Database Users

Can the Note replace a phone, tablet and laptop?

Has anyone tried to use the Note to replace a phone, tablet and laptop? If so how successful was it and was there anything you could not do such as printing?

It can't replace a laptop but it can do quite a bit including printing.

I'd be able to do many things with the Note if I had to if my laptop broke. But for everyday use - no way. Playing games, reading stuff, browsing, media etc. - yes. Writing an official letter several pages long comfortably- no.

Basically, no it can't replace a laptop but it'll replace a phone and tablet quite easily (in fact, tablets will seem excessively bulky after you get used to the Note). Perhaps in a few months/years when developers actually make good software for Android that rivals that of Apple's App Store, it could replace a laptop, but until then it won't.
It's quite capable hardware-wise of replacing all three but its missing the software component of it - the software available on the Market and preinstalled just isn't taking full advantage of the phone's capabilities. It's sad, really. Hopefully this will change with ICS and the release of the Pen SDK.

Depends on what you use your laptop for. If its just browsing the web and some multimedia stuff then maybe. If its things like word processing then probably no.
Gaugerer said:
Has anyone tried to use the Note to replace a phone, tablet and laptop? If so how successful was it and was there anything you could not do such as printing?
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Gaugerer said:
Has anyone tried to use the Note to replace a phone, tablet and laptop? If so how successful was it and was there anything you could not do such as printing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will never replace a Laptop/Notebook. At least NOT in the next 5-10 years to say a minimum. Before everyone starts shooting at me... Why? I will try to explain my opinion in a simple manner:
A Desktop/Tower PC: You have a keyboard and a screen but its not portable.
Laptop/Notebook(13"-18.4"): You have a screen and a keyboard and it's portable.
Netbooks(10"-13"): You again got have a screen and a keyboard and it's portable but the small screen is not very comfortable to use. Subjective so NO bushing please. For me it's not, but I agree those tiny things are very portable.
Tablet(7"-10.1"): Good performance, NO hardware keyboard on most, virtual typing on flat surface or even in a angle NOT very comfortable for long typings and (usually)half the screen is GONE also and it's NOT even near to a Laptop/Notebook/Netbook's usage comfortability.
For everyone else that does not require often writing or specific tasks, it's near perfect.
Tablet(7"-10.1") with keyboard dock: Android might be good, but is NOWHERE near or close to Windows or OCX or Linux as every day usage for almost everything.
And also to be honest here. A Tablet with a keyboard dock? Then the main difference with the Netbooks, is the Operating system. Think about it.
And last but NOT least, Phoneblets: Same performance as Tablets, PERFECT MIX to a phone and a tablet, it CAN indeed replace them, but it will NOT directly replace the Tablets(might replace it for some that are satisfied with 5.3", like me) or neither any above categories for the above aforementioned reasons.
The main reason is the smaller screen. A 7-10.1" might not be very pocketable, but it's much more easy to work on those screen sizes.
Everything exists in it's own category. Before you ask why, because other people need/want what we DO NOT need or want. E.g: I don't need Tablets, I own a Notebook/Laptop which is a 18.4".
Why that screen size? Because I need/want a 17-18" Laptop/Notebook. Like people need/want a Tablet or a Netbook or a Phoneblet or a economic car, while others don't care and get a 5.0L V8 instead of a 2-3L Hybrid.
In the end? They will give us/make what the Market Demands. That's all there is to it. Market demand and profit. Where's a Market to get into, there's profit. If not, they move on.
P.S: While I love my GNote and I never owned personally a Tablet (had a GTab for 2 weeks), if I had own one, it would have replaced it. Hell, I barely use my Laptop now(fiance does tho ) and mostly I'm on my Desktop and my GNote.
And productivity is going very well also. GNote for social "work" and some quick emails(also some games, funny apps, killing time, oh and calling) and if I need something more "advance" or specific, I just use my PC.
But when I visit friends, I usually take the Laptop/Notebook with me. Even if I love my GNote it cannot replace it as of now. But the future is looking very promising tbh.

Gaugerer said:
Has anyone tried to use the Note to replace a phone, tablet and laptop? If so how successful was it and was there anything you could not do such as printing?
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The obvious answer is, of course, what do you do?
The biggest difference between a laptop and a smartphone is the operating system. Only being able to have one app open at once is a dealbreaker as far as productivity goes. And that's just one difference.
People bring up mouse/keyboard but you can use a bluetooth keyboard/mouse with the Note. So that's irrelevant.
Highly dense text/apps would be much easier on the eyes with a tablet. I've already hit a few games that had just unbearably small text. The new amazon store has quite small text, but still readable.
As a phone - no question it works, unless you tend to use pockets that would be too small to hold the note. ( The note is far more pocketable than people think though ).
- Frank

I have found very little use for my laptop since I bought the Note.
My main machine is a desktop with 2x 24" monitors, so that's where my design work happens. Anything else is a satellite to my desktop, and the Note replaces both my old Android (Desire HD/Ace) and my laptop for pretty much everything, with the added advantage of having stylus input. Being able to write to USB stick over OTG cable is a big win too.
I used to have a tablet, but a 7" device isn't pocketable so I left it at home all the time. The Note is small enough to pocket but big enough to show clients images, layouts, videos, Flash, and to annotate effectively, especially with the laptop-level resolution.

I haven't received my Note yet. I get it next Wednesday.
But as a Dell Streak, HP TouchPad, and Macbook Pro owner my usage ranking is; Macbook Pro, Dell Streak, then TouchPad.
I like the larger tablet with some activities, but as an all around tablet I take the smaller 5" Streak every time. The Note will do everything my Streak does but better.
Soon, I'll just be a Macbook Pro and Note owner. I think that's my ideal form factors... and there is a specific void they both fill well.

Gaugerer said:
Has anyone tried to use the Note to replace a phone, tablet and laptop?
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replacing laptop? what have you been smoking son?
There are many "levels" of laptops. From netbooks to workstations. You have to be more specific. I mean do you think the Gnote can replace my W520 that I use to run adobe software while driving three external monitors?

investmenttechnology said:
replacing laptop? what have you been smoking son?
There are many "levels" of laptops. From netbooks to workstations. You have to be more specific. I mean do you think the Gnote can replace my W520 that I use to run adobe software while driving three external monitors?
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For those that use the Laptops just for surfing the net, occasional e-mailing, some text writing and in general very, very basic stuff, then yes, it possible to replace them.
But then again laptops for the mentioned usage(performance wise) are much cheaper than the Note.

for me it easily replace phone (htc hd2 runnig android) and tablet (galaxy tab 7" still prefer tab over note over ebook while i have both under my hand) but laptop i dont think so as koniakki said if you only surf, email, office it may replace laptop for you at some situations but generally it cant replace laptop.

let's have some more inputs on this from note/note 2 users.....
can it really replace a laptop...?
for someone who is mostly uses the laptop for surfing the web, listening to music, watching videos reading ebooks/pdf and travels often carrying the laptop around, Can the note/note 2 be considered a laptop replacement device....?!?

No it can't replace laptop completely. I use btooth keyboard and mouse and it almost replaces laptop until when I need to do serious photo editing or work on a complex excel sheet or compile few c# codes. These exceptions are once in a blue moon stuff and hence I wouldn't feel comfortable to give up laptop for Note or Android tablets. Windows 8 tablet may finally replace laptop.
Sent from GNote.

willstay said:
No it can't replace laptop completely. I use btooth keyboard and mouse and it almost replaces laptop until when I need to do serious photo editing or work on a complex excel sheet or compile few c# codes. These exceptions are once in a blue moon stuff and hence I wouldn't feel comfortable to give up laptop for Note or Android tablets. Windows 8 tablet may finally replace laptop.
Sent from GNote.
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+1
Although the Note is an epic device, and can do almost anything, For situations like that ^^ it cannot replace a laptop / pc
I use mine for everything, I do all my emailing / surfing / movie /music watching + streaming on the Note ( Mainly because im too lazy to move to the other side of the room to access the PC lol)
I would imaging for your average user then yes, It can / could replace a laptop, But at some point there will be a moment where you think 'Damn it ! wouldn't this just be easier on my computer?'
I must also add, Im super lazy, I have remote desktop app on my Note so I can access my computer and print files without leaving the sofa, I also have the Viera connect app so I can control my TV when I cannot be bothered to reach over for the remote control lol..... All I need now is for someone to pump my chest every few seconds so I dont have to waste energy breathing :laugh:

I adore my Note. Still it will never replace my PC/laptop. The specific reason for me is productivity. Productivity means MS Office, Digital Audio Workstations, large screen, large and higher precision input devices (mouse, normal size keyboard). Although I have been able to tackle some productivity tasks using the Note - "send me a PDF of the paper document you filed at the registry office", "take a look at this excel and tell me when it can be ready" etc.
Hm, now that I think of it - I often read XDA on the Note but have written only 1 post from the Note - I'd really rather do it using a normal keyboard.

well before my htc desire broke down i was planing to buy tablet... and when it broke down i had no choice but to use my money to buy new phone... i had to chose between sony xperia s (i think, cant be sure now) and note... i chose note cos i hoped that it will satisfy my need for tablet...
it didnt.
i end up buying tablet few months later
so NO! it cant replace not even tablet, and definitely not pc/laptop

tatkovladko said:
I adore my Note. Still it will never replace my PC/laptop. The specific reason for me is productivity. Productivity means MS Office, Digital Audio Workstations, large screen, large and higher precision input devices (mouse, normal size keyboard). Although I have been able to tackle some productivity tasks using the Note - "send me a PDF of the paper document you filed at the registry office", "take a look at this excel and tell me when it can be ready" etc.
Hm, now that I think of it - I often read XDA on the Note but have written only 1 post from the Note - I'd really rather do it using a normal keyboard.
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I agree. Note hardly replaces my notebook for the productivity. However, it can be used as a substitute while you travel light. Reading and sending emails, paying bills, communicating, reading news and books, watching movies, listening music, playng games all are possible. Great gadget for me. The best.
Sent from my GT-N7000

I stopped bothering switching on my laptop long before i got the GNote.

No.

Why I HATED the Surface Pro (just in case you were tempted) ...

I just had to do it. All the hype, all the articles, the lure of OneNote's full power. I had to drop $1000 on a Surface Pro just to see what the fuss was about. Hell, I could always return it but I had to know for myself.
I truly truly HATED the Surface Pro. Here is as short list of what sucks:
1) It's HOT. How hot? After holding it for 30 minutes I felt like I had grabbed a ceramic cup I heated in the microwave. My hand was actually bright red. I have no idea how any sane person could stand holding this toaster over in their hands for any period of time.
2) It's HEAVY. How heavy? Big piece of metal heavy. Also because of it's hard angles it is no fun to hold.
3) It is IMPOSSIBLE TO USE IN PORTRAIT. I mean, this tablet must be a foot high in portrait. If you are trying to type on the soft keyboard the keys are literally 10 inches from the words you are typing so thumb typing is pointless.
4) Considering this has an i5 CPU it actually lags. Scrolling on web pages stutters and dragging pictures across OneNote jerks around like mad (this may actually be a feature of OneNote as it snaps to a grid - so not a bug necessarily).
5) Firefox (if you like that browser) is a DISASTER on this. Pinch to zoom is total fail. Again a lag fest.
6) 1920 x 1080 may sound awesome but on a tablet this small it's not. Even zoomed at 150% text and icons can be tiny and very hard to click.
7) Windows 8 is a schizophrenic mess even on this. Whoever decided Metro was a good idea HAD to be high.
8) The included stylus has a hard plastic tip. Hard plastic tip on slick glass equals HARD TO WRITE. The Note 10.1's rubber tipped stylus is far better.
9) The Surface Pro is not designed to be a tablet. It is more like an ultrabook with a removable keyboard and a pen that you can hold in your hands (if you must).
Why did I write this? Well, if like me you have felt tempted by the Surface Pro and access to full blown OneNote with inking, I wanted to put your mind at rest - don't. The Note 10.1 is a far more "useable" tablet for half the cash.

I totally agree with everything you wrote. My company has given me a surface Pro to test out and I would add the following to your list:
Battery life is only about 4 hours so you are forced to have extra chargers, one for home and one for the office.
The size of the charger is huge. Its a small brick!
There is no silo for the pen! You are supposed to attach the pen in the magnetized power port which means that any little bump and you lose the pen. I give Samsung a lot of credit of delaying the release of the Note 10.1 to redesign a silo for the Spen.
The things I like about the Pro is having Office 2013 and the keyboard cover. However, I actually do not like OneNote. I prefer SNote a hundred times. There is an SNote app for Windows 8 but only for Samsung branded devices. I wish they would make it available for all.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

mitchellvii said:
I just had to do it. All the hype, all the articles, the lure of OneNote's full power. I had to drop $1000 on a Surface Pro just to see what the fuss was about. Hell, I could always return it but I had to know for myself.
I truly truly HATED the Surface Pro. Here is as short list of what sucks:
1) It's HOT. How hot? After holding it for 30 minutes I felt like I had grabbed a ceramic cup I heated in the microwave. My hand was actually bright red. I have no idea how any sane person could stand holding this toaster over in their hands for any period of time.
2) It's HEAVY. How heavy? Big piece of metal heavy. Also because of it's hard angles it is no fun to hold.
3) It is IMPOSSIBLE TO USE IN PORTRAIT. I mean, this tablet must be a foot high in portrait. If you are trying to type on the soft keyboard the keys are literally 10 inches from the words you are typing so thumb typing is pointless.
4) Considering this has an i5 CPU it actually lags. Scrolling on web pages stutters and dragging pictures across OneNote jerks around like mad (this may actually be a feature of OneNote as it snaps to a grid - so not a bug necessarily).
5) Firefox (if you like that browser) is a DISASTER on this. Pinch to zoom is total fail. Again a lag fest.
6) 1920 x 1080 may sound awesome but on a tablet this small it's not. Even zoomed at 150% text and icons can be tiny and very hard to click.
7) Windows 8 is a schizophrenic mess even on this. Whoever decided Metro was a good idea HAD to be high.
8) The included stylus has a hard plastic tip. Hard plastic tip on slick glass equals HARD TO WRITE. The Note 10.1's rubber tipped stylus is far better.
9) The Surface Pro is not designed to be a tablet. It is more like an ultrabook with a removable keyboard and a pen that you can hold in your hands (if you must).
Why did I write this? Well, if like me you have felt tempted by the Surface Pro and access to full blown OneNote with inking, I wanted to put your mind at rest - don't. The Note 10.1 is a far more "useable" tablet for half the cash.
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@mitchellvii
Why don't you try out one of the Samsung Atom Tablets and let us know your experience.
The Atom editions should solve issues:
1 & 2.
If you install and Dual Boot Android 4.0 x86, then that should solve issues:
3,4,5,6,7
Thus, you can retain the convenience of the Android OS and have the power of Windows 8 without carrying more than 1 device.

I played with one at local store. Win 8 is just not a touch environment. Metro was a try and fix. Microsoft will have to forget they own windows and start thinking fresh to compete with android and crapple. Which both rather you dislike either of the two are becoming very mature and complete operating systems build around your fingers. Not a true business class os patched to try and compete. I will also add tablet software is getting better at productivity and will eventually be able to compete with the true ms type program's. The power of these device's are amazing. If you need full productive programs for now stick with a ultra book type notebook computer. The note 10.1 is the second best thing to that. There is no 3rd place device
My opinion of course conclusion is get a traditional notebook or a note 10.1 tablet

klau1 said:
@mitchellvii
Why don't you try out one of the Samsung Atom Tablets and let us know your experience.
The Atom editions should solve issues:
1 & 2.
If you install and Dual Boot Android 4.0 x86, then that should solve issues:
3,4,5,6,7
Thus, you can retain the convenience of the Android OS and have the power of Windows 8 without carrying more than 1 device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say I agree that Android x86 is a solution. I don't even know how easy it'd be to install on the Pro. Android x86 project has come a long way but there are still issues with it, once it's as easy as just compiling it to x86 then let's talk
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

was walking around the mall and finally saw a surface pro. funny thing is i just read the ts mention the things yesterday. the thing that mostly stuck out was the weight. so first thing i did was pick it up. man that is like picking up a plate of iron... couldnt really get anything going well in the few minutes i messed with it. win8 definately not something for me. nor is carrying around an iron plate...

from a traveling salesman's viewpoint, I love it. I am able to install and run various programs such as AutoCAD (with wedge mouse), a custom estimating software...
Granted the battery life could be better, but I'm able to make sales calls and RDP for my office desktop printouts/updates on the unit without having to charge through a moderate days work. I've never had the heat buildup as described in the first post and it does not have the apps you'll find in the play store. but for a laptop replacement you can travel light with, love it.
FWIW

I think Microsoft has missed the boat. They're obviously not getting Voice of Customer, but are getting voice of Developers when they make these products. Apple figured out what MOST people want for a tablet. Android is assuredly closing that gap and raising the bar (S-Pen). I would recommend that Windows quit trying to compete but get smart and work with Android, so both can crush the Apple serpent.

I have been using Samsung's Ativ Pro for some months now... err... not using at all. It just sits there. Microsoft has missed the train of the mobile age. Because of battery issues it just cant stand by like İOS or Android, it just goes to deep sleep and you cant get your push messages from Facebook.. and no e-mail alerts. I agree it is a detachable ultrabook. I love my Galaxy note II and 10.1, and hardly use my Ipad4.

I actually like the Surface Pro, but it's definitely NOT the same as this tablet. I mean, the Surface is definitely not a.. use-anywhere kind of tablet (I mean, its main "attraction" is that keyboard which really just means that it's not in the same tablet market). So, I'd say that you have to change your expectations because it is definitely an ultrabook in disguise.

The battery life would stop me switching. With my screen brightness turned down I can get a full day at uni out of my note (~ 8 hours) which is fantastic

Mixed feelings...
The weird beveled sides are weird and makes it hard to hold.
The battery life is terrible - even for a full i5 slate.
It is chunky.
I have a Samsung Series 7 slate, which was the reference platform for Win8 and it's a lot better.
As for Win8 itself - yep.. schizophrenic is a good description. You're using desktop and suddenly you're in Metro. You're using Metro and suddenly you're in the desktop. You want to run something - and bam back in Metro - except it's not all your apps - just some of them so over to search which shows you all your apps.
Bring up the keyboard in Metro, things work ok (mostly). Do it in desktop - and it's a crapshoot as to whether it'll come up automatically - and when it does it rearranges your desktop.
Bah.

Sounds like its quite aways from general populations
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

I purchased this over the weekend the surface pro 128gb version with type cover. im loving the experience with it so far. its a great and powerful device. no lag at all unlike what the op mentioned. lol

I too had the Pro. It was a very good ultra book (the best out there, in my opinion) that had a kick ass Wacom digitizer, awesome specs (the hard drive is fast as ****) and excellent style. I had it for five months and didn't regret it at all. I found it to be quite light, though obviously not as light as my Note.
It was just a ****ty tablet. Heavy (for a tab), terrible battery life and no Metro apps that are worth having. I used the Desktop most of the time, even after moving to 8.1. Shame, really; I think Metro is a fantastic platform for tablets.
I actually didn't know the Note 10.1 existed until I sold it off last week. I would have never bought it if I did, seeing how it is $500 more. The Note is so much better (right now), since it does everything my Pro did but with more battery, less weight and a Chrome browser that is actually functional. In fact, I found my Note to be easier for reading than my Nexus 7 and sold that off too! The Surface was too heavy for me to read on, and there were no apps for that anyway.
Its screen resolution kind of bites and I miss having a kickstand, but other than that I'm super happy to have sold it off.

If it wasn't for the battery life, I would have bought the surface pro over the note, although I don't plan on using the metro UI at all. I've used it for a total of about an hour and while using the regular desktop in touch mode I didn't run across any issues. Most things there an app for on android you can do through a full Web browser or there's a regular windows program for.
Part of me wants to say that if you're just Web browsing and watching movies then android is a good pick, but I'm getting fed up with pages not loading correctly when trying to browse the Internet. Half of the Web based ebooks I use for school either don't load or have issues.
From a hardware standpoint, I'm never holding my tablet straight out without it resting on something, so weight wouldn't be a issue. If I personally wanted a super casual tablet, I think a cheap 7" tablet like the Nexus 7 would be much better and more comfortable.
It amazes me how quick people are to criticize windows 8. All the metro UI really is is a new start menu that's more touch friendly. Tablet users complain there are no apps, yet have thousands of full blown windows apps they can use. Desktop users complain the start button is gone when all they have to do is hover in the same spot and it appears.
I've been researching for a new tablet or convertible to bring to school there are too many negative reviews for windows 8 for ridiculous reasons. No YouTube app? Guess what, I can play flash in the web browser. The drop box app isn't very good? Guess what, I can install the regular windows program and get two way sync. No email notifications in standby mode? My guess is you have an android phone going off right next to wherever your tablet is anyway.
Lastly, the surface pro is a hybrid device. So it isn't going to be the perfect tablet or the perfect ultra book. Its for people who want a mix of the two. For a device that's been out for nearly nine months, some of these complaints shouldn't be much of a surprise. I don't think its justified to make a thread bashing the product because you failed evaluate your wants and needs and didn't research a $1000 tablet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

Sher The Love said:
If it wasn't for the battery life, I would have bought the surface pro over the note, although I don't plan on using the metro UI at all. I've used it for a total of about an hour and while using the regular desktop in touch mode I didn't run across any issues. Most things there an app for on android you can do through a full Web browser or there's a regular windows program for.
Part of me wants to say that if you're just Web browsing and watching movies then android is a good pick, but I'm getting fed up with pages not loading correctly when trying to browse the Internet. Half of the Web based ebooks I use for school either don't load or have issues.
From a hardware standpoint, I'm never holding my tablet straight out without it resting on something, so weight wouldn't be a issue. If I personally wanted a super casual tablet, I think a cheap 7" tablet like the Nexus 7 would be much better and more comfortable.
It amazes me how quick people are to criticize windows 8. All the metro UI really is is a new start menu that's more touch friendly. Tablet users complain there are no apps, yet have thousands of full blown windows apps they can use. Desktop users complain the start button is gone when all they have to do is hover in the same spot and it appears.
I've been researching for a new tablet or convertible to bring to school there are too many negative reviews for windows 8 for ridiculous reasons. No YouTube app? Guess what, I can play flash in the web browser. The drop box app isn't very good? Guess what, I can install the regular windows program and get two way sync. No email notifications in standby mode? My guess is you have an android phone going off right next to wherever your tablet is anyway.
Lastly, the surface pro is a hybrid device. So it isn't going to be the perfect tablet or the perfect ultra book. Its for people who want a mix of the two. For a device that's been out for nearly nine months, some of these complaints shouldn't be much of a surprise. I don't think its justified to make a thread bashing the product because you failed evaluate your wants and needs and didn't research a $1000 tablet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
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Well said!
-Sent from my laptop running Windows 8

Sher The Love said:
The drop box app isn't very good? Guess what, I can install the regular windows program and get two way sync.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
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This feature was an unexpected gem for me. Before if I drew something in Sketchbook on the Note, I had to hit the share button, and pick a format to export to the cloud. Now, I just save it to my Dropbox folder (which I set as the default location), and it'll show up in on my desktop when I get home.
I've been using a Samsung Ativ 500T for a few weeks now, and I actually really like it. The main reason I bought it was I was getting tired of my Note botching all the formulas when I tried to open up an Excel spreadsheet in Polaris, QuickOffice, Google Doc (or fill in your Office Suite). The formatting also became funny on Word docs after opening in one of the above mentioned apps. I'm even able to run PS7 (I'm an amateur, so I don't need CS5 or later).
Of course this device is not perfect. As a straight replacement for a Note or iPad on the go, I still like the Note better. Screen rotation is a bit wonky sometimes on the Ativ. Although the wide screen is great for productivity, it's a bit unweildy, especially in portrait. There is connected standby, but not sure if it stays connected even in deep sleep. So, e-mails don't get come in when I'm asleep. Certain functions also don't work while in deep sleep: I haven't found a decent alarm app I can use (I used my Note as a backup alarm in case I didn't wake up to my phone).

jedah said:
This feature was an unexpected gem for me. Before if I drew something in Sketchbook on the Note, I had to hit the share button, and pick a format to export to the cloud. Now, I just save it to my Dropbox folder (which I set as the default location), and it'll show up in on my desktop when I get home.
I've been using a Samsung Ativ 500T for a few weeks now, and I actually really like it. The main reason I bought it was I was getting tired of my Note botching all the formulas when I tried to open up an Excel spreadsheet in Polaris, QuickOffice, Google Doc (or fill in your Office Suite). The formatting also became funny on Word docs after opening in one of the above mentioned apps. I'm even able to run PS7 (I'm an amateur, so I don't need CS5 or later).
Of course this device is not perfect. As a straight replacement for a Note or iPad on the go, I still like the Note better. Screen rotation is a bit wonky sometimes on the Ativ. Although the wide screen is great for productivity, it's a bit unweildy, especially in portrait. There is connected standby, but not sure if it stays connected even in deep sleep. So, e-mails don't get come in when I'm asleep. Certain functions also don't work while in deep sleep: I haven't found a decent alarm app I can use (I used my Note as a backup alarm in case I didn't wake up to my phone).
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I sold my note and got a 500T a little over a month ago. While I'm not completely satisfied due to the speed, it's far better than the note was for school. I knew it would be slow, but I got it to hold me off till some newer haswell convertibles came out. Glad I bought the note and 500T refurbished for under $360.
In my opinion, Onenote is much better than anything on android. Especially being able to print full webpages to it. It helps when most of my accounting homework is online based. I can print to onenote and have detailed notes and the problems worked out. I could even get these pages to load correctly on my Note.

I just pre-ordered the Surface Pro 2 for my wife. We got the 256GB option. She wants to be able to consolidate her notebook and Note 10.1 into 1 device. She's a mechanical engineering major and will be running CAD, Matlab, etc and also has a lot of Office oriented and online homework. I think mainly she wants a computer where she can take equation heavy notes on without having to worry what to do on which device and forget about file syncing. Her current notebook is heavy @ 5lbs. Does this seem reasonable or are we asking for a $1500 headache? I keep saying it's going to a heavy tablet. She keeps saying but it's going to be a light notebook. Notifications don't matter since she has an Android phone. We're selling her Note 10.1 to a friend to help finance the Surface Pro 2 so that won't be available to her. I'm excited but nervous at this point.

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
.

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?
Sent from my GT-N8010 using xda premium

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.
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Sent from my GT-N8013

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app

Acer Iconia W3 Tablet

Has anyone had the chance to use\test this tablet? On a scale from 0 to 10 what would you rate it? What are the pros and cons? Any feed back would be appriciated. Thanks.
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http://www.microcenter.com/product/414898/Iconia_W3_Tablet_PC_(W3-810-1600)_-_Silver

sinister1 said:
Has anyone had the chance to use\test this tablet? On a scale from 0 to 10 what would you rate it? What are the pros and cons? Any feed back would be appriciated. Thanks.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/414898/Iconia_W3_Tablet_PC_(W3-810-1600)_-_Silver
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm very pleased with my one week old one. 9 out of 10. It fulfils my needs for full windows on a tablet and makes similar sized android tablets look a bit silly, at least in respect of what you can do. But if your need is just for multimedia (and gaming I suspect) look elsewhere.
Pros:
Low price for a full Win 8 machine, and you get Office Home (for small screens) thrown in.
Very quick, hardly any lag or waiting whatever you're doing.
Battery life like the best android tabs (this was the biggest surprise). 8 to 9 hours light use. Only uses about 5% battery overnight on standby and wakes immediately.
Nicely put together hardware; feels solid (within the limitations of a cheap product). All sockets work nicely and should last.
Full USB2 host, although you have to use a (provided) adapter cable. Even seems to power a portable hard drive. YMMV.
Cons:
Screen not stunning. It's only TFT and optimised for portrait use, so in landscape, as you would tend to use Windows, left-right viewing angles are pretty poor. For work it's fine, for multimedia less so, difficult for 2 people to watch at once. Which is a shame, as the hardware acceleration seems to cope with any movie you throw at it, and smoothly. Brightness and contrast are OK though, as is resolution. I wouldn't want to use it for photo viewing.
Wifi is a bit erratic, mainly because the antenna is somewhere under where yout left hand sits when using landscape mode. In portrait mode it would be fine.
Automatic light sensor in the wrong place for landscape use - you tend to cover it with your left hand. Best to disable it.
The 32GB model only has about 10GB available to the user. It does support 32GB microSD though.
Finally, for anyone wanting to actually carry it around out and about, quite possible as it's small and light enough, there are issues. Even when it's powered right off, a short (rather than long) press on the power button turns it back on. And, when it's put on standby, even though there's a swipe operated standby screen, the timeout of this screen seems to be the same as the standard timeout. So if you've set 10mins before standby, this lock screen also takes 10mins to turn off. Doh!
Don't hesitate to ask anything I might be able to answer

Pete_S said:
I'm very pleased with my one week old one. 9 out of 10. It fulfils my needs for full windows on a tablet and makes similar sized android tablets look a bit silly, at least in respect of what you can do. But if your need is just for multimedia (and gaming I suspect) look elsewhere.
Pros:
Low price for a full Win 8 machine, and you get Office Home (for small screens) thrown in.
Very quick, hardly any lag or waiting whatever you're doing.
Battery life like the best android tabs (this was the biggest surprise). 8 to 9 hours light use. Only uses about 5% battery overnight on standby and wakes immediately.
Nicely put together hardware; feels solid (within the limitations of a cheap product). All sockets work nicely and should last.
Full USB2 host, although you have to use a (provided) adapter cable. Even seems to power a portable hard drive. YMMV.
Cons:
Screen not stunning. It's only TFT and optimised for portrait use, so in landscape, as you would tend to use Windows, left-right viewing angles are pretty poor. For work it's fine, for multimedia less so, difficult for 2 people to watch at once. Which is a shame, as the hardware acceleration seems to cope with any movie you throw at it, and smoothly. Brightness and contrast are OK though, as is resolution. I wouldn't want to use it for photo viewing.
Wifi is a bit erratic, mainly because the antenna is somewhere under where yout left hand sits when using landscape mode. In portrait mode it would be fine.
Automatic light sensor in the wrong place for landscape use - you tend to cover it with your left hand. Best to disable it.
The 32GB model only has about 10GB available to the user. It does support 32GB microSD though.
Finally, for anyone wanting to actually carry it around out and about, quite possible as it's small and light enough, there are issues. Even when it's powered right off, a short (rather than long) press on the power button turns it back on. And, when it's put on standby, even though there's a swipe operated standby screen, the timeout of this screen seems to be the same as the standard timeout. So if you've set 10mins before standby, this lock screen also takes 10mins to turn off. Doh!
Don't hesitate to ask anything I might be able to answer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WiFi should penetrate through your left hand without issue, I doubt that is the issue. Human flesh is near transparent as far as WiFi is concerned, bone may well be a factor though. But regardless, the antenna in these devices should not be so short that your hand can completely cover it. Only other thing I can think of is polarization, most wifi routers are polarized and as such most wifi devices have antenna with bends and kinks etc etc so that they can pick up multiple polarisations regardless of orientation, I highly doubt polarisation is the issue, I highly doubt the antenna is short enough for your hand to effect it when I can hold my phone with both hands entirely engulfing the device and still stream data from wifi while outside in the garden a fair old distance from the router.
It actually supports the entire SDXC spec supposedly so should take a 64gb card and when they are release 128 (the spec actually accounts for card capacities upto 2tb however we dont have the technology to manufacture 2tb nand flash within an SD package obviously).
That 32gb is partially consumed by the recovery (about half of it). If you follow the many guides online for creating a USB recovery drive, then test the drive to confirm that it both a) works and b) you know how to use it (common problem) then you can safely remove the recovery partition built into the device and free up a huge chunk of space.
What adaptor is required for the USB host? Is it just a standard microUSB male to USB A female as used on many android devices or is it something proprietary?

SixSixSevenSeven said:
WiFi should penetrate through your left hand without issue, I doubt that is the issue. Human flesh is near transparent as far as WiFi is concerned, bone may well be a factor though. But regardless, the antenna in these devices should not be so short that your hand can completely cover it. Only other thing I can think of is polarization, most wifi routers are polarized and as such most wifi devices have antenna with bends and kinks etc etc so that they can pick up multiple polarisations regardless of orientation, I highly doubt polarisation is the issue, I highly doubt the antenna is short enough for your hand to effect it when I can hold my phone with both hands entirely engulfing the device and still stream data from wifi while outside in the garden a fair old distance from the router.
It actually supports the entire SDXC spec supposedly so should take a 64gb card and when they are release 128 (the spec actually accounts for card capacities upto 2tb however we dont have the technology to manufacture 2tb nand flash within an SD package obviously).
That 32gb is partially consumed by the recovery (about half of it). If you follow the many guides online for creating a USB recovery drive, then test the drive to confirm that it both a) works and b) you know how to use it (common problem) then you can safely remove the recovery partition built into the device and free up a huge chunk of space.
What adaptor is required for the USB host? Is it just a standard microUSB male to USB A female as used on many android devices or is it something proprietary?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regardless of the supposed penetrative capability through hands of 2.4ghz signals, I can say for sure that the hand holding the tablet at bottom left when in landscape mode causes a 4-5 bar signal (in a room directly above the wifi location) go down to 2 bars at best, sometimes 1 bar. It's quite repeatable. It might be the reason the W3 gets poor reviews in respect of wifi performance? It's a very poor internal antenna location for, what should be, a landscape device.
My phone, incidentally, prefers to be held at the bottom for best wifi performance, or at the top for best 3G!
It's good to hear higher capacity cards are supported as I didn't see a mention of SDXC, though I guess that's a function of windows rather than the hardware.
As regards drive space, I believe the 32GB model doesn't have a recovery partition, instead getting a recovery DVD, whereas the 64GB model has the recovery partition and no DVD. This is what I've read, anyway. Checking with windows disk management tools shows a couple of extra partitions of 500MB and 100MB at the "start" of the disk which appear to be unused. I don't think you could fit recovery files in that sort of space. I don't know what they're for.
The 18GB or so which you can't use simply seems to be windows, with page and hibernation files, plus the preinstalled stuff. I'm certain you could reclaim some of it. My main use is at home with a network drive, so I'm quite happy with what's left.
The adapter appears to be a standard off-the-shelf item, as you say microUSB to standard USB female.

Disabling hibernate will also free some space (by default, the hiberfile is the same size as your RAM, so it can be pretty significant). While hibernate on a mobile device is usually really nice, on a tablet I don't see the need. Any use case that involves putting it on the shelf unplugged for longer than you'd want to leave it in sleep mode should be fine with powering it off instead.
The main uses I have for hibernate are either:
A) Full-disk encryption (BitLocker) where sleep mode is less secure (because the decryption key can be recovered from the still-active RAM)
B) Emergency power-down for critical battery level (without losing any work).
Although these use cases are significant, for most people A is irrelevant and B isn't vital. Sleep mode at 10% battery remaining would still last you all day.
EDIT: To disable Hibernate, do the following:
Run an elevated CMD prompt (you can do it by right-clicking on the Start button, or selecting Command Prompt in the Start screen and choosing Run as Administrator from the app bar).
Run the following command (without the quotes) in the elevated prompt: "powercfg -H OFF"
You may want to then adjust your power profiles, if they were doing things like entering hibernate when the battery got low, so they do something else instead.

Yeah I got one too. Found it at staples for $269. I also have a Lenovo yoga, and while the Acer is obviously slower, its fine for something so small and cheap. I'm pretty happy with it. I do have one issue, and I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing it. Sometimes when plugged in it gets REALLY hot on the back. When it gets this hot, it seems to stop charging. Anyone else experiencing this?

vinscuzzy said:
Yeah I got one too. Found it at staples for $269. I also have a Lenovo yoga, and while the Acer is obviously slower, its fine for something so small and cheap. I'm pretty happy with it. I do have one issue, and I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing it. Sometimes when plugged in it gets REALLY hot on the back. When it gets this hot, it seems to stop charging. Anyone else experiencing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't own the device so I can't have experienced this is course but I do have a fair bit of electronics knowledge. Most chargers are a higher voltage than the battery. Usually you use a switch mode regulator to drop 5v to 4.5v or so in a phone efficiently, but that's not a clean 4v signal and its still too high, you then use a capacitor to try to clean up electrical noise on the 4.5v signal and then feed it into a low dropout linear regulator to drop it to just over 3.7v for the batter, this will be a clean signal unlike the switchmode regulator however linear regulators do get very warm (can actually harm yourself on them). Often there is a polyfuss thrown into the mix aswell, essentially a self resetting fuse which is triggered with heat. I have seen in some Chinese devices to save cost they just use a linear regulator to go straight from 5v to 3.7ish, way way hotter, sometimes enough to trip the polyfuse effectively disconnecting the charger. It is possible Acer have also used a cheaper circuit or poorly located polyfuse which is tripped under normal charging conditions or your device may genuinely be faulty. A bit of heat when charging is normal though, heat in the charging signal is one if the reasons your supposed to turn your device off when charging, reduces the current draw which then reduces heat produced by any regulators on board the device.
A short could also be causing the problem

vinscuzzy said:
Yeah I got one too. Found it at staples for $269. I also have a Lenovo yoga, and while the Acer is obviously slower, its fine for something so small and cheap. I'm pretty happy with it. I do have one issue, and I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing it. Sometimes when plugged in it gets REALLY hot on the back. When it gets this hot, it seems to stop charging. Anyone else experiencing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It gets warm underneath the rear camera about where the Acer logo is. This happens under normal use or when just charging it, but It gets even warmer in the same location when charging whilst using it. I've not had it actually stop charging yet.
Might be best to not use it whilst charging and also place it screen down to help the heat escape. I often do this with phones and tablets because heat shortens the life of Lithium cells.
I've not witnessed *really* hot, but certainly uncomfortable for my left hand hot.

about the display
Pete_S said:
Screen not stunning. It's only TFT and optimised for portrait use, so in landscape, as you would tend to use Windows, left-right viewing angles are pretty poor. For work it's fine, for multimedia less so, difficult for 2 people to watch at once. Which is a shame, as the hardware acceleration seems to cope with any movie you throw at it, and smoothly. Brightness and contrast are OK though, as is resolution. I wouldn't want to use it for photo viewing.
Don't hesitate to ask anything I might be able to answer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a question about the display. I previously used a surface rt bought from Curry's for £279 I thought the price was very low and I would be able to live without installing win32 apps but that was a huge mistake however I was able to sell my rt for £220 and saw one iconia w3 on eBay for £260 as I want a full windows tablet but also on a tight budget would it be worth buying iconia for £260 because I saw lots of review they all said the display is terrible. Is it that bad?

The display isn't the best but I have no problems reading with the Kindle app, watching movies or playing games. I love using my W3, I even sold my Note 8.0. I have a Surface Pro and this is the perfect companion device. I don't have to make any compromises or find similar programs to use.
I am a Marine and we live in the Windows world and use our ID's (combined access cards) to log into the network and various DOD websites. Using my W3 and a USB cac reader I am able to do my work on the go. The only thing it is missing is the digitizer that my Surface Pro has. If it had that I would be 110% satisfied. Hopefully someone comes out with an 8in Windows 8 device with a digitizer. I would never have to carry pen and paper again.
I have the 64 gig version, first thing I did was disable hibernate and remove the recorvery partition. I also installed a 64 gig SD. I have 18 gig free on the hard drive and 16 free on the SD. I keep media on the SD card and use the hard drive for games and programs. Also being able to just plug things in without rooting it or resorting to other tricks makes it worth it. I can just plug in an external and read it. The Nexus 7 and Note 8.0 could to but I had to download an app and root them to be able to do that.
If you want Windows in an 8 in form factor get the W3. Also it is rumored that Acer will be releasing a refresh to the W3 with a better screen since that seems to be the largest complaint people have against the device. I am unaware of anyone else releasing an 8 in Windows device, there are rumblings that Microsoft could be in the works for a 8 in Surface. Who knows but right now the Acer W3 is the only one out there and it works very well.

big_b0sss said:
I have a question about the display. I previously used a surface rt bought from Curry's for £279 I thought the price was very low and I would be able to live without installing win32 apps but that was a huge mistake however I was able to sell my rt for £220 and saw one iconia w3 on eBay for £260 as I want a full windows tablet but also on a tight budget would it be worth buying iconia for £260 because I saw lots of review they all said the display is terrible. Is it that bad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The display isn't terrible. 2-3 years ago it would have been great, it's just that everything nowadays seems to come with a wide viewing angle screen, making the W3's seem old fashioned. In other respects (brightness, contrast) it's a nice screen. The difficulty comes when you're watching a movie side by side. To the left it goes quite dark, to the right it's bright and rather washed out. If you are watching it head on, it's no problem at all. In day to day use you forget any shortcomings. The reviews always pick on something and exaggerate it.
I agree with sactownbwoy; I love my new W3; it does everything and is an absolute bargain for the price. My poor Asus android tabbie spends it's time in the cupboard now

sactownbwoy said:
I have the 64 gig version, first thing I did was disable hibernate and remove the recorvery partition. I also installed a 64 gig SD. I have 18 gig free on the hard drive and 16 free on the SD. I keep media on the SD card and use the hard drive for games and programs. Also being able to just plug things in without rooting it or resorting to other tricks makes it worth it. I can just plug in an external and read it. The Nexus 7 and Note 8.0 could to but I had to download an app and root them to be able to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. Thanks for the quick reply. Would you please tell us how did u remove hibernate and recovery partition. I have just ordered a 16gig model from eBay I know it will have about 8gb of free space but its OK I will OK with it. Would be so nice if I can free up another gig
Sent from my GT-I9505G using xda premium

Please search before posting. Disabling hibernate and removing the recovery partition were discussed *ON THIS VERY FORUM* less than a week ago!

sactownbwoy said:
I am a Marine and we live in the Windows world and use our ID's (combined access cards) to log into the network and various DOD websites. Using my W3 and a USB cac reader I am able to do my work on the go. The only thing it is missing is the digitizer that my Surface Pro has. If it had that I would be 110% satisfied. Hopefully someone comes out with an 8in Windows 8 device with a digitizer. I would never have to carry pen and paper again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The smaller Windows 8 devices that have been shown are more in the realm of competing with cheapo Android devices and the poorly specced iPad mini. They're almost throwaway devices. I can only see a decent 7/8" tablet coming from Lenovo, Sony or Samsung, unless MS decides to make a Surface that small, but I doubt they would put a digitiser on it, because again, MS is looking at those devices as being budget tablets.

sinister1 said:
Has anyone had the chance to use\test this tablet? On a scale from 0 to 10 what would you rate it? What are the pros and cons? Any feed back would be appriciated. Thanks.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/414898/Iconia_W3_Tablet_PC_(W3-810-1600)_-_Silver
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So far I have very mixed feelings about the tablet. I have two of them now. On the first one, the lower half of the screen was black and as the unit warmed up, the screen would start flashing then eventually work. I sent it back to Acer (I got it from them at a conference) for repair. They replaced some stuff, shipped it back and the result was a unit with a cracked LCD screen due to poor packaging. I'm expecting the repaired (2x) unit today so we'll see how that unit fairs.
The second unit seems ok so far. I haven't done much with it other than charge it up. The keyboard stand is nice but it would have been better if the keyboard had come with a mouse pad. Still, I ordered a Bluetooth mouse for it and we'll see.
So far I prefer my Surface Pro.

I have the 64gb unit - give it a 7/10 so far.
I'd be keen to know how far people have got dual booting the device, or inded instaling a different operating system such as Android x86 or Linux/Plasma Active..
I've found the boot selector/bios but so far it wont boot from any of my devices. Although I will try a SSD tonight I have laying around.
./P

phazey said:
I have the 64gb unit - give it a 7/10 so far.
I'd be keen to know how far people have got dual booting the device, or inded instaling a different operating system such as Android x86 or Linux/Plasma Active..
I've found the boot selector/bios but so far it wont boot from any of my devices. Although I will try a SSD tonight I have laying around.
./P
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Clovertrail processors are locked in their UEFI firmware to windows 8.

I would definitely recommend seeing one in person before buying, I bought and took it back within an hour, the screen is terrible and Wi-Fi only worked with in about 10 ft of my router
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I have the 64 gig model and I'm very happy with it. Even though it doesn't have an active digitizer for working with Wacom pens, the screen is the best I've ever used with a capacitive stylus. Could the display be sharper? Yes, but it's no worse than my 17" laptop. I've been impressed with the development of the Atom processor. I think Intel needs to rename them because the mere mention of an Atom processor might turn away some buyers. If you're serious about picking up one of these tablets, wipe any reviews you've read and interact with it first. Some of the posts here look as if someone read the spec sheet and dismissed it as a "throwaway" tablet without even touching it. Be your own reviewer.

Looneytoon98 said:
I have the 64 gig model and I'm very happy with it. Even though it doesn't have an active digitizer for working with Wacom pens, the screen is the best I've ever used with a capacitive stylus. Could the display be sharper? Yes, but it's no worse than my 17" laptop. I've been impressed with the development of the Atom processor. I think Intel needs to rename them because the mere mention of an Atom processor might turn away some buyers. If you're serious about picking up one of these tablets, wipe any reviews you've read and interact with it first. Some of the posts here look as if someone read the spec sheet and dismissed it as a "throwaway" tablet without even touching it. Be your own reviewer.
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I do agree with you on the atoms they perform very well including the one in this tablet if not for the problems I mentioned above I would have kept it but I picked up a 10 inch w510 for now and I'm going to buy the 8 inch Toshiba windows tablet when it launches in a couple months. The display is hard to explain it almost looked like it was wet the entire time I was trying to use it.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Asus Vivotab Note 8 (M80TA) Official thread

There isn't already an official thread about this wonderful little tablet Asus Vivotab Note 8 , so here i start one
I can't be the only one who bought it, i hope xD
Sent from my M80TA using Tapatalk

i have the 32gb version.
I bought it for the wacom digitizer and office student, in particular onenote, that together are my idealistic perfect tool for my student activities.
Straight out of the box i had a problem with the Windows Store, i couldn't install any app because every time i clicked on the install button the download didn't started and the app was going to Pending state.
After an afternoon on official Microsoft forum that suggested ton of fixes , and none of them worked, i solved the problem following this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2vnhcoKCeQ
Sent from my M80TA using Tapatalk

I got the 64GB version. Can't say I've had any issues. Put a 64GB micro SD in, and redirected most the libraries, Skydrive to point at it. I've got my steam games split between internal and the SD card.
I picked up one of the I-Blason Case and screen protectors off amazon. The case works nice, the top cover can fold over doesn't get in the way much at all.
Haven't had any issues with the MS store on mine, was able to purchase and install the plex app no problem as well as a e-reader app and a couple others.
The only thing I've noticed with mine is that the stylus isn't terribly accurate around the edges. It makes trying to grab some of the slider bars in IE and other programs a challenge. I've seen some of the calibration guides here and have been debating trying one of them to see if it would improve that.
Edit: I also tried Bluestack for getting some android apps running, but it's been pretty abysmal performance with it with some apps not launching at all, and others I can launch, but then they just don't work correctly. My high hopes for using it with this table have pretty much been trashed

Can you post a screen snip of Disk Management (from Win+X menu)? I'd like to see the storage layout.
Also, please post the Windows experience index. It's hidden in 8.x. Run 'winsat prepop' from CMD. Wait to finish, then run 'get-wmiobject -class win32_winsat' in PowerShell. Actually, just post the scores of all the components. TIA.
Note 8 was out in UK/EU a month ago, so info & reviews are already on Youtube. It improves upon DVP8 w/ good stylus support, but is also more expensive, now that DVP8 has hit $200 bargain bin. OTOH, by virtue of being first (and heavily discounted), DVP8 has garnered a decent-sized userbase.
Asus Note 8 + DVP8 + Lenovo ThinkPad 8 & Miix 2 8 + Acer W4 + Toshiba Encore round out the Win tab 8" crop. Here's my Cliff Notes comparison: DVP8 = cheap, Note 8 = stylus, W4/Encore = HDMI out, TP8 = 1080p res.
For me, stylus support is critical, not for note-taking, but for running desktop. But I'm also looking for more ports, and these don't have them. Cherry Trail is on tap for Computex, and should roll out in fall, so Bay Trail will slot into the low-end in a few months. Win 8.1 won't change, but hopefully the hardware will have better capability at lower price points. At $300'ish, they can't compete against iPad Mini, hence the $250 goal w/ cheaper Win license and 16GB SKU.
As they are I think it's a good first effort. If MS can swallow its pride and allow good desktop use--eg w/ integrated pointer in bezel or stylus--I think Win tabs can do well. Because Metro for now isn't enough to win (excuse the pun), and chubby fingers don't work for desktop.
Since MS' Surface line is intended to be hero devices, a good question is whether MS will come out with a Surface Mini to spearhead the mini-tab effort--and if it does, whether it'll sport the comatose RT (in hopes of a Hail Mary miracle), or with an Atom, competing directly against its OEM partners.
VivoTab Note 8 digitizer demo
ThinkPad 8 vs DVP8 vs VivoTab Note 8
Acer W4 review
Toshiba Encore review

lordgodgeneral said:
I got the 64GB version. Can't say I've had any issues. Put a 64GB micro SD in, and redirected most the libraries, Skydrive to point at it. I've got my steam games split between internal and the SD card.
I picked up one of the I-Blason Case and screen protectors off amazon. The case works nice, the top cover can fold over doesn't get in the way much at all.
Haven't had any issues with the MS store on mine, was able to purchase and install the plex app no problem as well as a e-reader app and a couple others.
The only thing I've noticed with mine is that the stylus isn't terribly accurate around the edges. It makes trying to grab some of the slider bars in IE and other programs a challenge. I've seen some of the calibration guides here and have been debating trying one of them to see if it would improve that.
Edit: I also tried Bluestack for getting some android apps running, but it's been pretty abysmal performance with it with some apps not launching at all, and others I can launch, but then they just don't work correctly. My high hopes for using it with this table have pretty much been trashed
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Could you tell me how to get skydrive to point to the SD card only? Also what libraries were you successfully able to direct to SD? I attempted to re-direct temp files and app data but that ended catastrophically with all things in metro including system restore settings disappeared, and would not even come back after returning things to normal. Had to do a full system recovery with a keyboard plugged in to force it to restore mode.

Verry Good Thanks

ThomasBags said:
Could you tell me how to get skydrive to point to the SD card only? Also what libraries were you successfully able to direct to SD? I attempted to re-direct temp files and app data but that ended catastrophically with all things in metro including system restore settings disappeared, and would not even come back after returning things to normal. Had to do a full system recovery with a keyboard plugged in to force it to restore mode.
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Moving SkyDrive is pretty easy, just open explorer on the desktop right click and go to properties. There's a tab called location where you can set where its local files are stored.
The other thing I relocated were Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Downloads.
I haven't see too many people try to move the apps folder though, but symlinks would possibly be your best try, though I have no idea if that would work or not.
I've only had mine for a couple of weeks but I already enjoy it way more then any of the android tablets I have. The lack of apps is discouraging at times but I've always been able to find a desktop alternative and enjoy a better gaming experience playing my steam games.
I agree that all the current 8" tablets leave a little to be desired. To me it came down between this one and the TP8. The hdmi out and 1080 sounded nice, but I really didn't see myself using it very often, I have a htpc hooked up to the TV already as well as a laptop, and a the 1080 would work great over hdmi, but I figured it would actually hurt the desktop experience when using the 8" screen. The Wacom on the note 8 pretty much sealed it as this was mostly for on the go use.
The one item I would really wish for is a dedicated charging port and separate USB port so you can use USB and charge at the same time. I dont see that happening as I think Intel and the OEMs are purposefully neutering their designs specifically so they can't be used as a cheap desktop replacement via hdmi and a USB hub and possibly cut into the sales of their more expensive models.

>...a dedicated charging port and separate USB port...I think Intel and the OEMs are purposefully neutering their designs
A better explanation is that it was cheaper to go the single-port route, since getting to the $300 mark is the paramount consideration for Win tabs. Even so, they're still too expensive to be competitive, as evidenced by DVP8's drastic discounting. This won't change with $250 as the goal for upcoming gen. The next crop will be as barebone as the present one.
Vendors won't be motivated to invest much in their products, with no improvement in Win until next year. Low pricing will be key, and most vendors will be content to use Intel's reference design with little differentiation, as was for this gen. The good news is that we'll see $200 Win tabs by year end. If MS & vendors can get desktop to be functional (read: cheap stylus support), they'll have a compelling pitch against the sea of Androids.

Has anyone found a non magnetic case yet? Finally discovered the wonky stylus input was due to magnets, go figure. Waiting impatiently for poetic to do one of their productive cases for the tablet.

ThomasBags said:
Has anyone found a non magnetic case yet? Finally discovered the wonky stylus input was due to magnets, go figure. Waiting impatiently for poetic to do one of their productive cases for the tablet.
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Even with a non magnetic case, there are the two magnets of the speakers, so near the asus logo and front camera there will always be some distortion I believe.

ThomasBags said:
Has anyone found a non magnetic case yet? Finally discovered the wonky stylus input was due to magnets, go figure. Waiting impatiently for poetic to do one of their productive cases for the tablet.
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Click to collapse
I got one of the i-Blason cases off amazon, it has magnet on the right side of the case, and one in the left most flap on the edge for folding over the cover (other i-Blason cases have up to 5 on them). I haven't really seen any issues using this case with the stylus. My experience has been that the accuracy drops some close to the edge of the screen, but this happens with and without the case, so I don't think i'm getting any distortion from the magnets on the case.
Let me know if your interested, I can get the exact model off amazon for you.

Hi Guys,
Maybe somebody can help. Got the Tablet a few days ago. Everything is Windows
Is it possible to hold Network and for example an audio stream when Tablet is in Standby (Energysave) whatever....screen off???
I can't find a way to do so....screen off....everything stops...hm. No further Options in Energyplan Menu....
Thanks in advance....

Open an elevated command prompt, and run 'powercfg /a' to see if Connected Standby is available as one of the sleep states (it should). Then, run 'powercfg /sleepstudy' to track battery drain. More info here,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/dn495346(v=vs.85).aspx
If CS is available, then go into Device Manager | Network adapters, check Advanced tab to see if there's an option to keep connection alive during sleep (this should have been par for CS).
It could well be that drivers are still buggy, which would be kind of normal for these, being the first-run models. DVP8 had bunch of problems with CS.
Other powercfg options to check out,
powercfg /energy (report system energy use)
powercfg /batteryreport (history of battery usage)
Other cool things shown with /?.

Has anyone found a USB keyboard that works while booting? I'm specifically trying to go into safe mode so I can add hibernation to the power options, however when getting to the advanced boot section, none of my keyboards seem to recognize. They work fine in normal OS mode.
Think it may be a power issue or something similar?

Double tap to wake
I'm really liking this tablet. The screen size is just right and having full desktop experience when I need it is helpful.
The only thing that I'm missing is double tap to wake. I do not like the button placement for power/windows key and find it awkward and stiff to wake up...

keithhowe said:
I'm really liking this tablet. The screen size is just right and having full desktop experience when I need it is helpful.
The only thing that I'm missing is double tap to wake. I do not like the button placement for power/windows key and find it awkward and stiff to wake up...
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Double tap to wake would be awesome... but i doubt we will see something like that on windows tablet

VivoTab note 8 virtualbox runing virtual machines
VivoTab note 8 virtualbox running virtual machines
so far its been really nice to run Linux even android on virtualbox has windows 8 touchscreen support and it makes it a little easier to use on windows 8 tablet and the full screen mode is cool if the Linux is lite it run really well makes it feel like is native install
Linux lite run like a baby
android also if config right many Linux distros run on this tab with virtualbox if config right just a tip

Stylus question
I just got my new AVTN8 yesterday and was hoping that the stylus would make it easier to use (I bought and returned the Toshiba Encore a few months ago) but I guess that I was spoiled by the Samsung S Pen.
Is there another compatible stylus out there that has some of that kind of functionality? I tend to take a lot of screenshots while researching various topics, so that would be my main usage.

Guys help please
Am confused between this and note 8.0
Im getting both for about the same price
Main thing im after's the stylus, samsung seems ahead here as i dont think the vivo has that many stylus based apps looking for input here my work s mostly writing , no fancy graphs or diagrams , just text
Again handling is a factor and it seems the vivos thinner and lighter
Im not familiar with the windows environment your input will be appreciated guys
I'm not after specs and notes and movies are all im gonna use it for
So guys help me out is it wise investing in the note or should i get the vivo? Hows the stylus front?

Doomrider said:
Am confused between this and note 8.0
Im getting both for about the same price
Main thing im after's the stylus, samsung seems ahead here as i dont think the vivo has that many stylus based apps looking for input here my work s mostly writing , no fancy graphs or diagrams , just text
Again handling is a factor and it seems the vivos thinner and lighter
Im not familiar with the windows environment your input will be appreciated guys
I'm not after specs and notes and movies are all im gonna use it for
So guys help me out is it wise investing in the note or should i get the vivo? Hows the stylus front?
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Beyond both being 8" tablets with a wacom digitiser (the fancy schmancy stylus, samsung call it an S-Pen but it is just rebranded wacom gear) the 2 are almost entirely different.
The samsung galaxy note uses a Samsung Enoxys processor with the ARM instruction set running android. The vivotab note 8 is using an intel atom baytrail processor which uses the x86 instruction set and runs *full* windows 8.
Most phones and tablets do use ARM processors. Nothing unusual on that front for the galaxy note.
x86 processors are what you would tend to find in your laptop or desktop computer. The vivotab note is more or less a low end laptop ripped apart and put inside a tablet casing. It is just a normal windows 8 computer which just happens to have an 8" touchscreen on the front.
I'd say of the 2, the vivotab is the more powerful device, but windows doesnt quite have the full touch ecosystem available yet. It will do everything you want though, onenote is meant to be excellent with a stylus and for media playback you can get VLC on the windows store as a full touchscreen app or simply use iTunes or the full blown version of VLC or whatever other media software you have preferred on windows on the desktop interface. It also comes with microsoft office preinstalled for free, not just a trial version.
pros for the samsung would be that android from day 1 has always been touch based so all the apps in the ecosystem are of course touch based usually. S-Pen integration is good. Handwriting accuracy wont be very different from the vivotab particularly but you do get samsungs very good S-Note application.
Alot of computing stores have surface pro demo models on display, this also has the wacom pen so usage wise the vivotab and surface pro will be very similar except for the pro having a more powerful processor (for your needs, baytrail is fine) and bigger screen, see how you like windows 8 on a touch screen and go from there. You may have to ask staff for access to the pen, or if you own a samsung S-Pen device already the pen from that *should* work.