Review of 5 inch Galaxy Note 2
I still have a lingering head cold that just will not completely go but my new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is already making me feel better.
I can even use it as a chartplotter on my boat. Sixty dollars worth of software compared to $3000 plus for a dedicated chartplotter
It is significantly different to the SII I used to have. It has the latest Android operating system which has quite a few different features.
The 5 inch screen does make it a lot easier to read of course but it also has more content so you do not have to scroll so often. The biggest plus is the touch sensitive keyboard. The larger screen means larger buttons, so it is much easier for fat fingers to hit the right button. My error rate has dropped significantly. Also numeric keys are displayed together with the alpha keys making it unnecessary to shift between the keyboards.
A big new feature of the Note 2 is the new S-Pen. I am still exploring the capabilities of the new feature. But first impression was it is very easy and handy to use and in some applications superior to a finger. It is very adaptable but is basically just a very accurate "finger".
Handwriting recognition seems to have improved light years since the original IPAQ attempt about 10 years.(Anyone remember that one). It does not require any training of the system or restriction to any particular writing style. It readily accepted cursive or block writing or a mix of both. I wonder how long it will take for smart programmers to bring in other non-roman character recognition.
Combined with predictive text and a requirement to check and accept each word it was almost fault free but still slow compared to touch typing on a full keyboard.
I imagine hunt and peck typists will find it a great boon.
I am not sure how I will use it. I think for someone just starting keyboard skills it will be a great tool but for someone like me to have to learn another new one ... well lets see.
I suspect it will become a personal preference thing. Some will prefer to use the pen others will be happy with their finger.
My one minor complaint was the pen's positioning at the bottom of the phone. I felt intuitively it should be pulled out the top. Maybe its a left hand/right hand thing or like reading right to left. I guess I will quickly develop the new habit.
Speech recognition seems to have improved as well. I have used it in the google search function several times now and the error rate has been noticeable reduced.
As a phone it is much like every other phone now ... not much there to discriminate. It is supposed to have one function that I have not explored yet. Apparently if you are one of those people that like to hold it in front of your face instead of to your ear it will continue to function as a phone while you are viewing a web page. I guess it could be useful if you want to read something and talk at the same time.
I have only used the fixed camera once so far and in poor lighting conditions but my first impression is it may not be as good as earlier models but still quite good.
Video recording and Youtube display is absolutely brilliant.
The GPS is quick to find your location and logging on to wi-fi or 3G networking is much easier and quicker with inbuilt apps in the operating system rather than having to download a third party app or go all the way into the settings menu.
I really think 5" is the sweet spot for screen size. Its big enough to give a useful display as a tablet but still not lose the convenience of a pocket size phone.
My biggest complaint at this early stage was my hand did get to ache a little after several hours holding the larger unit.
I wonder if Apple has made a mistake going into the 7" market. But then maybe it has a future 5" Apple phone up its sleeve .... remember you heard the prediction here first.
That's about all I can say at the moment, I have only had it 12 hours but with a bit more use I will do an update
I can even use it as a chartplotter on my boat. Sixty dollars worth of software compared to $3000 plus for a dedicated chartplotter
It is significantly different to the SII I used to have. It has the latest Android operating system which has quite a few different features.
The 5 inch screen does make it a lot easier to read of course but it also has more content so you do not have to scroll so often. The biggest plus is the touch sensitive keyboard. The larger screen means larger buttons, so it is much easier for fat fingers to hit the right button. My error rate has dropped significantly. Also numeric keys are displayed together with the alpha keys making it unnecessary to shift between the keyboards.
A big new feature of the Note 2 is the new S-Pen. I am still exploring the capabilities of the new feature. But first impression was it is very easy and handy to use and in some applications superior to a finger. It is very adaptable but is basically just a very accurate "finger".
Handwriting recognition seems to have improved light years since the original IPAQ attempt about 10 years.(Anyone remember that one). It does not require any training of the system or restriction to any particular writing style. It readily accepted cursive or block writing or a mix of both. I wonder how long it will take for smart programmers to bring in other non-roman character recognition.
Combined with predictive text and a requirement to check and accept each word it was almost fault free but still slow compared to touch typing on a full keyboard.
I imagine hunt and peck typists will find it a great boon.
I am not sure how I will use it. I think for someone just starting keyboard skills it will be a great tool but for someone like me to have to learn another new one ... well lets see.
I suspect it will become a personal preference thing. Some will prefer to use the pen others will be happy with their finger.
My one minor complaint was the pen's positioning at the bottom of the phone. I felt intuitively it should be pulled out the top. Maybe its a left hand/right hand thing or like reading right to left. I guess I will quickly develop the new habit.
Speech recognition seems to have improved as well. I have used it in the google search function several times now and the error rate has been noticeable reduced.
As a phone it is much like every other phone now ... not much there to discriminate. It is supposed to have one function that I have not explored yet. Apparently if you are one of those people that like to hold it in front of your face instead of to your ear it will continue to function as a phone while you are viewing a web page. I guess it could be useful if you want to read something and talk at the same time.
I have only used the fixed camera once so far and in poor lighting conditions but my first impression is it may not be as good as earlier models but still quite good.
Video recording and Youtube display is absolutely brilliant.
The GPS is quick to find your location and logging on to wi-fi or 3G networking is much easier and quicker with inbuilt apps in the operating system rather than having to download a third party app or go all the way into the settings menu.
I really think 5" is the sweet spot for screen size. Its big enough to give a useful display as a tablet but still not lose the convenience of a pocket size phone.
My biggest complaint at this early stage was my hand did get to ache a little after several hours holding the larger unit.
I wonder if Apple has made a mistake going into the 7" market. But then maybe it has a future 5" Apple phone up its sleeve .... remember you heard the prediction here first.
That's about all I can say at the moment, I have only had it 12 hours but with a bit more use I will do an update