Why is everybody saying that iOS has better pdf handling than Android? - Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) General

I find the spen, ezpdf, Dropbox combo to be perfect.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app

I actually just said that in a recent post. It is true. I know that having the pen with ezPDF is amazing and works well. The issue is in the performance. Try an iPad. Load a graphic intensive PDF on it and then start moving around from page to page and zooming. It's smooth as heck. Now do it on the Note 10.1 2014... Choppy, inconsistent and slows down to a crawl sometimes. As much as a hate Apple and I think that their products are mainly consumption kiddy toys, they do have some very optimized well put together hardware and software. There is a reason why they are praised for their gaming capabilities, because the GPU capabilities are amazing. But like I said, outside of that, there is nothing special about it so it's not like that would win me over. The Note 10.1 2014 is what I am sticking with and it will do wonders for most everything, I just hope the video processing and random system performance gets patched along the way soon.

Dissappinted to hear that. I wanted to upgeade to a 2014 for better, faster pdf handling. I guess all the ipad needs is a pen with good palm rejection.
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dtziheucdavis said:
Dissappinted to hear that. I wanted to upgeade to a 2014 for better, faster pdf handling. I guess all the ipad needs is a pen with good palm rejection.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
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If they put a Wacom Digitizer in there they may have something.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1 via Tapatalk.

yeah my daughters old ass ipad2 is still pretty smooth. any 2yr old android tablet can't even hang - tegra2 sucked!

Is what you are seeing really attributable to a difference between an iPad and Android from a hardware and OS perspective or is it a difference in the PDF apps that are available? I know that it really doesn't matter in the end because the results of the same but it seems to be more related to deficiencies ezPDF then in the hardware or OS. I really wish Bluebeam would step up and bring their PDF reader to Android.

I think pdf handling on the note 10.1 2014 isn't perfect but its definitely smooth enough unless you're OCD

Compare GoodNotes on iOS to ezPDF on Android and you'll see why.

Check out Mantano reader. I find that it has the smoothest experience out of all android PDF readers. There performance may not be as good as the iOS alternatives, but it comes pretty close. I can read a 1000 page textbook on my galaxy s3 without any noticeable lag or stutter. The performance should be just as good, if not better on the note 2014. It also has annotate/highlight functionality which could put the pen to good use.

C2Q said:
Check out Mantano reader. I find that it has the smoothest experience out of all android PDF readers. There performance may not be as good as the iOS alternatives, but it comes pretty close. I can read a 1000 page textbook on my galaxy s3 without any noticeable lag or stutter. The performance should be just as good, if not better on the note 2014. It also has annotate/highlight functionality which could put the pen to good use.
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Before I shell out for the Premium version, does it have the ability to put sticky notes, and does it have a "turning page" effect like ezPDF?

Han Solo 1 said:
Before I shell out for the Premium version, does it have the ability to put sticky notes, and does it have a "turning page" effect like ezPDF?
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You should try out the lite version first because I think it's essentially the same in terms of performance. The turning page effect is not there for PDF files (doesn't matter to me really), it just a straight horizontal or vertical scroll. I believe you can put some equivalent of sticky notes - you can write a text note and have it linked to a page, but it wont explicitly show a sticky note symbol on the page. Also I must warn you that despite the scrolling and rendering to be really smooth, the text rendering isn't that amazing, but I'm not sure which other PDF reader has that anyway. What I mean is that, when zooming in, there is a delay before the text gets sharper.
Edit: there's also this other reader I heard is quite good performance wise. Radaee PDF reader. I haven't tried it out myself, but maybe you want to give that a look as well.

C2Q said:
Check out Mantano reader. I find that it has the smoothest experience out of all android PDF readers. There performance may not be as good as the iOS alternatives, but it comes pretty close. I can read a 1000 page textbook on my galaxy s3 without any noticeable lag or stutter. The performance should be just as good, if not better on the note 2014. It also has annotate/highlight functionality which could put the pen to good use.
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Mantano is indeed good and smooth, but it seems it does not have palm rejection when using the spen?

Han Solo 1 said:
Before I shell out for the Premium version, does it have the ability to put sticky notes, and does it have a "turning page" effect like ezPDF?
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Click to collapse
Remember. You have a 15 minute refund window. I refunded it myself cause I couldn't find a way to persistently highlight. It was annoying to keep to the side to highlight. I emailed the Dev to ask but no reply yet.

Its the apps that are present.
Just two app 'notability' and 'good reader" in ipad can already give superior annotating which up to date no developer in android has ever manage to create.
It has everything lecturenote, snote, ezpdf or any annotating app on play store has to offer. On top of that they auto cloud sync(no need for dropsync), it keeps text formatting of your pdf files, import and export in seconds.
Downside is... there is no s pen for ipad. If one day those 2 companies plan to hit the android market I think those apps I mentioned will probably be obsolete. I was quite disappointed with android in this when I traded in my iPad for a note 10.1 2014.
If a digitizer appears on iPad. It will be the end for the productivity appeal of android (apart from note 10.1 with multi window IMO).

earthtk said:
Its the apps that are present.
Just two app 'notability' and 'good reader" in ipad can already give superior annotating which up to date no developer in android has ever manage to create.
It has everything lecturenote, snote, ezpdf or any annotating app on play store has to offer. On top of that they auto cloud sync(no need for dropsync), it keeps text formatting of your pdf files, import and export in seconds.
Downside is... there is no s pen for ipad. If one day those 2 companies plan to hit the android market I think those apps I mentioned will probably be obsolete. I was quite disappointed with android in this when I traded in my iPad for a note 10.1 2014.
If a digitizer appears on iPad. It will be the end for the productivity appeal of android (apart from note 10.1 with multi window IMO).
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Best post in this thread. I agree on every point.

Han Solo 1 said:
Best post in this thread. I agree on every point.
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:good: Hope you are not having a bad time with your note 10.1 haha..
Anyway my opinion is not a biased one. I have always tests device and tell friends if they are good or not. I have tried almost every single annotating there is on android but all were not up to my standard of productivity.
Please don't read peoples' comments on how good this app is or that app is. I was fooled.. Most of them only had the experience on one side of the coin and not the other. Try it yourself (if you can), and tell yourself which is better.
Here is my advise though:
If anyone want get an android device for PDF annotating or dealing with PDF(drawing diagram etc), please reconsider your option as a jotpro + notability/good reader on iPad as it does a better job.
If you don't mind all the hassle(frankly speaking its very troublesome) of rendering every single pages during import and export which takes a whole lot of your time for lecturenotes/s note (not to mention increase in pdf sizes and lack of quality) or lack of functionality of ezpdf (and other pdf annotator). Go ahead and get a note 10.1 for its multi screen so you can view and refer to multiple document at once.
If you are considering of hardware performance-wise, I'm not sure about gaming but other than that there is no difference between a iPad 3 and note 10.1 2014 edition performance.

Is jotpro really comparable to spen though? I use my tablet only for pdf reading and annotating. The downside of all the ipad stuff has always been that the stylus is too thick and imprecise, and there is no palm rejection. Other than that, I do agree ipad is superior for just reading pdfs. Although, I have found that mupdf is extremely fast on Android if all you want to do is read and not annotate.
Sent from my SM-P600 using xda app-developers app

iPad, Jot Pro and apps are POS. Just look at YouTube videos of mentioned app with Jot Pro like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4oTEQqSiyo
- Writing input is laggy even compared to my old Note 2. Should be even faster on Note 3 after it finishes downloading Call of Duty Strike Team.
Update: Note 3 (Snapdragon 800) is even faster as expected. Only suggestion is to change the freehand writing thickness from default super thick to either 1 or 3 point to make it more responsive.
- No palm rejection will give you carpal tunnel syndrome writing awkwardly with palm in the air. Or, you can waste half of your screen with what this guy is doing using a make shift palm wrest.
- Even on a full size iPad with the input window zoomed in, the writing is inaccurate and looks like chicken scratches. On Note 2 5.5" without zooming I can write tiny text accurately.
- I tested the free Acrobat Reader to annotate a 133 page PDF and it's fast to scroll, zoom in/out, manipulate, etc. and this is on my old Note 2. It has built-in cloud sync with Adobe or you can use a number of other services like Google Drive, Dropbox, SkyDrive, etc.
- On the iPad with only 1GB DRAM you risk losing whatever you're working on when you task switch if, for example, you have to switch to VOIP app to take a call, check Gmail/Maps, run another app, etc. I've lost comments I was in the middle of writing task switching just between browser and Apple Maps and back on an iPad because the browser reloaded. Non-issue with Note series with 2GB and 3GB DRAM on the newer devices.
- It's wishful thinking but no stylus including Jot Pro can compare to the Note's Wacom pen and there's no way to stow inside so it's bound to get lost.
- If you're concerned about performance check out the Note 10.1 2014 LTE with Snapdragon 800 which is what I'm waiting for along with 12.2" to arrive in the US.
Forget about the iPad. I've used both and it's a POS.

That's exactly why I left ipad and ios. There still doesn't seem to be a good stylus option with PM rejection that is even close to spen.
Sent from my SM-P600 using xda app-developers app

It depends.. I never used notability with my Palm in the air before. There are work around for it. The video quality aren't very good that's why the words are sketchy. I have also never lost work while switching apps. I'm lazy to elaborate more lol.. Anyone would wanna consider go try them and see for yourself. Try notability! Really a good app. See if you can name one in Android that is better than that by experience not by videos or others' POV. I can post the screen shot of lecturenotes/s note and annotation done by notability to see if writing is sketchy.
Other than these I think I like the function of the s pen and the multi window functions. Otherwise I would really chunk this device out of the window*just kidding*
Point is, you should ignore what everyone is saying including and do the comparison yourself.

Related

Note 10.1 good for college student?

I am planning on getting a tablet for college and was hoping to see if the note was good for viewing pdfs on? I had the Asus Vivo Tab and it was just awful for pdfs so I returned it. Does pdf run smoothly on it? Also I was wondering how customizable it is? I'd like to download more apps then what is available on the microsoft market. Is it a good tablet overall?
This tablet would be perfect for a student. It gives you the ability to write using a pen, record voice notes and view pdf files easily. You are also able to modify and annotate the pdf files on your tab....
Agreed
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The note is by far far far the best tablet for a student
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda app-developers app
This is by far the best, most thoughtfully put out product I have ever used. As a student, I can't imagine going to school without one of these now.
Good to hear, I purchased one earlier for that purpose earlier and it's currently charging.
The tablet is very customizable, just check out the available ROMs for it.
For PDFs, you can use Adobe Reader. You can annotate and even write on them.
For taking notes I suggest using Lecture Notes.
And of course, everything looks and works great on this tablet.
Can I get adobe flash player to work on the note?
pc9460 said:
Can I get adobe flash player to work on the note?
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Yes. Just enable unknown sources in settings then download & install apk from the internet browser.
Also to answer your original question, this is a great tablet for students. I take it to all my lectures. I used to use a laptop, but the battery couldn't get me through one lecture. This tablet gets 10 hours of screen on time doing anything except gaming.
I wish a tablet like the note 10.1 existed back when I was in college. Well yet again, I was a broke a$s guy back then and I don't know if I could have afforded it.. But to answer the question, yep, S Note (an app that comes by default on the tablet) will be your friend. It can take notes, record your notes, take a pic and insert it on your notes, insert and solve formulas, diagrams, etc, etc, and so forth and so forth...
I have flash player installed on mines. It was still available on the Play Store when I installed it. I don't know if the Play store still allows you to install. I know for sure it's not allowing me to install it on my Note 2 phone.
I am a college student and s note is perfect and being able to add pictures/diagrams to your notes is very convenient
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
I'll second the recommendation of lecture notes. I could never get long well with snote for some reason. I use the tab for note taking at school and work. It is great. hopefully they come out with it's big brother in a year or so so i can upgrade.
You wouldn't believe how many times people sitting beside me have been like "whoa that's so cool, what tablet is that?"
How smooth is the note for running big pdfs? I'm talking 1000+ pages since they're textbooks.
pc9460 said:
How smooth is the note for running big pdfs? I'm talking 1000+ pages since they're textbooks.
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My motorcycle shop manual is 1200 pages and I have no issues surfing thru it on eZPDF (paid app from the play store)
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
pc9460 said:
How smooth is the note for running big pdfs? I'm talking 1000+ pages since they're textbooks.
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I do that and It all runs fine
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I'm a graduate student, and I've been using it to take notes mostly. It's basically the ultimate tool for me, allowing me to read, write, and everything in between without adding to my bag's weight. I have viewed up PDFs up to about 500 pages mostly (not a lot of physics reference books go up past 500 pages as far as I can tell). My notes are finally something I can refer to, since they're not scattered in fifty billion places (I wasn't the most organized student..).
In any case, I can see that people have given you recommendations already, and I'll add my praise to LectureNotes, Edroid Reader, and Adobe Reader.
Sample notes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x1rbyi3jrzsn4bb/Quantum Mechanics.pdf
I do all of my homework on my tablet and send it electronically to my professors. I was worried that they would not be on board, but I actually received compliments from all of them. I also take all of my notes on the tablet. Shape tools and different colors make diagramming and organizing big messy equations much easier than on paper.
CON:
On tests I feel handicapped with a pen/pencil and paper. No copy/paste my own handwriting?!?! Erasing leaves marks?!? You've gotta be kidding me.
asdfuogh said:
I'm a graduate student, and I've been using it to take notes mostly. It's basically the ultimate tool for me, allowing me to read, write, and everything in between without adding to my bag's weight. I have viewed up PDFs up to about 500 pages mostly (not a lot of physics reference books go up past 500 pages as far as I can tell). My notes are finally something I can refer to, since they're not scattered in fifty billion places (I wasn't the most organized student..).
In any case, I can see that people have given you recommendations already, and I'll add my praise to LectureNotes, Edroid Reader, and Adobe Reader.
Sample notes: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x1rbyi3jrzsn4bb/Quantum Mechanics.pdf
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Nice notes.
What program do you use to anmotate pdfs?
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I bought and used the Note for all of last semester. I haven't used it to view PDFs much but I did use it to take down notes during lectures. It's quite good for that but it is compromised because it does not feel like writing on paper. My handwriting is quite bad on it but I adjust a little bit and it gets better (still not perfect). This is compounded by the fact that Samsung quality control is kind of ****ty and my pen leaves little tails at the end of strokes so the writing looks even worse (search, someone else had this issue as well). I ordered the standalone larger pen for it from South Korea (because Samsung CAN NOT or REFUSES to get its **** together regarding accessories unlike Apple) and it does not leave tails, or they're less pronounced. Problem is, the nibs on this pen are super slippery. Anyway, like all Samsung devices everything is a compromise so don't get your hopes up too high.
At the end of the day, it's the only tablet in this category at this price range so I wouldn't have anything else for school. No more multiple notebooks, Evernote syncing, LectureNotes (great app), no more multiple colored pens. Try it out.

Note 10.1 for school

I just recently picked up a Note 10.1 to replace my HP touchpad for use at school. I was having a tough time deciding on the tablet so I thought I would post my experience using the Note 10.1 for productivity the last week. Any comparison I have is to the HP Touchpad running android ICS. Here is some key points.
The Good:
1. The Note 10.1 is not very heavy, I use it as a notebook and its about the same size and weight as a notebook.
2. The device has darn good battery life, I'm not going to throw numbers around because it varies, but its good.
3. The Note 10.1 is of good quality. THe one I have does not creak, has good sound and what I consider a quality screen. Side by side compared to my HP Touchpad of similar pixels, there is no comparison, the Note 10.1 is FAR superior in picture quality and color saturation.
4. The S-Pen is very useful. Best thing about Note devices in general, you can use them in class and people don't assume your on facebook or texting, simply because you have a pen in your hand. I don't have a facebook anyhow but the perception is different.
5. The software is solid, it does not lag, it does not shut off, it just works, at least so far.
6. The device is pretty close to a desktop replacement for me, the multitasking really opens up the options and works pretty well.
The Bad:
1. When using the device at school (I have very long days in one classroom), it can't be sat upright AND be on the charger. I have the samsung book-cover case and when it is upright, since the charging port is on the bottom, it won't plug in.
2. Proprietary cable, I know there are some good things, but my touchpad had micro USB and I think it was nice to have a standard.
That's all. It's overall a great device. I am very happy with it.
If you get a 360 case you can rotate the tablet while in the case so that the charging port would then be on the top and you can charge that way. I kind of like the 30 pin connector as it is more hefty, I have seen so many people complain about damaged micro usb charging ports on other device forum pages. Playbook and kindle fire especially. Just my 2 cents........
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fosmon-Leather-Folio-Stand-Case-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-10-1-Dark-Purple-/290833896213?pt=US_Tablet_eReader_Cases_Covers_Keyboard_Folios&hash=item43b70d1315
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You can get an adaptor that gives you normal usb ... I have a hub that connects to the 30 pin connector, gives me 3 usb ports and a couple of sd card ports. 1 normal sd and 1 microsd... I got this for around $20 on ebay and have no regrets as it works flawlessly with everything I've thrown at it, excepting of course an unpowered HDD....
Thanks for sharing your experience with the GNote. I'm curious about how you connected your tab to the monitor? Hdmi adapter cable? And how about the keyboard? Is it bluetooth? Make?
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Widget21 said:
Thanks for sharing your experience with the GNote. I'm curious about how you connected your tab to the monitor? Hdmi adapter cable? And how about the keyboard? Is it bluetooth? Make?
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can connect a BT keyboard, you can generally share music, video and photo's to an HDTV if it has WiFi (DLNA), You can use the HDMI adapter or a Samsung All Share Cast Hub that sends a wireless mirrored image to anything with an HDMI connection. There are many options.
.
I wanted to touch on the school usablity. I'm the only one that I've seen in my school with a Note. I have the origonal note on ATT for a while, but I didnt feel the software matched the hardware at all. I sold my transformer infinity prime (which was awesome hardware but really really bad software) for the Note 10.1.
I've used it for a few weeks now in lectures and for homework. Many of my instructors upload either PDF of power points of their lectures. The Note excels at handling this. I simply import PDF directly to SNote or if its a powerpoint, I can open it in the included office program then export it as a PDF then import it to SNote. Either way, I have folders for all my classes along with lecture notes organized in a slim format. I used to go through almost a ream of paper every term printing out slides (6 per page) and then organizing into a huge binder and watching the pages wear out. And not something I want to haul around and study. The Note replaces all this. When I work out math problems, I have an instant "dry erase" board with me. I don't go through notebooks. Also, I have the equation solver in Snote which is awesome by the way.
I wish I could get flash working well. I have it sideloaded and have firefox on it, but the online homework sites that use flash do not recognize onscreen keyboard inputs. Other than the laggy lock screen (seems to be all the animations) it runs great and snappy.
I've also switched from paper notes to digital. It's awesome, there's just one problem. Several times I've caught myself looking for the undo button in class on the real-life whiteboard
Does anyone use there note for textbooks? If so, how is it with the resolution? Especially if you use it in multi window while taking notes.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
It's not bad. Use hyreader for chm, ezpdf/acrobat/radeepdf for pdf reading. It does take away space from the already small screen for notes so I tend to use my laptop or an actual textbook instead if I intend on taking notes. Sometimes i'll just give up and write directly on the pdf instead. for PPTs, I convert to PDF and write directly on them w/ acrobat or ezPDF.
setasai said:
It's not bad. Use hyreader for chm, ezpdf/acrobat/radeepdf for pdf reading. It does take away space from the already small screen for notes so I tend to use my laptop or an actual textbook instead if I intend on taking notes. Sometimes i'll just give up and write directly on the pdf instead. for PPTs, I convert to PDF and write directly on them w/ acrobat or ezPDF.
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Click to collapse
If im decidimg between this and a nexus 10, would it be better to go with the nexus for the higher resolution for better clarity of textbooks and take any notes on a netbook I already have? If the lecture is using a PPT thats provided, I could always take the notes on the "note" section of the power point slide. Typing is also faster than writing. After seeing the nexus 10, im having a hard time going for the note due to the clarity of screen. What do you think?
I've had no issues w/ reading textbooks on the Note 10.1. The question you need to ask yourself is if you want the s-pen. It's really the deciding factor. If you want to be writing and taking handwritten notes with it then there's no question about it, go with the Note. If you just want a tablet to read things and surf the web then go for pretty much ANY tablet out there, or go with the Note anyways. Doesnt really matter.
As for PPT notes, sure you could type faster if that's the type of classes you have. I'm in med school and writing/drawing out diagrams is super super useful. For example, I'll have a slide with an image of a lung, the pen lets me circle the abscess and label it. Really depends on the purpose.
Think about your purpose. Think about what fits your usage and what you want to use it for. S-pen is unparalleled and the screen resolution isnt breath taking but it's NOT bad at all.
Sher The Love said:
Does anyone use there note for textbooks? If so, how is it with the resolution? Especially if you use it in multi window while taking notes.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
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This is my main concern as well. I'm wanting to use a Note 10.1 for my pdf textbooks and be able to take notes with it as well. Am I going to need another tablet just for the books or will I be able to dual view or switch windows quick enough where I only need the one device?
witchdoc13 said:
This is my main concern as well. I'm wanting to use a Note 10.1 for my pdf textbooks and be able to take notes with it as well. Am I going to need another tablet just for the books or will I be able to dual view or switch windows quick enough where I only need the one device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The feature you are looking is what makes this tablet unique.
I almost never use my hard copies of books. Just use the digital version.
I the multi Window features plus spen is very useful to take notes while reading. No other tablet offers these two. I thought the newer Windows tablet might work better but I am wrong. Their pen input needs a lot more improvement.
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aalupatti said:
The feature you are looking is what makes this tablet unique.
I almost never use my hard copies of books. Just use the digital version.
I the multi Window features plus spen is very useful to take notes while reading. No other tablet offers these two. I thought the newer Windows tablet might work better but I am wrong. Their pen input needs a lot more improvement.
Sent from my GT-N8013
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That's just what I wanted to hear. The Windows Surface Pro was my other choice, but I figured I could get a Note 10.1 and a cheap laptop at the same cost. I just ordered a 32gb Note 10.1 and it should be here in a few days. :fingers-crossed: Thanks for the reply.
Sher The Love said:
If im decidimg between this and a nexus 10, would it be better to go with the nexus for the higher resolution for better clarity of textbooks and take any notes on a netbook I already have? If the lecture is using a PPT thats provided, I could always take the notes on the "note" section of the power point slide. Typing is also faster than writing. After seeing the nexus 10, im having a hard time going for the note due to the clarity of screen. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in the same boat so I got both lol.
I would definitely recommend the Note 10.1 for textbook reading and note-taking, especially if u can find your textbooks on the Kno website. Their textbooks are interactive in more than a few ways!! The S-Pen seals the deal here too, at least for me.
I'll post some screens of my Music Textbook. Or maybe I should do a vid.
And to top it off you can add the 64gb sd card and increase your memory... I know that a lot of tabs dothis but a few don't, I'm looking at the nexus family here.... This is a real downer as sometimes 32gb just isn't enough.
The screen is fine, I read books in epub format all the time and also read a fair few PDF's with no problems... And I'm not a student...:laugh:
I have a note 10.1 and I've been using it primarily for my revision for my exams and its been awesome !!
Sent from my GT-N8000 using Tapatalk HD
Action B said:
I just recently picked up a Note 10.1 to replace my HP touchpad for use at school. I was having a tough time deciding on the tablet so I thought I would post my experience using the Note 10.1 for productivity the last week. Any comparison I have is to the HP Touchpad running android ICS. Here is some key points.
The Good:
1. The Note 10.1 is not very heavy, I use it as a notebook and its about the same size and weight as a notebook.
2. The device has darn good battery life, I'm not going to throw numbers around because it varies, but its good.
3. The Note 10.1 is of good quality. THe one I have does not creak, has good sound and what I consider a quality screen. Side by side compared to my HP Touchpad of similar pixels, there is no comparison, the Note 10.1 is FAR superior in picture quality and color saturation.
4. The S-Pen is very useful. Best thing about Note devices in general, you can use them in class and people don't assume your on facebook or texting, simply because you have a pen in your hand. I don't have a facebook anyhow but the perception is different.
5. The software is solid, it does not lag, it does not shut off, it just works, at least so far.
6. The device is pretty close to a desktop replacement for me, the multitasking really opens up the options and works pretty well.
The Bad:
1. When using the device at school (I have very long days in one classroom), it can't be sat upright AND be on the charger. I have the samsung book-cover case and when it is upright, since the charging port is on the bottom, it won't plug in.
2. Proprietary cable, I know there are some good things, but my touchpad had micro USB and I think it was nice to have a standard.
That's all. It's overall a great device. I am very happy with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll comment on battery... I think it's great
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[Q] Galaxy Note 2014 worth for college?

Do you think the 2014 version of this tablet will be worth it. I know there is already other topics on this but I wanted to know if the additional $250 is worth it over the previous model. All I would be using it for would be taking notes and having my PDF books on it. I would also like to be able to write/highlight on the pdf books with the pen if that is possible.
I don't own one/not gonna buy one of the Note 10.1s (I have a tablet as my signature suggests and despite the age of it and the S-Pen my current one suits me just fine)
But I've used two of the first Note 10.1s and for a pretty mediocre tablet (in terms of specs and everything) its still a pretty good device to use for school, which my friends use it for.
The 2014 model does make it easier to take notes and so on, with Action Memo and everything else in there, plus chances are the S-Pen functionality has been improved.
With writing all over pdfs, there are apps on the market, both free and paid, that work pretty well with the S-Pen. I don't know what app it is, but my friend uses one of these on his Note 10.1 (the original one), and it works pretty well. I have iAnnotate PDF on my own one. Dunno whether that functionality is built into the tablet itself- whether you can write all over pdfs by default- but there are apps to do it as well.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk HD
450rider22 said:
Do you think the 2014 version of this tablet will be worth it. I know there is already other topics on this but I wanted to know if the additional $250 is worth it over the previous model. All I would be using it for would be taking notes and having my PDF books on it. I would also like to be able to write/highlight on the pdf books with the pen if that is possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 2012 version. I use it mainly for taking notes and a little bit of media if I'm in bed. If you're going to be reading lots and lots on it, then you might want to opt in for the newer version as the resolution is much better. The 2012 version's resolution is a little lackluster, but it is adequate for reading. I will not be upgrading, as I do not need the new features.
New not 10.1 is lighter, has better screen resolution and s pen functionality, so the answer is yes.
450rider22 said:
Do you think the 2014 version of this tablet will be worth it. I know there is already other topics on this but I wanted to know if the additional $250 is worth it over the previous model. All I would be using it for would be taking notes and having my PDF books on it. I would also like to be able to write/highlight on the pdf books with the pen if that is possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used the original 10.1 for a semester at school. It got the job done for the most part, but I ran into certain compatibility issues for school work that needed flash in the browser or whatever other codings / plugins android doesn't support well.
I sold it and bought a Samsung 500T windows tablet refurbished(only $360 on amazon). While the thing can be extremely slow in certain situations, I'm much more happy with it. In my opinion, Onenote is a better program than Snote or Lecturenotes. Example: for my accounting homework online, I can print the entire webpage to onenote and write out calculations and journal entries on the side. While I could do screen clippings on the note 10.1, I don't believe there's a way to do the entire webpage without multiple clippings (which can be very time consuming in the middle of class).
In all, I prefer Onenote over anything on android and I enjoy having it synced through Dropbox so I can get my notes on my desktop instantly as well. The process of printing lecture slides from powerpoint to Onenote is much faster as well.
From experience, I would personally recommend something windows based for school.
450rider22 said:
Do you think the 2014 version of this tablet will be worth it. I know there is already other topics on this but I wanted to know if the additional $250 is worth it over the previous model. All I would be using it for would be taking notes and having my PDF books on it. I would also like to be able to write/highlight on the pdf books with the pen if that is possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I currently have the older 10.1 model in my possession and I'm using it for school. I love it. S-notes is wonderful and there is a youtuber named rhea white who posted a lot of videos that really sold me on on it. You can import PDF's into S note and write on them from there. A lot of my professors like to use power points so I just download them, save them as PDF's and then import then into s note.
One issue I've had with it though is when I want to see two s note files at once. Sometimes I'll have someone in another note that I want to reference really quickly without having ot export it as a PDF and open it in another app. the 2014 model is supposed to support multiple instances of the same application which is why I was stoked and preordered one. the older model can also bit a bit slow when opening a note or creating a new one which got annoying when I was trying to keep up with what the teacher was saying. these haven't been issues so serious that would make me go back to pen and paper though.
as another poster mention you might find yourself a little limited in terms of working with online solutions. for example some of my professors use webassign, and I've found that I can't work directly on the site with the tablet which is where a tablet with a full OS would probably be better. However consider those types of tablets are more expensive i'm more than happy with my 10.1 and look forward to working on teh 10.1 2014 edition.
Just a question for those of you using a Note for school and annotations, etc.
I've been out of school for about 25 years now. We didn't even use desktop computers, let alone laptops (no, I never learned to use a slide rule. We did have calculators. Slide rules were before my time), etc. I understand using a tablet for taking notes (I'm not THAT antiquated!). I know that PowerPoints and, from what I'm reading, pdf's, are used nowadays; however, I'm not accustomed to modern teaching practices.
Where are you getting the pdf's from? Do the profs email them to you? Do you scan handouts and import them? In my day I used to get a buzz because of the lithograph ink and the alcohol(!) in them. That sometimes made the boring classes bearable.
I'm just curious, that's all. I'm reading all that people are writing, and it's bugging my curiosity.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
princeplanet said:
Just a question for those of you using a Note for school and annotations, etc.
I've been out of school for about 25 years now. We didn't even use desktop computers, let alone laptops (no, I never learned to use a slide rule. We did have calculators. Slide rules were before my time), etc. I understand using a tablet for taking notes (I'm not THAT antiquated!). I know that PowerPoints and, from what I'm reading, pdf's, are used nowadays; however, I'm not accustomed to modern teaching practices.
Where are you getting the pdf's from? Do the profs email them to you? Do you scan handouts and import them? In my day I used to get a buzz because of the lithograph ink and the alcohol(!) in them. That sometimes made the boring classes bearable.
I'm just curious, that's all. I'm reading all that people are writing, and it's bugging my curiosity.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my classes, they upload the PDFs and PowerPoint's to a centralized DB. Depending what classes you're enrolled in you have access to those DB, in a nice GUI.
I download them from piratebay and those kind of websites lol
KalynSS999 said:
In my classes, they upload the PDFs and PowerPoint's to a centralized DB. Depending what classes you're enrolled in you have access to those DB, in a nice GUI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah...that's how it's done. Thank you.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
450rider22 said:
Do you think the 2014 version of this tablet will be worth it. I know there is already other topics on this but I wanted to know if the additional $250 is worth it over the previous model. All I would be using it for would be taking notes and having my PDF books on it. I would also like to be able to write/highlight on the pdf books with the pen if that is possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKYsYUNFFkg
The original has been great for me. I read a lot of pdfs and highlight and annotate with ezpdf. I use Lecturenotes for taking down info.
I'm interested in the new Note mainly for the improved resolution but tbh I can read technical pdfs perfectly well as is so I'm very doubtful that it's worth the extra cost to trade up.
I think I am going to wait until my first trimester is done and hopefully the price will have gone down. Thanks for all the advice.
Sher The Love said:
I used the original 10.1 for a semester at school. It got the job done for the most part, but I ran into certain compatibility issues for school work that needed flash in the browser or whatever other codings / plugins android doesn't support well.
I sold it and bought a Samsung 500T windows tablet refurbished(only $360 on amazon). While the thing can be extremely slow in certain situations, I'm much more happy with it. In my opinion, Onenote is a better program than Snote or Lecturenotes. Example: for my accounting homework online, I can print the entire webpage to onenote and write out calculations and journal entries on the side. While I could do screen clippings on the note 10.1, I don't believe there's a way to do the entire webpage without multiple clippings (which can be very time consuming in the middle of class).
In all, I prefer Onenote over anything on android and I enjoy having it synced through Dropbox so I can get my notes on my desktop instantly as well. The process of printing lecture slides from powerpoint to Onenote is much faster as well.
From experience, I would personally recommend something windows based for school.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given that the base model is now $550, I am interested in Windows tablets now too such as the new Dell Venue Pros with Baytrail Atom CPU's. However, I don't want to learn a new OS and don't want to learn a new program. I actually was very active at using Onenote in college 5 years ago but it was a flawed app and Microsoft really didn't give it the kick it needed until Evernote started showing them how things should be done on the cloud. But I think I may very well trade in a note 10.1 for a good windows 8 tablet if the feature-set is there. An all-day battery life, powerful pdf annotation tools on the level of iannotate for Ipad, and good multitasking would be my priorities.
FlamingGoat said:
The original has been great for me. I read a lot of pdfs and highlight and annotate with ezpdf. I use Lecturenotes for taking down info.
I'm interested in the new Note mainly for the improved resolution but tbh I can read technical pdfs perfectly well as is so I'm very doubtful that it's worth the extra cost to trade up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trading up for exactly that reason. The 720p resolution kind of makes my eyes bleed and ezpdf renders pages too slowly for me. In full-window mode, most texts are fine but I like to multi-window with a note-taking app as well next to the PDF I'm reading. For this purpose, 720p is just too slow a resolution for me. I got a note 3 and pdf rendering is far faster than it was on the Note 2 which is great because I am often flipping quickly through hundreds of pages at once back and forth. I am hoping for that same kind of improvement in the Note 10.1 2014. If the Note 10.1 2013 was 1080p, I probably would wait to upgrade until there's a sale but 2560x1600p is like 4x the pixels of 1280x720p so to me its a huge increase in workflow efficiency given how much I use my note daily.
I currently use the 12' version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. I'm in my first year of medical school and I use this for everything. I actually converted many of my ipad using friends to getting a note as well, mainly for its multiwindow capability and s-pen. EZpdf and LectureNotes are my go to apps in lecture and studying. For students this tablet is miles ahead of the Ipad. I'm look forward to getting my new note 2014 on Friday. Ok now back to studying.
jaztech said:
I currently use the 12' version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. I'm in my first year of medical school and I use this for everything. I actually converted many of my ipad using friends to getting a note as well, mainly for its multiwindow capability and s-pen. EZpdf and LectureNotes are my go to apps in lecture and studying. For students this tablet is miles ahead of the Ipad. I'm look forward to getting my new note 2014 on Friday. Ok now back to studying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jaztech, I'm in the same boat...first year of med school. I'm currently using my iPad with Notability, but it's hardly ideal. Any tips you have for apps specifically for med students would be awesome. I'll be getting the two you recommended. Thanks again!
noleafclover830 said:
jaztech, I'm in the same boat...first year of med school. I'm currently using my iPad with Notability, but it's hardly ideal. Any tips you have for apps specifically for med students would be awesome. I'll be getting the two you recommended. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome Visible Body is an excellent app and I use it to supplement Netter's anatomy. It's especially great for getting a 3-D visualization outside of anatomy lab. Price is a little up there but it is completely worth it. Also check out this website: http://www.imedicalapps.com.
When the first edition came out last year there was really no competition.
However windows has grown so much... there are a handful of wimdows tablets from dell and so on that are worth considering.
My main thing is the ability to fully use onenote.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
jaztech said:
You're welcome Visible Body is an excellent app and I use it to supplement Netter's anatomy. It's especially great for getting a 3-D visualization outside of anatomy lab. Price is a little up there but it is completely worth it. Also check out this website:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Essential Anatomy on my iPad which is pretty stellar, but Visible Body has a few other features that I like as well. Was contemplating getting it for the iPad, but I may opt for the android version instead. Still trying to work out my over all workflow. I may keep the iPad for a "reference" screen (apps, books, etc) and use the Note for taking my notes and making my study guides. Thanks for the tip!

Note 10.1 vs Win8 tablets with pen for studying

I'm looking for a tablet to assist me in my mechanical engineering studies. I have a laptop and a Galaxy Tab 7.7. The laptop is too big and I havent found any good apps to edit pdfs on linux and the 7.7 is too small.
We get all scripts as pdf and some of them have gaps that we fill in the lecture. Atm I print the scripts on paper. I'm thinking of getting a tablet to organize the huge influx of information and reduce the amount of stuff I have to print out and keep in "real" folders.
So there are a few options:
Note 2014, LectureNotes for organizing, ezpdf/repligo for editing of pdfs
Windows 8 Tablets like surface pro, lenovo tablet 2 or sony tap 11. I'm not familiar with the metro app ecosystem and don't know if there are great apps like LectureNotes or ezpdf. The most expensive option.
Continue to print on paper. Cheapest, but not editable, searchable or reusable etc.
I have seen a few students with Note 10.1's and only one with a microsoft surface. The Note owners seemed to be happy with their way of doing things. Though I haven't spoken to the guy with the surface, it seemed like he only used it for viewing pdfs.
I'm particularly interested in the comparison between windows tablets and the galaxy note for note taking, pdf notes and general usefulness for studying.
I admit I haven't put a lot of time into the Win8 devices, but my general impression is that they are very slick, well made, but massively overpriced and terribly lacking on the software side.
Rather than giving a direct comparison, what you could see is if there is anything that the 10.1 can't do that you'd need. By my counting, there isn't. Annotating and marking up PDFs? No problem. All the cloud syncing and printing you could ask for? Got it. Fantastic organization by way of LectureNotes? Mmhm. The screen is sharp, the pen works just dandy, and there's scads of apps for you to create, edit, organize, and make use of all of your PDFs.
I can't say with certainty how good a win8 tab would be, but I can say that the the 10.1 2014 would do everything you could possibly ask of it.
{Diemex} said:
I'm looking for a tablet to assist me in my mechanical engineering studies. I have a laptop and a Galaxy Tab 7.7. The laptop is too big and I havent found any good apps to edit pdfs on linux and the 7.7 is too small.
We get all scripts as pdf and some of them have gaps that we fill in the lecture. Atm I print the scripts on paper. I'm thinking of getting a tablet to organize the huge influx of information and reduce the amount of stuff I have to print out and keep in "real" folders.
So there are a few options:
Note 2014, LectureNotes for organizing, ezpdf/repligo for editing of pdfs
Windows 8 Tablets like surface pro, lenovo tablet 2 or sony tap 11. I'm not familiar with the metro app ecosystem and don't know if there are great apps like LectureNotes or ezpdf. The most expensive option.
Continue to print on paper. Cheapest, but not editable, searchable or reusable etc.
I have seen a few students with Note 10.1's and only one with a microsoft surface. The Note owners seemed to be happy with their way of doing things. Though I haven't spoken to the guy with the surface, it seemed like he only used it for viewing pdfs.
I'm particularly interested in the comparison between windows tablets and the galaxy note for note taking, pdf notes and general usefulness for studying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have either but I've used a Windows 7 tablet and last year's Note 10.1 and the big difference for me was that while both had Wacom, Android is just way more usable via touch than Windows. Windows 8 is more touch friendly to be sure but the software ecosystem just isn't there yet (in terms of touch friendly apps). Like the above poster said, there really isn't much you can't do on a Note 10.1. The one wildcard is Onenote, it's seriously the best thing Microsoft has ever made and there really isn't anything equivalent on Android, but I can live without it really. It would be cool if android note taking apps had the functionality of Onenote but in terms of just using it like an advanced paper notebook they're totally usable. It'd be cool to be able to search through notes and stuff (some app may allow this, but I haven't found one yet) but it's still much easier to find things in a digital notebook than a physical one.
{Diemex} said:
I'm looking for a tablet to assist me in my mechanical engineering studies. I have a laptop and a Galaxy Tab 7.7. The laptop is too big and I havent found any good apps to edit pdfs on linux and the 7.7 is too small.
We get all scripts as pdf and some of them have gaps that we fill in the lecture. Atm I print the scripts on paper. I'm thinking of getting a tablet to organize the huge influx of information and reduce the amount of stuff I have to print out and keep in "real" folders.
So there are a few options:
Note 2014, LectureNotes for organizing, ezpdf/repligo for editing of pdfs
Windows 8 Tablets like surface pro, lenovo tablet 2 or sony tap 11. I'm not familiar with the metro app ecosystem and don't know if there are great apps like LectureNotes or ezpdf. The most expensive option.
Continue to print on paper. Cheapest, but not editable, searchable or reusable etc.
I have seen a few students with Note 10.1's and only one with a microsoft surface. The Note owners seemed to be happy with their way of doing things. Though I haven't spoken to the guy with the surface, it seemed like he only used it for viewing pdfs.
I'm particularly interested in the comparison between windows tablets and the galaxy note for note taking, pdf notes and general usefulness for studying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a fellow mechanical engieer working and going to grad school, this is how it has been working for me.
I use ezPDF and see note. You can take snapshots of pdfs with ezpdf and paste them into s note.
Good luck.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
{Diemex} said:
I'm looking for a tablet to assist me in my mechanical engineering studies. I have a laptop and a Galaxy Tab 7.7. The laptop is too big and I havent found any good apps to edit pdfs on linux and the 7.7 is too small.
We get all scripts as pdf and some of them have gaps that we fill in the lecture. Atm I print the scripts on paper. I'm thinking of getting a tablet to organize the huge influx of information and reduce the amount of stuff I have to print out and keep in "real" folders.
So there are a few options:
Note 2014, LectureNotes for organizing, ezpdf/repligo for editing of pdfs
Windows 8 Tablets like surface pro, lenovo tablet 2 or sony tap 11. I'm not familiar with the metro app ecosystem and don't know if there are great apps like LectureNotes or ezpdf. The most expensive option.
Continue to print on paper. Cheapest, but not editable, searchable or reusable etc.
I have seen a few students with Note 10.1's and only one with a microsoft surface. The Note owners seemed to be happy with their way of doing things. Though I haven't spoken to the guy with the surface, it seemed like he only used it for viewing pdfs.
I'm particularly interested in the comparison between windows tablets and the galaxy note for note taking, pdf notes and general usefulness for studying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am currently/was wondering the same thing. I'm an engineering student and I want to use a tablet for note taking and reading/annotating papers. I considered a Surface pro or a lenovo win tablet with a pen. Mostly because of OneNote. While I haven't used it, I'm sure it is the most mature note taking app there is. I don't know how touch friendly it is (i.e. I don't know if OneNote has a Metro-mode), but if it's like the other office apps, I wouldn't want to use it without a mouse.
The biggest problem with Windows tablets, like it has already been said, is the lack of apps. My brother just bought a Windows tablet (the HP Envy x2 or something), which has full windows, a keyboard dock and no pen. He has a metro app to look at pdfs and hilight them (I think it's almost literally the only pdf app in the app store that supports some level of editing) but he can't write on them (with the keyboard).
You can always say you'll use the full-windows apps, not metro, of which there are plenty, but I just can't imagine that being fun to use with your fingers.
Besides note taking, I also want to use my tablet recreationally. Some browsing, RSS reading, gaming etc. For that, android is just better, hands down.
In terms of sycing, I thought maybe a win tablet might be easier to mangage, but as it turns out, android is probably easier. I can sync files with my Windows laptop via SugarSync and stuff like RSS feeds, podcasts and all that is easier to sync accross android devices.
I have now ordered the Note and am awaiting it anxiously. (it's not available yet where I live)
I hope that helps your decision process along, let me know to what conclusion you come.
In this excellent review (see link below) of the Note 10.1 the reviewer mentions "better going for the 2014 Note 10.1" for people who make notes. Professional artists are better of on a Windows device because of the much larger software base. She reviewed both the 2014 Note 10.1 and the popular Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 (linked in article).
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tablets/2014-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-10.htm
The_Maverick said:
I am currently/was wondering the same thing. I'm an engineering student and I want to use a tablet for note taking and reading/annotating papers. I considered a Surface pro or a lenovo win tablet with a pen. Mostly because of OneNote. While I haven't used it, I'm sure it is the most mature note taking app there is. I don't know how touch friendly it is (i.e. I don't know if OneNote has a Metro-mode), but if it's like the other office apps, I wouldn't want to use it without a mouse.
The biggest problem with Windows tablets, like it has already been said, is the lack of apps. My brother just bought a Windows tablet (the HP Envy x2 or something), which has full windows, a keyboard dock and no pen. He has a metro app to look at pdfs and hilight them (I think it's almost literally the only pdf app in the app store that supports some level of editing) but he can't write on them (with the keyboard).
You can always say you'll use the full-windows apps, not metro, of which there are plenty, but I just can't imagine that being fun to use with your fingers.
Besides note taking, I also want to use my tablet recreationally. Some browsing, RSS reading, gaming etc. For that, android is just better, hands down.
In terms of sycing, I thought maybe a win tablet might be easier to mangage, but as it turns out, android is probably easier. I can sync files with my Windows laptop via SugarSync and stuff like RSS feeds, podcasts and all that is easier to sync accross android devices.
I have now ordered the Note and am awaiting it anxiously. (it's not available yet where I live)
I hope that helps your decision process along, let me know to what conclusion you come.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never used it personally but OneNote is available for Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.onenote
The_Maverick said:
I am currently/was wondering the same thing. I'm an engineering student and I want to use a tablet for note taking and reading/annotating papers. I considered a Surface pro or a lenovo win tablet with a pen. Mostly because of OneNote. While I haven't used it, I'm sure it is the most mature note taking app there is. I don't know how touch friendly it is (i.e. I don't know if OneNote has a Metro-mode), but if it's like the other office apps, I wouldn't want to use it without a mouse.
The biggest problem with Windows tablets, like it has already been said, is the lack of apps. My brother just bought a Windows tablet (the HP Envy x2 or something), which has full windows, a keyboard dock and no pen. He has a metro app to look at pdfs and hilight them (I think it's almost literally the only pdf app in the app store that supports some level of editing) but he can't write on them (with the keyboard).
You can always say you'll use the full-windows apps, not metro, of which there are plenty, but I just can't imagine that being fun to use with your fingers.
Besides note taking, I also want to use my tablet recreationally. Some browsing, RSS reading, gaming etc. For that, android is just better, hands down.
In terms of sycing, I thought maybe a win tablet might be easier to mangage, but as it turns out, android is probably easier. I can sync files with my Windows laptop via SugarSync and stuff like RSS feeds, podcasts and all that is easier to sync accross android devices.
I have now ordered the Note and am awaiting it anxiously. (it's not available yet where I live)
I hope that helps your decision process along, let me know to what conclusion you come.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, if you guys can afford or get over dropping 1K on a tablet than the surface pro is the way to go.
Don't get you mind set on "apps." as an engineer, being able to run and execute programs relevant to your fields is more important.
For me, I won't be able to run Catia V5, Solid works, MATLAB, C++, EES, etc on a android tablet. If I didn't drop 1K earlier on my laptop I probably would have got a surface pro 2 so that I wouldn't have to carry so much.
But the note 10.1 has served me well. I got it because I already had a laptop that was cad ready, the note also charges over USB and was at a good price.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
My main requirement for a tablet is the ability to highlight PDF’s and add sticky notes/annotations for studying; the ability to write notes and have it be as close to a paper/pen experience as possible; and the ability to watch movies and shows in HD while on flights, etc.
If I was sure that the Surface Pro 2 could do all of those things better than the Note 10.1, I’d spend the money. But I’m not sure it can. After struggling for years using a fat stylus on the iPad, the S-Pen on the Note 10.1 seems perfect.
Is the Surface Pro 2 better at these things than the Note 10.1?
Han Solo 1 said:
My main requirement for a tablet is the ability to highlight PDF’s and add sticky notes/annotations for studying; the ability to write notes and have it be as close to a paper/pen experience as possible; and the ability to watch movies and shows in HD while on flights, etc.
If I was sure that the Surface Pro 2 could do all of those things better than the Note 10.1, I’d spend the money. But I’m not sure it can. After struggling for years using a fat stylus on the iPad, the S-Pen on the Note 10.1 seems perfect.
Is the Surface Pro 2 better at these things than the Note 10.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the Surface Pro 2, but those things you mention (movie playback and taking notes, with LectureNotes) are precisely 2 strongpoints of the 2014 Note 10.1. Furthermore it will be a lot lighter in weight, cost far less and drain far less battery. I would recommend it in a heartbeat for those items you mention.
Edit: I highly doubt the Surface Pro giving you a better movie watching experience. I would put money on it...
As someone that owned last years Note 10.1 and owns both the current 10.1 and Surface Pro - I would much rather ink on the Note 10.1.
I really like One Note. Unfortunately, it seems to me like Microsoft doesn't feel the same. I feel like they could/should take One Note and turn it into an Evernote competitor. I see a lot of potential in the software, but no love.
For work, a couple months back, I was trying to take notes on the go while working with a 3rd party vendor using my Surface Pro. I am probably in the minority of people that actually like Windows 8. For me though, on the go, holding the Note 10.1 in one hand and trying to ink vs the Surface Pro is night and day. The Surface Pro is just far too heavy. But it fills that void when I need something extremely portable that will run full blown Photoshop, Quark, etc.
stinger108 said:
I have never used it personally but OneNote is available for Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.onenote
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never used it myself either. I might check it out once I get my Note. But the fact that it hasn't been mentioned in all the LectureNotes conversations on here tells me that it might not actually be comparable. Does any one know whether OneNote on Android supports the SPen?
SlimJ87D said:
Honestly, if you guys can afford or get over dropping 1K on a tablet than the surface pro is the way to go.
Don't get you mind set on "apps." as an engineer, being able to run and execute programs relevant to your fields is more important.
For me, I won't be able to run Catia V5, Solid works, MATLAB, C++, EES, etc on a android tablet. If I didn't drop 1K earlier on my laptop I probably would have got a surface pro 2 so that I wouldn't have to carry so much.
But the note 10.1 has served me well. I got it because I already had a laptop that was cad ready, the note also charges over USB and was at a good price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The price is also prohipive, you're right, I didn't even consider that.
I was in the same situation as you were. I bought a X1 Carbon a year ago, which I use for MATLAB and the like. Had good options been available then, I might have gone with a hybrid. Although for that I'd go with one that has a transformer like dock, such as the Lenovo ThinPad Tablet 2. But I like that my laptop is 14". Only 10" or 11" would be too small for me.
Ettepetje said:
In this excellent review (see link below) of the Note 10.1 the reviewer mentions "better going for the 2014 Note 10.1" for people who make notes. Professional artists are better of on a Windows device because of the much larger software base. She reviewed both the 2014 Note 10.1 and the popular Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 (linked in article).
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tablets/2014-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-10.htm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well "a much larger software base" means Pro and not RT and the Pro tablets are certainly a bit bulkier and heavier than the Note due to the hardware and battery to keep the thing running. I am also not sure how battery life compares between say the Surface Pro vs the new Note.
wingdo said:
Well "a much larger software base" means Pro and not RT and the Pro tablets are certainly a bit bulkier and heavier than the Note due to the hardware and battery to keep the thing running. I am also not sure how battery life compares between say the Surface Pro vs the new Note.
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Click to collapse
The Verge tested both tablets and rated battery life the same. They rated performance of the Note much lower, which for movie watching and drawing / taking notes it most certainly isn't. The 2014 Note 10.1 can playback 2 full-HD movies (of 5+GB) simultaneously without hickup of any kind. I used MX Player Pro for that, with NeoN-driver, together with the built-in video player of the Note in pop-up mode. The beautiful screen together with the decent stereo speakers is managing to keep me away from gearing up my high-end home theater system for 2 major movie titles in a row (Monster University and Despicable Me 2).
To return to the matter of speed, the Note is the fastest ARM based tablet currently available, but will in all likelihood be slower than the processor in the Surface Pro 2. Reading about fans kicking in during heavy use though has me running away from any such option.
{Diemex} said:
I'm looking for a tablet to assist me in my mechanical engineering studies. I have a laptop and a Galaxy Tab 7.7. The laptop is too big and I havent found any good apps to edit pdfs on linux and the 7.7 is too small.
We get all scripts as pdf and some of them have gaps that we fill in the lecture. Atm I print the scripts on paper. I'm thinking of getting a tablet to organize the huge influx of information and reduce the amount of stuff I have to print out and keep in "real" folders.
So there are a few options:
Note 2014, LectureNotes for organizing, ezpdf/repligo for editing of pdfs
Windows 8 Tablets like surface pro, lenovo tablet 2 or sony tap 11. I'm not familiar with the metro app ecosystem and don't know if there are great apps like LectureNotes or ezpdf. The most expensive option.
Continue to print on paper. Cheapest, but not editable, searchable or reusable etc.
I have seen a few students with Note 10.1's and only one with a microsoft surface. The Note owners seemed to be happy with their way of doing things. Though I haven't spoken to the guy with the surface, it seemed like he only used it for viewing pdfs.
I'm particularly interested in the comparison between windows tablets and the galaxy note for note taking, pdf notes and general usefulness for studying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here again I will share with the op my notes I just took.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
One thing i did on my note was take screenshots in excel (kingsoft office) then put them into my s notes and annotate on top of it. Its not as good as annotating directly in excel but it works ok.
I went to my local computer store and spend about 45 mins writing on the Note 2014 and also had a look at the surface pro 2. My handwriting looked comparable to the screenshots posted, not as nice as on paper with a pencil, but far better than anticipated.
A lecturer actually uses OneNote on a lenovo laptop with a stylus. It works really well and I like that you can easily add blank space in between lines if you run out of space. Sadly the surface in the store didn't have internet so I couldn't have a look at the metro apps store and there wasn't much apps to play around with. The surface feels a bit like a laptop with a small touchscreen and a detachable keyboard to me.
The surface has optional pen input but still is not focused on making the most out of the pen. Samsung's app package on the Note on the other hand is designed to maximize on the stylus. I need a tablet mainly for reading and taking notes and for anything more demanding I have a powerful laptop.
So I will most likely get the Note. Still pondering if I should spend 500€ on wifi only or 650€ on the lte version, which I think doubt I will really make use of on a 10 inch tablet.
{Diemex} said:
So I will most likely get the Note. Still pondering if I should spend 500€ on wifi only or 650€ on the lte version, which I think doubt I will really make use of on a 10 inch tablet.
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Click to collapse
If you are able to tether using your phone's data, save your money and get the wifi model. That's what I did. All I have to do is hit a button on my phone and I have fast internet access on my Note 10.1.
Han Solo 1 said:
If you are able to tether using your phone's data, save your money and get the wifi model. That's what I did. All I have to do is hit a button on my phone and I have fast internet access on my Note 10.1.
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Click to collapse
+1
The_Maverick said:
I am currently/was wondering the same thing. I'm an engineering student and I want to use a tablet for note taking and reading/annotating papers. I considered a Surface pro or a lenovo win tablet with a pen. Mostly because of OneNote. While I haven't used it, I'm sure it is the most mature note taking app there is. I don't know how touch friendly it is (i.e. I don't know if OneNote has a Metro-mode), but if it's like the other office apps, I wouldn't want to use it without a mouse.
The biggest problem with Windows tablets, like it has already been said, is the lack of apps. My brother just bought a Windows tablet (the HP Envy x2 or something), which has full windows, a keyboard dock and no pen. He has a metro app to look at pdfs and hilight them (I think it's almost literally the only pdf app in the app store that supports some level of editing) but he can't write on them (with the keyboard).
You can always say you'll use the full-windows apps, not metro, of which there are plenty, but I just can't imagine that being fun to use with your fingers.
Besides note taking, I also want to use my tablet recreationally. Some browsing, RSS reading, gaming etc. For that, android is just better, hands down.
In terms of sycing, I thought maybe a win tablet might be easier to mangage, but as it turns out, android is probably easier. I can sync files with my Windows laptop via SugarSync and stuff like RSS feeds, podcasts and all that is easier to sync accross android devices.
I have now ordered the Note and am awaiting it anxiously. (it's not available yet where I live)
I hope that helps your decision process along, let me know to what conclusion you come.
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Click to collapse
There is a metro onenote but not as good as the full office version, which as a student the op should get for decent price.
Have been using tablet pc s of various makes since 1997 and in the op case would say either the note 10.1 2014 or a s/hand x220t lenovo, last one with the great keyboard, either should be similiar money the x220t maybe a bit more.
Or why not consider the first note 10.1 maybe afford both that way?
Sent from my GT-N5100 using xda app-developers app

Is this the best ebook reader on the planet?

With Mantano, ezpdf and PDF Max, I think it is. The display makes the pages look like paper.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
It has the best tablet screen I've ever used. It allows you to take instant notes or do research on what you're reading. Those two things put it up there. However, I think it's a little heavy to be the perfect "reader". Just my opinion. I certainly will be using it as one.
red321red321 said:
With Mantano, ezpdf and PDF Max, I think it is. The display makes the pages look like paper.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell me if the new pdf max update fixes slow handwriting response? I'm looking to replace ezpdf but I don't want top spend 10 to find out if it works well.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4
I'd suggest buying it. Google gives you 30 mins to refund the app. Yet another reason why android beats iOS.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
I think PDF Max has issues with our device or screen resolution due to the handwriting lag. Oddly there's no lag on my galaxy s3 for writing on PDF Max, so I feel like its just a compatibility issue or something for our screen resolution?
Will try todays update when I get home. Hopefully it fixed the laggy annotation.
red321red321 said:
I'd suggest buying it. Google gives you 30 mins to refund the app. Yet another reason why android beats iOS.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought it was only 15 minutes. Either way, I only get one refund so I want to test it when the app is fixed then I can see if its really worth my money. I did email the developer and they said they will support spen soon.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4
It seems like the new PDF max update just made performance a bit laggier. Can someone else confirm?
I'm reading a textbook and it happens when im near the bottom quarter of the page scrolling down to the top of the next page. There is a ton of choppiness/lag around that portion but then it goes back to normal after.
I'm gonna try to find the previous version when I get home and check again.
Oddly this doesn't happen on my Galaxy S3 and performance on my phone is splendid.
red321red321 said:
With Mantano, ezpdf and PDF Max, I think it is. The display makes the pages look like paper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Note 2, with CoolReader is the best ereader from all I've seen (apart from a good E-Ink screen). Before that the Note 1, also with CoolReader. With its page-like appearance and great screen contrast Amoled and CoolReader are hard to beat. The Note 3 is slightly worse, possibly because all good looking fonts I tried are thinner on its higher resolution screen. I would put the Note 3 on-par with an iPad 4, which is slightly better than my 2014 Note 10.1.
It is, I think, all a matter of contrast. With poor contrast you have to turn up the backlight, which is unpleasant for your eyes if you have to look into that for a long time. My iPad 4 has good contrast, but Amoled's is clearly better. The 2014 Note 10.1 has a slightly worse contrast than the iPad.
red321red321 said:
With Mantano, ezpdf and PDF Max, I think it is. The display makes the pages look like paper.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is for me!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobisystems.ubreader_west
Inviato dal mio GT-I9505 utilizzando Tapatalk
I really love this tablet for my school work. As for the best e-reader for a casual read to relax I think I still prefer my e-ink kindle. Before I realized how well the s-pen worked I had no interest in owning a tablet at all.
96899355 69
Damn straight it is. As a Biology/Pre-med student, most of my classes involve more than a fair bit of note taking, annotating lecture slides, and scratch work. Last semester for organic chemistry alone I filled two notebooks full of notes and problems. This tablet has made my life so much easier in this regard, and I don't have to bother printing out my lecture slides as I can annotate them directly on it. For o-chem II, which involves a lot of complex reaction mechanisms and synthesis problems, it lets me color code my electron arrows, corrections, and highlights, and I don't need to worry about filling it up. :laugh: I would recommend this tablet wholeheartedly to any science/engineering students. It's a little pricey, granted, but I've only had mine for a little bit and I already can't imagine studying without it.
TranquilityBlue said:
Damn straight it is. As a Biology/Pre-med student, most of my classes involve more than a fair bit of note taking, annotating lecture slides, and scratch work. Last semester for organic chemistry alone I filled two notebooks full of notes and problems. This tablet has made my life so much easier in this regard, and I don't have to bother printing out my lecture slides as I can annotate them directly on it. For o-chem II, which involves a lot of complex reaction mechanisms and synthesis problems, it lets me color code my electron arrows, corrections, and highlights, and I don't need to worry about filling it up. :laugh: I would recommend this tablet wholeheartedly to any science/engineering students. It's a little pricey, granted, but I've only had mine for a little bit and I already can't imagine studying without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what app do you use?
I can't believe PDF Max costs $10 and doesn't support Adobe DRM. Sadly neither does Cool Reader.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1 via Tapatalk.
smac7 said:
what app do you use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LectureNotes for note-taking and scratch work, and EZpdf for annotating my lecture slides. I also use a powerpoint to pdf converter because some of my professors upload their slides in .ppt or .pptx. With those apps I've become virtually notebook free in class, and I don't have to lug my oversized 17" in MacBook around with me as often.
TranquilityBlue said:
LectureNotes for note-taking and scratch work, and EZpdf for annotating my lecture slides. I also use a powerpoint to pdf converter because some of my professors upload their slides in .ppt or .pptx. With those apps I've become virtually notebook free in class, and I don't have to lug my oversized 17" in MacBook around with me as often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what powerpoint to pdf converter do you use?
ChrisNee1988 said:
what powerpoint to pdf converter do you use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.thinkti.android.powerpointtopdf&hl=en
It's nothing special but it works and its free. :good:
wingdo said:
I can't believe PDF Max costs $10 and doesn't support Adobe DRM. Sadly neither does Cool Reader.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1 via Tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mantano reader does I believe. The only bragging point of PDF Max is how fast it is, it is the fastest reader for PDFs I have tried on Android.

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