominator for having a great note taking experience when I was still using my iPad was the writing experience, it didnt matter for me if an app was missing x,y,z functionality as long as I was stimulated to write more in the app for the sake of writing (cos of the awesome xp). INKredible seems to be very promising in that regard and with the promise of more functionality it'll put the current selection of available writing apps to shame. So support the dev's for more sweet development!
Regarding workflow:
I know its not on everyone's prioritylist/mind, but rooting will unlock the full potential of any device and this is no exception on the note 2014. Though you probably already know that.
The apps that i love, dont necessarily support splitscreen, so I tell them to.
The addition of GMD gestures, xposed modules (app settings, s-pen only, multiwindow plus, wanam) provide an overall enhancement of my workflow.
Coupled with Xluco's kernel Touchwiz feels more functional and it gives you the general impression that your device can keep up with your multitasking demands.
I've just finished finished with my exams so I thought I'd share my bottled-up experiences with this device, hence my long story
I hope some of my input helped you.
Also does anyone have little bubbles appearing underneath the glass (near the edges of the screen)?
I tried out Inkredible, looks promising, not sure how long it will take to become stable/usable.
I guess everyone has very different requirements for a notetaking application. For me management of notebooks is important. Atm I already have 200 notebooks only from 2 semesters. If an app doesn't provide an ability to create folders I have a big problem. Also usually I need multiple documents to be open at the same time. When I practice for exams I need my formularies, the exam and my notes. So I have the exam on my laptop, the formularies on the 10.1 and write on the 12.2. Dunno if anyone has used linux and is used to the concept of workspaces. That is something that I would like to see. I open up my "electronics exams" and have all my pdfs and notes in one place. Changing workspaces should change the opened documents on all my devices. I have 3 tablets and a laptop, I would like to be able to use them in conjunction with the least hassle. Most people will have a tablet and at least a phone and laptop. So some kind of advanced multi device support would be pretty cool. Im babbling a bit, I have tons of ideas, that would be really cool.
What is also important to me is that that the file format that the notetaking app uses should be a format that I can open on my pc and modify with other programs. If I would to write an app I would probably use svg as a format for drawings. There are many tools to edit svgs and they can be viewed in a browser.
I need an app that is not just a notetaking app, I need an app that helps me work with lots of documents. I need to read, edit, take notes and understand the topics. I have noticed especially the past semester that writing on tablets has actually held me back. I didn't really want to read through the notes I took. A real book is still a lot easier and quicker to navigate than notes I have taken on my tab.
{Diemex} said:
I tried out Inkredible, looks promising, not sure how long it will take to become stable/usable.
I guess everyone has very different requirements for a notetaking application. For me management of notebooks is important. Atm I already have 200 notebooks only from 2 semesters. If an app doesn't provide an ability to create folders I have a big problem. Also usually I need multiple documents to be open at the same time. When I practice for exams I need my formularies, the exam and my notes. So I have the exam on my laptop, the formularies on the 10.1 and write on the 12.2. Dunno if anyone has used linux and is used to the concept of workspaces. That is something that I would like to see. I open up my "electronics exams" and have all my pdfs and notes in one place. Changing workspaces should change the opened documents on all my devices. I have 3 tablets and a laptop, I would like to be able to use them in conjunction with the least hassle. Most people will have a tablet and at least a phone and laptop. So some kind of advanced multi device support would be pretty cool. Im babbling a bit, I have tons of ideas, that would be really cool.
What is also important to me is that that the file format that the notetaking app uses should be a format that I can open on my pc and modify with other programs. If I would to write an app I would probably use svg as a format for drawings. There are many tools to edit svgs and they can be viewed in a browser.
I need an app that is not just a notetaking app, I need an app that helps me work with lots of documents. I need to read, edit, take notes and understand the topics. I have noticed especially the past semester that writing on tablets has actually held me back. I didn't really want to read through the notes I took. A real book is still a lot easier and quicker to navigate than notes I have taken on my tab.
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3 screens at a time for prep'ing? In my eyes that seams like overkill, for my last semester I just combined Wolfram ,Mathlab, Dolphin, 2xeBook readers(one for the problems and one for my theory/solutions) and INKredible/s-Note on my note 2014 via 3 way splitscreen and it worked like a charm. The bottom half for notes, the upper 2 halfs for for the rest, when I need to (fully)use one of the upper half apps I can just minimize one to make room for the other or swap apps within a 1/3 screen. Heck I even split youtube for the occasional online crashcourse.
This setup has proven very productive and I'd only use my laptop to convert word documents containing formulas too an android friendly pdf format.
If the multi-windowplus xPosed module had been updated to fully work on Kitkat I would've been able to have an additional layer of functionally through popup/floating windows.
I guess my only negative for working this way was that I had the occasional stiff neck once in a while, I'd then just relocate too my bed to resume my number crunching.
11 hours, that was my last screen-on-time running this setup, that's just...well..damn impressive:victory:.
I can imagine that you need all that functionality within one note app, but to be honest I think that's asking for to much for the Android platform. We'd need a pretty big dev team to be able to cram all that goodness in one smooth and hiccup free package...which I don't see happening anytime soon (iPad's note apps are draining to many of the dev's attention I guess).
@Vasishtha I'm not someone that uses multiwindow, the screen is already so damn small. I don't have a single textbook or sheet of paper, so I need at least two screens, otherwise I go crazy because of the limited space.
As you seemed to have used notetaking apps on the iPad, how do they compare to the Android ones? How do they even deal with the lack of a stylus? I couldn't imagine writing with a clunky stylus that covers up what I write and is unprecise. I have tried capacitive styluses a few years back and the writing experience was poor.
Seriously, why can't Notability be on Android as well. That was my go to on iOS.
Sent from my Note 3 via the Interwebs.
Don't you guys like Evernote?
{Diemex} said:
@Vasishtha I'm not someone that uses multiwindow, the screen is already so damn small. I don't have a single textbook or sheet of paper, so I need at least two screens, otherwise I go crazy because of the limited space.
As you seemed to have used notetaking apps on the iPad, how do they compare to the Android ones? How do they even deal with the lack of a stylus? I couldn't imagine writing with a clunky stylus that covers up what I write and is unprecise. I have tried capacitive styluses a few years back and the writing experience was poor.
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The screen resolution right now is high enough to make 4 way splitscreen a viable option for productivity purposes. Also the screen size for me is the perfect size, not to big for taking notes and not to small for reading. I also rely on no paper, even my graph-calc has been replaced.
Well the top 2-4 iOS apps are functionality wise on par with android apps (take for example : s-note vs notesplus/notability), but of course are more optimized.
1 app ,I believe, has a desktop variant for viewing/editing your notes.
However in the note taking experience department those top iOS apps blows away any android competition by large margins (not comparing styli here). And this has stayed the same since I switched over to android (bout 2 years ago) ,so imagine the margins now.
Writing with a cap stylus was surprisingly easy via an app's provided zoombox ,though it doesn't compare to the s-pen (later I was using the jot pro, but it wasn't perfect either).
This is why I know the iOS app port of notes plus (named INKredible on android) will achieve its full potential. And when it does, it'll put all the other apps to shame.
@dbeth Notes plus is already on android in the form of INKredible, the devs are hard at work in finalizing it and adding features to it. Stay tuned and support the devs in the meantime.
-Edit: My mistake, I thought you meant notes plus. Notability was also my favorite note taking app, but notes plus had it going on aswell
@lanwarrior Evernote's writing experience reminds me of s-note's ,stale and boring . There's no 'feel' to it.
But it does provide some nice functionality.
@Vasishtha
I'm trying to understand what sets an ipad notetaking apps apart from the android equivalents. To me the ipad ones just look like 'another' note taking app. Obviously there has to be a difference. What do you mean with 'feel'? Feel of the app in overall, responsiveness of the UI, responsiveness of the writing or just the feel of the scribblings as such, how they look after applying all the filters. What would an android app have to do differently to 'feel' good?
{Diemex} said:
@Vasishtha
I'm trying to understand what sets an ipad notetaking apps apart from the android equivalents. To me the ipad ones just look like 'another' note taking app. Obviously there has to be a difference. What do you mean with 'feel'? Feel of the app in overall, responsiveness of the UI, responsiveness of the writing or just the feel of the scribblings as such, how they look after applying all the filters. What would an android app have to do differently to 'feel' good?
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Click to collapse
Well basically the result of beautiful vector graphics (with maybe some pressure sensitivity) in combination with an accurate natural flow of digital ink, in which you're under the impression of the experience and are almost not able to distinct the interaction between the pen and the ink drawn as a result of your precise hand movements from the real deal. The reduction of friction between the pentip and the glass surface also brings about an unique experience ,which the note 2014 offers, over writing on normal paper.
To me that feel is the foundation on which any note apps should be build on. And this is exactly what all android apps are missing (except inkredible).
Functions come and go, but you cannot replace/supplement the beauty of writing by cramming in more functionality.
We have not noted any recent upsets of Inkcredible.
Via my Note 3
I'm using Stylus Write for my business notes. very fast and quick to start taking notes. It also has linux client to open its files. Not as fancy as others but doew the job.
There is also Note Anywhere. Try it as well. All use vector graphics.
I tried Lecture Notes but seems slow to open and start a new note, and to save documents. T also uses bitmap graphics if I remember right.
---------- Post added at 05:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:15 PM ----------
Btw I don't use Snote as it will mean locking into Samsung Firmware.
Vasishtha said:
@lanwarrior Evernote's writing experience reminds me of s-note's ,stale and boring . There's no 'feel' to it.
But it does provide some nice functionality.
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I agree that Evernote is a little bit "bland" on the handwriting feature, but I like the ability to sync it throughout all my devices - Note 3, Note 10.1 and Macs.
I also use Evernote heavily for many stuff: clipping website, taking picture, checklist, etc. So I have one solution for everything.
One thing I do WISH Evernote have is the ability to put handwriting in the text area. Right now the handwriting is in its own area separate than the text, even in the same note.
While writing an exam today I noticed how boxed in I feel when writing on a tablet. There is just a sense of freedom when writing on paper. I have a whole table of space to work with, I can make stacks of paper sheets, I have a stack with questions I have answered and a stack for questions I still have to look at. I make use of the whole table. When using a tablet I have to dedicate some brainpower just for using the tablet. I have to think if I want to annotate a document or just read it. Depending on that Ill use a different app. Because I have multiple devices they dont all have the same documents on them. So I take notes on the one tablet and then they havent synced to the other device yet. Taking notes in class doesnt feel natural. Im not going to go back to paper, because having digital notes has more advantages. It should be fixable with better apps, currently Im thinking about it. But lets be honest 10.1/12.2 inches is not really much screen space to work with. One would need some pretty awesome app to make one feel like one has more space...

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