Do we need a better note taking app? - Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) General

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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...

Related

Artists - What apps do you use?

I'm posting this here, because I would assume that most of the people who bought a Note did it because of the S-Pen. Therefore, you probably did it for artistic reasons, or because of handwriting support.
Personally, I did it for artsy reasons. For the last couple years (since I got my iPad1) I have been preferring drawing pictures digitally. In order to reference my "style" (might help with my later question) my work is on:
http://niiru.deviantart.com/
I had a few setbacks (apps being a pain, etc) and problems with resolutions and all that, but for the last few months it was ticking along nicely.
And then... I wanted to upgrade my tablet. But an iPad4? The same as what I had pretty much, but the new version? Seemed boring... even though it would be easy, as I could keep the new apps etc...
BUT no... I impulse bought a Note10.1 instead. Because the more-accurate style of stylus could only help, and pressure support? I did without it until now, but it might help in future!
HOWEVER...
I started with Sketchbook Pro on the ipad, a good program. However it was limited in the resolution you could use, which meant that the exported pictures were not very big on my computer screen. And of course, if you enlarge them, they become heavily pixelated. Not good.
So I changed to vector programs, mostly one called "iDraw", which is basically a full adobe illustrator style program. Does absolutely everything. And the main advantage being, the vectors are saved when you export the file... so you can make the pictures as big as you want without any pixellation problems!
My problem with android though... the only vector apps I can find are Adobe Ideas (very very badly rated, 1 star app...) and one called Infinite Design (very highly rated, but still rough around the edges).
BACK TO THE POINT...
So while Adobe Ideas is being made into something thats... not crap. And while infinte design is working out its issues (though I'm still going to try and use it), I wondered what all you guys out in Note-land were using?
Im expecting some nods to sketchbook pro.... and I'm really hoping someone will tell me a way to get around its "canvas size is limited to screen resolution" problem. As this... is pretty bad.
...and I'm also hoping for a few new ideas, some "diamond in the rough" apps which haven't reached my ears yet..
Really hoping I won't regret buying the Note to be honest... I had high hopes for it. It has hit an early hurdle, even taking into account the relative youth of the android tablet app environment.
FOR THOSE WHO SKIPPED THE WALL OF TEXT:
QUESTION - What do you guys use, to make pretty pictures on the tablets. Vector based for preference, or bitmap if the canvas size can be changed!
Thanks y'all.
(excuse any rambling, it is 2am here. 'nuff said.)
edit: I didn't put this in the "questions" thread, because its not a question about the Note itself... sorry if that was a mistake.
I also bought the note to draw on and do some sketching, but have been unable to find a program that I like. I keep getting random lines with some of the apps from leaning on the screen. Very dissapointing, but I would like to see what people would recommend
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
rgane5327 said:
I also bought the note to draw on and do some sketching, but have been unable to find a program that I like. I keep getting random lines with some of the apps from leaning on the screen. Very dissapointing, but I would like to see what people would recommend
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, after another half hour of playing around with Infinite Design, I can see why a) some people give it great reviews, and b) why some people hate it.
I'll start with b) - The interface is a little confusing, and definately needs to be worked on. I think its a one-man project though, so things like UI design may not be at the top of his list. It takes a while to find some things, like certains tools and ways of doing things. I guess thats what they would call a learning curve though.
however...
a) This app does have some very very clever design features. I have found a couple that have actually wowed me, and made me think I could use it to do some really interesting work.
For instance, you can add a line of symmetry to a drawing, so that everything you draw is mirrored along a vertical/horizontal/angled line of symmetry.
Not too special you say? Well you can add this line mid-drawing, without it automatically mirroring your previous work, and do a couple mirrored lines, then remove it. Ive known programs that would simply mirror everything.
Still not enough? The line of symmetry is customisable, it defaults to the centre of where your screen is aimed on the canvas, and can be moved to any location. *This is actually potentially very useful, and I know of no iOS apps that have this as a feature.*
back to b) though, finding out HOW to put in these lines of symmetry, and how to then move them (it involves a tool that is in a different menu entirely) was half judgement and half luck on my part. There aren't any tutorials for any of this stuff *yet*.
But yes, if vectors float your boat (as they do mine) it would seem that "Infinite Design" is currently the one to watch on Android. Its not perfect, it will take some work and getting used to, but with a few more updates (and the guy seems to be working on them fairly regularly, relatively speaking) it could be something pretty special.
SO I have put in an answer to my own question, someone elses turn now!
Edit:
I actually emailed the creators of sketchbook pro (auto desk) because I was so annoyed by the canvas size limitation I wanted to vent my anger in a request for much-needed-changes...
Less than an hour later, I had an actual reply! I was shocked, to say the least.
Apparently Chad (the auto desk guy) was so helpful, he decided to let me know that the new version of sketchbook for iPad and android was coming soon, and would have changes to the canvas limitation, as well as various other "exciting changes in the way people will use this app".
He seemed excited, and now so am I!
So there might be good things coming for sketchbook pro, and I am glad as that was always a very good app on iOS.
niiiice nirurin ! ... Sketchbook pro needs Palm rejection badly and faster input without a lag.
I use
Lecture notes - for fast input line drawings
Paint Joy now known as Doodle Joy :good:
Sketchbook Pro
Photoshop touch
Drawing :good:
Markers
Pretty Painter
Quill
Sketch and Paint
Layer Paint
Snote Jellybean version , for collage type cutting and pasting multiple images and creating new concept characters .
me and my colleagues here @ Dreamworks Animation use the tablet mainly for caricature and painting , so its art all the way .
You may want to check out this thread to see some examples of art Note 10.1 users have done. Will also give you some idea of the capabilities of the apps they used.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1861201
Quill or Papyrus are the best drawing apps in my opinion.
hpblze said:
niiiice nirurin ! ... Sketchbook pro needs Palm rejection badly and faster input without a lag.
I use
Lecture notes - for fast input line drawings
Paint Joy now known as Doodle Joy :good:
Sketchbook Pro
Photoshop touch
Drawing :good:
Markers
Pretty Painter
Quill
Sketch and Paint
Layer Paint
Snote Jellybean version , for collage type cutting and pasting multiple images and creating new concept characters .
me and my colleagues here @ Dreamworks Animation use the tablet mainly for caricature and painting , so its art all the way .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good list! I'm going through them on the play store at the moment, though a few of them fall into the "fun" category, of being nice to play around and doodle on, but no use for any bigger projects. The problem is usually a matter of having no way to export the pictures as a usable file type
edit: layer paint seems interesting, if it ever makes a tablet version it could be awesome. I cant find an app called "drawing" though...
poope said:
Quill or Papyrus are the best drawing apps in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had heard of these before, but I had thought they were just for handwriting (that is what they themselves advertise as) though the quill app does seem to have a few nice drawing tools too. And it can save as a .pdf.. which would usually mean saving any vector information too! Interesting..
TVPaint
If you want a mind bogglingly advanced program, try signing up for the TVPaint beta
http://www.tvpaint.com/v2/content/article/downloads/openbeta.php
otherwise, Layerpaint is great and allows you to modify the resolution as well as export files for use in Photoshop
I made a thread a while back with a list of applications and links:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846149&highlight=for+the+artists
Jonphinguyen7 said:
I made a thread a while back with a list of applications and links:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846149&highlight=for+the+artists
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh thanks, I will take a look
I have also found out about an app called TouchDraw... vector drawing, seems to have been a popular one on the iPad store, and is released on android recently it seems....
But its unavailable in my country? I'm in the UK, so I'm guessing its for America only for some reason (As I doubt the developer has a specific grudge against the UK). I may try and find a way around this, so that I can test it out and review it for you guys.
I'll try and post up a review thread of all these apps somewhere soon, so people can find the apps that would be most useful to them (vectors/bitmap/fun/serious/etc)
Assuming this would be useful to anyone anyway, I know it would be to me
My daughter wants an app that's good for inking and has a blend and smudge tool, multiple brush modes, and layers. Do any of the apps out there fit this bill.
Life is better with root and our brilliant Devs
bulletwithbatwings said:
If you want a mind bogglingly advanced program, try signing up for the TVPaint beta
http://www.tvpaint.com/v2/content/article/downloads/openbeta.php
otherwise, Layerpaint is great and allows you to modify the resolution as well as export files for use in Photoshop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got this just now. Had an hour of playing around (and looking up windows help guides to figure some stuff out)....
Oh..Em..Gee.
This is an insane program. It is like a full windows animation program, on a tablet.
And strangely, it wouldnt work on any normal tablet, only ones that use a pen. Fingers would be way too thick to hit these menu buttons, and the contextual help only comes up on "mouse-overs".
Colour me impressed, this tool will be something awesome when it is released. There needs to be more like this! Programs that the iPad could *never* have (unless they release a non-capacitive screened iPad, which I doubt they would).
My daughter wants an app that's good for inking and has a blend and smudge tool, multiple brush modes, and layers. Do any of the apps out there fit this bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sketchbook pro has most, if not all, of these features. Not sure on the blend and smudge for the android version, I know that the iPad version did. Check it out in the Play store, it should list the features.
It is a very good program, and I have been told by an Autodesk employee that a new update that will add all sorts of nice new features, and will be coming out "soon". Though how soon "soon" is, is anyones guess.
Dont take my word for it though (I'd hate for you to spend money and then blame me if I was wrong!!!) so check out the Play listing for sketchbook pro. Make sure you end up buying the "Sketchbook Pro for Tablets" one though, if you do buy it.
Edit: There are blend modes using layers.... but no smudge tool in sketchbook. Not on android anyway, it has been on the iPad version for a long time though. I would *think* that it would get added in the upcoming update. Sorry I couldnt be more help, I haven't yet explored the colouring side things on android...
However, I hear good things about a program called "Infinite Painter", made by the same guy who does the Infinite Design app. The pictures I have seen done using it were very impressive, so I expect that might have smudge/blend tools. I would check that one out if I were you. It has a Note-specific version of the app, which is nice!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brakefield.painter&hl=en
This is a link to the Free version. Probably has adverts or limited saves or something. The paid version isnt expensive though.
I use sketchbook pro, best app for drawing I've used and easy translation from photoshop illustrator but slightly easier for stuff like adding layers.
Lacks the one thing it needs which is palm rejection which would make it a worthwhile purchase.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Samsungnooby said:
I use sketchbook pro, best app for drawing I've used and easy translation from photoshop illustrator but slightly easier for stuff like adding layers.
Lacks the one thing it needs which is palm rejection which would make it a worthwhile purchase.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the app I used on iPad, but trust me when I say the iPad version has a lot more tools in it. Don't know why they've been so slow with the android one.
An update on my infinite design findings... It's good. But it's missing some necessary tools, such as Path joining and being able to select-all. Also it seems you can't have your line be a different color to your fill...
Vector graphics users will hopefully understand what I mean lol. I miss my iDraw program on the iOS. It had everything. Maybe someday soon a program will catch up to it!
Although I still need to try that new TouchDraw program that's on Samsung apps... It looks promising, in theory.
Because people think of Apple users as "artists" and Android users as geeks.
Anyway, tvpaint looks ridiculously complex!
I once was quite good at using TV Paint (when it was called Mirage) but I forgot almost all of it. It's a very specific program. Right now I would kill for MyPaint on Note 10.1. I'm considering porting it - but it uses Python which is not available on Android AFAIK.
asdfuogh said:
Because people think of Apple users as "artists" and Android users as geeks.
Anyway, tvpaint looks ridiculously complex!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its probably generally quite true, but as an artist AND a geek, I am happy with my wacom-powered device. So they need to start making apps for it!
Saying that, I had an email from the developer of the vector app I use, and he has finished his other project for now and is back to work on his next update for this app. So things are moving forward!
I was just about to bite the bullet, and spend the £5.50 for the TouchDraw app from the samsung store when I noticed.... It is only compatible with Jellybean 4.1+.
Which hasnt been released for my device yet, officially.
Lame.
Might be time to root.
nirurin said:
I was just about to bite the bullet, and spend the £5.50 for the TouchDraw app from the samsung store when I noticed.... It is only compatible with Jellybean 4.1+.
Which hasnt been released for my device yet, officially.
Lame.
Might be time to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash CM10 and never look back. (Until Jellybean suite comes at least)
Jonphinguyen7 said:
Flash CM10 and never look back. (Until Jellybean suite comes at least)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If i root and flash cm 10 how do i get all the samsung apps back on my tab?

[Discussion] How to be more productive (making a better use of the Note 10.1)

Hello. I'm creating this thread for us, users of the Note 10.1 (doesn't matter if it's the wifi version, 3g, etc), to discuss about how to be more productive and making a better use of our tablets. There isn't any thread like this, I guess, but you can see plenty of threads giving advices, so I decided to create one to concentrate all great information. In the second post I'll edit with relevant stuff and will put the credits. Oh, and questions are also welcome.
Please note: don't reply with "thanks", or "great", hit the thanks button of someone's post. If you have any note, something additional, reply, I want this to have a high density of information. If you think that this thread is useless, don't spam it, report to a moderator and let him do whatever he wants.
Examples: use S-Note on portrait mode; Lecture Notes is better/worse and why; xyz app is great for "something".
-nothing for now-
I use the Galaxy Note 10.1 along with the ezpdf application to read PDF. it gives the A4 size and we can use annotation just like we do in the real book to highlight or mark points. In case of test papers which has answers in the next page. I answer the test on ezpdf and open a small window of polaris to review the same pdf file for answer comparison. Later i remove the annotation to use it later for revision.
Use GDM s-pen control, makes your life easier.
Off-Topic
I really don't understand why people use anything other than Adobe Reader. It opens huge files, saves the place you have left on, has annotations and great design for tablet. But best part is, that it's free!
Adobe Reader doesn't have multi-window support, and it's bad, since there's a lot of people that likes to divide the screen with a PDF file and S-Note/whatever. I also bought ezPDF Reader, it's very fast, quite fancy and provides some cool tools, but was a bit useless for me, since I normally take notes on S-Note.
Oh, and most of the apps I like to turn the tablet to portrait mode, because it offers a better quality to read and write.
Downloading past exam papers as PDF's an answering them in S Note
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I take classes from Coursera.org the lectures of which are provided via downloadable videos. I can then study on my daily commute on the train viewing the lectures while taking notes in S Note (split screen). Its great.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
i dont use SNote any more, just lecture notes, i like it more.
and with PDF i like adobe reader, more performance, and use the Multi Windows Manager
Project management
I use the Galaxy note 10.1 for business purposes. I purchased the webplan Franklin Planner app for note 10.1 and use it with S-notes to keep current with weekly task, meeting notes, and schedule. I Sync it with my Google account. I am a long time evernote user from owning a HTC Flyer and continue to save my S-notes to evernote. I prefer using the share as text option in the S-note menu to save it to Evernote.
I recently added a samsung slate PC digitizer pen to use with the Note 10.1 due to its erasing ability. I find this is a nice enhancement for productivity.
How are you guys dealing with the lack of spellcheck/autocorrection? I tried the workaround posted awhile ago in the themes/apps section for the note 10.1 but it doesn't work for me in split keyboard mode (not sure exactly what mode that is called but it is where you have the keyboard break in half to type more easily in landscape). The split keyboard is a feature I used quiet often so the mod not working in that mode was kind of a deal breaker in using it for me. I've tried other keyboards like swiftkey but none of them provide that spellchecker red underlining functionality present in stock JB or CM. They simply autocorrect things and that often leads to them being wrong and me not noticing without careful proofreading.
Needless to say, I am having real difficulties being productive with my 10.1 because of this lack of red underlining spell check and being able to tape the underlined word to view a list of possible corrections. How do you work with this issue? Having become accustomed to how CM's and stock JB's spellcheck/red-underlining work on my nexus 4, it's a disappointment typing and trying to be productive on my note 10.1.
*I still like using my note though because of the great spen functionality but having a fix for this problem that one of you could recommend would greatly improve my productivity.

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.
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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 [...]
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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

Note Taking Setup

I've had the tablet for about a week and half now, and I absolutely love it. Since I've purchased the tablet, it's become a central part of note taking and studying for me. I just wanted to share how I use my tablet to study and I wanted to hear how everyone else else used their tablets for note taking so I could improve my setup.
So I use Evernote as the main app for note taking. I love its multiplatform sync ability. Whatever notes I take on my tablet will show up on my phone AND PC so I have access to my notes at all times. I also love that evernote has so many extensions (voice recording, document scanner, handwriting, etc). So this is the center of my note taking/ studying process.
I use the Logitech Keyboard for android tablets. I love it. Personally I think its well built and portable. Much better quality than those cheap keyboards that come with the cases. It's a little inconvenient to carry cause its essentially a separate device to carry around, but totally worth it for for the near laptop typing experience. I actually find that I don't use the stylus all that much. I'm an engineer so I thought I would absolutely be using the stylus but I find that its much easier to either type it out, copy paste the diagram I needed to draw from the professor's powerpoint (if they provide it before lecture), or just take a picture. What I do find really useful is using the stylus to edit pictures that I've taken. For instance, I was working on a prosthetic hand and needed to write down measurements. I just drew the measurements out on a picture I took of the hand! It was convenient and intuitive.
I use ANKI, a crossplatform flash card program/app that has latex capabilites. That means I can make flashcards with pictures, equations, chemical formulas, etc. I also love its formulic approach to flash cards so that it controls the amount of time that the card stays at the bottom of the deck so that you learn the concept long term instead of just cramming it into short term memory. What really makes this work is the combination of ANKI and evernote. I'll take the synced notes from evernote on my PC, and copy paste them into ANKI on my computer. Then tada! Flashcards are now synced to my phone, tablet, and PC with pictures, formulas, and questions with very little hassle.
So thats basically my note taking/ study setup. For those of you that use your tablet for taking notes or studying, how do you do it?
Thanks, I look forward to hearing your methods.
Mateyo64 said:
I've had the tablet for about a week and half now, and I absolutely love it. Since I've purchased the tablet, it's become a central part of note taking and studying for me. I just wanted to share how I use my tablet to study and I wanted to hear how everyone else else used their tablets for note taking so I could improve my setup.
So I use Evernote as the main app for note taking. I love its multiplatform sync ability. Whatever notes I take on my tablet will show up on my phone AND PC so I have access to my notes at all times. I also love that evernote has so many extensions (voice recording, document scanner, handwriting, etc). So this is the center of my note taking/ studying process.
I use the Logitech Keyboard for android tablets. I love it. Personally I think its well built and portable. Much better quality than those cheap keyboards that come with the cases. It's a little inconvenient to carry cause its essentially a separate device to carry around, but totally worth it for for the near laptop typing experience. I actually find that I don't use the stylus all that much. I'm an engineer so I thought I would absolutely be using the stylus but I find that its much easier to either type it out, copy paste the diagram I needed to draw from the professor's powerpoint (if they provide it before lecture), or just take a picture. What I do find really useful is using the stylus to edit pictures that I've taken. For instance, I was working on a prosthetic hand and needed to write down measurements. I just drew the measurements out on a picture I took of the hand! It was convenient and intuitive.
I use ANKI, a crossplatform flash card program/app that has latex capabilites. That means I can make flashcards with pictures, equations, chemical formulas, etc. I also love its formulic approach to flash cards so that it controls the amount of time that the card stays at the bottom of the deck so that you learn the concept long term instead of just cramming it into short term memory. What really makes this work is the combination of ANKI and evernote. I'll take the synced notes from evernote on my PC, and copy paste them into ANKI on my computer. Then tada! Flashcards are now synced to my phone, tablet, and PC with pictures, formulas, and questions with very little hassle.
So thats basically my note taking/ study setup. For those of you that use your tablet for taking notes or studying, how do you do it?
Thanks, I look forward to hearing your methods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your mini-review! That what I was looking for, a simple tablet for note taking. Can you try Lecture Notes, I use that on my galaxy note, but want to know how it performs on this one.
I wan to read lots of pdfs and docs, how reading on it?
I found the included Write program to be extremely simple and efficient once you learn it. I loved it so much that when I got my hands on a Galaxy Note 2, I immediately installed it and have almost never used SNote... I also don't really use my TN7 nearly as much now, either, although it's still a badass gaming tablet, so I still use it for that. If you haven't been sold on Write, try looking into the features more deeply... their description of it as "a word processor for handwriting" it pretty spot-on, and I'd be lost without it. The only feature it lacks is syncing, but now that I have a GNote 2 instead of a regular phone and my TN7, I don't really need that feature as I'm no longer carrying two devices around with me.
ultra99 said:
Thanks for your mini-review! That what I was looking for, a simple tablet for note taking. Can you try Lecture Notes, I use that on my galaxy note, but want to know how it performs on this one.
I wan to read lots of pdfs and docs, how reading on it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading on this tablet is great. I use "docstogo" for regular documents and pdfs. And I use "Moon Reader" for comics.
Sent from my TegraNote-P1640 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
6stringandy said:
Reading on this tablet is great. I use "docstogo" for regular documents and pdfs. And I use "Moon Reader" for comics.
Sent from my TegraNote-P1640 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a few minor beefs with the write app but overall it has worked well for me. There were a few things I emailed the developer about and gave me a few tips that helped.
One beef was that it wouldn't respond to my fingers when I was trying to scroll around or zoom. That seems better in the last update though. The other thing is when you add an image to the document. When it is inserted and highlighted, it is very hard to grab the corner to shrink/enlarge the picture. Most times it de-selects the picture and I have to re-select it with the box tool, then when I try to resize it again, many times de-selecting it again.
My last "beef" is the size of the tablet. If it was a 10" or larger, it would be much better to write on. I have to zoom way in to write legibly, which means after writing a word or two, I have to scroll over to write more.

Not sure about the s-pen

Hi all,
I am really turn between the LG G3 and the NOTE 4
in my country, the price difference is about 250$
my "fear" regarding the NOTE 4 is that i wont really use the S PEN
I feel that its a cool thing to play with for about a week and then forget about it.
i saw lots of reviews and the main thing i saw were:
write phone numbers and name to put as a contact- seems like an action i do once a month. tops
send screen shots- nice but not an everyday task for me.
doodle- not relevant for me
all pen apps are for samsung apps and not for GMAIL and so...??
So.... am i missing something?
if any of you feel like sharing what you really do with the s-pen, especially as a student or at work (engineer) it will be really great.
My phone use profile consists off:
- i rarely use the cell for talking
-a lot of browsing- looking up for articles (as a student or at work)
-GMAIL
-WHATSAPP
-games: rarely
THANKS
dman230 said:
Hi all,
I am really turn between the LG G3 and the NOTE 4
in my country, the price difference is about 250$
my "fear" regarding the NOTE 4 is that i wont really use the S PEN
I feel that its a cool thing to play with for about a week and then forget about it.
i saw lots of reviews and the main thing i saw were:
write phone numbers and name to put as a contact- seems like an action i do once a month. tops
send screen shots- nice but not an everyday task for me.
doodle- not relevant for me
all pen apps are for samsung apps and not for GMAIL and so...??
So.... am i missing something?
if any of you feel like sharing what you really do with the s-pen, especially as a student or at work (engineer) it will be really great.
My phone use profile consists off:
- i rarely use the cell for talking
-a lot of browsing- looking up for articles (as a student or at work)
-GMAIL
-WHATSAPP
-games: rarely
THANKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It totally depends on you personally and what you use your device for.
Personally i use the S-Pen everyday - taking notes in meetings, i even use it for sketching and drawing. There's some pretty awesome drawing and painting apps available allowing me to be creative anytime and anywhere.
It also comes into it's own for usual OS tasks, selecting text, multiple documents, images, copying etc
I even sometimes just use it instead of my finger for usual stuff too, i dont really see the issue of people saying they would hardly use it, almost like it's some chore to take it out...
I feel that the S-Pen actually makes me use my device a lot more than i usually would! I don't think i could ever use a device without it going forward!
Cheers
Paul
paulrgod said:
It totally depends on you personally and what you use your device for.
Personally i use the S-Pen everyday - taking notes in meetings, i even use it for sketching and drawing. There's some pretty awesome drawing and painting apps available allowing me to be creative anytime and anywhere.
It also comes into it's own for usual OS tasks, selecting text, multiple documents, images, copying etc
I even sometimes just use it instead of my finger for usual stuff too, i dont really see the issue of people saying they would hardly use it, almost like it's some chore to take it out...
I feel that the S-Pen actually makes me use my device a lot more than i usually would! I don't think i could ever use a device without it going forward!
Cheers
Paul
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see lots of people being that positive about the S pen, Yet I own the note series since the beginning. each time a new generation came, I was interested by the Spen features. However I don't use it as much as I thought I would be.. I don't know why, maybe its cause I suck at drawing
As a student you could take notes from classes on the note4, ye I know, small screen. Backup everything at every save so you don't loose any page or note. But you have to try it yourself. If you have a budget dilemma then go for the g3.
I'm a visual manager for a retail store. I use my Note 4 and it's S pen daily. I'm constantly making To Do lists and writing notes to myself. So that's actually why I got my Note 4. I always have my phone with me in my pocket, so it's easier to take it out and jot down some things than to carry a pen and paper... which I'll eventually have to set down in order to do something and then leave it there until either someone else finds it or I end up running around the store looking for where I put it.
I also use the S pen to sketch up floor plans. I even take photos of an area and make notes on it.
"Move this here" (using a drawn arrow to point from the object to the new location)
"Get rid of this" (X something out)
"Paint this wall yellow. This one blue."
Etc
I also use the S pen when I'm eating my lunch and don't want to get the screen all dirty with my messy fingers lol.
The honest truth is that if you're going to use the S pen for JUST writing down phone numbers or something, then you won't be utilizing it's full potential. In that case, why spend the extra money?
I'd suggest only get the Note 4 if you truly do a lot of writing that doesn't have to be on paper (such as having to submit hand written notes to someone). If you need to write a lot, and have no issue with the notes being digital (or printed from a printer), then this phone is worth it.
I actually had an LG G Pro and was very happy with it, but the phone didn't have a stylis. I ended up making the decision to get the Note 4 and so far, I'm quite happy with my decision. It sure as heck beats carrying a pen and paper around!
Yep I use the S-pen maybe once every two days. I use it when I come across complicated websites (ability to use it like a mouse is good), and when I RDP into PC's as it gives mouse like accuracy compared to fat fingers.
Although I would actually give up the spen for a slightly smaller screen. I watch a lot of videos and browse the net a lot and the screen size is fantastic. But it's living with it which gets to me. It's just so big, having it in your pocket is extremely noticeable. Sitting down with tight pants is super uncomfortable and even just taking it out of your pocket you realise how big it is. I came from an S4, perhaps my next phone will be 5.5" or less. I still enjoy using my S4 (wifes phone now), and do miss the size of it. Hope that helps you.
i use the s-pen as a notebook. write all you want and hit print for hardcopy. you can actually print from the note 4 directly over wifi.
Note 4 caused me to remove all paper from my home office. I write all work notes in LectureNotes. I also use it as notepad after work - for new words, sentences, reminders and todos.
For university note taking I prefer a tablet with stylus (I use Note 10.1 for that - I wrote hundreds of pages on it).
Besides s-pen, Note4 is the only phone working with Gear VR (snapdragon versions so far)
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
I use the S-Pen for everything. I rarely is my finger. The S-Pen is so much easier to use when typing, tapping on links on a web page, playing games, etc. And the screen doesn't get smudged up.
Thank you all!
this is exactly what i was looking for, if anyone else wants to add his experience, it will be great.
still not so sure why writing on a screen with a pen is more comfortable than typing a screen keyboard.
I guess I'll visit SAMSUNG store and play with it a bit
That little Wacom pen is THE reason why I only consider the Galaxy Note line as my smartphone of choice. It's that important.
Jot down notes in OneNote just like on my Tablet PCs (thank god they finally added ink support!), sketch things in Clover Paint, work as a mouse substitute for those pesky mouseover navigation bars on Web sites, maybe even serve as an external drawing tablet with the right software; it's like having a Tablet PC in the palm of my hand, just with Android instead of WIndows.
I admittedly don't use it on the keyboard. There's no reason for me to do so when the sheer width of the screen makes it easy for me to just use my fingers, especially compared to the old Galaxy S3 I was stuck with for the last two years. The Graffiti input panel (remember Palm OS?), on the other hand, would work really nicely with the pen if I decide to use that again.
dman230 said:
Thank you all!
this is exactly what i was looking for, if anyone else wants to add his experience, it will be great.
still not so sure why writing on a screen with a pen is more comfortable than typing a screen keyboard.
I guess I'll visit SAMSUNG store and play with it a bit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes its quicker to write a note than type. Sometimes you want to circle typet text to call it out.
Maybe you want to sketh a diagram. Pen is more accurate than finger.
Got a pdf file you want to write a note in? Or take a picture then circle something in the picture?
Just a few of many possibilities.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk

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