Database Users

(Req) Note taking on Samsung Galaxy Tab - something that really works.

When I purchased my tab 10.1, I was absolutely sure I made the right choice, after reading reviews about all the major tablets in the market. Now, after three months, I am not so sure. The disappointment is largely because of the failure of giants like Google and android tablet manufacturers to not being able to provide an "awesome" experience, even after more than one and a half years of being in the market. This frustration is one of those times when you really want to like something, but you just feel constantly, it could be much much better.
Minor software like a responsive keyboard shouldn't be that far-fethched for android. While typing this post on my tab, it seems like I am typing on a device/software that is not even an alpha release, even after so many years since android launched. And of course, I compare it to the iPad's keyboard, although I would never buy an Apple product - I like android for a reason (freedom).
I had thought I would always be able to take notes in meetings on the tab, but I have come to a very disappointing realization that the tab is just not made for note taking - not even close. I bought the Adonit Jot Pro thinking it is the best stylus in the market and would help greatly with note taking. When I started using the stylus, it was clear to me there is nothing out there that can accomplish the functionalty of note taking on the tab - Jot Pro clearly failed, but it's not the stylus's issue. Just why can't the tab, although it has a better hardware than the iPad, not allow decent note taking functionality?
I started considering the Thinkpad tablet as it touts a note-taking functionality and the screen is especially made for that, but after reading and watching reviews for that product, it seems Lenovo has a lot of catching up to do. The Thinkpad is sluggish, doesn't record notes as its windows tablet counterpart does in terms of speed and accuracy. After getting excited about an android tablet - the Thinkpad - that would allow note taking, I am back to square one after reading its reviews. I am not going to buy it.
The developers here do an amazing job to make our tabs better, but why is the android OS still subpar compared go the iOS? It can't be just that it has to cater to multiple hardware options and manufacturers, or that is is newer than the iOS. I don't think my expectations are unrealistic.
As the keyboard is giving me such grief, I will cut this post short and come back to the request/point. Does anyone know of an app that does something simple and basic like palm-rejection and follows the writing on the tab closely, without any lag? I have used writepad, free note, genial, super note, and others, which were supposed to be good for the tab, but alas, nothing accomplishes not taking. I am aware the polling on the screen for the tab is lagged compared to that for the iPad (and just Why?!), but am sure something could be done about it.
Please don't suggest buying another tablet, especially the iPad, or that I should develop an app for myself. Any sensible reader (hope SamsungJohn is still around, and someone from Andy Rubin's team reads this post) would know what the point of this post is. Thanks.
Sent from my GT-P7510

just use touchscreentune from development thread. Problem solved

vitalij said:
just use touchscreentune from development thread. Problem solved
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you miss the part about palm rejection? Touchscreen Tune can't resolve that problem, as far as I can tell.
It also won't help with the lag associated with note apps that he was referring to.
I'm actually quite interested in a solution as well, as I would love to take this to my dev meetings when I don't want to lug around my laptop.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I would have liked to take notes with the G-Tab too but nothing I've found makes it ideal. There's an Asus note app in the dev section that helps a lot. For some reason it seems to accept responses better. It's what I used for short notes and phone numbers. For meeting notes, not so much.
ICS supports hand writing recognition natively. Hopefully there's not a h/w component required and that ends up being the long term solution for the Tab.

I wish there were an addon like the iPad's iPen for the Galaxy Tabs, it's an active digitizer:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1225098940/ipen-the-first-active-stylus-for-ipad

1) Handwriting
I don't know why there isn't an app for the tab that supports palm rejection. From a dev point of view, I assume the problem lies therein that it isn't possible to block other touchevents, so you cannot "ignore" parts of the screen. This may easily be a hardware related issue, that further touchpoints are ignored when your hand rests on the screen.
2) "Minor software like a responsive keyboard shouldn't be that far-fethched for android."
Have you tried a ROM like Galaxy Tab? The keyboard (stock) is much better than the touchwiz one.
3) Notetaking
TouchScreenTune, if you haven't tried it yet. Check out the dev section. No, doesn't help with palm rejection BUT, makes the notetaking for me possible.

Added palm rejection to TouchScreenTune Test version in development thread:
PALM REJECTION:
added slider allowing to turn on palm rejection. That means that you hand can rest on screen while writing using stylus, but you will still be able to write since touch events from your palm will be ignored. Set palm detection slider value to 0 or maybe a bit more like 1-10 to enable this functionality.

there are some reports that the galaxy note pen works on the galaxy tab , it has thin tip and should be accurate in writing notes with supported applications

i dont use stylus but i use finger to write notes. i use ausus super note app and i feel comfortable compared to other notes app. you can try touchscreen tune if you havent tried it.

kmaq said:
i dont use stylus but i use finger to write notes. i use ausus super note app and i feel comfortable compared to other notes app. you can try touchscreen tune if you havent tried it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
The latest touchscreen tune with palm rejection (from the thread in the dev section) works well with asus supernote.

you can try these...
try the onscreen keyboard apps like thumb keyboard or swiftkey tablet x .
Both are really very good.
Thumb keyboard with multitouch option is really very helpfull.
Everyone knows about the predictive powers of swiftkey.

TooSlo said:
Did you miss the part about palm rejection? Touchscreen Tune can't resolve that problem, as far as I can tell.
It also won't help with the lag associated with note apps that he was referring to.
I'm actually quite interested in a solution as well, as I would love to take this to my dev meetings when I don't want to lug around my laptop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the multi touch bottom it help when my palm touched the screen it stopped it from reading my palm touch

The reason for the choppiness is that androids UI and keyboard ius not hardware accelerated like apple's. Android also runs it as oje process, while apple tries to split it up to accommodate doing smaller things (so only one thing lags rather than whole ui).
I hope this is fixed more in ICS, but i have noticed that too. You cna put a custom rom on the tablet to make it a lot faster (stock rom is pretty buggy).

To be honest I'd recommend getting a bluetooth keyboard. I have one that's part of a case and it works perfectly. Aside from that I think you just need to use an app that suits you, I don't mind Polaris to be honest, but I find for speed typing I DO need the keyboard.

Huh? I'm on 3.1 and the standard Android keyboard (not the Samsung one that's on by default) works great. Very responsive, zero lag.

I have the tab 8.9 and there is no touchscreen app so a little worse off than the 10.1.
I use the app freenotes to take notes along with a pogo sketch stylus. THis makes the tab great for notetaking for me- very flexible and very easy to take clear notes in real time. Will also try the Asus supernote app soon.
I just wish it had the PDF and other document import export that apps like notability have on iOS- would make it perfect

i have motorola xoom, ipad 1, and now SGT,and i personally think that people who want to use their tablet to take note , they can do that. But to have a tablet+ stylus that they can comfortably write as they do with their notebook+pen is a different story.

I found Quill. It's quite good. It seems to be open source because it's available in Google Code and you can download the APK: http://code.google.com/p/android-quill/downloads/list
It have an option for disabling the bottom of the screen for resting your palm, though with TouchScreenTune you don't need it...
However, it's choppy in the GT10.1 unless you are rooted and install TouchScreenTune (which, by the way, was recently updated and now really works! Thanks dev!)
Sent from my SGT10.1 using XDA Premium

I tried almost everything, and the best ones at the moment, are TabNotes, Writepad for stylus, and Handrite and Genial writing for handwriting.
Everything else is either laggy or choppy or just doesn't work well. At least imo. Quill and Freenote don't even compare with the two first above in responsiveness.
Of course you need touchscreentune, the recommended settings work fine. Palm rejection works quite well too, with the new version. (thanks again Vitalijus).
I tested all this on a UK tab version hc 3.2 (XXKL2).

I haven't tried Writepad because for some reason cannot buy apps from my tab... But Quill fill my needs.
Sent from my SGT10.1 using XDA Premium

S Pen - what do you use it for?

Hi guys.
First time note user. Coming from galaxy s2 and s3.
Love the note 2. Simply the best smartphone ever made and so glad I went for it even after recently uograding to s3 which I will now sell.
Anyway...I feel like I should use the pen more. So want to see how others are using it? I have looked at s-note but not sure how I would use that. So if you have examples of how you would use that. That woule be good. Any other apps I can download to get good use?
I find it quicker to type with my fingers. Is this the same for everyone?
Look forward to your comments.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

The only app i use the pen for is photo art
Its a nice feature but its not obligatory to use it imho
Only once i needed to note something fast and i used it.
but i know its there if i need it.
I had s1 , s2 and s3 too , and i am addicted to swype so i can't type with anything else.

I use it to learn to write japanese character on ankidroid.
I think that the Galaxy note 2 is just the best device to learn a foreign language on the go.

Signing contracts and documents. Instead of printing and scanning/faxing it back to them. I just sign it with my s pen and email it back to them.
Emailing photos and marking it up with the s pen is so much more personal and exact when you need to highlight or point something out in the photo.
Writing down a phone number or a quick note
I don't use it daily but it sure is very helpful and flexible when I do use it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

I use it to take notes, use it for the multi window feature, also a lot on the web especially when they are small links to click, the s pen gives you more precision and where they are sub menus instead of using your fingers the s pen helps a lot. Take screenshots alao

I put mine in a straw and blow it out, it makes for a surprisingly good projectile to shoot at the wife
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

using s note feature "formula match" really helpfull for me (student).

I mainly use s pen for quick jotting of no.
And also to screen capture and edit
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

I like the ability to be able to cut a segment of the screen onto the clipboard easily. I have started hand writing a lot of texts too

EdgaBimbam said:
using s note feature "formula match" really helpfull for me (student).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wasn't this an episode of Big Bang Theory???

EdgaBimbam said:
using s note feature "formula match" really helpfull for me (student).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't have mine yet, but when i look at the review video's i think myscript calculator works better for this than s note does.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visionobjects.calculator

Haven't found any S pen optmized apps other than stock, so the main use of Spen for me is to show off When I was putting a photo note yesterday, people were saying WOW

I've never taken the pen out of the phone and have no plans to do so lol.

Read you manual when you get the phone, it is worth it. The S-Pen is realy deep inbedded in the software mate, try quick commands for instancewhere you can open any app just by a s-pen shortcut command. It is realy great

I use the S-Pen for Games like SEGA Virtua Tennis, to Paint, Notes,Web and to make screenshots.

Whenever I'm on web, it works like a mice, so gotta have it in hand. Yahoo, espnstar a lot of websites have it optimized well.
In fact, it's always outside holster for me, whether on my hand or not.
Sent from my GT-N7100

daz_2000 said:
Hi guys.
First time note user. Coming from galaxy s2 and s3.
Love the note 2. Simply the best smartphone ever made and so glad I went for it even after recently uograding to s3 which I will now sell.
Anyway...I feel like I should use the pen more. So want to see how others are using it? I have looked at s-note but not sure how I would use that. So if you have examples of how you would use that. That woule be good. Any other apps I can download to get good use?
I find it quicker to type with my fingers. Is this the same for everyone?
Look forward to your comments.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will use my S-pen of Note1 to clip some pictures and draw something~
It is good pen and function!!

Does it work with draw something? i really love that game and dont want to buy another stylus just to play it.

If you enable the pop up s-note, then it s-pen works just like pen and paper, kinda.
Pull out the s-pen (s-note pops up automatically). scribble whatever (reminder, phone number, address/etc), then just stick the pen right back in. The contents are saved automatically.
I've used it a few times to annotate pictures. circling stuff and writing 'park here', or 'click here', etc.
It's super useful for that, rather than sending a screen shot and saying 'hit the click the option about 2/3s way down'
- Frank

A trait of Galaxy Note line-up
I use it to show iPhone users what a Galaxy Note series device can do

MyScript Notes is "Now" in the Samsung Market

I just found out that the maker of our S-Notes did release their version to the Samsung market. (not only to the OEM)
It has one big feature: writing and convert later :victory:
The selection tool is also good.
It does also export to txt. :good:
But the rest is mostly the same as the S-Note, if not worse: :crying: No shapes, No Calc, limited choice of backgrounds and pen styles, no recordings, no Wolfram.
Perhaps a bit slower.

marcxs said:
I just found out that the maker of our S-Notes did release their version to the Samsung market. (not only to the OEM)
It has one big feature: writing and convert later :victory:
The selection tool is also good.
It does also export to txt. :good:
But the rest is mostly the same as the S-Note, if not worse: :crying: No shapes, No Calc, limited choice of backgrounds and pen styles, no recordings, no Wolfram.
Perhaps a bit slower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see it's rather pricey too (€8).
But this price could also be considered good news if this app is intended to really become a full featured, "pro" version of SNote in the next future.
Anyway, at this stage, I don't think the price is worth it yet (considering the features present in SNote and not in the app and considering other good paid for alternative apps that are priced less than half).

I had it on my lenovo thinkpad as an oem version. It want perfect utilities the things it did it did well to me s-note is full featured but doesn't do the basics well enough so much so that it is nearly unusable. I can't for the life of me figure out why the basic function of converting handwriting to text is so poorly implemented that I never use it.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app

And, if you buy from Samsung, you'll only be able to access it on Samsung devices. Too bad it hasn't come to the Market. At least that way you don't have to pay twice.
Folks with the ThinkPad Tablet got caught that way. Bought it from Lenovo and now if they want it for their Note they have to buy it all over again.

JB S-Notes
optimus43 said:
I had it on my lenovo thinkpad as an oem version. It want perfect utilities the things it did it did well to me s-note is full featured but doesn't do the basics well enough so much so that it is nearly unusable. I can't for the life of me figure out why the basic function of converting handwriting to text is so poorly implemented that I never use it.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's pretty basic and missing many features of the S-Note, but I love it.
Because it convert a bit better, I didn't have any problems with : backslash or coma, numbers and the r.
Where the S-Notes makes me mad, you write a text, make a mistake and the problems begins: you try to correct, but loose the input focus when using the pen, so you use the arrow keys you get back at the end of line but forget the space... no easy way to put text blocks together.....
And so one....
The MyScript is almost as so good, as was my old Newton MP2100.
Could someone get a deeper look at the JB S-Notes, I know about the page slider, color picking, backgrounds, I also did peak something about "Import" ?
What else did change? Or is new?

marcxs said:
It's pretty basic and missing many features of the S-Note, but I love it.
Because it convert a bit better, I didn't have any problems with : backslash or coma, numbers and the r.
Where the S-Notes makes me mad, you write a text, make a mistake and the problems begins: you try to correct, but loose the input focus when using the pen, so you use the arrow keys you get back at the end of line but forget the space... no easy way to put text blocks together.....
And so one....
The MyScript is almost as so good, as was my old Newton MP2100.
Could someone get a deeper look at the JB S-Notes, I know about the page slider, color picking, backgrounds, I also did peak something about "Import" ?
What else did change? Or is new?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MSN didn't work for me, so I bought it and asked for a refund in the first month. 7Notes with mazec is far superior IMO. It handles my chicken scratch writing much better than MSN ever did. Glad it works for you. SNote was much worse for me than MSN.

toenail_flicker said:
MSN didn't work for me, so I bought it and asked for a refund in the first month. 7Notes with mazec is far superior IMO. It handles my chicken scratch writing much better than MSN ever did. Glad it works for you. SNote was much worse for me than MSN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see MyScript Notes in the Samsung App store. I am running a Galaxy Note 2, so maybe that explains it. I'd love to get my hands on that apk file.

Funny, seems only for 10" Tablets.

I have a Galaxy Note 10.1 N8013...how come I cant find this app? It's not in the PlayStore, and I also cannot find Samsung Market on my tablet. I tried to install Samsung Market, but I dont see the app on my device.

I LOVE this tablet!

The first time I ever saw an iPad in person, I began to lust for one. Then, I bought my son an iPod Touch and we grew to despise iOS. So when I upgraded my old "feature phone" to a smart phone, I went Android. I loved it and never looked back. My first phone was a Samsung Captivate. When we switched from AT&T to Verizon, I got the Galaxy S3 (which I still have, but I'm suffering from S4 envy now!).
My first tablet was the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I loved that tablet. After a couple years, I decided it was time for an upgrade and went with the Asus Transformer Infinity, mainly for the hardware keyboard (with extended battery, full size USB port, SD card reader, etc). What a piece of $#!+ that thing is! The keyboard will not stay attached to the tablet when folded shut. Physically, it feels flimsy and cheap. The battery life - even with the "extended" battery - was worse than my old Galaxy Tab. The thing was incredibly sluggish, slow, and crashed a lot. I tried several custom ROMs and that made things a *tad* better, but not really. Using it was an exercise in frustration.
So, I just picked up the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I LOVE this tablet! Very high quality build. It feels good and solid in my hands. The thing is FAST and performance (based on my user experience) is amazing! The S-Pen is fantastic and I love using it! (I just wish it worked on my S3!). I feel comfortable and at ease with a tablet again. No frustration at all anymore! This is everything a tablet should be! Even if I never install a custom ROM on it, I think I would still be extremely happy with it!
My only desire now is for Samsung to hurry up and release the Book Cover case for it.

HeathicusF said:
The first time I ever saw an iPad in person, I began to lust for one. Then, I bought my son an iPod Touch and we grew to despise iOS. So when I upgraded my old "feature phone" to a smart phone, I went Android. I loved it and never looked back. My first phone was a Samsung Captivate. When we switched from AT&T to Verizon, I got the Galaxy S3 (which I still have, but I'm suffering from S4 envy now!).
My first tablet was the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I loved that tablet. After a couple years, I decided it was time for an upgrade and went with the Asus Transformer Infinity, mainly for the hardware keyboard (with extended battery, full size USB port, SD card reader, etc). What a piece of $#!+ that thing is! The keyboard will not stay attached to the tablet when folded shut. Physically, it feels flimsy and cheap. The battery life - even with the "extended" battery - was worse than my old Galaxy Tab. The thing was incredibly sluggish, slow, and crashed a lot. I tried several custom ROMs and that made things a *tad* better, but not really. Using it was an exercise in frustration.
So, I just picked up the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. I LOVE this tablet! Very high quality build. It feels good and solid in my hands. The thing is FAST and performance (based on my user experience) is amazing! The S-Pen is fantastic and I love using it! (I just wish it worked on my S3!). I feel comfortable and at ease with a tablet again. No frustration at all anymore! This is everything a tablet should be! Even if I never install a custom ROM on it, I think I would still be extremely happy with it!
My only desire now is for Samsung to hurry up and release the Book Cover case for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats. This is my first tablet I have ever owned, although a few people in my family own one. Because I started school again, most of my books are in PDF form and I started taking notes with the Note 2014. Taking notes has been really good, very easy to erase things and move equations around to other pages.
I'm very happy with this device and I'm finding new ways to integrate it into my life as the days go by.

The display is key, but the hardware needs to support it to avoid a laggy experience. This is why the Asus 700 and Nook HD+ suffer and is why I got the iPad 4.
The 2014 seems to be the first Android tablet to cover all bases without some significant caveat. Catch is the price. The pen function adds expense and I get why folks that need the function love it. I will not use it, so will wait for a price drop. Would have waited for the A701, but have read enough and seen enough issues with the Shield and Toshiba tablets to stay away.
The 2014 covers all the bases and has a key thing (sd slot) that I need.

rushless said:
The display is key, but the hardware needs to support it to avoid a laggy experience. This is why the Asus 700 and Nook HD+ suffer and is why I got the iPad 4.
The 2014 seems to be the first Android tablet to cover all bases without some significant caveat. Catch is the price. The pen function adds expense and I get why folks that need the function love it. I will not use it, so will wait for a price drop. Would have waited for the A701, but have read enough and seen enough issues with the Shield and Toshiba tablets to stay away.
The 2014 covers all the bases and has a key thing (sd slot) that I need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you do use the pen though, the price becomes worth it. The level of software they had to program into using the pen makes it worth it if you definitely need it.
But if you don't use it, then I guess you'll have to wait for the Galaxy Tab 4.

SlimJ87D said:
Congrats. This is my first tablet I have ever owned, although a few people in my family own one. Because I started school again, most of my books are in PDF form and I started taking notes with the Note 2014. Taking notes has been really good, very easy to erase things and move equations around to other pages.
I'm very happy with this device and I'm finding new ways to integrate it into my life as the days go by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you use to annotate on books? I'd think s note would take forever to navigate through a large pdf.

ChrisNee1988 said:
What do you use to annotate on books? I'd think s note would take forever to navigate through a large pdf.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a large number of pdf books including numerous Adobe DRM protected books. I highly recommend Mantano reader from the play store. I have tge oremium version but there is bith avlight and standard version.
The premium version adds so much functionality it is insane. All highlights, nites and bookmarks you have made are visible together on an index page fir each b9ok so you can easily find everyvnote you have made on a book or every highlight.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 via tapatalk.

wingdo said:
All highlights, nites and bookmarks you have made are visible together on an index page fir each b9ok so you can easily find everyvnote you have made on a book or every highlight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's an awesome feature! I'm waiting for my Note and plan to use LectureNotes in class. While thinking about my workflow with it I thought that this 'indexing highliter' would be a really awesome feature. Does anybody know if LectureNotes has this functionality as well?

I'm not a mobile device guru or anything, but I have used a pretty decent variety of devices. My last two laptops were "convertibles" (the monitor flips around and folds over the keyboard to become a tablet). Currently a Dell XT3, previously a Fujitsu Lifebook. I delved into the "UMPC" world. I had a Samsung Q1 for a while and also thoroughly tested the Black Diamond Switchback, OQO Model 2, and others for my previous job.
The S-Pen is not a mere stylus like what came with all the other devices I've used. One of my favorite features is the ability to toggle it so the touch screen does not recognize my hand. I can finally rest my hand on the display while using the pen without weird things happening. It's a small thing, but really big for me.

ChrisNee1988 said:
What do you use to annotate on books? I'd think s note would take forever to navigate through a large pdf.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use ezPDF and take a snapshot of whatever I need in my notes. Then I paste it in and do stuff there. If anyone else has a better of of doing things, please let me know.

@The_Maverick: There is no `indexing highlighter´ in LectureNotes, I am sorry.

acadoid said:
@The_Maverick: There is no `indexing highlighter´ in LectureNotes, I am sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for letting me know. It's probably no big deal, I haven't figured out my workflow yet anyway. But could you imagine implementing this somewhere down the road?
The scenario that I have in mind is the following: Whenever there is a definition in my lecture slides (currently in paper form), I highlight the name of what's being defined with a specific marker color. That way I can easily skim through my notes when I'm looking for a certain definition. Switching to the Note/LectureNotes, I thought it'd be really cool if all my highlighted definitions would show up on one central page as bookmarks/links, making it even easier to find what I'm looking for.
Anyway, I should probably not be making feature requests before ever really having used the app.
Thanks for being such a responsive developer!

@The_Maverick: LectureNotes allows to attach keywords to notebook pages and creates a table of contents and an index from that (either for individual notebooks, for all notebooks in a folder, and for all notebooks on the notebooks board). This is the second part of the suggested functionality, the first part where highlighted material becomes a keyword is missing, you need to type the keyword manually.

acadoid said:
@The_Maverick: LectureNotes allows to attach keywords to notebook pages and creates a table of contents and an index from that (either for individual notebooks, for all notebooks in a folder, and for all notebooks on the notebooks board). This is the second part of the suggested functionality, the first part where highlighted material becomes a keyword is missing, you need to type the keyword manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. Thanks for the help. I'm definitely looking forward to using LectureNotes. It's the biggest incentive for me to get the Note.

I mainly bought this for the great screen, multitasking, and the SD Card slot...but I must say that I have been surprisingly happy with the S-pen and all the functionality it brings! I wish I would have had this while in college.
I also wish the S-pen would work with my S3. The Note phones are all too big for me, so we'll see what the S5 will bring. I highly doubt it, but it'd be awesome if the S5 could use the S-pen too (even if it didn't come with one).

I used to think the Notes were too big, but after using one for awhile it seems rather normal. I think because they slimmed down the 3 a bit it's not bad.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Just wondering why everyone does not just use S Note which is built in to the device for all your note taking needs

Dedline said:
Just wondering why everyone does not just use S Note which is built in to the device for all your note taking needs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LectureNotes is much more customizable. It's quite possibly the most perfect note taking app that exists anywhere, including Windows, Android, or iOS.
The ONLY thing I wish it had is the ability to add an expandable sticky note to either notes or PDF's I'm annotating.

@han solo
and maybe it would be great if the Lecture Notes UI would move somewhere near the Android HOLO conventions... been using Lecture Notes for a long time now and I still keep forgetting where which menu item is hiding.
Otherwise, good app.

@Ulukaii1983: I try to keep functionality organized in a meaningful way, but I am always open for specific suggestions (in fact, I have moved several menu items following user suggestions).

@acadoid:
Hey many thanks for your reply! Glad that you still find the time to read the opinions about your app.
If you don't mind, I would post some UI recommendations in your other thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1870639&page=167
... but I please give me a little bit time to make some valuable recommendations.

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