If at first you don't succeed: hands-on with Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0
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I wonder how hard it will be to get my hands on the international version here in the states.
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My only concern is that it exchanges the generally excellent camera in the Note 2 and S3 for a mediocre, tablet grade one.
Otherwise I'd have no issues with this device. I quite like my Note 2 and use a headset mostly. I'd appreciate the larger battery and screen real estate.
Otherwise I'd have no issues with this device. I quite like my Note 2 and use a headset mostly. I'd appreciate the larger battery and screen real estate.
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bolomkxxviii":2i72wroa said:
Probably pretty easy, the key will be to ensure that it uses the same signaling and bands that your carrier does.
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I cannot wait for this to arrive. its the right size it has the pen input, good screen. i am now looking for the preorder page in the samsung site.
I wish it had the 8 core chip in it but meh. day to day use its not likely to effect me to much.
And more colours please Samsung. Black would be great!
I wish it had the 8 core chip in it but meh. day to day use its not likely to effect me to much.
And more colours please Samsung. Black would be great!
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It's interesting to note that google recently came down pretty hard on the idea of CyanogenMod incorporating similar split-screen multitasking through cornerstone - so much so that the CM devs dropped the idea. It was not entirely clear why Google accepted Samsung's version, though - from the review it sounds as if Samsung's operating a whitelist approach and will only allow the mode for apps that it has specifically modified so they won't break when the display area changes. Is this the case?
The relatively low res is quite disappointing, but we knew that already. The main attraction lies in the stylus allowing more accurate note-taking, but I saw another review that mentioned a bit of lag, something that would be a real annoyance. Did you experience any problems writing or drawing with the stylus?
With the 16GB Nexus 7 at $199 it's going to be a tough sell if the price on this ends up over $250, but with their marketing muscle Samsung will probably get away with $299.
The relatively low res is quite disappointing, but we knew that already. The main attraction lies in the stylus allowing more accurate note-taking, but I saw another review that mentioned a bit of lag, something that would be a real annoyance. Did you experience any problems writing or drawing with the stylus?
With the 16GB Nexus 7 at $199 it's going to be a tough sell if the price on this ends up over $250, but with their marketing muscle Samsung will probably get away with $299.
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I wonder if there's going to be a WiFi only version available. I have a phone, I don't need another one, but a stylustab in this size would be nice.
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charleski":5cddgn3p said:
Samsung can pretty much whatever they want, and there's relatively little Google could do to stop them in that regard - up to and including nigh-on completely re-writing their own version of Android if they wanted from something like an AOSP source.
As for the price, forget it. If it's actually a phone and has cellular capability, it'll be more like $799 rather than $299. The Galaxy S3 itself is listed as $545 on Amazon right now, off-contract.
If it's only a tablet, however, $299-350 is more plausible.
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A bit by chance, I ended with 2 Note devices: a Galaxy Note (because it was the biggest smartphone available when I needed one), and a Note 10.1 (because this Xmas when I got it, it was the highest-specced tablet that was available: 2GB RAM, SD Slot... The Nexus 10 is permanently out-of-stock, the hi-rez tablets are overkill and too expensive for me, the non-highrez tablets have lower specs). I'm finding both devices very nice and reliable.
Build quality is solid. I don't feel like I have to baby the devices. My 18 months old Note has held up perfectly well. I haven't noticed any flex (I haven't looked for it though).
I originally wasn't planning on using the stylus, but I'm finding myself using it more and more, not because it is quicker (it isn't), but because it's more natural, and doesn't require my brain to switch to "hunt and peck for small keys" mode. It takes a bit of getting used to, but really grows on you over time.
The screen is OK for my old eyes, though I much prefer the AMOLED on the Note over the LCD on the Note 10. I know color fidelity sucks, but the contrast of AMOLED really makes a difference, and the pure blacks make it a pleasure to use at night in bed, I don't get the "black light" feeling of LCDs.
Multitasking is a bit impractical on such a small screen. I've tried keeping a video on-screen while doing something else, but it always gets in the way, even on the Note 10.1. I haven't tried side-by-side multitasking, only the Picture-in-Picture type.
The one thing I'd like is LOUDER SOUND. The Note 10.1 in particular is supposed to be a "media consumption device", ie I'm supposed to be able to hear it while doing the dishes. I'm not.
I won't be getting a Note 8 because it's too-big for a "carry" device (I have a similar-size Nook Color: I can't use it one-handed and it doesn't fit in my pockets), and too small for a stay-at-home one (I'm hoping there will be 11.6 to 13" tablets next time around). But based on my experience with its 2 siblings, I'll recommend it to anyone who wants that size.
Build quality is solid. I don't feel like I have to baby the devices. My 18 months old Note has held up perfectly well. I haven't noticed any flex (I haven't looked for it though).
I originally wasn't planning on using the stylus, but I'm finding myself using it more and more, not because it is quicker (it isn't), but because it's more natural, and doesn't require my brain to switch to "hunt and peck for small keys" mode. It takes a bit of getting used to, but really grows on you over time.
The screen is OK for my old eyes, though I much prefer the AMOLED on the Note over the LCD on the Note 10. I know color fidelity sucks, but the contrast of AMOLED really makes a difference, and the pure blacks make it a pleasure to use at night in bed, I don't get the "black light" feeling of LCDs.
Multitasking is a bit impractical on such a small screen. I've tried keeping a video on-screen while doing something else, but it always gets in the way, even on the Note 10.1. I haven't tried side-by-side multitasking, only the Picture-in-Picture type.
The one thing I'd like is LOUDER SOUND. The Note 10.1 in particular is supposed to be a "media consumption device", ie I'm supposed to be able to hear it while doing the dishes. I'm not.
I won't be getting a Note 8 because it's too-big for a "carry" device (I have a similar-size Nook Color: I can't use it one-handed and it doesn't fit in my pockets), and too small for a stay-at-home one (I'm hoping there will be 11.6 to 13" tablets next time around). But based on my experience with its 2 siblings, I'll recommend it to anyone who wants that size.
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If the US version is missing a major built in feature that the international version has, like voice calling, I'm going to be a little bit angry.
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Not to mention I'll avoid buying it purely out of retaliation. There are plenty of tablets out there. Voice calling would be a good way to set it apart. Pairing such a tablet with something like the Sony SmartWatch and a blue tooth ear piece seems like it might be a good setup.
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Not to mention I'll avoid buying it purely out of retaliation. There are plenty of tablets out there. Voice calling would be a good way to set it apart. Pairing such a tablet with something like the Sony SmartWatch and a blue tooth ear piece seems like it might be a good setup.
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ChrisG":22kqqawi said:
Just like Amazon, Samsung's free to create their own fork of Android, but then they wouldn't be able to bundle the Play Store and Google's apps. Amazon has enough content to forge ahead with their own ecosystem, but Samsung doesn't, and I don't remember seeing them make any moves to do so. So, while Samsung carries a lot of weight with Android, Google still has a big stick when it comes to enforcing app compatibility.
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I, and one of my coworkers, are keeping an eye on these.
Both of us want a pocketable tablet, and one on which we can scrawl notes. He's enamoured with the 8" size, where I'd actually rather 7".
And I think the fact that w/in 10 posts we have one "I don't want another phone" and a "I only want it if it's a phone" is kinda funny.
Both of us want a pocketable tablet, and one on which we can scrawl notes. He's enamoured with the 8" size, where I'd actually rather 7".
And I think the fact that w/in 10 posts we have one "I don't want another phone" and a "I only want it if it's a phone" is kinda funny.
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It works like a phone. It's an 8" tablet that looks like a Samsung phone.
How could you not hold it up to your ear for a picture, Andrew? COME ON!
How could you not hold it up to your ear for a picture, Andrew? COME ON!
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I would consider buying one as I don't like physically touching the screen and my eyes are not as good as they used to be.
It's one device, I would need a handle on the back and a holster to carry it, but those are minor issues for one device that does it all basically.
I'm old, I wear shorts that show off my spindly legs, my belly sticks out and my clothes are mismatched, I wear old spice and thus I really don't care if I look any stranger than I'm already am holding that big thing to my ear.
But it has to have the phone call capability in the U.S., if not then forget it.
Geezers rule, we got the demographics in our favor for the next 20 years. Haha!
It's one device, I would need a handle on the back and a holster to carry it, but those are minor issues for one device that does it all basically.
I'm old, I wear shorts that show off my spindly legs, my belly sticks out and my clothes are mismatched, I wear old spice and thus I really don't care if I look any stranger than I'm already am holding that big thing to my ear.
But it has to have the phone call capability in the U.S., if not then forget it.
Geezers rule, we got the demographics in our favor for the next 20 years. Haha!
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charleski":3d89d2ba said:
Thanks for the links, that was an interesting discussion.
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pixelstuff":3vavejs9 said:
I don't think it's a Samsung decision. The US 3g/4g market is very weird and locked-up, operators really control what gets sold (as opposed to my France for example, where most devices are bought off-contract, and strict laws ensure interoperability of all networks).
So don't blame Samsung. Blame your operators. Feel free to do so loudly ^^
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charleski":3g7l9p7s said:
The discussion linked above clearly states Google's litmus test: modifications to Android must not break market apps. Dynamically changing the screen size and/or ratio while running would break apps. Thus, Samsung only does multi-windows for their own apps; market apps are not impacted (but can't use the functionnality). It is also OK to have the functionnality as an opt-in, with 3rd-party apps coded for it enabling the feature. But apps *not* coded for it must not suffer any side-effects, which means must run full-screen without the OS trying to resize them.
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I bought a Note 10.1 right before the announcements before the Note 8. I previously had an iPad and Nexus 7. The Note 10.1, despite the plastic casing and average screen resolution, is hands down the best tablet I have every used. The quadcore CPU and 2GB of RAM never slow down. I take a lot of handwritten notes, and a fat stylus on an iPad was just "ok" (using Notability). The small tip and pressure sensitivity of the S-Pen, along with the input speed, is wonderful. Handwriting recognition, although not often used, is excellent. I love the split window feature, keeping email open while taking notes. And the Jellybean 4.1 update really increased the quality of the Samsung apps. Perhaps the 8" screen will work for taking notes, but I found my Nexus 7 just too small for that task. The 10.1" screen is excellent, and I would even go with a 12" screen if available.
For feature requests, I wish the S-Pen button was used more than quick-opening of S Note and screen capture, the case was aluminum or a more robust plastic, and the screen resolution higher. Still, those are minor complaints when weighed against the wonderful features of using the S Pen. And it seems the Note 8 hasn't "fixed" my small complaints. I'll happily keep my Note 10.1 for the foreseeable future.
For feature requests, I wish the S-Pen button was used more than quick-opening of S Note and screen capture, the case was aluminum or a more robust plastic, and the screen resolution higher. Still, those are minor complaints when weighed against the wonderful features of using the S Pen. And it seems the Note 8 hasn't "fixed" my small complaints. I'll happily keep my Note 10.1 for the foreseeable future.
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Nice looking overall, and I like the idea of the pen, but I wish (and this is completely subjective) that Samsung would move away from materials so obviously plastic and that the sides, top and bottom were more rectangular and not so... gently flared.
Haven't seen anything to budge me from my Nexus 7...yet.
Haven't seen anything to budge me from my Nexus 7...yet.
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This and the FonePad are steps in the right direction... but why not build a speaker and microphone into the pen? Use it as a Bluetooth handset that docks in the tablet to charge.
It's convenient, hard to lose, and you won't look like an a-hole with a tablet against your face... just a weirdo who talks into a pen.
It's convenient, hard to lose, and you won't look like an a-hole with a tablet against your face... just a weirdo who talks into a pen.
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One of the problems with Samsung is their products are so damn good; let me explain:
I first bought a S3, amazing phone but was finally tempted by the Note 2 so give the S3 to my mom who loves it...and got the Note 2!
Now the Note 8 just seems like a bigger version of the Note 2 but does not offer a whole lot of stuff for me to break contract and go for the 8 as the 2 is just fantastic as is.
A friend of mine is on the original Note and he still loves it, no plans to even upgrade to the 2, he's looking forward to the 3 and while I will be out of contract around the time the 4 arrives... I am so happy with my phone that I dont see myself upgrading unless something drastic happens to my phone (eg: smashed screen).
For those of you who dont have a Note/2:
1 - Yes, the first time you take it out of its package it looks huge,
2 - the first 2 days it feels a bit odd
3 - after the 3rd day you dont even think about it
4 - other phones look and feel puny or like toys (not trying to be insulting, just saying it like it is)
5 - No problems putting it in jacket or jeans pockets, and yes, I wear tight jeans but not skinnies.
Cheers!
I first bought a S3, amazing phone but was finally tempted by the Note 2 so give the S3 to my mom who loves it...and got the Note 2!
Now the Note 8 just seems like a bigger version of the Note 2 but does not offer a whole lot of stuff for me to break contract and go for the 8 as the 2 is just fantastic as is.
A friend of mine is on the original Note and he still loves it, no plans to even upgrade to the 2, he's looking forward to the 3 and while I will be out of contract around the time the 4 arrives... I am so happy with my phone that I dont see myself upgrading unless something drastic happens to my phone (eg: smashed screen).
For those of you who dont have a Note/2:
1 - Yes, the first time you take it out of its package it looks huge,
2 - the first 2 days it feels a bit odd
3 - after the 3rd day you dont even think about it
4 - other phones look and feel puny or like toys (not trying to be insulting, just saying it like it is)
5 - No problems putting it in jacket or jeans pockets, and yes, I wear tight jeans but not skinnies.
Cheers!
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mediaboy":krky5d20 said:
That is a shockingly good idea. Not to mention that it is socially acceptable to wear a pen behind your ear, which would put it in the same proximity of the mouth as a regular bluetooth headset.
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MAFIAAfire":2yc2u0eq said:
This. Using a smaller smartphone after having gotten used to a Note feels like eating soup with a coffee spoon... "and you enjoying watching movies on that ?? !! ??". Plus the amount of back and forth sideways scrolling, zooming/dezooming... on smaller phones really is painful.
... eagerly awaiting the 6" ones (ZTE Grand Memo, Huawei Ascend Mate, Samsung Galaxy Note 3)
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MAFIAAfire":2423i2ok said:
A bit more info please...why is it (S3) amazing and how has the durability been? Same for the Note.
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obarthelemy":10vs7oe9 said:
Slightly hypocritical though, in that Google's own GMail app can use the split-screen functionality - as well as a few other 3rd party apps like twitter and Facebook.
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ChrisG":bw4jh61e said:
They don't use split screen. They are one app with multiple panels.
EDIT: If you are saying what I think you're saying.
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I understand the carriers will make the decision on the enabling the voice capability, but dang near every day I see stories about how dominant Samsung has become, and how much clout they have. Samsung has shown it can now get the Note2 into all of the main USA carriers without much meddling of their designs, so why can't they just tell them to shut up and activate the damn phone on the Note8? Why wouldn't a carrier want more devices using their network? It's not like an 8" cellphone is going to steal sales for their usual cash cows...
BTW, I already have the original Note phone and the 10.1 Note tablet. Both have been perfectly great gadgets, and I have no plans on upgrading either for at least a year. I'm really hoping the Note3 phone or Note 8 tablet version 2 will have a YOUM screen, even better battery life, and my personal holy grail; ability to be used in full sunlight. I don't know why nobody in the OEMs seems to think this might be rather useful. My dream gadget is a 6-8" all-in-one phablet with stylus and sketching / note taking s/w with OCR that I can use outdoors and actually see the screen.
BTW, I already have the original Note phone and the 10.1 Note tablet. Both have been perfectly great gadgets, and I have no plans on upgrading either for at least a year. I'm really hoping the Note3 phone or Note 8 tablet version 2 will have a YOUM screen, even better battery life, and my personal holy grail; ability to be used in full sunlight. I don't know why nobody in the OEMs seems to think this might be rather useful. My dream gadget is a 6-8" all-in-one phablet with stylus and sketching / note taking s/w with OCR that I can use outdoors and actually see the screen.
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RockDaMan":ohrxh2a7 said:
Why is the S3 amazing? It's hard to know even where to start! It's just a _beautiful_ piece of technology.
Wifey already has an S3 so I couldnt offer it there first, but my mom was using an old flip Nokia till I almost forced her to play with the S3 for a few days and helped her at first with "the ways of the smartphone".
To her credit she picked up on it really fast and (now to the amazing part/s) loved the:
large crisp screen
accurate keyboard (she didnt like the "new fangled swipe keyboards")
ease of use
lovely camera
the way the screen never dims when you are looking at it
speed and responsiveness of it even compared to my sisters iPhone (4s)
The way we just tapped phones to transfer pictures/sites via NFC
The large memory (it comes with 16 gigs, I expanded it with 32 more so she has ALL her music on it, and a few movies/tv serials)
The battery was/is good, but its my mom and she is not so bothered with how thin a phone is like the teenage generation, so I got her a battery extender from eBay which gives her *days* of battery life before she needs to recharge... she actually likes the more bulky (if thats the word) phone now!
And the above is just the top of my head, a lot more amazing things can be said about the phone, just check youtube.
About the Note:
All the advantages of the stock S3 plus...
The s-pen, at first like a lot of people I was not sure I would use it much, I find myself using it everyday now!
The screen - b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.! Less scrolling, so much screen real estate for messages and pages!
The split screen functionality, LOVE IT!
Battery life, huge damn battery, even friends with other large android phones are envious of the battery life I get.
I can get an extender for the note as well, but really dont need it! (Never thought I would say that about a smartphone battery)
Movies/serials look awesome on the large screen
I use teamviewer to control remote computers at office and the large screen is a joy.
I put a 64gb card so memory is no problem at all
As for durability: both phones have fallen on their backs and on their faces, their cases have come apart when they fell... all you have to do is put it back and it works perfectly (the case falls apart taking the energy out of the fall), not even a scratch (thank you gorialla glass 2!)
Heck this post has gotten much larger than anticipated
In closing Sammy has gotten it right with great features, large screens, good camera,expandable memory and removable battery along with good/great battery life. No wonder they are doing so well - pity HTC didnt follow suit and Google insists on crippling the Nexus series without expandable memory and other things.
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Totally agree, and the *many* so-so to downright negative reviews really call into question the integrity of the reviewers when they fly in the face of the reality of using the Note 10.1, which like any good device, is good enough to be considered a tool. I sold my iPad3 for a good price to get this thing and never regretted it. I'm keeping it until something like the YOUM screen models come out, hopefully full sunlight capable. I'd like to see the stylus button made more useful... let us map it to what we want. In particular, for text selection. I love being able to select text on my Win8 Sony Duo 11 with its stylus and then using its button to copy & paste. Mobile text editing has been pretty poor for a long time, and why not use the stylus to get around that limitation?renik":1xly4ipg said:
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ChrisG":1c8h36pk said:
I don't get how simply adding a cell radio to a tablet damn near doubles the price of the device.
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ChrisG":171pfe32 said:
The prices between smartphones and tablets are really funny now. Even Apple sells a 8" tablet with 3G for less than the iPhone, the Asus Fonepad will be $249 (with a 7" 1280x800 IPS screen, 3G and phone capability) while smaller smartphones with crappy screens cost more than that off-contract.
If this Samsung phablet will cost $799 you'll pay $550 more than for the Asus Fonepad -- for a screen digitizer, a (probably) better camera and faster CPU/GPU.
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obarthelemy":3q7gz0gt said:
Well, that's the question. Dianne Hackborn says, "You can have a custom API for applications to opt in to your experience." Is this, in fact, what Samsung have done? I can't find it on Samsung's developer site, and suspect that they're just hacking each individual app that they whitelist.
BTW, it turns out that it's very easy to remove the whitelist checks.
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Jorj_X_McKie":rrl5q4nx said:
Your last line speaks volumes. The reason carriers won't bring it in is because tablets don't sell as well as phones. In a store that already has several product lines, shelf space is valuable, and space used by devices that don't sell (or are a hard sell) is lost revenue. And there's still the radio problem (at least in the US).
The problem I have with the current system is that any carrier will activate any compatible handset on their network, but only 1 that I know of (at least of the big 4) will give you a "discount" if you do so (technically, they just separate handset and service into their own line items on the bill, but once you pay off the handset it's yours and the monthly bill actually goes down if you finance it through them). There's no incentive to bring your own phone other than having the handset you want instead of the "close enough" solution from the carrier.
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Did they mention anything about the IR Blaster? Also, it seems portait based, especially with the buttons, does the homescreen rotate to landscape mode?
The S-pen is the intriguing part for me, but Touchwiz always leaves me hesitant.. I'd love to use this as a remote for my entertainment system, especially if I could put a small remote on 20/30% of the screen and use the other 70/80% for other things concurrently (which would give it an edge over the Sony Z - and price assumedly).. though in landscape mode.. plus use it as the livingroom tablet I could share with guests.. granted it's under $300 or so for a Wifi version..
Also, similar to the Fonepad, but with an S-Pen (international version) - paired with a smartwatch and bluetooth headset could be an intriguing phone alternative during the work week if you use mass transit (or carry a bag) - I wonder how much more they'll charge than Asus..
The S-pen is the intriguing part for me, but Touchwiz always leaves me hesitant.. I'd love to use this as a remote for my entertainment system, especially if I could put a small remote on 20/30% of the screen and use the other 70/80% for other things concurrently (which would give it an edge over the Sony Z - and price assumedly).. though in landscape mode.. plus use it as the livingroom tablet I could share with guests.. granted it's under $300 or so for a Wifi version..
Also, similar to the Fonepad, but with an S-Pen (international version) - paired with a smartwatch and bluetooth headset could be an intriguing phone alternative during the work week if you use mass transit (or carry a bag) - I wonder how much more they'll charge than Asus..
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Looks great! A couple of caveats for me to get one, however.
Hardware on the unit:
Does it have NFC and the Samsung S-Beam? To move files back and forth between other Samsung devices like my GS3..
Where is the IR blaster? Top edge?
What is the front-camera? I can't imagine taking many pics with the meager 5mp camera on the back, but I would do video calling (maybe) with the front camera if it were good enough.
Carriers:
Please let this in with call capabilities. I don't foresee moving away from 'phone-sized' devices to make calls any time soon, but if both could be on a single plan with the same number, that would be a step in the right direction.
Hardware on the unit:
Does it have NFC and the Samsung S-Beam? To move files back and forth between other Samsung devices like my GS3..
Where is the IR blaster? Top edge?
What is the front-camera? I can't imagine taking many pics with the meager 5mp camera on the back, but I would do video calling (maybe) with the front camera if it were good enough.
Carriers:
Please let this in with call capabilities. I don't foresee moving away from 'phone-sized' devices to make calls any time soon, but if both could be on a single plan with the same number, that would be a step in the right direction.
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Looks awesome. Thanks to those who shared their experiences with the other Galaxy Notes -- Samsung is good in improving on previous iterations of its devices.
Since I don't care about the phone functionality, I am now only curious what the price will come down to for the WiFi model...
Since I don't care about the phone functionality, I am now only curious what the price will come down to for the WiFi model...
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Andrew Cunningham":1or42os9 said:
I do not understand this obsession with the rigidity of such devices (tablets/smartphones and even in the case of laptops). It makes me think of someone complaining that a book he bought has pages that are too flexible. Who cares? Or why should you care about some flexing of the device case? Are you going to use your tablet to dig holes in the ground?
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