Database Info

Notion Ink - Adam.

Have you guys seen/heard about Notion Ink - Adam. Search youtube for "Notion Ink Adam First look" in this video 25 year old CEO(Founder of Notion Ink) shows some of it's innovative hardware features like Swivel Camera / Trackpad etc. This runs on Android 2.2 and it rumors are to be believed they already have a Gingerbread version in works!!
The product got delayed should be ready for pre-ordering in a three of days.
Based on Sharvan's(CEO's) lastest blog, sounds like pre-ordering initially would be allowed only for people who has posted on his blog before 12/04/2010 .
Your thoughts?

i've been following the progress of the Adam for a little over a year now. Engadget & TechCrunch were starting to call it Vaporware as it supposedly has been in production for almost 2 years now.
it looks promising and i've actually held off buying a tablet specifically because of the Adam. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I have been following the Adam tablet as well for about a year now. I think the wait is going to be worth. They have really put alot of thought into the developing not only the hardware but the user interface as well.
What I want to know is if the tablet will come with Gingerbread installed or will it be released a month after it has intially been sold??

I also followed the Notion Ink Adam since its first appearance.
In the beginning, it was a wonderful product with perfect features:
eInk and LCD - so outdoor readable/usable, very efficient, but also capable of normal use
ARM processor using the very open and new Android - powerful, long battery life, and customizable with lots of great features.
It also had some great designs and ideas.
But now, almost two years later, it isn't anything special any longer.
It uses Android, which is a great smartphone OS, but a useless tablet PC OS, even more useless than iOS on the iPad.
Useless because it lacks powerful software which gives you FULL text, spreadsheet, PDF creation, editing, viewing. iOS does not offer this either, but much better than Android does.
Also do all of them lack a fundamental thing any slate must have: PEN with handwriting recognition.
The first adam prototypes seemed to have pen input, the final product, not. So what does it make better than the iPad, except even the lack of tablet friendly apps?
So what would you use the Adam for?
To read books and use it as a media tablet to browse the web. Well, if it's what you're searching for, great. I think that's not enough.
You can't take notes, you can't replace your computer with it on the go, you're very limited. The display isn't that special either. Better panels (Mirasol or oil displays) get released next year, Windows 7 still gives you the most powerful tablet OS experience, MeeGo gets released soon, too, which is even more open than Android and optimized for tablets and much more powerful.
So sorry, a year ago, it was a great product, now, it's good, but nothing special, nothing I would have a use for.
The HP Slate looks much more interesting for me, sadly does it only get sold in the US.

Yathushan said:
What I want to know is if the tablet will come with Gingerbread installed or will it be released a month after it has intially been sold??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NotionInk has already said it will ship with Android 2.2 and will inform all what to expect regarding Gingerbread. The hardware specs definitely can handle it.
UpSpin said:
I also followed the Notion Ink Adam since its first appearance.
In the beginning, it was a wonderful product with perfect features:
eInk and LCD - so outdoor readable/usable, very efficient, but also capable of normal use
ARM processor using the very open and new Android - powerful, long battery life, and customizable with lots of great features.
It also had some great designs and ideas.
But now, almost two years later, it isn't anything special any longer.
It uses Android, which is a great smartphone OS, but a useless tablet PC OS, even more useless than iOS on the iPad.
Useless because it lacks powerful software which gives you FULL text, spreadsheet, PDF creation, editing, viewing. iOS does not offer this either, but much better than Android does.
Also do all of them lack a fundamental thing any slate must have: PEN with handwriting recognition.
The first adam prototypes seemed to have pen input, the final product, not. So what does it make better than the iPad, except even the lack of tablet friendly apps?
So what would you use the Adam for?
To read books and use it as a media tablet to browse the web. Well, if it's what you're searching for, great. I think that's not enough.
You can't take notes, you can't replace your computer with it on the go, you're very limited. The display isn't that special either. Better panels (Mirasol or oil displays) get released next year, Windows 7 still gives you the most powerful tablet OS experience, MeeGo gets released soon, too, which is even more open than Android and optimized for tablets and much more powerful.
So sorry, a year ago, it was a great product, now, it's good, but nothing special, nothing I would have a use for.
The HP Slate looks much more interesting for me, sadly does it only get sold in the US.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember its a tablet, not a desktop or laptop replacement. The iPad nor an Android tablet are meant as a replacement to them. If that's what a person is in the market for, then obviously these are not for them.
For your information though Adam can take notes and it does have full text & spreadsheet capabilities as well as the ability to view PDF's but not create. But again, it's not meant to replace a laptop/desktop but rather as a placeholder until you can get to one.
I for one would rather use the Adam (or iPad if I was forced to) to hold me over on outings or to keep my children busy. It has a longer battery life because its not meant to do 40-50 other things. But alas, its up to the individual consumer to make their decision.

I've got a laptop with the Pixel Qi Screen, it's awesome. Even if everthing else about the adam would suck... I would get it just for that display.

peterocc said:
For your information though Adam can take notes and it does have full text & spreadsheet capabilities as well as the ability to view PDF's but not create. But again, it's not meant to replace a laptop/desktop but rather as a placeholder until you can get to one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can take notes? On a capacitive touchscreen? That's useless.
I also don't want that it replaces my laptop (in reality I have a convertible tablet PC running Win 7), rather that I can easily send documents, view documents, edit documents. And also that I'm able to take and collaborate notes, similar to the features OneNotes has.
And if the Adam software has the same 'features' DocumentsToGo has, then no, that's not enough.
It does not have to replace a full working PC (would be great, but that's optional), but I must have some use for such a device, that means I must be able to do productive things with it.
Browsing the web on a slate is awkward and makes no fun.
Writing posts or mails on a touchscreens QWERTY keyboard, no thanks.
Reading eBooks is ok on such an eInk device, as long as they are 'stupid' books. I can't learn with scientific eBook. It just does not work for me. It's too slow, too awkward to skip through pages, ...
You can't even draw on those 'modern' tablets, because they only have a capacitive touchscreen, all you can do with them is doodling around, and that's not worth the money.
So personally, I have absolutely no use for the Notion Ink Adam. It looked great in the past, but now they reduced it to a normal media tablet with a special display, which isn't that outstanding until it gets finally mass released.
I'm still interested in the device and hope that maybe sometime there will be good apps available for Android with which I can do some work, and people learn that there's a huge difference between a capacitive touchscreen and an active digitizer with a pen.

Lol an innovative camera? My old Motorola A925 had a camera that could rotate like this one.

I've been keeping an eye on the Adam for about a year as a replacement for my aging OLPC XO (running Ubuntu 8.10) that I've been using as an e-reader, email and web-browsing on the road, and for reviewing photos out in the field. The Pixel Qi display on the OLPC has spoiled me and I won't even consider a replacement that doesn't include one. That sunlight-readable display is just amazing.

eyegor said:
Lol an innovative camera? My old Motorola A925 had a camera that could rotate like this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which other tablet(or tablet like device running on Android) is offering a swivel camera / trackpad / Pixel Qi display / 1080 p video out / completely custom and innovative software(They have re-written Mail / Weather / Calendar etc) from scratch ?
All this from a company which is just over 2 years old with average employee age 22. I believe this is device will truly be refreshing and we will be hearing a lot from them in future as well.

Well, I just woke up this morning to the fact that Andy previewed the new Motorola tablet last night with Honeycomb onboard. It does not look half bad.
ww.engadget.com/2010/12/06/motorola-android-tablet-prototype-makes-a-cameo-at-d-dive-into
From this I can see the Adam tablet being able to handle more general features such as word processing and spreadsheets in a more integrated way(Google Docs). Although, we have no idea exactly what they are going to add Honeycomb. I feel that they will include something to allow for the tablet to become an on-the-go device. It may not be perfect initially but they will get there as they always do.

I was referring strictly to the camera. For something to be innovative ot has to be done for the first time. Such a camera isnt innovative, it is just new to the android world.
Sent from my Sapphire 32A using XDA App

UpSpin said:
Can take notes? On a capacitive touchscreen? That's useless.
You can't even draw on those 'modern' tablets, because they only have a capacitive touchscreen, all you can do with them is doodling around, and that's not worth the money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do u say that, cause it isn't pressure sensitive and u can't make thinner or thicker lines or something like that?

Elusivo said:
Why do u say that, cause it isn't pressure sensitive and u can't make thinner or thicker lines or something like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- it's not pressure sensitive, so the ink looks not smooth and it's not that great to draw on it
- it's not precise, the resolution or accuracy of a capacitive touchscreen is pretty low, no smooth lines
- no palm detection, so as soon as you put your palm on the Display while you write it will stop working.
- fat pen. The pen tip must be huge to work on a capacitive touchscreen. So it will cover your written text
- no software. There's no software on any mobile operating system which could be used to take notes with, software like Microsoft OneNote, Bluebeam PDF Revu, Microsoft InkSeine.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

[Q] RE: Manuscript Editing/Office on a Tablet

My Dad is a editor and is thinking about picking up a tablet. I have a few questions, hopefully someone may be able to help me.
1. Could you draw/make changes to a word document? The same as using a pen to edit a paper - you get the idea.
2. Would you be able to save that document and all the changes made?
Any information would be extremely helpful.

As an editor, I can say "yes" you can do all those things.
Also as an editor I can say definitively that you don't want to. It's slow, buggy, and the software is expensive and doesn't do half the things you're used to in the full versions. I tried doing work on my xoom (with a mouse, keyboard, and dock) for about an hour before I realized that it's just not there yet; the tech is too new. Get a laptop for work. Touch interface is great for navigating an OS, fun for games, OK for web browsing, but it sucks for any type of word processing or real productivity.
I say this even though I really like my xoom, but I'd never use it for productivity. The tech is still too young to be optimized the way that windows7 or a mac are. At some point there will be a 15.6" touchscreen windows7 laptop with a removable screen (like the transformer). If your dad really needs a machine for productivity but wants a tablet, this is what he'll want (it's what I want!)

Thanks for all the information. I'll be sure to let him know everything you've said.
Laptops aren't an issue, we have plenty of those lying around here. My parent's have been traveling a decent bit lately, going out of town for a week or so at a time every few weeks and he had been complaining about having to carry around large manuscripts all the time.
I figured the technology may be too new, but it really could have been great for mobility and potential money savings with not paying for paper, toner, and shipping.
That laptop sounds pretty sweet. Is it just in a conceptual phase and several years from production? I'll definitely pass on this information too.

[Q] Tablet Apps

So I've had the Transformer for about 4-5 months now and too be quiet honest due to the lack of apps I cant really say it was a justified purchase. Sure its cool and all that and its useful when you just want to kick back and browse the web.
I love android been a huge fan of android since the longest time I used to own an iphone but I quickly got rid of it cause i wanted functionality/customization more than i wanted a whole array of apps.
However, somewhat opposite is what it seems I want with the tablet. So though i really like honeycomb and its looks (none too different than ICS) and i love ICS capabilities to fully take advantage of the tablet. Are there any apps that do the same? i mean i came across a couple like Google Catalogues, Books, pretty much mainly google made apps.
Now my question is that do people have any apps that takes advantage of the tablet. not a big fan of gaming on the tablet. But i guess if you guys can post me some names of Apps to check out i'd appreciate it. Also by posting here you guys can share with those who also have a similar problem.
edit: When i say take full advantage of the tablet, not only do i mean that its useful and fully performs the function you desire but also that the presentation of the app is elegant has some depth and quite nice/enjoyable to use.
edit: Thanks everyone for your input some of you guys are correct there is a whole thread for tablet optimized apps here is the link given by woodrube http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
also there are two apps you guys can download in the marketplace that i hope will in the near future bring to our attention even more better fully capable elegant apps. They are free downloads called "Tablified Market" and "Tablet Market". I see that many of you guys aren't pointing out Apps but rather are telling me how i can use my tablet lol, thank you for that but i was just having a hard time finding Apps i liked for the tablet and thought you guys may have known a hidden gem or two. But im just going to keep looking through the two apps i mentioned and possibly the thread.
the thread served its purpose for me and i hope for those that had similar thoughts there's some good insight in here for those that aren't to sure how to use the tablet once the "honeymoon" period passes.

How about these.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381

What do you want it to do? I use mine for just about anything. School work, text books, notes, word documents, taking photos, Netflix, music, for video game hints when I have time to play. I think you have to have a use for it, it won't create functionality out of thin air. I don't have a use for a smart phone, to me they are too small. I can't imagine using a smart phone after having a tablet first. Watching Netflix must be torture on a small screen, office apps and such seem meant for tablets.
Kingsoft office
Ez Pdf reader
PowerAmp
Polaris office
Writepad Stylus
Splashtop HD
Balance my checkbook
Sygic Naviga
I came from a rooted nook color before this, and have never regretted it. It also was not an impulse purchase. I knew with the dock I would get close to 20 hours of battery life, with my laptop I get 4.5 brightness all the way down. I have never been keen on Apple products and for 500 bucks I have a NetBook/32 gb tablet with expandable storage.
I will admit it seems that Apple does have the edge a far as gaming goes, but that edge will diminish with time. I would like to see more graphic intensive games from these devices, like Dead Space, GTA, NOVA, and such. Again, in time we will see this evolution.
Sent from a KRAKD out Tranny

MCRHAZ said:
So I've had the Transformer for about 4-5 months now and too be quiet honest due to the lack of apps I cant really say it was a justified purchase. Sure its cool and all that and its useful when you just want to kick back and browse the web.
I love android been a huge fan of android since the longest time I used to own an iphone but I quickly got rid of it cause i wanted functionality/customization more than i wanted a whole array of apps.
However, somewhat opposite is what it seems I want with the tablet. So though i really like honeycomb and its looks (none too different than ICS) and i love ICS capabilities to fully take advantage of the tablet. Are there any apps that do the same? i mean i came across a couple like Google Catalogues, Books, pretty much mainly google made apps.
Now my question is that do people have any apps that takes advantage of the tablet. not a big fan of gaming on the tablet. But i guess if you guys can post me some names of Apps to check out i'd appreciate it. Also by posting here you guys can share with those who also have a similar problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the transformer for about 6 months now and I must admit at first I was the same. I was instantly impressed with how much more system level stuff I could do (e.g. download a file and SAVE it somewhere - outrageous) but I couldn't help but resist the thought of "this is like my pc, but a bit crappier"
Something I found quite interesting was that as I bought it with the dock I had the tablet tied to the dock 95% of the time- In my head I was like "more battery, extra ports and a keyboard, heck yes" and as I'd paid extra for the dock it seemed silly to just leave it sitting around. I'm not sure what happened, but one day I evolved to taking it out of the dock. Once I did it became a mobile entertainment system that could follow me around the house, it was fast, powerful sleek and could hang out in the lounge room, go to the ****ter and take to bed.
Once that realisation took hold, I felt alot more able to just use it for whatever I was doing. This was MASSIVELY helped by the android 10 billion download sales where I picked up airtwist (an itunes music syncer), ezpdf reader (great for books) and some cool games. Suddenly I could easily play music that my iphone used to do, read books, write shopping lists, control the dvd player etc. etc. etc.
In a large part my iPhone 4 had cornered this aspect of my life but I soon learned that the tablet did everything better. Now the iphone just feels too restrictive so I'm hanging out for a Galaxy S3 or something similar.
Basically, get the apps that suit your lifestyle, take it out of the dock (if you have one) and just go nuts!

wafflestheclown said:
I've had the transformer for about 6 months now and I must admit at first I was the same. I was instantly impressed with how much more system level stuff I could do (e.g. download a file and SAVE it somewhere - outrageous) but I couldn't help but resist the thought of "this is like my pc, but a bit crappier"
Something I found quite interesting was that as I bought it with the dock I had the tablet tied to the dock 95% of the time- In my head I was like "more battery, extra ports and a keyboard, heck yes" and as I'd paid extra for the dock it seemed silly to just leave it sitting around. I'm not sure what happened, but one day I evolved to taking it out of the dock. Once I did it became a mobile entertainment system that could follow me around the house, it was fast, powerful sleek and could hang out in the lounge room, go to the ****ter and take to bed.
Once that realisation took hold, I felt alot more able to just use it for whatever I was doing. This was MASSIVELY helped by the android 10 billion download sales where I picked up airtwist (an itunes music syncer), ezpdf reader (great for books) and some cool games. Suddenly I could easily play music that my iphone used to do, read books, write shopping lists, control the dvd player etc. etc. etc.
In a large part my iPhone 4 had cornered this aspect of my life but I soon learned that the tablet did everything better. Now the iphone just feels too restrictive so I'm hanging out for a Galaxy S3 or something similar.
Basically, get the apps that suit your lifestyle, take it out of the dock (if you have one) and just go nuts!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate your guys's comments. I'm sorry i should have been more precise in my rant though lol. What I meant to say was that sure the functionality is there and i love that that's great. But I end up not using it because the apps look so ugly lol and rather then just do it on a laptop. So what I do want are those apps that have the functionality there but also the elegance in the app. An example of this would be cooklet or Catalogues these two apps really impressed me in their depth and elegance, not much an actual catalogues type person or a cook (apart from eggs and toast) but i just go into the apps cause they look so good lol. other than that i tried using it as a essay writer as i do have the dock but the keyboard is too small to be comfortable for hours on end of writing. Also, i tried getting into it being a main music/media hub bought hdmi cable and everything but the music player on it is really crap lol for movies its good but again i dont really use it as much as i can just use my ps3. I do see myself using it more and more if there are better and better apps built for it. for starters a better gallary/music/video player youtube is good but would love to have the capability for it to play more than one video at a time. Maybe a nice agenda app? So if you guys know any great apps that may replace the ones currently or in general that have functionality and elegance and beauty let me know. Or show me videos that show how to make apps lool i'd be total game for that once my semester is done.

Woodrube said:
How about these.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032381
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks dude will be checking these out...there's a lot of em didnt realise it as much. i've had two apps on my tablet that show me tablet apps "tablified market" and "tablet market" but this list seems to surpass those.

There are more than enough practical and useful apps, you just need to figure out what they are for you. For example..i travel and go to college. For traveling, iuse media apps for watching movies and listening to music on the go. Also games for killing time. For school purposes,i use the kindle app and buy ebooks for required reading . Like mentioned above, i use splashtop desktop which is a remote desktop app that i use to connect to my pc at home to access my files and for other tasks. I am also a news junkie so i use the app pulse which allows u to subscribe to many different news sources. You have to find out what works for you. If you absolutely cannot think of anything,then my advice is to spend some time browsing the market for something you can use.

cavsoldier19d said:
There are more than enough practical and useful apps, you just need to figure out what they are for you. For example..i travel and go to college. For traveling, iuse media apps for watching movies and listening to music on the go. Also games for killing time. For school purposes,i use the kindle app and buy ebooks for required reading . Like mentioned above, i use splashtop desktop which is a remote desktop app that i use to connect to my pc at home to access my files and for other tasks. I am also a news junkie so i use the app pulse which allows u to subscribe to many different news sources. You have to find out what works for you. If you absolutely cannot think of anything,then my advice is to spend some time browsing the market for something you can use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...?i know, i stated that i do have the useful apps but there presented in such a way that i don't feel like using them because even though I'm studying to become an accountant I'm an artistic sort of person who likes to see elegance in things because that also shows passion and not just something you whipped up because its useful and will get you many downloads/sales. Maybe you guys don't like that and don't have any aesthetic standards, if i can say without being rude, but me I pay'd a hefty sum, for being a university student, and I would at least want apps that i can enjoy looking at while doing the function I need to. Maybe its too much to ask right now, maybe I have to wait more to find such apps and thank you guys for trying to help i appreciate each comment.

There might be different reasons you got that impression.
First thing is, as you stated, you simply overlooked the good ones. That's pretty easy to happen in the crowded android market, and so that's what this thread is for.
Second possible reason: The apps you are looking for are not that popular, that the developers care to make a special tablet layout. When I think about accounting I think of functionality over design, or simple "boring offices". Maybe that influences the apps tailored to those topics. (Don't get me wrong, don't want to sound rude, I'm a economics student myself, but I never really enjoyed things like accounting )
Third possible reason: The apps are properly designed but the look doesn't appeal to you that much. The overall iOS design is based on buttons that seem to scream "push me, push me" like those buttons on the packaging of electronic child toys. Everything is a bit shiny, a bit glossy and a bit 3D. You can simply enjoy it without thinking about what you're doing. The (current) android design however is a bit more on the techy side. It has a clear and functional layout, with few but important design rules. If you're not sure, which parts of the UI are intended and which are simply bad style please refer to Android Style ( developer.android.com / design / index.html No links due to low post count). Maybe the overall android look is not that appealing to you.
Coming back to the original question: The two apps for finding tablet specific apps are a solid source of tablet apps - I'm using them as well, keep them going!
Another good source for tablet apps is keeping an eye on Androidpolice. There is a loose series of posts called "The n Best Android 3.0+ Apps For Honeycomb Tablets From The Last n Weeks". It doesn't come out on a regular basis, but every now and then, and always provides me with some good hints for good apps.
I haven't got my tablet at hand right now, as I'm in the office, so I can't check whats installed on it to give you tips (might come back later), but I remember the IMDB App having a nice tablet interface. And I love reading my Google Reader feed via the app "feedly" which is a magazine style app, that allows browsing your feeds like some glossy magazine, with a nice gesture based interface.
This was the tips part of my post.
Now to continue the rant I can understand your point, with spending 400$+ for a device and then having few apps available that make use of that extra screen estate. I see myself using apps, that are good, but designed for phone, every day. Compared to the iPad where there are ****loads of tabletoptimized apps available this is kinda sad... BUT I also see myself doing things with my tablet everyday, that an iPad owner can never imagine, like connecting USB drives, sharing URLs and text between apps, manipulating wifi networks, using sd cards or simple things as downloading a file. So for me the price, which is about the same as the iPad's price, is absolutely ok! I'm still happy for every new tablet optimized app that launches, though.
OK, that has been a tl:dr post, but nevermind, happy weekend for everyone!

There is a Tablet Market app here somewhere...either in the development section or the apps/themes section. All the apps in it are supposed to be tablet optimized.
Swyped using my Pinky

Get an ipad.

Learning to draw with Note 10.1?

Ok, I've to admit that I'm more than a little smitten than the Note 10.1. Frankly speaking, I do not really need a tablet for work or leisure, although it's useful to check my emails and surf the net on weekends when I want to lounge in bed for a little longer.
But I wonder if using a large tablet will help or encourage me to learn drawing. I got the Note phone partially for that reason (while keeping in mind that if the S-Pen turned out to be lousy, I would still want the phone), but I don't enjoy using the S-Pen nor the few apps that support it. The placement of the line's not accurate no matter what I do to try to configure it, and I do think the small area for drawing may also be a hindrance. But I do like the phone very much for all other purposes!
So what do the artsy people think? Will the Note 10.1 be a good tool for learning to draw, or am I better off with pen and paper? I'm not aiming to produce serious, photo realistic drawings at all, just reasonably nice looking and identifiable objects, animals, people, etc... If you think the Note will be a good tool for me, how do you suggest I utilise it? Just as a digital drawing board used together with a conventional drawing instruction book, or some other method?
Thanks in advance.

Get a pencil and a cheap sketchbook, maybe made with newspaper (its the cheapest you can find,same kind of paper they use for, well newspapers)
It shouldnt run you more than $5
If you want colors I suggest crayons, cheap and easy to try things without feeling you're wasting fortune.
Then when you're confident grab something with technology. I think technology is not a replacement for art tools, it's just another art tool and a such I suggest you start with the basic tools of pencil, eraser and paper.

Thanks, I think you're right about going cheap and easy. I have lots of unfilled notebook and drawing books simply because the paper feels too precious!
I'll go that route first to improve my drawing skills, though I may still get the Note 10.1.

So far I've liked drawing on my Note 10.1 more than I have on my Wacom Intuos digitizer that cost me about the same amount of money :laugh:

[Q] How good is the S-pen for taking notes?

Hi all,
I am looking into buying a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition when it does finally show up (I hope it is real soon). I have been looking into the old Note 10.1 to get a sense of how good the S-pen is for taking handwritten notes. I know an acquaintance who uses it to take a lot of notes and he raves about it. I want to get more feedback from people who have used the S-pen as a replacement for traditional pen and paper. Is it as good (or at least sufficiently close) to writing on a piece of paper? Is it quick or is there some lag? Can I rest my palm on the screen and still write in a comfortable posture or do I need to hold my hand awkwardly?
If it is as good as writing on a piece of paper then I am really excited. I can finally replace my growing pile of paper notes, which I can lose sometimes, to a digital copy and make life easier.

The pen is great. End stop.
However... finding the right note taking app for you is a different story. I'm not too thrilled with Snotes, and maybe the newer edition may change that. You have many other options, each with their relative (to the user) strengths and weaknesses.
OneNote
Papyrus
Lecture Notes
Write
Kno
Various office suites
Plus other drawing and note apps I've either forgotten about or haven't encountered.
If/when you get your tablet, take some time to try them all out. See which one offers you the best yield, be it drawing and writing, including materials from other sources, collating and organizing, searching, bookmarking, reuse and export, paper size/design/layout, use across other devices or platforms, backup and sync, online/offline. The list grows and grows.
It all sounds great on paper, until you try to use it practically every day.
My love is OneNote. But not the web or tablet versions; they are VERY VERY lacking. On my computer, however, you'll have to pry it from my cold dead hands.
-----
I would love to help you, but help yourself first: ask a better question
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

How is the s-pen in terms of taking notes? That's my main question. Does it mimic the natural feel of writing on paper? I will definitely look into the alternative apps but my main concern is the viability of replacing a physical pen and notebook with this. Is it snappy and precise when you write with the pen or is it slow and cumbersome (like what a capacitive stylus is like on an ordinary capacitive touch screen).
Will I be able to comfortably take notes in real time, in a fast paced class for example? As long as that is doable, I am interested in buying it. But otherwise, I'd be disappointed.

litetaker said:
How is the s-pen in terms of taking notes? That's my main question. Does it mimic the natural feel of writing on paper? I will definitely look into the alternative apps but my main concern is the viability of replacing a physical pen and notebook with this. Is it snappy and precise when you write with the pen or is it slow and cumbersome (like what a capacitive stylus is like on an ordinary capacitive touch screen).
Will I be able to comfortably take notes in real time, in a fast paced class for example? As long as that is doable, I am interested in buying it. But otherwise, I'd be disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is the best, you can even record audio while writing and then save them both into on file.
Go here and watch some of the videos of it being used http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0krCDFLjdA&list=PL8095B2677327E09C
Multi window is great also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJhKAC2PJEE&list=PL8095B2677327E09C
MyScript Notes Mobile is a nice app that lets you take very good notes also https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visionobjects.notesmobile
.

Some of that again depends on the app. Some handle maneuvering around the virtual paper better than others. Most have palm rejection settings. I've not noticed any lag between drawing and visualization, so I'd say the similarity to real ink and paper is pretty close. Depending on if and how the app uses the pressure sensitivity, too, could impact your perception of closeness.
Also the pen itself is. Cumbersome? For longer term use. If you check through the accessories threads, you'll find some good reference on pens that feel more natural in the hand, rather than as a skinny plastic twig, for ease of longer sessions. Being the digitizer is Wacom, the winners appear to be in the Bamboo family, from what I recall. I couldn't imagine a full day of note taking using the standard pen; hand fatigue would set in quickly (Caucasian male, average sized hands, for reference).
I don't know where you are, but most big box stores have them out for a hands-on experience.
-----
I would love to help you, but help yourself first: ask a better question
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
-----
I would love to help you, but help yourself first: ask a better question
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Thanks. Yes, I have been looking at several videos online to get a sense of how good it is. I think it is pretty good for taking handwritten notes. I'll very likely buy the new note 10.1... Just can't wait for them to release it. They should've released it by now actually.

It takes some getting used to. But it is simply a transition that is worth the initial effort. Take some time with it on your own before making the "public" transition. Nothing is more discouraging than fumbling with tech under pressure. But after a couple of days doing all your non public writing on the tablet you'll be ready to go public. At that point, put the paper pad in the drawer and go cold turkey into the digital realm.
Above all else get signed up with drop box or Google drive, get an app called file sync and back up your notes. There are too many threads around of "lost all my notes how do I get them back?"
Good luck! The original Note is a great device. I will envy those with the newer one. Too soon for me to upgrade though.
Sent from the tiny keyboard on my S4

starbuckk said:
It takes some getting used to. But it is simply a transition that is worth the initial effort. Take some time with it on your own before making the "public" transition. Nothing is more discouraging than fumbling with tech under pressure. But after a couple of days doing all your non public writing on the tablet you'll be ready to go public. At that point, put the paper pad in the drawer and go cold turkey into the digital realm.
Above all else get signed up with drop box or Google drive, get an app called file sync and back up your notes. There are too many threads around of "lost all my notes how do I get them back?"
Good luck! The original Note is a great device. I will envy those with the newer one. Too soon for me to upgrade though.
Sent from the tiny keyboard on my S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I have a Dropbox account with a ton of space so I am good with that. I am torn between buying the 8 inch Galaxy Note 8 or to wait and get the more expensive Galaxy Note 10.1 2014.
Now, my main reason to consider the 8 inch is because it is far more affordable, it is readily available right now, and there is some real world usage info to understand if it has any bugs, issues etc.
My main concerns are will the 8 inch be TOO small for taking notes, if it is powerful enough to last me for a long time and finally if the display is more capable at handwriting. The pluses for the new 10.1 is it is bigger, faster, probably has even better Wacom digitizer. But it is very expensive and being brand new we dunno if it has bugs and stuff..
So, anyway, long story short. What should I go for: Galaxy Note 8 or the new Galaxy Note 10.1? Will an 8incher be enough for taking notes? I just intend to take notes and read PDFs... Not into playing games or drawing etc.

Go for the 10.1 and try to get hold of the Bluetooth S-Pen (HM5100). A perfect combination. The built in S-Pen is good, but the BT one just feels like a real pen which helps with the writing.

Wait until the new 10.1 comes out and go check it out. It's only a couple weeks away now. Get one of each in your hands and see how it works out. I started out with a Nook Color and found that a "tablet" that size was just too small for me. But I have a co-worker that has a Note 8 and prefers that smaller size.
Looks like the price difference will be just about $200. So...put the price aside for a moment unless you ABSOLUTELY have no option to come up with that additional amount. Try them both out. See which one would work best for you. If you are gonna be using it for hours every day, then maybe you can find somewhere else to cut the $200 difference to get what will work best for you.
Frankly, if you already think it's too small, it probably is, and you'll be discouraged from using it.Which means the investment won't be as valuable.
Also keep in mind that if you are talking about reading business type PDF's, they were probably designed to be viewed on big computer screens and created in 8 1/2 by 11 paper format. So now you're gonna squeeze them down to the size of a 5x8 notebook. Maybe your eyesight can handle that. Mine can't. I wear reading glasses even on the 10.1. So be sure to read a couple full size PDF pages when you go check them out. That will probably impact your decision.