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Finally my day off!
This has been a busy week at work and a lot of changes happening so quickly I haven’t had a proper chance to use my Adam as I wanted, but now I can give you a proper review of my experience so far.
First of all I want to share some information about me just so you don’t think im a biased person or working for Notion Ink.
My name is Bruno Alexandre, im 27 years old and im from Portugal, I work in a ISP and in a daily base I deal with equipments of every kind and all kind of applications.
I’m a gadget lover, I simply adore every details that a manufacturer places on a equipment and im very picky about build quality and software design, I prefer a practical design to something with a “bling” effect.
I started following the Adam back on CES 2010, Rohan ideas and vision attracted me, his way of thinking was just what I was looking for, a project that isn’t thought to the “elites” and accessible to everyone, the concept he had back then of the Adam was simple but practical and the way he just showed Slashgear a working concept, instead of just a video or something has we've seen recently on others, shown me he wasn’t there to fool anyone and he believed in it and so did I and that’s how I started to follow Notion Ink. Every update afterwards and the open communication he had with the community was something I have never seen before and I always hoped for from other companies, the project started to get even better with the first sketches of the Adam and continuous information he kept revealing about the hardware and the design behind, to a point I could not stand any more not having it and offered to pay ahead for my Adam, even before the Pre-order was known to public. I think when a project has a future, even coming from a company we never heard before is worth investing it is worth to support, and help in anyway possible.
Hardware & Design
As you have all seen the Adam hardware is no big news, every person that likes gadgets have heard of Tegra 2, Pixel Qi and all the other features, the Adam doesn’t bring nothing new in terms of technological innovation but it does bring a innovation in design.
The way it was built is just great, it was thought to be used on a daily base in any situation imaginable, the golden ratio does make a difference! The past 2 days I have used the Adam as a console, media player, work support and as a organizer, it fulfilled every expectation I had, it felt great in any handling position, feels strong being handled in any situation I came to face during my work, there's no crackling sound or protection caps coming off easily, the fingerprints are as bad as in a smartphone, you even cant feel the real weight it has and balances perfectly even by holding with just one hand while typing with the other! Have you ever tried to use the IPAD like that ? It just wobbles on your hand unless you have a case.
My colleagues at work also tried it and they were astonished how a small company from India was able to produce such equipment, they never even heard of Notion Ink or Adam, and they just loved to work with it. One of the biggest praises was the responsiveness of the touch screen and how smooth it was on Canvas to draw a line compared with a smartphone, the processing power and the speed of opening apps, video playback and specially the sniffer, many of them were Android users and they loved it.
Everything looks too perfect doesn’t it, well now its time for the bad parts, the screen protector first of all was awful, as bad as HTC screen protectors for smart-phones all the glare and reflections plus washed out colours made me rage, so I took it off and it felt much better.
The viewing angles of Adam are not very good either, not when compared with my Asus 1005HA LED Backlit screen or the Ipad, but it wasn’t meant to be looked from the side but head-on to be able to read so I take this as a small drawback.
The screen calibration in terms of brightness to contrast ratio is very bad, you notice it more when using at dark environment like the video shows below, but this is something that I think it could be easily fixed if we had the proper tools to mess with it like a normal desktop monitor OSD. (if there’s such tool please tell me since im a android newbie)
Pixel Qi, well this really does feel great, even tho sun is lacking here in Portugal this past days, ive used the Adam on the outside a lot and I love how the pixel qi works, it feels amazing being able to read everything without any problems, unique experience. Indoors even with low light conditions for example in bed with the night stand lamp it was readable or ( you will lol ) in the toilet !
Sound quality was just .. man it was awesome, its louder than the Asus 1005HA and the bass is much better, connected to a sound system is just gives enough juice to make it worth, lacks some equalizer but I think there’s apps out there to do the job.
Camera is one of those things there’s not much to talk about, it's a 3.2 camera like many phones have, the swivel does make it good because you can just point it to what you want, using Google Goggles with it is very cool, the design here helps again, with one hand you can easily stabilize the Adam while the responsiveness of the screen helps out the shooting.
The battery when tested at work was empty after 8 hours of people messing with it, playing watching videos, testing VPN connections, downloading and navigating using the canvas, it was madness the number of fingerprints on the Adam, but it was still very readable. You could only notice the fingerprints on the borders.
Software
Well the software is another issue, the idea behind Eden is good and I love the leaves, but not every application seem to have gone under proper testing or QA, they don’t fit well with each other and don’t respond properly sometimes to the commands you give to it, one of the examples is facebook tool, the cramped look of it and the minimized information makes it really annoying to work with.
The lack of Android Market to be able to get some of the Google Apps made the experience even worst, if Genesis isn’t ready yet then the Android Market should still exist in the meanwhile.
Mail app is very good, I enjoy the UI and how simple it looks while having every feature you need, its also very useful in a job like mine where im constantly receiving emails.
QuickOffice is also great, I work a lot with excel, acrobat, word and having the Adam around is a excellent working tool, I can give support to my colleagues in real time without having to go from one side to the other getting the information they need and taking time which is essential in my job.
The browser, I was kinda of disappointed with the UI from the browser, it felt.. wrong.. hard to explain, but once I got to work with the tabs I just loved how it felt, the idea of placing them like that helps a lot when you are consulting online or trying to get updated with the latest news in the gadget world, it was a fast experience with flash always loading in the websites quickly and with no issues.
The Video Player, had some issues, as you may have noticed on the video above, the sound and video were de-sync, I was using .wmv tried also .mkv and other formats, thought it was a issue with the internal SD Card, used my external one Class 6 and had the same issue, must be codec wise.
In the end I just preferred on having the LauncherPRO as my main screen since I could customize with every widget I wanted, with no limitations whatsoever as you can see on the video below, at least until NI can deliver a better interface or Honeycomb is out.
Conclusion
I'm not an expert reviewer, nor I have experience in reviewing equipments, some of you may not agree with me on some aspects but in the end this was my experience, and I just wanted to share with you all. I enjoy every day with the Adam I have, and it will be my main support at home and works to organize my life.
Do I regret buying the Adam ? No I do not, the Adam is a great tablet.
Would I prefer the Xoom over the Adam ? I wont pay $700 for a barometer, but … I wouldn’t mind having the quality of its screen. Also I had Motorola equipments before and my experience was bad.. not with 1 but more than 4..
Hope you enjoyed.
Thanks for your review bro. I have been looking for a down to earth review for a while. I am probably waiting for the Asus transformer but I would love to try out an Adam and see if it would change my mind. I guess in the end the question is, will it get Honeycomb?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
jorny32 said:
Thanks for your review bro. I have been looking for a down to earth review for a while. I am probably waiting for the Asus transformer but I would love to try out an Adam and see if it would change my mind. I guess in the end the question is, will it get Honeycomb?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rohan mentioned that they are working on honeycomb. If NI doesn;t bring it, the adam is pretty close to ASOP android, so I'm sure that the developers here will port it to the adam.
Thats what i hope also.
hmm..intresting review. Friend can you post some more of your experiences with Adam in detail. I would like to see how different application like
1) Rockplayer (for MKV,avi)
2) Laputa ebook reader
3) Google earth
and some good HD Games with motion sensors.
Video Playback
Do you think the video playback de-sync is because of the player?
Meaning that with another player this would not happen?
Good Review
zabaknilesh said:
hmm..intresting review. Friend can you post some more of your experiences with Adam in detail. I would like to see how different application like
1) Rockplayer (for MKV,avi)
2) Laputa ebook reader
3) Google earth
and some good HD Games with motion sensors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure ill post tomorrow probably.
Thanks for this review man. Appreciated. Looking forward to updates on your ongoing use.
Very nice and honest review. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Have you already rooted and installed market with NIH/XDA root packs? Or just using the update released by NI?
Thanks for the review.
I have been using Eden UI on G-Tab for a few days now, and I agree that it takes a little getting used to...and some of the Apps like Mail'd are good. Browser is so-so...and the keyboard could have used "Autoprompts" for words.
Thanks LeviathanPT for the review. I'll wait to pre-order my NI 3G+Pixel QI for the "general public".
Its good to read e-books and Comics?
Thanks
@ zabaknilesh
1) Rockplayer (for MKV,avi) - Still has the same desync issue even with rockplayer
2) Laputa ebook reader - Very cool app, i like the flipping pages transition and its very smooth and accurate, the books can be read very well. Also the thick part of the adam is excelent to grab and makes the reading experience much higher.
3) Google earth - Doesnt launch just crashes
4) Some good HD Games with motion sensors. - Is there any free games i could try ?
@tokyobreeze
Yes i have rooted using NIH since genesis isnt out and i dont want a limited (by software) equipment .
@SimonCt
Yeah reading e-books is awsome, comics is something i havent tried as a appbut ive been at some comic websites and its very cool.
Try jjComics Viewer if you can, The main use for me is read e-books and comics....
For ebooks im using Aldiko, that can be conected with Calibre
Thanks for your review. Very informative!
thanks
Thanks for this usefull review!
Very good review!
Did you try to re-load google earth and still crash?
Edit:
I see they got it working on the Viewsonic over here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10100271&highlight=google+earth#post10100271
Thanks for the comments guys, the google earth seems not to be compatible using the web android market and that guy doesnt supply the files needed :|
Flash
Have you been able to use a browser as the Skyfire with flash on it??
Hey guys I have made a review from my new adam with pixel qi! I also added a lot of pictures and two videos (showing eden, hardware, pixel qi outside, also made a comparison from screens of galaxy s and macbook pro, ... pictures and videos are on the second page) The review is in german, but pictures and videos can say more than 1000 words
Adam Tablet PC review with pictures and videos
please click on "gefällt mir" or I like button in the facebook fan box
Thanks!
I think it would be worth starting a thread for app requests - galaxy note specific.
This will help give ideas to developers.
Two things I want that haven't seen yet:
1) A keyboard that is exactly the same size as their current phone, but in the (selectable) bottom left/right corner of the screen. (and blank space on the other side). This would allow them to type with one hand with (almost) the same ease as their current phone.
2) I would like a scrollable s-pad. Not linking pages together, but one big scrollable sheet of paper, so you can draw one huge diagram/chart and then print out the whole thing in one go.
- Frank
I would like the same thing as on ChodTheWacko's second point.
I want the writable area to correspond to at least the size of an A4, maybe selectable?
Another thing in the same app perhaps that would be nice, but not always very good is a to have an area to scribble on that expands as you need it and can be very large. I'm thinking it's good while making mindmaps and other stuff.
yeah I agree with the guy above, I suppose if the native documents app could have add-ons to see whole A4 page that would be cool, but I still imagine zooming will be essential when you need to write on them. I noticed somewhere they have editable features with the native apps, whether that means typing or writing, I don't know, but I saw somewhere something called ipdf annotator is coming with it.
This would be really good for word documents or even just writing on a portfolio of jpeg formats because it might be easier to convert all your pdfs to jpeg first, then into word which is what I've been doing of recently.
I'm very excited about this device and have been kicking myself at android devices not having stylus precision like this, having spent thousands of pounds on mobiles only to sell them off looking for alternatives to android and apple iphones, samsung have dont it. Most noticiably so when steve jobs has passed away they take on a world tour with their ammassed research budget, I don't see the problem with that.
And finally I can contribute to xda with native android app without kicking myself further with the hd2. I used to think what is a phone without a hard key for hanging up, but this stylus ,makes me think im a hardman.
I wish microsoft release onenote for android...
For the time being mobilenoter is the resort.
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?
Today I was in the fortunate position to test the HTC One. My first impression: Wow! It feels f***ingly good in the hand, looks tremendously nice and knows to impress me a lot.
First you see is the new Blink Feed. It is strongly reminds of Windows Phone tiles, but is graphically more dynamic and nicer. Various sources and apps are integrated. Facebook, Twitter, on the social side, dpa, Stern, Engadget and others on the news page. BlinkFeed looks so great, that the plain one colored calendar entries seem almost out of place. Overall, Blink Feed will certainly replace my news apps like Flipboard and Press, if can add my own sources. Hopefully there will be some modifications which will allow this.
With Zoe, I could not really play, because it was a demo unit and the possibilities of trying out camera quality, HDR and Co. in a bright lighted O2 Store is not really meaningful. I will probably have to wait until next week to test it properly.
The impression of the Appdrawer was positive as well. It is very tidy, can be customized with folders and sorting to the own needs, and even the grid size can (3x4 or 4x5) be changed. The only downside -you scoll vertically and not horizontally. I feel it as disturbing with some gingerbreadish feeling. Let's see how I see this in four weeks.
With Sense TV I could also play limited, because the necessary equipment was missing in the O2 store obviosly. However, this feature also made a good impression. Select your country and enter the zip code, Sense TV provide all kinds of vendors, including my vendor T-Home Entertain. Immediately I received a list with the current available TV channels. Here you have the opportunity to remind yourself of programs or access full series guides, etc. I'm impressed.
Last of all, I have called the demo video and could enjoy HTC BoomSound at full volume. My next Wow. No rattling, but logically no bass as well. But crystal clear and extremely loud. Looks as the times have passed to bring some small analog boxes with me when I go to the lake to listening to some music.
A look at the settings shown Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5. HTC's software version was 1.24, a 1.26 was already in the queue. I hope that HTC:
1. Android 4.2 will come soon
2. HTC will change its update policy and doesn't support this great product for just one year.
Then I see a good chance that once again, people are opting for a HTC high-quality device. I am very impressed and looking forward to next week when I can finally keep the jewelry in my hands.
I sent an email to HTC asking if they'll ship it with 4.2. Their reply was 'most probably'
Sent from my DHD
I am trying to choose the right smartwatch for me and I am sort of losing my mind. I really can't decide which one to get. So I have finally narrowed my decision down to two. Sony Smartwatch 3 and Moto 360. I like Sony when it comes to mobile hardware - I currently have a Z3 Compact and it would seem only logical to pair it with a smartwatch from Sony. But... I like Motorola as well. Never had any problems with them before.
Both have their pros and the cons. Moto 360 basically looks way better. It also has a heart rate monitor which I like but it isn't a must. On the other hand Smartwatch 3 has a much smoother interface, better battery, is cheaper and has micro USB for charging.
My main problem is this - I am a pretty small guy and I have small wrists as well. So a big watch would just look ridiculous on me. My wrists are about 46mm in diameter at the widest point where the watch would sit. So that's a big issue and the determining factor will be the size. I know that the Smartwatch 3 is slightly larger in one dimension, but it is designed much differently and is thiner. But it is pretty new and I haven't seen much comments about its size.
Anyone with similar issues? What would you suggest?
I own Sony smart watch 3 for the following reasons:
1. All round watches will have troubles with ui in one app or another, they just awkward to code for
2. Sony one is waterproof, has GPS, transflective LCD, great battery life and better chipset (moto uses prehistoric chipset same as in their motoactv from 2011)
3. I have medium sized wrist it fits perfectly, you could try one and return if it doesn't fit.
Overall I would not bother with any round watches unless to show off and from current wear offerings I feel like sw3 is the best and if you'll use GPS it is the only one.
I personally am a Moto 360 person myself. I have fairly skinny wrists and haven't noticed an aesthetic or comfort issue wearing it. In terms of app support: it is indeed harder for coders to deal with round screens but it seems like most have figured them out. The marker for round watches just seems large at this point which forces most to support them if at all feasible.
I also do not trust Sony when it comes to Android based devices. They always seem to release products in that space that flop and thereby do not get as much updates/support compared to peer manufacturers.
Good luck in your decision!
I get a SW3 today. I've also a small wrist and it fits very well.
Why I choose SW3 not Moto 360? A round watch is pretty cool, but I cannot tolerate its black bar below, it makes me crazy...
And also consider the battery, SW3 finally becomes my first android wear.
Same here, wanted a moto 360. But after looking at everything I bought SW3 yesterday. Never had android wear before or actually worn a watch. But SW3 for £130 was an easy decision. It should arrive on Thursday.
I am 2 meter tall guy so size ssd never a concern to me. Only thing I didn't like about SW3 was that weird watch band. A standart 22mm watch bands would be much better. But I will see how it feels when it arrives. Can't wait! [emoji2]
Well I have finally decided and bought a Moto 360. It has arrived yesterday so I've had about a day of "play time" with it. A bit mixed feelings for now. But not really a HW problem. Android Wear seems very much like a huge beta for now.
First my thoughts on hardware - I love the design. It really is a beautiful watch. And just a tad too large for my wrists. Smaller would be better but size isn't too big of an issue on the current model. It could be a bit thiner though. I don't particularly like the leather strap to be honest. The leather feels a bit too stiff for my liking. I've seen much softer leather bands on watches before. I would probably prefer one of those. Or maybe textile. But maybe it will soften up a bit with time.
Battery doesn't seem like a particularly big issue. I am at 55% right now (I started using it in the morning and it is 9 in the evening now) and I have been playing with it a lot today. Installing apps, using things, ... So it seems like it will last me a day just fine.
Pedometer seems useless. I can't check how accurate it is because it doesn't update in real time - the ****? Who thought that this was a good idea? If I make a step I want to see it change immediately. Not two hours later. Heart rate sensor isn't much better either.
And now for android wear... What was google thinking? What's the point of having the ability to read an email or to reply to it but no ability to delete that thing? I delete 80% of my emails after I read them. Why can't I do that on my wrist? What about a keyboard? We know it isn't impossible. So why isn't it there? Something similar to a standard numeric keypad that we can see on old mobile phones would work (T9 anyone?). Or a full fledged keyboard in some other form. Not because I don't want to talk but because voice input is useless for anything but English. And we will be seeing support for Slovene in ... let's be honest ... never. So I can't send a message to anyone, I can't send an email to anyone, start a navigation to somewhere, ... KEYBOARD!
Why do "apps" like Yatse remote hide/close when the watch goes to sleep? This makes it pretty much useless then.
Deleting emails is just swipe left, delete.. I do it all the time as 90% of what I get is spam anyway.
IME the watches work best as notification devices.. they're great for telling you that an email or tweet has arrived, or that you have to leave to get to an appointment, without having to fish in your pocket to work out whether it's an important message or not. During meetings a quick glance at the watch is pretty unobtrusive.
They're too small though to be general purpose devices, and they're not designed to be (hence no real launcher.. 'apps' is buried at the bottom of a menu). Once you get into serious amounts of interaction you're better off just taking the phone out and using that.
TonyHoyle said:
Deleting emails is just swipe left, delete.. I do it all the time as 90% of what I get is spam anyway.
IME the watches work best as notification devices.. they're great for telling you that an email or tweet has arrived, or that you have to leave to get to an appointment, without having to fish in your pocket to work out whether it's an important message or not. During meetings a quick glance at the watch is pretty unobtrusive.
They're too small though to be general purpose devices, and they're not designed to be (hence no real launcher.. 'apps' is buried at the bottom of a menu). Once you get into serious amounts of interaction you're better off just taking the phone out and using that.
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The funny thing here is this - I've found it performs the worst as a notification device. It performs great when I need a timer or when I need to quickly check one of my notes.
Notifications are just... meh. I want f*** email notifications. And no I don't have a delete option when I swipe left. I have reply, mark as read and open on phone. No delete. What is even worse - the thing doesn't vibrate when I get an email. Probably it has something to do with the email client I am using - the stock (AOSP) android one. Not gmail or something else. How am I supposed to have faith in a platform when even the thing that is most advertised doesn't work with the built in app?
The first thing I installed on there was an app launcher. I also found a neat app that enables you to send text messages with an actual keyboard. So at least there is that.
I have a "swipe left" to delete also. It depends what you use for your email. I use "Blue Mail"
tonyguy2000 said:
I have a "swipe left" to delete also. It depends what you use for your email. I use "Blue Mail"
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Probably.
I am not happy with the fact that something so basic as deleting emails and vibrating when that email arrives is not supported with the app made by Google. On their own platform.
I was also hoping that Lolipop update would bring us some improvements in that regard - the watch got an update today and it didn't improve any of my issues.
i don't know which one is more suitable for you .
but people are often talking about moto 360 ,
sony watch i havent heard it many time .
so i guess this maybe be able to help you decide .