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Hi all,
got the Flyer today, after some hours of playing around I'd like to share my thoughts with other users:
- solid thing, just opening the top to insert the cards was a bit tricky for me
- very fast, no problems with the HTC Sense interface, works perfectly fine. Still in applicaitions like Google Maps a bit slower than the Xoom I'm testing in parallel.
- I like the new e-Mail client and calendar application a lot.
- Being an intensive evernote user, I am happy that there is a good direct integration, also with the notes you can take with the pen. Well done!
- The speakers are great, one of the few things where I don't agree with the Engadget review which has been posted today. And: They are extremely loud, louder than any of the - many - devices I could test up to now, including iPad, iPad2, Galaxy Tab and Xoom.
- The screen is great and very bright, together with the loadspeakers a great experience in Youtube or watching one of the HQ movie trailers which came with the Flyer.
- Generally, I prefer the 7'' format over the 10'' of the Xoom and the iPad. I think it is the best tablet format for me. The weight lets you hold it for a very long time without getting tired, the Xoom (which I like a lot because of Honeycomb and the incredible speed) is too heavy for me.
- the typing experience is excellent, the Flyer has the right balance between being responsive, but not over-responsive. The Xoom seems to react to even the slightest touch, this was almost a bit too much for me in the beginning
- there is a significant frame around the screen, much larger than the Xoom has. This is sometimes a problem when using the Xoom because it is hard to hold without touching the screen (and eventually doing something unwanted), but the frame around the screen of the Flyer is really huge. This makes it easy to hold the device in several ways, though.
- The bag shipped with the device is a joke from my point of view, first of all it does not allow you to use the device when in the bag, second the pen is attached outside and somehow always disturbing; also I guess it will be lost soon. I will wait for something which holds the pen inside and can be opened to use the Flyer without taking it out.
- Mixed feelings about the pen: The setup in the bottom right corner is excellent and intuitive and the pen seems to react quite quickly, it is fun to use. But: The hardware is not my favorite at all. Especially the buttons on the pen are hard to reach and it is not easy to hold it naturally
- Some new functionality in the browser including small thumbnails of the open windows, well done. Also pinch out works. I like it, it seems to be very fast and the re-arrangement of the text when zooming seems to be excellent.
- Although I don't need a camera in a device like that and I really don't care, still to mention that the camera seems to be really terrible.
- Installed tons of apps, everything works great, no speed issues at all.
- HTC Sense in the tablet edition is great. Some new additions for books, notes,... first impression everything well done, HTC
My first summary after a couple of hours is very positive. Let's see how I think after a week or two. No comments at that point about battery life for sure, but the Engadget review (and the very first, non-reliable own impressions) give me a good feeling.
Questions anytime, for sure! And appologies for my German English
Got mine today too.
I am fairly impressed and looking forward to taking it out and about with me tomorrow. I am curious to see if I can get 2 days battery life out of it or not.
The screen is wonderful. No other word for it. I used to think Super AMOLED was the best, but this is the best screen I have seen on an Android device.
The browser is excellent. Fast, stable, easy to use.
I find the pen fairly good. Though I keep pressing the buttons when I dont mean to. I cant wait to use it in a meeting!
Using Kindle on the device seems to be a great experience. The inbuilt ebook reader is really nice, but I am a Kindle user.
The updated HTC mail app is lovely as is the weather and calendar. But the software is not particularly tablet friendly otherwise. I like Sense and am using friend stream for the first time on at HTC device (this is my 3rd) and it works well.
The form factor is excellent. Easy to hold in one hand. It is quite a bit heavier than a Kindle despite not being much larger, but I am sure I could hold it all day without too much trouble unlike a 10" 700g device like the ipad2.
It's not all great though. I have had a few crashes through the day and the performance is not always silky smooth. I find the volume buttons a bit rattly and whilst the speakers are good, they are really not that good. There is no search button which I definitely miss and it is a major fingerprint magnet.
Overall, I am really pleased with the device so far. Feel free to ask any questions.
Hi Onkel,
Can you say a bit more about how writing with the pen feels like? The reviews are all saying that it's not that great for regular note taking (as opposed to doodling/drawing), especially in comparison with wacom digitizers on windows tablets. I have a win tablet right now and this makes me a bit
hard to tell for me, as my personal tablet experiences come from an IBM Thinkpad a couple of years ago.
Generally, I guess the Flyer will be for short note taking rather than replacing a tablet Pc. There is no handwriting recognition for the Flyer yet, and even if it will be available later, I think the handwriting quality I produce on the device will not be good enough.
I think there are many scenarios where the pen is helpful though, I had a Pdf document to comment today and the Flyer was a dream to use. Other example, for our corporate website I do a lot of commenting on improvements and bugs, the screenshot & comment feature with the pen is simply wonderful...
thoughts on performance?
i know you both mentioned performance, one as being excellent and the other as being ok. After spending more time with the device do you have any more details on the performance? One mentioned google maps being slower than on the xoom, slow enough to be an issue?
I am a little worried about purchasing a device that is already outdated, especially when there are rumors of amazing releasing both dual core and quad core tablets before the end of the year, the scribe tech has be pretty excited about this tablet, but i think i'm reeling in my expectations after reading some reviews.
thanks!
kborer22 said:
i know you both mentioned performance, one as being excellent and the other as being ok. After spending more time with the device do you have any more details on the performance? One mentioned google maps being slower than on the xoom, slow enough to be an issue?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was me. If you start to go into 3D and then turn the map with the finger, I see a difference. No issue at all. As usual, once you have used a device like the Xoom, which is setting a new standard as I think, you get used to it.
This is a 1.5 ghz device and couple of months ago I thought 1 ghz is all I will ever need
I an very pleased with the performance up to now, and I started tons of apps yesterday and it works great. SlideIT keyboard, which I am using right now, is a great performance test and it works great also.
The bigger question for you will be whether the pen turns out to be a toy or an important tool. I am not sure yet...
kborer22 said:
i know you both mentioned performance, one as being excellent and the other as being ok. After spending more time with the device do you have any more details on the performance? One mentioned google maps being slower than on the xoom, slow enough to be an issue?
I am a little worried about purchasing a device that is already outdated, especially when there are rumors of amazing releasing both dual core and quad core tablets before the end of the year, the scribe tech has be pretty excited about this tablet, but i think i'm reeling in my expectations after reading some reviews.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would describe the performance as similar overall to my Desire HD. It is all the speed you would need, but not the fastest thing out there. I have found it does bog down sometimes which a dual core might not, but nothing to cause me concern personally.
OnkelAlbert said:
hard to tell for me, as my personal tablet experiences come from an IBM Thinkpad a couple of years ago.
Generally, I guess the Flyer will be for short note taking rather than replacing a tablet Pc. There is no handwriting recognition for the Flyer yet, and even if it will be available later, I think the handwriting quality I produce on the device will not be good enough.
I think there are many scenarios where the pen is helpful though, I had a Pdf document to comment today and the Flyer was a dream to use. Other example, for our corporate website I do a lot of commenting on improvements and bugs, the screenshot & comment feature with the pen is simply wonderful...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I mainly want to use it as a substitute notebook for my college classes so how well it emulates pen and paper is something to think about.
Any impressions on the battery life? The reviews say you get a full day and more of standard use. Is the only batter hog video playback (the stated 4 hours of playback time)?
OnkelAlbert said:
I think there are many scenarios where the pen is helpful though, I had a Pdf document to comment today and the Flyer was a dream to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also looking forward to usage of the pen and found your PDF comment interesting. Did you have to take a screenshot and work with that, or could you open the PDF in the book reader, which I know has added pen applications?
veethree said:
I'm also looking forward to usage of the pen and found your PDF comment interesting. Did you have to take a screenshot and work with that, or could you open the PDF in the book reader, which I know has added pen applications?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was a document which I recieved as an attachment. I opened it, wrote on it, press save, email. Simply great, no screenshot necessary...
Bigmuzzy said:
Thanks. I mainly want to use it as a substitute notebook for my college classes so how well it emulates pen and paper is something to think about.
Any impressions on the battery life? The reviews say you get a full day and more of standard use. Is the only batter hog video playback (the stated 4 hours of playback time)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
regarding battery life, I am on a conference all day and the Flyer was with me all day, pushing and answering emails, taking notes and doing Demos for my collegues...
after half day battery says 76%. So I guess running out of battery during the day seems impossible to me, as long as you don't spend most of the day with Angry Birds and movies
Did anyone manage to use the flyer in making gsm calls???!!!!!
Hi
Wants about video streaming to TV , does it have HDMI via USB cable or DLNA . HTC web site in official specs does not mention anything about it.
ahm1010 said:
Hi
Wants about video streaming to TV , does it have HDMI via USB cable or DLNA . HTC web site in official specs does not mention anything about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It definitely supports DLNA although I havent tried to get it working yet. I have heard there is meant to be HDMI out through the USB port and the fact the port is Ext-MicroUSB suggests as much, but I haven't seen the cable for sale anywhere.
The Jones said:
It definitely supports DLNA although I havent tried to get it working yet. I have heard there is meant to be HDMI out through the USB port and the fact the port is Ext-MicroUSB suggests as much, but I haven't seen the cable for sale anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen some EXT-microUSB tot hdmi cables somewhere... So yes, it'll be able to work trough usb port
OnkelAlbert said:
regarding battery life, I am on a conference all day and the Flyer was with me all day, pushing and answering emails, taking notes and doing Demos for my collegues...
after half day battery says 76%. So I guess running out of battery during the day seems impossible to me, as long as you don't spend most of the day with Angry Birds and movies
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that I now use my Flyer too much! Love the note taking and ebook reading. The size is perfect. So the battery does last a day, but I always give a quick charge during the day just in case.
Hi. With regards to the Evernote integration on the Flyer, is it possible to maintain a copy of the created notes locally on the Flyer in addition to having them synced with Evernotes on the web ?
Having a local copy on the device will definitely speed up the retrieval of created notes and give you access to these notes when there is no internet access available.
A suggestion and a question.
The suggestion is for those who keep clicking the button inadvertently. There are pen/pencil grips you can buy that will cover the button so you have to press down firmly to activate it.
The question is whether there are any options to control pen vs. finger input. For example, on my tablet, I can set the N-Trig control to "auto." At this setting, the tablet will recognize finger input until I use the pen, at which point it will switch to pen-only input. When I want to use my finger again, I just tap twice on the screen with my finger. That way there's never any palm recognition issues.
sevoflurane said:
Did anyone manage to use the flyer in making gsm calls???!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As others have said elsewhere, NO you don't even have the dial button or app in the list of applications to make a gsm call.
Perhaps when the flyer is rooted we will have some devs working on that.
OnkelAlbert said:
Hi all,
got the Flyer today, after some hours of playing around I'd like to share my thoughts with other users:
- solid thing, just opening the top to insert the cards was a bit tricky for me
- very fast, no problems with the HTC Sense interface, works perfectly fine. Still in applicaitions like Google Maps a bit slower than the Xoom I'm testing in parallel.
- I like the new e-Mail client and calendar application a lot.
- Being an intensive evernote user, I am happy that there is a good direct integration, also with the notes you can take with the pen. Well done!
- The speakers are great, one of the few things where I don't agree with the Engadget review which has been posted today. And: They are extremely loud, louder than any of the - many - devices I could test up to now, including iPad, iPad2, Galaxy Tab and Xoom.
- The screen is great and very bright, together with the loadspeakers a great experience in Youtube or watching one of the HQ movie trailers which came with the Flyer.
- Generally, I prefer the 7'' format over the 10'' of the Xoom and the iPad. I think it is the best tablet format for me. The weight lets you hold it for a very long time without getting tired, the Xoom (which I like a lot because of Honeycomb and the incredible speed) is too heavy for me.
- the typing experience is excellent, the Flyer has the right balance between being responsive, but not over-responsive. The Xoom seems to react to even the slightest touch, this was almost a bit too much for me in the beginning
- there is a significant frame around the screen, much larger than the Xoom has. This is sometimes a problem when using the Xoom because it is hard to hold without touching the screen (and eventually doing something unwanted), but the frame around the screen of the Flyer is really huge. This makes it easy to hold the device in several ways, though.
- The bag shipped with the device is a joke from my point of view, first of all it does not allow you to use the device when in the bag, second the pen is attached outside and somehow always disturbing; also I guess it will be lost soon. I will wait for something which holds the pen inside and can be opened to use the Flyer without taking it out.
- Mixed feelings about the pen: The setup in the bottom right corner is excellent and intuitive and the pen seems to react quite quickly, it is fun to use. But: The hardware is not my favorite at all. Especially the buttons on the pen are hard to reach and it is not easy to hold it naturally
- Some new functionality in the browser including small thumbnails of the open windows, well done. Also pinch out works. I like it, it seems to be very fast and the re-arrangement of the text when zooming seems to be excellent.
- Although I don't need a camera in a device like that and I really don't care, still to mention that the camera seems to be really terrible.
- Installed tons of apps, everything works great, no speed issues at all.
- HTC Sense in the tablet edition is great. Some new additions for books, notes,... first impression everything well done, HTC
My first summary after a couple of hours is very positive. Let's see how I think after a week or two. No comments at that point about battery life for sure, but the Engadget review (and the very first, non-reliable own impressions) give me a good feeling.
Questions anytime, for sure! And appologies for my German English
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is the multitouch? How much points does it have? Could you test it for me? I want to buy one too.
Thanks Tbo-art
I won't go over describing details of the product, other reviews/unboxings can provide that... only my thoughts after owning it for over 36-hours. This is the Best Buy 16GB WiFi model.
Hardware and Accessories
Great design that feels good in the hand. Although dense, and not as light as some, it did not ever feel heavy in my hands. I usually use it one handed. It always feels fast and responsive.
After owning mainly Apple products the last several years, the quality of the HTC Flyer is as close to A-level as I have seen in a competitor. (It does look like Samsung's new Galaxy Tab molds are just as good if not better.)
Only a power adapter and USB sync cable are included in the box. A simple pocket sized user manual, an HTC warranty, and contact information are included as well. No pen, no case, and no earbuds are in the box. We knew that no pen would be in the box, and the earbuds would have been subpar, but the case would have been really nice to have.
Software
It booted quickly and walked me through linking all of my accounts. Only the Reader application, powered by Kobo needed to be setup separately. I absolutely love HTC Sense. The bundled widgets, themes, wallpapers, sound sets, and application really make the device. If I have to have something wrapped around Android, I pick HTC Sense. Shipping the tablet with a "vanilla" version of Android would have left me wanting more. The third-party applications that were bundled are useful and fill in the gaps nicely. Polaris Office integrates with Notes (powered by Evernote) nicely. They work hand in hand.
Notes is a great app that works well on this tablet, and the syncing with Evernote is a key feature. I haven't tried Timemark yet, and don't see needing it much. I will give it ago at my next staff meeting however, just for fun. HTC Watch works well, although their selection of movies is quite sparse. Since some HTC phones are now Netflix-ready, I am hoping the Flyer will be as well. I tried streaming Amazon On Demand content, but the movies would never load. (I might try updating Flash and see if that helps.) The Reader app supports Kobo purchased/download books. A Kobo account and an Adobe ID is required for using. The pen is not required to highlight content in the Reader app, not any other app for that matter. Friend Stream and the Music applications are cool, and their widgets work well. Mail and Calendar seem to support my work's Exchange account very well. Gmail's application is the standard fair, and get the job done. Maps and Locations work great, with excellent GPS response times and accuracy. Some Market downloaded apps aren't pretty when resized to a 7-inch screen, Pandora for example, but most seemed acceptable. The built in Gallery apps supports the video formats I need it to... MP4 and AVI and the interface/playback is great. However, it won't see the media on my DLNA compatible Buffalo NAS. It sees the NAS, but not the files.
The Pen
In short, it just works OK. Accuracy and pressure response is good, but it seems to take longer to write on the screen that I would like. Definitely try before you by, or be ready to return after trying at home. It would seem better if it was free, or in the $20-40 range. $80 is just too much for something that can only be used in 2-3 applications. I also feel it will take some getting use. Writing on glass is a unique experience. My handwriting looks worse that when using ink on paper.It is nice to mark up documents with the pen, or to draw shapes, maps, and diagrams. But I think typing on the keyboard is so quick and easy, it will be my referred method of note taking. Although a unique accessory, the optional pen is my least favorite aspect of the device. I should probably return it, but I might find uses for it down the road.
Overall
I love the HTC Flyer. I will probably keep it and get enjoyment using it at work, on the road, and from the comfort of my couch.
I sold my iPad earlier this year. I wasn't impressed with the iPad 2. The Nook Color is a great value, but I returned it as although the mods work well, their always seems to be something missing feature wise or with application support.
The two biggest draws (uniqueness) to the HTC Flyer for me that have let me down so far are the pen, and On Live supporting being nonexistent. The other draws of size, build quality, and software integration have all met or exceeded my expectations.
I am slightly concerned that the upcoming Galaxy Tab 8.9" might be the winner of the small tablets. The industrial design and native Honeycomb support could make it the best choice. And the lack of On Live gaming support and the arguable usefulness of HTC Scribe make it look even more appealing. However, I was tired of waiting for a tablet that made me happy. And Honeycomb application and developer support is extremely light. I think HTC Sense is needed to make a tablet this size truly useful.
Hardware = 9
Software = 10
Uniqueness = 3
Overall = 7
jwiskowski said:
I won't go over describing details of the product, other reviews/unboxings can provide that... only my thoughts after owning it for over 36-hours. This is the Best Buy 16GB WiFi model.
Hardware and Accessories
Great design that feels good in the hand. Although dense, and not as light as some, it did not ever feel heavy in my hands. I usually use it one handed. It always feels fast and responsive.
After owning mainly Apple products the last several years, the quality of the HTC Flyer is as close to A-level as I have seen in a competitor. (It does look like Samsung's new Galaxy Tab molds are just as good if not better.)
Only a power adapter and USB sync cable are included in the box. A simple pocket sized user manual, an HTC warranty, and contact information are included as well. No pen, no case, and no earbuds are in the box. We knew that no pen would be in the box, and the earbuds would have been subpar, but the case would have been really nice to have.
Software
It booted quickly and walked me through linking all of my accounts. Only the Reader application, powered by Kobo needed to be setup separately. I absolutely love HTC Sense. The bundled widgets, themes, wallpapers, sound sets, and application really make the device. If I have to have something wrapped around Android, I pick HTC Sense. Shipping the tablet with a "vanilla" version of Android would have left me wanting more. The third-party applications that were bundled are useful and fill in the gaps nicely. Polaris Office integrates with Notes (powered by Evernote) nicely. They work hand in hand.
Notes is a great app that works well on this tablet, and the syncing with Evernote is a key feature. I haven't tried Timemark yet, and don't see needing it much. I will give it ago at my next staff meeting however, just for fun. HTC Watch works well, although their selection of movies is quite sparse. Since some HTC phones are now Netflix-ready, I am hoping the Flyer will be as well. I tried streaming Amazon On Demand content, but the movies would never load. (I might try updating Flash and see if that helps.) The Reader app supports Kobo purchased/download books. A Kobo account and an Adobe ID is required for using. The pen is not required to highlight content in the Reader app, not any other app for that matter. Friend Stream and the Music applications are cool, and their widgets work well. Mail and Calendar seem to support my work's Exchange account very well. Gmail's application is the standard fair, and get the job done. Maps and Locations work great, with excellent GPS response times and accuracy. Some Market downloaded apps aren't pretty when resized to a 7-inch screen, Pandora for example, but most seemed acceptable. The built in Gallery apps supports the video formats I need it to... MP4 and AVI and the interface/playback is great. However, it won't see the media on my DLNA compatible Buffalo NAS. It sees the NAS, but not the files.
The Pen
In short, it just works OK. Accuracy and pressure response is good, but it seems to take longer to write on the screen that I would like. Definitely try before you by, or be ready to return after trying at home. It would seem better if it was free, or in the $20-40 range. $80 is just too much for something that can only be used in 2-3 applications. I also feel it will take some getting use. Writing on glass is a unique experience. My handwriting looks worse that when using ink on paper.It is nice to mark up documents with the pen, or to draw shapes, maps, and diagrams. But I think typing on the keyboard is so quick and easy, it will be my referred method of note taking. Although a unique accessory, the optional pen is my least favorite aspect of the device. I should probably return it, but I might find uses for it down the road.
Overall
I love the HTC Flyer. I will probably keep it and get enjoyment using it at work, on the road, and from the comfort of my couch.
I sold my iPad earlier this year. I wasn't impressed with the iPad 2. The Nook Color is a great value, but I returned it as although the mods work well, their always seems to be something missing feature wise or with application support.
The two biggest draws (uniqueness) to the HTC Flyer for me that have let me down so far are the pen, and On Live supporting being nonexistent. The other draws of size, build quality, and software integration have all met or exceeded my expectations.
I am slightly concerned that the upcoming Galaxy Tab 8.9" might be the winner of the small tablets. The industrial design and native Honeycomb support could make it the best choice. And the lack of On Live gaming support and the arguable usefulness of HTC Scribe make it look even more appealing. However, I was tired of waiting for a tablet that made me happy. And Honeycomb application and developer support is extremely light. I think HTC Sense is needed to make a tablet this size truly useful.
Hardware = 9
Software = 10
Uniqueness = 3
Overall = 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed on most points but HIGHLY disagree on the uniqueness since there are no android tablets released with the same functionality. The scribe pen can be better but other devices have NO pen.
The lack of OnLive support that was once promised really bothered me. And I felt that lack of the pen being bundled, and costing $80 hurts the device. Let alone it not being terribly necessary.
Good review I don't have a problem with the pen being a seperate item. It keeps the.cost down for people who don't need it. The mighty dollar isn't what it use to be.
jwiskowski said:
The lack of OnLive support that was once promised really bothered me. And I felt that lack of the pen being bundled, and costing $80 hurts the device. Let alone it not being terribly necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I somewhat agree with both points. Keep the cost low for those who don't want the pen but at the same time its the selling point for the device. To be honest without the pen its just a gtab.
Bxsteez said:
Agreed on most points but HIGHLY disagree on the uniqueness since there are no android tablets released with the same functionality. The scribe pen can be better but other devices have NO pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree also. Uniqueness should score a little higher due to the pen. The pen integration seperates this device from all other tabs on the market. It could bring this device into the boardroom. I'm finding that writing on glass is difficult, and hoping a screen protector will help. Unfortunately we may be at the whim of HTC for pen support in apps (they have released the SDKs, but will depend on the popularity of the device). PDF Viewer seem suitable to get around PDF docs. I also like the "livescribe-esque" capabilities of recording and time-syncing meeting notes. Yet to tell if this device will make it into my daily workflow... We'll see in the upcoming week(s). I'm hoping for the best.
Hi, I am looking to purchase an accessory to accommodate me in college. Im looking to stray away from the traditional pen and paper note taking that I am so sick and tired of. Most of my lectures are via powerpoint and I have access to the files. I am looking for something that would be quick, reliable, have good battery, and easy to take notes on. I'll be taking 20+ pages of notes per lecture, so, comfort is a big factor as well. I would also, as a luxury, like to record the lectures.
My reasons for a Flyer:
Flyer Pen is the most native thing to pencil and paper
Voice recording sync with notes
Ability to upload to dropbox, etc
Size
No "clickity" keyboard
Questions for Flyer:
How easy is it to write legibly, small, and quickly with the pen?
How does note taking over top of slides work?
How is the battery life on widow constant use of note taking and recording?
I've heard reports of the device failing after 10+ pages of notes... explain?
Reasons for Chromebook:
Good battery
Quick boot
Cloud abilities
Keyboard is efficient and easy
Other:
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk
That is a good question. I have not used the flyer for more then a few pages of notes. But a screen protector is a must for taking notes, it adds friction and makes for a better experience.
As for battery life on the Flyer I can go about 2 full days on a charge...but I do have the WiFi only version.
I have not tried any Chrome books but for what you want to do I think a Flyer might be better suited for your needs.
Check out "livescribe". Ive been using it for over a year now and still think it's awesome. Especially now that it syncs with Evernote.
Combine it with a Flyer and all the college chicks will fall for you
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using XDA Premium App
Being a college student myself, I use Blackboard to download my lecture slides. But different professors upload their slides in different formats so this is just my experience dealing with slide formats. Aside from the Notepad app, the Flyer comes with a few apps that support the pen, but otherwise taping on the screen takes a screen capture of the current screen and lets you draw over it.
The default PDF app lets you scribble all over the PDF files nicely, but you can only write on the area of the page. The extra space on the edges of the screen will not take pen input. Having the pen on the thinnest ink, you can zoom in and fill in smaller boxes if necessary. Overall, writing on PDF files work well if your professors put up slides in the PDF format.
With the default Polaris Office, word documents (.doc, .docx) also takes pen input directly on top of the file. But .ppt files do not, and I have no idea why. Trying to write on a .ppt file will take a screenshot of the page and let you write on it, but its not saved on top of the .ppt file so you can't scroll through the slides with your ink on it. You can however append notated slides into the notepad app, but that means you can only add one page at a time and it becomes a bit of a hassle, especially if you deal with all .ppt stuff.
Writing on excel files also just lets you write on a screen capture.
I don't know if HTC will update or release more apps to use the pen, but that is all the pen can do at the moment. I believe they will release the pen's API in the future.
BTW, is is just me or you really can't write on top of .ppt slides without taking a screenshot? Seems a bit...feature-lacking to support .doc but not .ppt.
10+ pages seems to be a problem for the flyer. My meetings run about 90 min and go through about 3-4 pages of notes. I typically record audio from the meeting, hence fewer notes. I haven't experienced many problems... The autosave is annoying, but you learn to be patient.
People have reported problems with notes not saving, but I haven't run into that either. I usually exit with the back key, and multitask with the home key. No issues.
There is sound when the pen hits the screen. Similar to a chalkboard type effect, and it is picked up by the audio recording. Maybe a scrap piece of invisible shield on the pen tip would help. I print in block letters like architects... Maybe cursive would be a quieter fit.
You can get pretty detailed with letters... The letter size has increased due to loss of accuracy writing on glass. I find that writing in landscape mode makes the overall letter size smaller when reviewing notes... And also helps if you have a note-taking system which involves multiple columns for highlighting.
Play with the pen nibs also. They vary in the amount of smoothing in the pen line. Markers and the pencil definitely look more like normal writing, while the pen nib is a little more jagged.
If your notes are largely text based, stick with a slim netbook (learn to type faster ). If you need to draw diagrams, use a tablet... It's cool to take pictures of the lecturers drawing and include them in your notes.
Good luck with your decision. Get what works for you.
I have found the following are better than the built-in app when used with the HTC Magic pen and Honeycomb update:
Antipaper
https://market.android.com/details?...wxLDEsImNvbS5zdWJob2cuYW50aXBhcGVyLm5vdGVzIl0.
Writepad Stylus
https://market.android.com/details?...esult#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS53cml0ZXBhZCJd
Quill
https://market.android.com/details?...t#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS53cml0ZS5RdWlsbCJd
These apps don't integrate with Evernote as well the built-in Notes app. These apps require explicit export to Evernote.
Any other great notes apps out there with good hand writing support?
jah said:
These apps don't integrate with Evernote as well the built-in Notes app.
Any other great notes apps out there with good hand writing support?
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Click to collapse
Did you mean they don't integrate with Evernote as well AS the built in note app? I'm definitely looking for a better note taking app that doesn't auto load the keyboard when my hand hits the screen before the pen.
But I can't really sacrifice Evernote integration.
ORTOX said:
Did you mean they don't integrate with Evernote as well AS the built in note app? I'm definitely looking for a better note taking app that doesn't auto load the keyboard when my hand hits the screen before the pen.
But I can't really sacrifice Evernote integration.
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The apps I listed require explicit export to Evernote. Not an issue if you export say every week or every day.
Okay, so I've tried the 3 you've suggested. I'm glad they're only $1 each, because so far I'm not satisfied with any of them...
The most promising to me seems to be Writepad stylus. But here's what confuses/frustrates me. There's an option to have the app only take input from the Thinkpad Tablet n-trig pen. This sounds awesome seeing as our stylus is by n-trig. But once I turn it on, the scribe pen is useless. With this option off, the pen works as it should but the app still registers some marks from my palm resting on the screen.
Antipaper has a sweet looking interface. However, my handwriting doesn't look as good as it does with Writepad, plus it's even worse when it comes to registering marks from my palm.
Quill is neat as well, but suffers from the same problems.
My question is this:
Are there any apps that have an option like Writepad that makes it so it will only accept marks from the pen? Let me know. Hoping to take notes at a meeting I have to attend at 7:30 and need to find a solution beforehand.
Thanks
ORTOX said:
Okay, so I've tried the 3 you've suggested. I'm glad they're only $1 each, because so far I'm not satisfied with any of them...
The most promising to me seems to be Writepad stylus. But here's what confuses/frustrates me. There's an option to have the app only take input from the Thinkpad Tablet n-trig pen. This sounds awesome seeing as our stylus is by n-trig. But once I turn it on, the scribe pen is useless. With this option off, the pen works as it should but the app still registers some marks from my palm resting on the screen.
Antipaper has a sweet looking interface. However, my handwriting doesn't look as good as it does with Writepad, plus it's even worse when it comes to registering marks from my palm.
Quill is neat as well, but suffers from the same problems.
My question is this:
Are there any apps that have an option like Writepad that makes it so it will only accept marks from the pen? Let me know. Hoping to take notes at a meeting I have to attend at 7:30 and need to find a solution beforehand.
Thanks
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Click to collapse
I was a bit confused by your post. Quill, for me, does complete palm rejection when the pen or pencil is selected. In fact, it refuses any input by my fingers entirely while in this mode. This is one of the reasons why I put Quill above any of the other apps.
I agree with TSGM - Quill does a good job at palm rejection, and the inking quality is nearly as good as Wacom on my HP 2740p (I NEVER thought I'd say that about N-trig). What I still want is easy conversion to PDF for storage on our server since that is out standard.
ORTOX said:
Okay, so I've tried the 3 you've suggested. I'm glad they're only $1 each, because so far I'm not satisfied with any of them...
The most promising to me seems to be Writepad stylus. But here's what confuses/frustrates me. There's an option to have the app only take input from the Thinkpad Tablet n-trig pen. This sounds awesome seeing as our stylus is by n-trig. But once I turn it on, the scribe pen is useless. With this option off, the pen works as it should but the app still registers some marks from my palm resting on the screen.
Antipaper has a sweet looking interface. However, my handwriting doesn't look as good as it does with Writepad, plus it's even worse when it comes to registering marks from my palm.
Quill is neat as well, but suffers from the same problems.
My question is this:
Are there any apps that have an option like Writepad that makes it so it will only accept marks from the pen? Let me know. Hoping to take notes at a meeting I have to attend at 7:30 and need to find a solution beforehand.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Palm detection is best with Quill and acceptable with Antipaper. With my Flyer, the built-in app does not have the fine precision of Quill nor Writepad Stylus. Fine detail is important to me. Also, the built-in app becomes slow after about two pages of notes.
you can get quill for free right from the dev
http://code.google.com/p/android-quill/downloads/detail?name=quill-v8.1.apk
I decided to give Quill another try thinking I must not have given it enough of a chance based on the positive comments in this thread regarding the app.
I used it for a half hour meeting. It does read hand writing very well. Turning off hand input also works well. It didn't pick up any marks from my palm or anything other than the pen.
I have a complaint though that I'm not sure can be resolved. As I got closer to the bottom of the "page", naturally my palm shifted lower on the screen. My palm began to trigger the quick menu on the bottom right to keep popping up which really got annoying. Any ideas on how to disable this while using the app?
Thanks for the Quill recommendation. The writing experience is a huge difference from the stock notes app. It would be nice if it had a palate to quickly switch between pens and color like the stock app.
I use all of them and went back to the notes app. The integration with Evernote is great. The integration with the calendar however is a big differentiator. I was in a meeting today an opened the notes app and it knew that I was in that meeting and automatically titled the notes btu the meeting name. the notes being stored on the calendar and Evernote is great add well.
Using both the pen and Swype gives me a great combination for quick text entry. I now need to figure out the right screen cover that maximizes the pen experience and I am set
Unlike in PDF editor, honeybar works great and hides the notification bar in quill without side effects.
Check this out, pretty cool, handwriting recognition and all ported over from the Lenovo Thinkpad.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426975
Sent from my Rooted HTC EVO View 4G (Honeycomb)
I really like Quill, it works really well. I just finally put my old M200 up on eBay as a result of the View and the N-Trig stylus. The only thing that I miss from OneNote is the ability to lasso a section of text/drawing(s) and move it freely to accommodate a better layout or more space. This is what made digital inking so worthwhile to me. Has anyone seen an app with this capability?
Same Enquiry Here as The OP's one but for GB ROMs ?
From another thread I posted in:
gordonzhao said:
Also of anyone is interested in other notes apps I've also been using quill (search it in the xda forum to get it free or buy it from the market to support the dev) and supernote by asus, also found in xda.
Sent from my Rooted HTC EVO View 4G (Honeycomb)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Rooted HTC EVO View 4G (Honeycomb)
gordonzhao said:
Check this out, pretty cool, handwriting recognition and all ported over from the Lenovo Thinkpad.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426975
Sent from my Rooted HTC EVO View 4G (Honeycomb)
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Click to collapse
Thanks.
Just installed it, awesome!
LectureNotes
LectureNotes - Just wanted to put this app out there for consideration. I am new to flyer and looking to replace the capabilities I had with my Dell Latitude XT and MS Onenote synced thru the cloud. Lecture Notes seems to have a great inking capability and good organization, but lacks the Evernote integration of the native notes app. Just need to ask, has anyone learned a way to disable the onscreen keyboard in the notes app. If not for that, it could be my potential replacement.
None of the links to download work for me. Takes me to file sharing page but file won't download.
Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the info on lecture notes. I used all the note programs and think this is probably the best
Sent from my PG41200 using xda premium
Hey guys,
First off let me send a quick apology as I'm not sure if this topic should be in Q&A or general.
Anyway, I've recently been looking at android tablets, mainly for university. The transformer prime caught my eye, hence my posting in this area. The thing is I went into a shop recently and asked why I cannot find the transformer prime in any shop anywhere in london, and the guy had said that the transformer prime is not a good tablet and that the samsung and motorola tablets are far better. Now I don't know if this guy is a complete moron because from what I've read everywhere online, regarding spec and reviews, the transformer prime seems the better choice. I'm just not sure what to buy. I know it's down to personal preference, but what I want this tablet for is typing notes up in lectures without having to lug around a laptop all day. The keyboard dock and USB connectivity are what made me choose the prime over the other, but the hardware spec seems better than the competing tablets. Obviously I want to use the tablet to watch films, play games and listen to music also.
What do you guys think?
Cheers! =)
I think you will be VERY happy with a prime and dock. Nothing else on the market has the battery power, convenience or computing power of the Prime. The keyboard makes all the difference in the world. I wouldn't even consider the Samsung or Motorola tablets after using my prime for a few months.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA
>what I want this tablet for is typing notes up in lectures without having to lug around a laptop all day.
How is lugging a laptop different from lugging Prime+dock?
e.mote said:
>what I want this tablet for is typing notes up in lectures without having to lug around a laptop all day.
How is lugging a laptop different from lugging Prime+dock?
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Click to collapse
It's a lot smaller and lighter. my laptop is ridiculously heavy.
I feel like I was in a similar situation. I consider myself a power pc user but having been in college the last few years keeping a desktop was impractical. Instead I got a workhorse laptop that, while powerful, is too big to conveniently carry anywhere. Not to mention its 90 minute battery life.
As for the OP, if ALL you're looking for is to type notes, then you'll be fine with a TFP and dock. If you're looking to write notes (and tablet note taking software can be extremely handy for things like math or organic chemistry) then I would advise you to buy a tablet with an active digitizer/stylus. I'm not sure which options are out there, but there are a few. I believe Samsung is coming out with the Galaxy Note 10.1 in the near future. I originally had the GalaxyTab 10.1 and loved it, so I know the Galaxy Note 10.1 would be good quality.
However, I love my Prime a whoooole lot more than my GT10.1, but that's probably more of a reflection of the GT10.1 being last gen technology. Tegra 3 is really the only answer if you watch a lot of hi-def media on your tablet--which I do--and the extra ports + laptop dock sold me over in a heartbeat.
joncy92 said:
It's a lot smaller and lighter. my laptop is ridiculously heavy.
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Click to collapse
been there done that. settled on teh prime and everyone near me gawks at it when they first see it. it's incredible. I don't have to carry a big laptop to school either.
seemless integration with dropbox - i actually use dropsync to keep all my notes up to date on all my machines - with ezpdf reader. It's GREAT! (from a student perspective)
lmk if you have specific questions
and yes, the sales guy is a "moron" that needs to try it to understand how amazing this tablet and dock combo are!
Netbooks are pretty small and light, with long battery life. They are also cheaper and can do more. They can easily do all of the things you listed.
If you want more upscale, then there are ultrabooks for more power and speed, and better looks.
I realize that what you're actually asking isn't so much as opinions of what to buy, but more of affirmation of the decision you probably already made by coming in here, ie "Prime is a good buy," as what else would people say on a Prime forum?
nhshah7 said:
seemless integration with dropbox - i actually use dropsync to keep all my notes up to date on all my machines - with ezpdf reader. It's GREAT! (from a student perspective)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind elaborating on your ezpdf usage habits a little bit? I have three of my textbooks as PDF (a benefit I forgot to mention to the OP. Being able to carry ALL of your books with you, all of the time in the package the size of the tablet is a godsend), and because of the stupid 16:9 aspect ration I have to zoom in and pan on every single page I go to. I basically zoom in until all the useless white margin on the sides of the page is gone.
I have since upgraded to Mantano ereader and I've loved it. It has a feature that intelligently "crops away" all of that extra white margin, so the pages open up zoomed in and I don't have to zoom in manually myself. However, I don't think it's annotation abilities are quite as good as ezpdf's. Hence my asking about your PDF usage.
Implying anyone takes notes.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
qaulity is alot better than that on the original image, I just had to shrink it down.
for stuff I write down - the feeling of taking notes on a tablet can't compare to pen on paper.
I mainly use my tablet for an agenda in jorte calender to keep on top if my assignments, the camera to capture powerpoint slides, as a screen for pdf writeups while I type up papers, and as an easy way of emailing and checking things online on the go.
The dock is great to keep the tablet full on battery throughout the days I'm on campus all day. The usb & full sized sd ports are great for transfering files from flash drives and stuff.
The keyboard itself I personally don't use much unless I'm programming, but it's very useful for alot of people and makes a good screen cover for when it's in my bookbag.
ezPDF has manual crop. You set it once per PDF. It has a "Fit to Text Column" that autocrops, but you have to redo it for every page, which is a pain.
I just tried Mantano. The autocrop function is useful, but buggy. When enabled, it defaults to fit both (length & width) instead of just width, and the Fit function doesn't affect it. So if you have autocrop on, and you rotate from portrait to landscape, the page shrinks to fit the whole page, instead of expanding to fit width.
Second, when in landscape, page update within the page is slow, and scrolling isn't smooth. ezPDF is substantially faster.
10-min verdict: Mantano has more intuitive control settings, and it actually has a manual (ezPDF doesn't have one, nor help). It has autocrop, which doesn't really work. But the killer is the slow page update when in landscape. A reader has to be fast, first and foremost.
It would be nice for ezPDF to have persistent per-page autocrop, but the manual crop works well enough, with minimal hassle.
I would strongly suggest you to get a laptop for university.
Tablet is more for leisure. Real works? Can't beat a Windows laptop.
I think you need a windows machine somewhere. Depending on what you study. I have a desktop at home for all the heavy duty word/excel processing. But for taking notes, using the web for research, or writing an essay, exchanging files, email, the prime is perfect. I'm also doing presentations with the prime (see other thread from me about that). In my case there are no tasks that i need to do on the road or at uni, which i couldnt do with the prime.
But you need to have windows somewhere. At least so you have a remote station at home, that you can use it with your prime. If you have the prime, your home pc comes with you as long as you wifi^^
Get it. It will be worth it.
I am currently a university student as well 3rd year in Canada and got TFP and the dock both at bestbuy.
Never had any issues except for dead GPS (A lot of people say they have wifi problems and etc but I guess it really depends on the model since my friend got one as well and he does not have problems either).
Anyways back to the point...
For taking notes in class, I personally think writing on paper is a lot easier since personally I am in engineering and most of my prof draws stuff on the board like circuits and writes down all kinds of equations. I really don't think you can keep up with the lecture if you want to type out equations and draw diagrams on the notes. But if you usually take notes with words only then this is a great choice since the keyboard is very responsive.
I personally bought this because I didn't like carrying my laptop to school since I tend to study there until late night and my laptop is way too heavy and have super short battery life. (Asus g53jw-a1 great laptop but super big and heavy). If I am away at school and I really need to access my laptop for windows programs (such as matlab) then I just simply use LogMeIn app from my TFP and access my laptop from TFP Just have your laptop or computer on at home and make sure it has internet access... I turn it off only when I sleep.
Overall its great so I would definately recommend it.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Get the Prime! The build-in software SuperNote is great for taking notes in class. I'm studying a formulae-heavy subject, and this is just perfect for writing them down. You can type text using the dock, and once a formula comes up, you simply draw it on the screen. It get's aligned with the rest of the text. If you want I can upload a little note I have actually taken in class last week that might explain it a little better.
And if you happen to need to use an Office-line product: there are apps that can handle the file formats as well.
The Prime is nice. It's noticeably smaller and lighter than the original Transformer, which would also meet your needs.
So depending on your budget, I'd pick one of those two.
As has already been pointed out, if you have access to WiFi you can remote into your "desktop" PC (assuming it's on and connected to the 'Net).
Splashtop THD is astounding in the speed and clarity of graphics I get when connecting remotely. LogMeIn Ignition is $30, compared to the $7 for Splashtop or free for TeamViewer.
As a student myself I guess I would chip in a bit. In general I think the Prime is pretty great for college. You can use it to view powerpoint and pdf and with EzPDF you can even edit annotations. Having a keyboard is great when I need to type up emails or reports or just doing researches in general. With the dock the battery life is amazing and can easily last well over a school day. The slate form is perfect for "play" but it's also very useful for work as well. I find I pass it around without the keyboard a lot to share my work and research with my coursemates. Or just show them Youtube videos of cats lol.
But before you go off and buy it I guess you should also know the problems as well. For college use, the word processing software you can get are pretty limited and you are basically confined to typing up simple documents. For making proper reports with figures and illustration you'd still need to transfer your work to a PC. If you are planning on using it to take a lot of handwritten notes, the Prime digitiser is also not very good for drawing lines and such compared to other tablets you could get. If you use a capacitive stylus the touch response is much worse and it's pretty much unusable unless you root and tweak the touchscreen sensitivity. Lastly the Wi-Fi reception is pretty sub-standard, so if in college you usually get weak Wi-Fi signal a Prime might struggle to connect to the internet.
Anyway overall it's a damn good piece of hardware but there are a few drawbacks too. If they don't matter to you then I think you should go for it.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
chunsaa said:
I personally bought this because I didn't like carrying my laptop to school since I tend to study there until late night and my laptop is way too heavy and have super short battery life. (Asus g53jw-a1 great laptop but super big and heavy). If I am away at school and I really need to access my laptop for windows programs (such as matlab) then I just simply use LogMeIn app from my TFP and access my laptop from TFP Just have your laptop or computer on at home and make sure it has internet access... I turn it off only when I sleep.
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Click to collapse
Can you comment on logmein? I don't like the other solutions out there but $30 is expensive! Splashtop that's bundled doesn't work so well for me but I haven't bought the thd or HD versions yet.
As for PDF reading, I'll comment on it when I'm on my prime in a few hours. I've tried ezpdf and repligo since all my slides are PDF and I have to annotate them.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
Hmm... although this is Transformer Prime forum...
I have to recommend a combination of Windows machine + iPad.
As far as tablets go, while Android devices .. especially Prime .. do provide many functions that people have listed above... Apple & iPad 2/3 will have access to iBook Textbooks.
iBook Textbook alone might trump many of the features that comes with Android tablets (and as far as I know, Android doesn't have access or provide sheer volume of iBook Textbook)...
you will deffo want some kind of PC to do real work on. My uni work involved a load of Powerpoint presentations (LOADS) which wuldbe easier to create on a laptop.
however you're right, a prime with dock would be excellent to take to lectures and type rough notes. thats if you actually go to the lectures (I didn't).
It will also be good to show off and impress people.
The real idea to buy mi prime was have the best of two machines, but if you need focus in heavy works like others say. Buy a laptop or use splashtop HD. Jajaja works some time.