[Q] Any other great uses for the S-Pen? - Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all,
First off, I love my Note. Its absolutely fantastic - the screen, the screen/device size ratio, the thinness, the performance, the camera. For me this is the best phone on the market today. I also love the S-Pen and the feeling of writing on the screen.....but I have no apparent use for it? It appears that I bought the phone for all its other features apart from its unique selling point.....
For texting, emails, tasks - they keyboard with swiftkey is miles faster - especially as the size of the device allows two-thumbed fast typing.
Maybe for jotting down phone numbers, etc if I'm on a call but if I'm on the phone I cant really use it (dont want to do speaker) and I'll ask the other person to send an email or text with details.
Diagrams may be a use but usually if I'm sitting down to do diagrams for someone I'll grab a piece of A4 (and take a picture of it afterwards).
I dont attend lectures or conferences at the moment so I dont need it for fast scrawling in those scenarios.
I dont do art on the phone.
The only thing I cant think of is possibly meeting notes.
It just seems a bit of a waste - its a great feature but looking for a application.
Anyone else feel this or have any any other uses I could possibly make use of? I'm not particularly worried about not using the S-Pen but would like to find a useful application for it is poss.
Cheers.

Games.
I particularly find Fruit Ninja to work better with a pen, just like hidden object games, builder games, match 3 games and other such. Anything that requires you to see the full expanse of the screen without your fingers/hand getting in the way, really.
Also, it makes it easier to keep your screen clean, like whn you want to watch a full-HD film without getting fingerprints on the screen. (or during lunch.)

I used to have small pieces of paper with notes, like shopping list, things to do, phone #, deadlines, notes from the meetings etc. No more of that, I still forget sometimes I have phone to take notes, but slowly getting used to it. Also I hate typing, especially on the phone, so I'm not good at it and always hit the wrong keys with my fingers, so actually I prefer typing with the pen (very minimal, like website name or search, I don't do texting) and my kids love drawing sketches on it. I think my next phone will have to have s-pen.

Thanks for the ideas guys. Didnt think about games or, in fact, using the S-Pen as the main navigation tool. I guess it would be a lot more precise and if I get used to *always* getting it out to use the phone maybe I'll find more uses for it.

Unfortunately I can't post my ideas here as they are X-rated.

I use my pen to cover the hole in the bottom of my phone

Related

What new apps would you like to see next?

List a few apps you would love to see created for wm devices. Here are some I would like to see (if not already available.)
1. App that changes spoken word into text
2. App to change voice (pitch, tone, etc) as you speak into your device
3. Spoken language converter for communication between two different languages
4. Radar to detect movement within a specified radius
5. calorie calculator - input what your eating throughout the day and it provides the # of calories for each item and gives a total
6. Car alarm interface - lock/unlock your car using your device
7. Battery maximizer - automatically cuts power to anything not being used/ auto restores when used and figures best output needed for operation
8. reserve 911 power - allows 5-7 mins of talk if 911 is dialed on a dead battery
9. Background noise reducer
10. flashing flare - signal for emergency or to get attention of others in dark places like clubs or movies. (choice of colors)
Some of those apps are a little too futuristic, like Spoken language converter, Car alarm interface (even if it would be able to make, it would probably be illegal?), though some others I think wouldn't be too hard to make for the developers here.
I dont have any specific request, I'd just love to see a game/app with nice graphics for once Most apps gui are kinda lame, even though the function is superb. Like if someone could do a remake of DiamondBeer and make it more realistic like the iPhone one (yeah I know, I'm jealous of all the apps iPhone has). Why dont developers and designers go together when they're creating stuff? Everything would be so much better with some teamwork
Tough I have an game/useless app idea. Kinda like a voodoo-doll using physics and the accelerometer. Like you toss a figure around by shaking your device and the figure gets more and more damaged..
Pomegranate NS08
http://www.pomegranatephone.com/
I agree some apps are a bit on the futuristic side but it's fun to dream.
Here are some in the games category please excuse me if it already exists:
1. Bowling - bowl is lauching by finger swipe (faster the swipt the faster the roll)
2. Dodgeball - control your character with your finger (see through image of your charter like oldschool punch out) and avoid the balls being thrown by other character. You can place the face of anyone in your pictures on the attacking/target character. Catch balls with a correctly timed tap.
Am I the only one that wants to see someone rewrite the text messaging side of the diamond?
Its crap.
Its not intuitive, its not finger friendly it doesn't look good and its slow.
And is it just me but when I try to look through past messages they seem t be in the wrong places. Like messages I've recieved aren't in the inbox. Messages I've sent aren't in the sent box!
Oh god, I can't stop laughing at that Pomegranatephone. Haha, awesome, would be cool if it actually was possible to make one of those.
vale|46 said:
Pomegranate NS08
http://www.pomegranatephone.com/
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Click to collapse
I love the shaving part!
i think the bowling idea mentioned above is a great idea.
would love to have it.
using G-sensor to curve the ball could be interesting
concerning the "flashing flare", I made my very first WinMo app with your idea... So, please be kind ^^
Hope you'll like it
I'll add some features, like the morse code mode or the possibility to save the settings
Edit : translation corrected
Noone likes my sadistic voodoo-app?
Oh I just remembered what I want pretty bad now. a working landscape mode in tf3d.

[Q] Thinking of getting a focus

Hi, I wanted to know what you guys think of the Focus and is it a worth getting?
What are the ups and downs of windows phone 7?
Is there any major hardware issues that I should consider before getting one?
Thanks in advance
I bought the phone outright from Rogers for $630.00 and I don't have a single regret! I think WP7 is gonna be a VERY strong competitor against ios and android by the end of the year. Microsoft needs a few updates to give the devs more control to create better apps, it needs some more user customization, and as most complaints would be it doesn't have copy & paste (which I dont care about at all)
All these are coming in updates soon and once the ball really starts rollin' I think WP7 will be a major success.
Is it worth buying the Focus? ABSOLUTELY! I love the phone, its so fast, fluid, and feels great.
I have new hopes for MS now, and I think Im currently leaning towards WP7 more than android and ios.
just my opinion,,,,hope this helps.
Sweet! You won't regret it IMHO.
My top 5 tips for the Focus (extra important for someone like me outside US warranty cover):
1. TAKE TREMENDOUS care clipping on/off the rear plate-phone back. It is plastic, with a couple of tiny plastic clips holding it in. Break these.....replacment back plate or blu-tac required!
2. Think long and hard over a case (I got a body glove - review on this site). This can be a slippery little sucker once the back plate gets some natural body oils / sweat / humidity etc on it. It has such a small form factor – cases do not weight it down too much in my opinion.
3. Add expandable memory at your own risk until MS offer a certified list / approved card process. If you do – load up the phone above the 8GB limit ASAP to test stability over a week or so. If you add heaps of apps and custom info and then need to hard reset, you've wasted a decent amount of time.
4. Use the Samsung Profile app (marketplace) to move the MMS capability over to your preferred carrier if outside US (eg Telstra Australia = worked for me).
5. Remove the AT&T bloat/software if outside US App support.
From one very happy Aussie Focus owner.
Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?
Think again
Noz85 said:
Thanks guys I'm see about getting one in a few weeks.
So no custom roms for this device yet, no ones working with this or any of the WP7 phones?
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If you are, like me, a former WM 6.5 guy who liked to flash custom ROMs and are thinking about a WP7 device, you are on the wrong path my friend. Custom ROMs on a WP7 device? Have you not read anything in these threads? I went to the Focus from a FUZE with a 6.5.5 Energy ROM, and tweaked and upgraded constantly, including my apps. I did this becuase I wanted to and thought I needed to. It was insanity and I realize this now that I have the Focus. I no longer need to do that, and no longer want to do that. My apps update on their own, the OS will too, and I would like to see some OS updates but don't need them. If what you want to do is tweak, customize and burn new custom ROMs, look elsewhere than WP7.
While we're on topic, how is the call quality?
Call quality
mcorrie1121 said:
While we're on topic, how is the call quality?
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The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.
wspaw said:
The best of any smartphone I've ever used - Kaiser, Rhodium, iPhone 1st gen and 3GS. It REALLY sounds good. MUCH better radio than any of the other mentioned phones, as well, in terms of reception and coverage on AT&T in my location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
that I can definitely agree with! Excellent call quality!
Samsung Focus WP7 pros and cons
Check Youtube video: "The Dark Side of the Samsung Focus"
I am hearing some a mono tone noise in the background while using my Bluetooth headset, such as Jawbone Icon, Sound ID5 etc.
The App store is still at its infancy. The interface is sometimes sluggish and crash without response especially on 3rd party apps. There is no VOIP applications yet because MS hasn't released the API. The screen of the Focus is sometimes way too sensitive that I have to do a factory reset or complete shut down of the phone.
CONS:
- Bluetooth + 3G call interfere with WiFi signal.
- Camera Settings are Not Saved after usage. I have to re-set 720P for video everytime!
- No video upload to social network nor Youtube yet.
- No dedicate Youtube app beside the mobile web interface. I really like the latest Youtube app in Android where you can have full screen in landscape and a small video still running on top with comments and related links at the bottom.... too bad it's only limited to Froyo or above version.
- Bluetooth Remote Control Protocol (No track change, No Volume Control)
- No Hidden WiFi SSID
- No native multilingual input support such as Chinese text and voice input yet.
- Voice control sometimes forces you to quite to the home page and need to press and hold the Windows Button again.
- No HTML5, Text rendering engine is sometimes very slow which results in unreadable pixelated form when zoomed in.
- Lacking confirmation before shut down when press and hold the power/sleep button. Both iOS and Android prompt for shut down not WP7.
- Charging time is very long. Sometimes it takes 8 Hours to charge from 0 % to 100%.
- Volume Button sometimes gets stuck depending on the surrounding temperature such as too cold at around 56ºF.
- Capacitive Buttons at the bottom are sometimes too sensitive which causes quitting a game and need to be restarted all over again.
- No Multitask or limited multi-task yet.
- A lot of games need to start from the beginning instead of pausing the state when quitting the app accidentally.
- No free turn-by-turn Navigation system.
- No Skype, fring, not even official Windows Live Messenger client yet (Zune HD has Windows Live Messenger already).
- No Front Facing Camera for video call
- Cannot change theme by default (without jailbreaking)
- Only Vibrate twice then ringtone instead of vibrating and ringtone simultaneously.
- No Threaded email
- Hard to manage tons of apps if MS still keep the same Metro UI without implementing some kind of folder system.
- Apps only sorted in Alphabetic order
- Text Message does not show nor highlight the phone number of the contact. I often get confused on which number did the caller call from, Google Voice, Mobile, Office, or Home??
- Cannot SMS to pager, home, and other category number except Mobile. Unless you type it in manually or go through the contact list.
- SMS doesn't use two colors or styles to distinguish you or the person you are trying to SMS to.
Pros:
- (Just Discovered) Able to record HD video with voice during any phone calls! No other Operating System can do that well and smooth. iPhone blocks the video capture during phone call, Symbian doesn't allow voice but video, Android camera is totally disabled, while the iOS allows you to take picture at least but not video.
- Thinnest and lightest WP7 phone
- 4" Super AMOLED screen
- Nice and loud speaker
- Chrome bezel and back cover.
- in-line and in-ear headphone with mic and volume control included
- Pin Apps, Songs, Website, People, etc to Home screen
- Large icons for touch
- Fast loading for MS's native interface
- Great Start for version 1.0 of the WP7. There are plenty of improvement and I'm sure MS will tackle the above issues in future updates.
Nice review, squarejp - thanks for sharing that.
User experience on the Focus is somewhat varied, I would say. Some prefer the plain glass "feel" versus having a third party screen protector like Zagg's InvisibleShield (my preference) on it, for example.
My experience with the Focus is that is an awesome phone. WP7 has some challenges ahead but I am optimistic (even if naively so) that most, if not all, of the issues will get hashed out over time. I'm very pleased with this phone and can't wait to see what the future holds for it!
Thanks guys looks like a solid device. I wasn't really looking to mod it just figured I'd ask. I got the aria for Modding anyways.
sent from my HTC Intruder
squarejp:
Some of Your cons seem to be a matter of personal preference, not an actual limitation of the phone. two colour sms? c'mon, if you can't tell that the bubble on the right is you and the bubble on the left is your sms partner, then Metro is obviously lost on you.
The best thing about this phone is what JamesAllen has said. it just works, you don't have to dicker around with it (that is unless of course you're taking it from one network to another).
If you want something to enable you to use the features most people expect in a smartphone while being able to enjoy an unlimited data plan, this is definitely a great phone.
Check out the Real CONS on Youtube.
Search "The Dark Side of The Samsung Focus"
Bluetooth + 3G interfere with WiFi signal.
Highly recommend this device and OS.
Put my nightmare X10 right back in the box.
can I chime in
the ONE thing that drives me crazy about the phone is the small landscape keyboard. I can live with almost all of the other nuances. My captivate keyboard spread accross the bottom of the screen and was really easy to type on. the landscape keyboard on WP7 is just too small.

What do you use the S pen for?

Thought it would be interesting to make a thread on how people are using the S-pen. Give people some new ideas or whatever.
I rarely use it. My handwriting sucks so the Note has no idea what I'm writing. Although normal people can't read my writing when I write with pen/paper anyway, so no surprise there.
I mostly use the S-pen to play Nemo picross actually, ha ha ha! It sure is nice to shrink the grid to a tiny size (20x20 visible) and use the pen to play. When I used my fingers on my mytouch 4g, I'd have to use a 9x9 visible grid, and I'd have to scroll all over the place.
- Frank
Nose & ear hygiene
Keep my girlfriend busy drawing while I'm watching football.
Sent from my Galaxy Note through telekinesis
pjm77 said:
Nose & ear hygiene
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HAHA my granddad uses his car key!
To be honest I only pulled it out to show people what it can do, doubt I will ever need to use it which is a shame considering the time and energy that must have gone into implementing it so nicely!
thebigak said:
HAHA my granddad uses his car key!
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Click to collapse
That is so 1980s! You've got to keep up with times, for godssake
Playing World of Goo.
Japanese handwriting recognition.
Faster typing with Swype.
Handwritting with Graffiti Pro recognition method. Works way better than inbuilt one as you use simplified characters.
Also drawing and photo masking/editing.
i use it for swypeing - i rly like it.
GTD. Any time something comes up that I have to do, I do a quick memo and send to evernote inbox. each day I open evernote inbox and process all items. I make a handwritten lists of the task for that day and save the other ones to a next actions folder in evernote.
I use the stylus for Swyping and everything else, any time my fingers are a little damp and not sliding smoothly over the screen.
djowett said:
Keep my girlfriend busy drawing while I'm watching football.
Sent from my Galaxy Note through telekinesis
Click to expand...
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Lol.... I do the same thing except I watch cricket.....
But she got so addicted to it that she wants one now....
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
I use the pen for selecting small items on web pages where zooming is not allowed and where a laptop and mouse would be needed e.g. in charting packages. I also find it useful for selecting text during editing where you need to be precise.
removing earwax, my finger is much more accurate than the s-pen to draw with
I figure it's a tool that needs to be learned like a musical instrument.
A little bit every day, until you get to the point where you're fluid, expressive, and extremely efficient.
Right now, I'm practicing here and there. Here's what I hope to be able to do very quickly with the S-pen in a couple months:
-- pull up S memo, jot down a quick note or 5, save in a "pile"; convert to text to be scheduled/organized later; shared to Evernote/Skitch/class notebook
-- screen capture pages and images, then edit/crop them to share later (like in the fancy demos)
-- sketch quick ideas, like charts and graphs, to import into a presentation form (ppt, email to group, into a video tutorial)
-- learn to draw (How to Draw app), to make quick flyers, invites, and ads
-- be very familiar with photo editing, exporting
-- be very familiar with video editing, exporting
-- annotate PDFs, whiteboards
-- be fluent enough to demonstrate all this to gawkers
As of now, I'm just dipping my toes in the all these pools. So much to learn, so little time...
I will say that I'm finding the tiny stylus and the inconveniently placed button difficult. I think the larger Samsung pen accessory into which the stylus can be inserted is somewhere in my future...
-
I use it to use the note when the temperatures are very low and I have my gloves on.
I love drawing and sketching with the s pen...
I also use it to write out messages quickly. Once you get used to using the s pen, handwriting input can be pretty fast - I manage to fit 4-6 words even on the portrait version of handwriting input for msgs and that works out pretty well; it's even better in landscape..
I use the pen for selecting small items on web pages too and also some games are much easier to play using the pen.
In the winter I imagine not having to take gloves off to use my phone (except to get the pen out of the slot of course!)
If you're asking though "Is it a gimmick?" then I will say NO. It is genuinely useful.
Nothing
My 9 year old daughter used it once to draw and keep herself busy whilst waiting for the main course to arrive
show off in front of my freinds it serves no other purpose.
I was so impressed by this I'm pseudo bumping it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1354191
I kind of suspected that either you the stylus a LOT or you don't use it much at all.
- Frank

iPad one user, looking for advice :)

Ok, I did originally post a thread in the Nexus 10 forum, as originally I was planning to upgrade to either a Nexus 10 or an iPad 4 (largely due to the high powered processors and the lovely high-def screens).
However, as one of the things I use my iPad for is drawing (mostly vector based at the moment) someone pointed out that the Note10.1 might be a better option.
The relatively low-resolution screen (barely more than my ipad1) put me off though... but seeing as I can pick up a Note10.1 for £268 at the moment.... this is in its favour.
And something else also grabbed me when I researched, and that is this video... (hope this link works)
edit: link didnt work, so I put this one up.
http://youtu.be/LZ3krff1JCE
The multi-window and dual-view things... which I *believe* is not in the standard android toolkit? Though originally I was happy with the android floating apps, like lilypad and stickit, for having videos floating over my work etc...
So basically, I had become intrigued by this tablet, and I wanted the thoughts of professional Note users like you guys!
my art style is shown here -- niiru.deviantart.com
in case that helps. All the newer stuff was done on a vector program on the iPad, the older stuff is sketchbook pro (also iPad).
Vector program means the S-Pen is not needed for me... though if it is good, it could help me to develop more techniques, which would be a good thing.
Things I'd like answers to:
- Is the screen any good? I know the resolution is low... if you dual-view two apps, do they become blurred? etc...
- Is is powerful enough to multi-task apps, or play high-spec stuff, without slowdown or lag? I need this to be fairly future-proofed if possible..
- Considering the main (if not only) reason to get this over a Nexus10 is the SPen... how good is it really?? I have heard that, due to some problems with interference in certain parts of the screen, it loses accuracy in certain places? Which would be pretty much terrible...
(link to this - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1970470)
Thanks guys, I hope you can convince me or if not, recommend either the Nexus or the iPad for me!! haha
28 pages of comparison to the N10. A lot focused on the display.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1952512
BarryH_GEG said:
28 pages of comparison to the N10. A lot focused on the display.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1952512
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I did start reading this, though a lot of it did not seem to be related to what I needed (a lot of it is pre-nexus release anyway). I'm still reading through the last few pages though.
Seems like the screen being low resolution is not to bad a downside.. mainly due to the lower drag on processor power. However I would like to hear peoples opinions on wether dual-viewing items makes them blurry. I'm hoping not.
nirurin said:
I did start reading this, though a lot of it did not seem to be related to what I needed (a lot of it is pre-nexus release anyway). I'm still reading through the last few pages though.
Seems like the screen being low resolution is not to bad a downside.. mainly due to the lower drag on processor power. However I would like to hear peoples opinions on wether dual-viewing items makes them blurry. I'm hoping not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This pretty much sums it up. For all but text and the UI the additional pixels won't make much of a difference. Most of the apps in multiview display the same size fonts and graphics only in 50% less space. The browser resizes text in multiview and a higher PPI display would definitely help. In everyday use the lower res display isn't a problem. But if it weren't for the S-Pen and the rest of the features Samsung's added which I personally get a lot of use out of I'd probably go with N10. If a FHD version of the Note comes out next year I'll definitely upgrade to it. Until then the other stuff means more to me than FHD.
When it comes to 1080p on a smartphone, he admits that it might not matter for the most casual users. "For some people, it is possible to tell the difference if we were to sit down and study a [1080p] display and a [720p] display, side-by-side," he said in a phone interview with Ars. "If you’re really a fanatic and you study images, or you have some professional applications and you’re really into displays, then it may make a visual difference for you."
For most people, though, it won't matter. Photos are inherently fuzzy, so it won’t matter whether they’re viewed on a 1920×1080 or 1280×720 smartphone display; you’ll still see their imperfections. "Even the tiniest image detail in a photograph is always spread over more than one pixel," Dr. Soneira explained in a follow-up e-mail. "The image detail is never perfectly aligned with the pixel structure of the display." Videos are even worse: not only are they fuzzy like photographs, but the pictures are constantly moving. Even if the images were sharp, the human brain couldn’t zero in on content that’s appearing for only a fraction of a second on such a small display. "For ordinary viewing of videos, 1920×1080 is really not going to make a visual difference," adds Dr. Soneira.
Where a 1080p smartphone display could really make an impact is with computer-generated content—that is, the user interface, buttons, and text. "Only computer-generated images make full use of the pixel resolution of the display," says Dr. Soneira. "For graphics and text, maybe you want that kind of sharpness." Like desktop computers, smartphone displays can also utilize sub-pixel rendering, which helps improve the visual sharpness of computer-generated graphics.
After about 15 inches, "the much higher 326 ppi is 'wasted' because the eye can't resolve sharpness above 229 ppi." The further away a person gets, the more gradual the reduction in perceived image sharpness.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/10/1080p-on-a-smartphone-screencan-it-possibly-matter/​
Mind if I ask what "other stuff" you use from the samsung list? Dualview and multi-windows from the new update does seem very nice, what else is there that might tip my balance?
being able to get one for £270 is nice too, so if anyone knows of a recommended case too thats not too expensive?
nirurin said:
Mind if I ask what "other stuff" you use from the samsung list? Dualview and multi-windows from the new update does seem very nice, what else is there that might tip my balance?
being able to get one for £270 is nice too, so if anyone knows of a recommended case too thats not too expensive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the laundry lost of what the Note can do. What I find particularly useful is in red. People use their devices differently and may have different hot buttons.
- Multiview (enhanced in JB)
- Pop up play
- S-Pen/S-Note
- AllShare Play and Cast
- Enhanced camera features (smile/face/blink detection, buddy shot)
- Mini apps (enhanced in JB)
- Enhanced audio and video codec support
- IR port
- Browser h/w acceleration
- S-Voice (added in JB)
- Air View (added in JB)
- Group Cast (added in JB)
Video Air View – Preview videos without opening them. View future/past scenes in a playing video via the timeline without stopping it.
Photo Air View – Pictures contained in folders will display in thumbnails when you hover over the folder. They advance nine at a time.
E-Mail Air View – Hover the pen over a heading or contents of an e-mail summary (including via the widget) to see an exploded view of the contents without opening it.
S-Planner Air View – Hover the pen over an event or task to see an exploded view without opening it.
Pop Up Note – Tap the screen twice with the S-Pen button depressed and a pop up note will be displayed. Even on the lock screen when the device is locked. On the N8000, if you’re in a call and remove the S-Pen from its holder, a pop up note automatically opens.
Easy Clip – Capture anything on the display (lasso) anywhere and save it to the clipboard or send it an application (including S-Note).
Draw/Write on an e-mail – As it says.
Draw/Write in S-Planner – As it says (Month View only)
Color Picker – In S-Note, set the ink color to a color selected from a picture.
Pen Switch – Select multiple pen types (color, texture, weight) and toggle through them without opening the menu by pressing the button on the S-Pen once.
Sketch Affect – Change any picture to an outline, color sketch, pencil sketch and more from within S-Note.
Share S-Notes – Convert S-Notes to plain text, PDFs, or pictures and share them via Facebook etc. in one step.
Photo Note – Write personal notes on the back of photos
Gallery Organizer – Create folders and drag and drop pictures between them.[/INDENT]
Hmm... the multi-view stuff was a definite draw to me, and the mini-apps is interesting? I'll look into that one.
The ability to chuck down a pop-up note anywhere is also *very* interesting to me. I tend to use evernote for my small notes...
I believe that the multi-windows and dual-view is limited to only a few specific apps, is this still true with JB? (I did see a thread where someone had made a program to add multi-view to a lot of other .apks... which might be good as an alternative anyway)
At the moment, despite the screen resolution, the Note is edging ahead of the Nexus for me. The potential for the pen to make me improve my work is intriguing.
I'm going to check the accessories thread to find out about case recommendations etc
nirurin said:
I believe that the multi-windows and dual-view is limited to only a few specific apps, is this still true with JB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mini apps and multiview were merged in JB. Mini apps pre-JB were a bunch of utility apps like calculator, alarm, mini note, etc. To access them you'd hit the up carrot in the notification bar. They were fixed in size but could be moved and stacked across the screen.
Pre-JB multiview was limited to six apps and they were fixed in a 50/50 split.
Post-JB all the supported multivew apps are treated the same way. They can be viewed as "mini apps" floating on the screen (they're resizable now too) or can be viewed side-by-side the way they use to in "dual view." The split in dual view is changeable now by moving the dividing line between the two open apps left or right. The push pin allows you set one or more apps as always on top.
The apps supported in multiview are: stock e-mail client, messaging (N8000), phone (N8000), contacts, S-Planner, S-Note, stock browser, Polaris Office, Gallery, My Files, Music Player, stock video player, calculator, alarm, task manager, and world clock. As you noticed there's thread running on a tweak that enables third party apps to be added to multiview.
Another big benefit because of the inductive display is hover. As an example, you can hover the S-Pen over a menu and it'll drop down so you can make a selection. It allows you to use things like the browser the same way you would on a desktop PC.
I think the main thing you want to think about is how the stylus may help your sketching. If you've ever used a capacitive stylus (like the adonit jot), then think about that, and multiply the usefulness and ease by about 10. If you don't think the stylus will be any use to you, then I think you're probably better off looking at the Nexus 10 or iPad. Anyway, you ought to check out the thread on Note sketches before making a decision, it's like a couple threads down from this one.
BarryH_GEG said:
The apps supported in multiview are: stock e-mail client, messaging (N8000), phone (N8000), contacts, S-Planner, S-Note, stock browser, Polaris Office, Gallery, My Files, Music Player, stock video player, calculator, alarm, task manager, and world clock. As you noticed there's thread running on a tweak that enables third party apps to be added to multiview.
Another big benefit because of the inductive display is hover. As an example, you can hover the S-Pen over a menu and it'll drop down so you can make a selection. It allows you to use things like the browser the same way you would on a desktop PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankyou, I did know about the changes to the dual-view in JB (eg. resizing the width) but I didnt know about the multi-view stuff. I'm glad there are more apps now, though if the tweak I read about that adds multi-view to third party apps continues to work decently, that would be a really decent plus-point to this tablet Although obviously I wouldn't try and multi-view a highspec app like photoshop, it would be nice to be able to have my kindle app and a web browser open simultaneously sometimes.
And talking of browsers, the MAIN FLAW I always find with my iPad is that, on sites with drop-down lists, you cant hover over them to drop them, you have to click and load the next page instead. (deviantart has this for instance).
Being able to actually hover... this might well swing it for me haha
edit:
asdfuogh said:
I think the main thing you want to think about is how the stylus may help your sketching. If you've ever used a capacitive stylus (like the adonit jot), then think about that, and multiply the usefulness and ease by about 10. If you don't think the stylus will be any use to you, then I think you're probably better off looking at the Nexus 10 or iPad. Anyway, you ought to check out the thread on Note sketches before making a decision, it's like a couple threads down from this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use a boxwave stylus when I draw on the ipad, never liked finger-drawing. it doesnt do any pressure sensitive stuff, I just preferred the pen feel.
http://www.boxwave.com/ipad-stylus/capacitive-ipad-stylus/bwpdd/tgz-tmmw/
Thats the kind of thing I had (mines a bit better but still). The rubbery tip was so much better than the solid flat plastic ones I have seen (much like I believe the Jot uses?) which just felt strange and clicked a lot. The other one I tried had a little blob of foam on the end, which just felt horrible.
I suppose really I should try the Note stylus before making my mind up, but I assume its a fairly typical inductive-screen stylus. Fine point, much like a wacom tablet one.
This reminds me... the nexus and ipad have gorrilla glass screens, I assume the Note doesnt though obviously.... does this mean I should get a screen protector? Will this effect the pen usage?
Ideally I would prefer to avoid a protector, and use a folio case instead (its what I did with my iPad, and the screen is still pristine after 2 years) but I'm not sure if the pen is likely to leave marks... I will have to search
It's simple.
If you honestly believe that having high resolution display makes ANY difference when it comes to drawing... or that your enjoyment of the tablet will be reduced for not having it - get an iPad or a Nexus 10. You'll be happier not knowing better and you'll save us tons of pointless discussion.
If, on the other hand, you put a "low resolution" screen next to an iPad 3 or 4 and notice that for most things - it's not really much of a difference - except maybe for small text - which isn't going to be the focus of your use anyway - then it's even simpler.
There is no other ARM tablet that uses a Wacom pen.
It's just that simple.
And if you're a digital artist - I don't even have to waste time explaining why having a Wacom pen blows away any sausage or capacitive disk pen on an iPad - regardless of resolution. The Note 10.1 is essentially a compact, portable Cintiq for 1/2 the price. No other argument should be necessary,
The pen has 1024 pressure levels. It works with *any* penenabled system pen (Samsung sells one for its Series 7 Slates, for example) giving you a full sized pen with an eraser - which works perfectly on the Note 10.1.
The only other question is: what software do you use to draw. And even that's simple: go to play.google.com and see if it's available - or if there's an equivalent that's close enough that you'll be ok with it.The Note comes with Photoshop Touch and Sketchbook Pro is available as well, but neither of these are vector drawing apps. The reality is, since the iPad is seen as an 'artists' tablet, you'll be waiting for the more esoteric art apps on the Note. For example: Colors doesn't exist on the Note yet.
And there you have it. I draw a lot on my Note. But I use it and a Samsung Series 7 Slate together. The Note is for sketching and details to a certain point - then I switch to the Slate for more complex effects and details that require more horsepower.
Finally - as I pointed out when I got an HP Slate 500 - a good artist isn't about his or her tools - it's about what they do with those tools. I know an artist on FA who draws on a Nintendo DS with 16 pressure levels using Colors.
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A NINTENDO DS.
WITH COLORS.
I hope that puts this entire silly discussion into perspective.
TheWerewolf said:
It's simple.
The only other question is: what software do you use to draw. And even that's simple: go to play.google.com and see if it's available - or if there's an equivalent that's close enough that you'll be ok with it.The Note comes with Photoshop Touch and Sketchbook Pro is available as well, but neither of these are vector drawing apps. The reality is, since the iPad is seen as an 'artists' tablet, you'll be waiting for the more esoteric art apps on the Note. For example: Colors doesn't exist on the Note yet.
And there you have it. I draw a lot on my Note. But I use it and a Samsung Series 7 Slate together. The Note is for sketching and details to a certain point - then I switch to the Slate for more complex effects and details that require more horsepower.
Finally - as I pointed out when I got an HP Slate 500 - a good artist isn't about his or her tools - it's about what they do with those tools. I know an artist on FA who draws on a Nintendo DS with 16 pressure levels using Colors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The vector app I researched into (on android) was one called Infinite Design. It seems to tick all the required boxes (pen tool, layers, impor/export .SVG files.)
Having the SPen will mean I can venture back into sketchbook as well though.
I'm going to go into town tomorrow and check out a Note, as it seems to be the best for what I need. Just got to find a decent case, and decide between white and grey...

S-Pen drawing?

Hello, so I'm trying to draw with the S-Pen. I tried Sketchbook by Autodesk but it doesn't seem as good as S-Note from what I can see.
If I want to just straight out draw over an existing picture in S-Note it's a real pain.. I can't seem to just open the picture in S-Note, only incest it somewhere on a blank page.
WORST OFF ALL, and I can't stress this enough, is when I move the pen too slowly it brings up this God awful crop/move/delete menu.. how can I destroy this evil pop-up that comes up every time I try to make slow precise lines?
This is my first note, surely there must be a better way to do this, can anyone tell me what that is?
soraxd said:
Hello, so I'm trying to draw with the S-Pen. I tried Sketchbook by Autodesk but it doesn't seem as good as S-Note from what I can see.
If I want to just straight out draw over an existing picture in S-Note it's a real pain.. I can't seem to just open the picture in S-Note, only incest it somewhere on a blank page.
WORST OFF ALL, and I can't stress this enough, is when I move the pen too slowly it brings up this God awful crop/move/delete menu.. how can I destroy this evil pop-up that comes up every time I try to make slow precise lines?
This is my first note, surely there must be a better way to do this, can anyone tell me what that is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have had every Note phone and can say if you want a better experience try Autodesk Sketchbook. It's more driven for artist with references that match some components in Photoshop, S Note is really made for sketching. Second of all, don't get to used to adding a lot of detail in a drawing unless if you love to zoom in and out all the time, the screen will take a little getting used to but once you got it you'll be alright!

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