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Hey All,
I have used these forums as my main resource for android for a while now, and this is my first time having to post a question because everything is usually so well documented.
I bought a nook color a while ago, and have love it. I take college classes at night, and obviously would love to use it during said classes. Getting books, and PDF's for it are easy enough, but i am looking for an app to take notes with. I am not a huge fan of using a touchscreen keyboard to take notes which i have done in the past. Does anyone know of a solid handwriting recognition app that would be useful for class? or any other applications that would be useful for class in general?
Thanks You.
I don't think it may work fine for that purpose at least you have a stylus and a handwriting app cause its kinda annoying to take fast notes in this keyboard wether you use portrait or landscape mode because of the size
Sent from my Nook Color using XDA App
There has to be something a little more intuitive to take notes with than having to type everything... right?
So far, the best I have seen for handwriting recognition on android works like so:
Write a word
Wait
Omfg, it guessed wrong, rewrite word
Rinse, repeat until it gets one word right
Class is over
Do yourself a favor and buy a pen and paper
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
You will be good as gold if bluetooth every gets working... A nice mini keyboard would solve your problem
I hear ya man... that would make my life so much easier the day BT gets up and running.
brandsdragon.com/products/product_26269.htm
Nice cheap little mini keyboard like this one would fix my problem.
I did see an handwriting recognition app that is similar to how the old palm pilots used to do hwr, but i hated using in on the palm, and still hate it on android.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/genial-writing/com.zenpie.genialwriting
This is the best app I've found so far. My biggest problem has actually been the NC's screen. There don't seem to be enough contact points or something to make for accurate enough writing.
Can't wait for the BT day either.
I mostly use my Nook Color as a supplement to my desktop at home in college. We are a big Google Apps school so we share everything over Google Docs. I use quickoffice to access my google docs from my nook and view my presentations and notes no there. I do everything except take notes on there, because its just not possible. Wait for bluetooth and then we might have progress.
Here is a decent, admittedly roundabout set up i've come up with: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10689802#post10689802
Also, I did see (but didn't buy) a stylus made for ipad and other capacitative touch screens (such as nook color screen). It was $14.99 at microcenter in the ipad accessories section. Could work well in combination with a sketchpad type app... not handwriting recognition, but just handwriting.
Thanks for all the input guys, sadly it seems that i will have to wait until we get BT working. I have been paying attention to the progress of some of the people working on enabling BT. Does anyone know if there is a particular BT initiative that has been making more progress over the others?
At the moment there is only one person that I see working on it in the bluetooth thread.
My plan (I will start using my NC for classes tomorrow) is to use an app called blackink. You can have different notebooks for class and either draw notes or type notes. You can also sync to evernote and dropbox. At the very least I will be using evernote, dropbox and a scanner to minimize the files I keep from classes. But yes, if a working BT happens note taking in class will be much easier!
Seriously, what happened to taking notes, then transcribing them later, adding details, revising? For me it helps solidify the information in my WET data storage.
I teach first year English, am a grad student, and I use this thing with taking notes, reading pdfs, etc. The best setup I've gotten really fast with is using Evernote (which syncs between my ios devices and my Macbook) with the SlideIT keyboard. Certainly faster than trying to use handwriting recognition or the few times I've played with the ipad on screen keyboard. I usually ignore errors and clean up the notes later when I'm at my macbook. Almost as fast as writing by hand, for me at least.
Nb I also really push for my students to use Evernote. The Mac version is slightly more full featured than the windows one, but both are good and the android and ios versions are great.
Sent from my Nook Color
I tried a targus stylus made for the ipad and it didn't work out too well at all. I tried it in magic doodle and it can't even draw a straight line or circle consistently. Something about the nc touch screen just don't make a stylus conducive for sketching or note taking, cuz apparently reviewers thought the stylus worked great on the ipad. Can't wait until a tab with integrated wacom is released.
this is an offbeat solution, but in my classes, i have a macbook air (11 inch). i use the tab only when i surf and use it to stay low profile.
I've been using my Nook Color in class for about a week now. I'll share my thoughts.
1. Note-taking is a pain, and you'll only complicate your life by trying to use handwriting recognition or drawing software. I work at our campus computer store, and people have tried for a year or more to use styluses for handwritten data entry on capacitive touch screens. The mushy point on the iPad stylus that allows it to work is much closer to Sharpie thickness than a typical pen or pencil. Unless you want to have hundreds of notes that look like they were written by a kindergarten student, you should go a different route.
2. Evernote is not as useful as I had hoped. I'm used to having the ability to record audio notes with my Droid, and that's impossible with the nook at this point because it doesn't have a microphone. I've seen audio minijack add-ons for the iPod Touch that would record audio despite the lack of native support, but it will be a while before we see that on the Nook, if ever. That said, I've also tried typing on both the default keyboard and SlideIT, the latter of which cannot hold a candle to Swype. My solution? I carry a small notepad and record the audio to Evernote using my phone.
3. eBooks are extremely frustrating at times. I had to pay ~$4 for a copy of the novel My Antonia on Amazon because the free/cheap versions often lack effective ways to navigate. You can flip through a paper book, but, in the Kindle app, trying to navigate to a certain chapter without a Table of Contents is a huge pain. I'm definitely spending less than on print books, but you can't count on finding free options.
4. The native note-taking abilities in the Kindle app are beautiful. I've noticed probably a 300% increase in how much I interact with text when I can touch the text to highlight it rather than having to get a highlighter or sticky note. Being able to see all notes and highlights is also great. Yes, that's more of a Kindle-specific thing, but it looks gorgeous on the screen, and I like that the display is true to the size of a book.
5. Productivity use will remind you how far Android has to come. I've yet to find a clean, simple, and easy-to-use to-do list that can sync to Google Tasks and not look terrible on the screen. Similarly, until moments ago when I saw another post here, I was frustrated that the Calendar didn't work. There have been times in the past week that I've been close to soliciting a developer to create an app that fills the gaps I see.
6. I'm an English major, so a lot of my professors are against having technology in the classroom. I've found that they've all been accepting of ereaders because they assume people won't be using them for Facebook/Twitter/whatever. That's a pretty awesome side, but I'd prefer to use my MBP and MS Office to record my lectures along with markers in the text for going to specific parts of the recording.
I look forward to the day that Bluetooth works on the Nook or when someone creates an iPad/XOOM-style keyboard dock. I know a girl who takes her iPad to class, docks it, and loves the whole experience. I want that, but for half the price and without the walled garden. Still, though, I think the Nook experience would improve dramatically if some skilled developers were given enough motivation/compensation for their efforts.
again, no ipad. macbook air 11. trust me on this u just open and type.
agarber1 said:
5. Productivity use will remind you how far Android has to come. I've yet to find a clean, simple, and easy-to-use to-do list that can sync to Google Tasks and not look terrible on the screen. Similarly, until moments ago when I saw another post here, I was frustrated that the Calendar didn't work. There have been times in the past week that I've been close to soliciting a developer to create an app that fills the gaps I see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jorte looks good and works great for me. Give it a try if you haven't already.
Not too useful for school right now, mostly using it as a document viewer in class. Beats a smartphone for simple note-taking in a pinch. Laptops are much popular in my current school than my old one in the US, so the 'less disruptive' tablet issue doesn't apply.
Hi to all Flyer users,
I am writing this message because despite the fact that I love my Flyer and use it 24/7, I am still not using it for the very first reason that I bought it, to replace my big old tablet PC, for sketches.
When HTC announced the HTC Dev with the Scribe API not so long ago, I was very excited and I thought that we Flyer users would at last have a chance to use it for the main purpose we bought it. But no...
I just wanted to reach out to any coder who is capable of writing an app for the flyer, who understands a word of the coding for the Scribe technology out there. We as artistic Flyer users request an app to let us do sketches and drawings. I don't care at the end how expensive the app will be, because I am pretty sure that the first sketching app made for the Flyer will be bought by many people regardless the price.
If you are a developer who can write such an app, do it soon, because you are going to make lots of money, I'm sure.
I hope nobody finds this message in anyway rude or offensive, it is just that I really want to get full use of my Flyer and since HTC is doing nothing about it so far, XDA community is the only place I know that I can request such a thing.
Thanks to everyone in advance and thanks for understanding.
// I don't if this is even relevant but HTC has uploaded some codes in the HTC Dev website with screenshots of a drawing app, maybe if only those codes are used to make an app //
I feel your pain. I picked up the Flyer for the same reason, unfortunately, it fell short on that one area. The guy that wrote Fresco tried to integrate the pen function, but it hasn't worked.
The good news is, the Honeycomb update supposedly works the same way the finger touch does. Sketchbook Pro supports pressure sensitive pen, I am hoping HTC's pen works in Sketchbook Pro.
I know Fresco and I even tried to help Sean during this process. I respect him for being the only one out there, and doing what HTC is yet to do.
Are you sure that sketchbook has stylus compatibility, pressure sensitivity?
I have just read that the stylus works as a finger does on honeycomb but that does not mean that we will be able to use the pen options (width, pen type, color) still.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using Tapatalk
No, I wasn't sure. I was hoping.
I just flashed Honeycomb myself and tried it for myself. I was not able to find Sketchbook Pro in the market so I tried the Express instead, you may or may not know, it doesn't have that pressure sensitive like the Pro version. Express won't even recognize the strokes. I then tried the Mobile version, this version works fine, but no pressure sensitive option.
So the result is still inconclusive until I actually try the pro version. At least right now I've got a precise pen with better color choices.
I'll still try to figure out how to put SB pro in my new Honeycomb Flyer.
In case you didn't know, Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet pen does have pressure sensitive in SB Pro, and it also use N-Trig pen like the Flyer.
[UPDATE] I had to side load Sketchbook Pro. It doesn't work.
-E.J.Su
http://ej-su.deviantart.com
"Talent is worthless without hard work"
Send from HTC Flyer
Hi everyone. I thought I'd add my agreement to this thread. I sent a message/request to HTC the other day asking for them to seriously consider doing some collaborative work with a leading company such as Autodesk so the Flyer can be what all of us who bought it for; that we should have access to a drawing/sketching /design app that does the Flyer justice, not just scribbling with 5 colours etc, that the pen api should at least have a colour wheel! I went on to say that the Flyer's market would improve greatly if they allowed the pen to be used to it's full potential...
I really don't get why they would make such a lovely thing but then not bother to finish it off properly... It's like making a really beautiful car and not supplying the wheels or something silly...
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using xda premium
The sad fact is that there is just not enough paying demand out there for high end sketch applications. HTC was targeting business users with the pen. Users such as doctors that would prefer a high accuracy interface like a pen vs. the finger for entering larger amounts of data quickly. Of course those markets are demanding and complex and won't tolerate a half finished product like HTC's. Professional users want a turnkey system, not something they have to fiddle with to get to kind-of-work. S0 the Pen on HTC has turned out to be more of a novelty than a useful tool, which is sad because it has great potential and I love it for taking notes.
HTC published the Pen SDK and Android 4.0 has native stylus support primitives so someone could realistically write an application that has pro caliber sketch functions. Probably happen later under 4.0 ICS as a port of an existing app. I just don't see enough demand for someone to write a new app.
Okay. I feel you are being the realist here. I don't know zip about Android (the flyer is my first touchscreen gizmo) and have been a Windows sucker for ever so don't know about Linux either, but how much would you think a developer would want for creating a color wheel for the stock stylus app? At least then we could draw with a decent colour range with Scribbler or even just in notes. In my ignorance, please forgive me, but the pen api sdk released by HTC would allow someone to do that wouldn't it? If I knew how I'd be on it like I don't know what...
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using xda premium
You would think HTC would have done such a basic feature , but they didn't.
In order to add it, you would need the source code for the current apps. HTC is not sharing that. The SDK provides primitive functions for building new applications. it does not allow you to add features to existing applications.
Sketching...
I am using Autodesk Sketchbook mobile... the sketchbook pro for android doesent work properly. I also have a Cintiq 21 to which the pressure tip is pretty nice.
as for the Flyer I have found if you select the brush tool and play with the settings you can almost get the same feel...
So no apps other then the notes app take advantage of the Pen in GB?
I'v heard that the pen is laggy in HC...
AS far as I know, only the notes app, PDF reader and browser in GB interact in some way with the pen.
Remember that the HC rom is a early beta, I have seen people have different results with the pen on HC, probably depends on what apps you have loaded. IF!!! HTC ever has a final release, I'm sure it will be much more reliable.
So there's no way really of even replacing the stock pen app - the one that pops up bottom-right, with summat better... Unless they were to release the source code for it?...
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using xda premium
Correct, that is part of the HTC Sense UI , its not just an app, it's tied into the Android framework.
That... sucks bum. Have HTC ever spoke of releasing the Sense UI?
Sent from my couch, with a beer in my hand and an HTC Flyer P512 using xda premium in the other.
With the second HC leak, I can use Sketchbook Mobile with no issues. What I noticed that pressure sensitivity is related to the pen you choose and the images appear to be in line with how you draw. Also the repsonse is quite good, I didn't see any issues.
I'm not sure if you're a professional sketcher but I am not and the result is impressive to me.
One important note: When you use a quality protection film (preferably mat ones) the result is better. With natural screen, the fricton is too less to write accurately but with a good film, you cannot believe how the writing/drawing experience will improve.
Edit: Skitch app becomes very handy in HC too. Actually let me repeat once more: This device is much better with HC (or ICS) due to better pen support.
+1 for Sketch Book Mobile.
The it would be nice if the erase function would work, but otherwise it works great.
kego said:
With the second HC leak, I can use Sketchbook Mobile with no issues. What I noticed that pressure sensitivity is related to the pen you choose and the images appear to be in line with how you draw. Also the repsonse is quite good, I didn't see any issues.
I'm not sure if you're a professional sketcher but I am not and the result is impressive to me.
One important note: When you use a quality protection film (preferably mat ones) the result is better. With natural screen, the fricton is too less to write accurately but with a good film, you cannot believe how the writing/drawing experience will improve.
Edit: Skitch app becomes very handy in HC too. Actually let me repeat once more: This device is much better with HC (or ICS) due to better pen support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me clarify. You are saying that the pressure sensitive pen for the flyer works with sketchbook mobile on the newest HC leak, no extra development needed for the app to add the pressure sensitivity? So this means it doesn't have to use the stock colors and brushes for the native pen?
zendragon6 said:
Let me clarify. You are saying that the pressure sensitive pen for the flyer works with sketchbook mobile on the newest HC leak, no extra development needed for the app to add the pressure sensitivity? So this means it doesn't have to use the stock colors and brushes for the native pen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my observation (leak #2). When you choose broader brush, you can differantiate the pressure sensitivity better. It's also valid for the native notes where you choose the big brush.
I'm liking this... I'm no developer and therefore I really appreciate xda developers chat about this... I would like to use sketchbook mobile more with the pen and it's good that skitch works better too. Will be good to see if Fresco works too!
So then, following on... the stock pen part of the Android Sense UI becomes less used because the app itself is supported through support from HC (or ICS?), what can be done for/what good is the stock pen part of Sense UI? Is it potentially more powerful because it's native, in any way (ignorance possibly showing)? In terms of developing, what COULD the pen part of Sense UI do or be used for if it's superceded by the app's integral features? How could the pressure sensitivity of it be improved more.
Or...
Is it too late in on a Friday night for me to talk anything that's not utter trash?
Will have to get a matt screen protector by the way... Thanks for the suggestion.
Sent from the horizontal position, using xda premium.
Ian Rothwell said:
I'm liking this... I'm no developer and therefore I really appreciate xda developers chat about this... I would like to use sketchbook mobile more with the pen and it's good that skitch works better too. Will be good to see if Fresco works too!
So then, following on... the stock pen part of the Android Sense UI becomes less used because the app itself is supported through support from HC (or ICS?), what can be done for/what good is the stock pen part of Sense UI? Is it potentially more powerful because it's native, in any way (ignorance possibly showing)? In terms of developing, what COULD the pen part of Sense UI do or be used for if it's superceded by the app's integral features? How could the pressure sensitivity of it be improved more.
Or...
Is it too late in on a Friday night for me to talk anything that's not utter trash?
Will have to get a matt screen protector by the way... Thanks for the suggestion.
Sent from the horizontal position, using xda premium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This depends upon HTC. If they develop any better applications for the Flyer, we'll be able to use stock part and full pen function (like erase button).
If HTC would publish (or support a 3rd party whichsoever) a better and more professional notes (something like Quill), and a good paint/sketch app I will definitely buy them. But the question is if HTC will do that.
So, I got to play with this at best buy and I must admit, if I had 300$ to spend I might have left 300$ there at best buy and walked out with it.
This tablet was the most fun I've ever had playing on a tablet. I wasn't impressed by ipad, the galaxy s tab was cool, but not really "eye catching" in terms of being worth the price..
This sucker was smooth though.. it ran really, really smoothly. It was probably one of the coolest things I've seen.
The weird part is that I really had trouble finding a logical use for the pen. It is always nice to get more for what your purchase, but I am having trouble finding practical uses for it. I am sure if I got one I would think of more uses after the fact.
A few times I've used it to take notes. But mostly, I use it to show my friends how much better my tablet is compared to theirs. I think the latter is what HTC was going for.
I use it to quickly mark up power points and presentation notes when I do reviews at work.
So far I haven't found a use for it. Taking notes on the tablet does not appeal to me nor does drawing on screenshots.
I use it whenever I need a paper to write something on. Paperless for me. Only print it out when I really need it. Environmental friendly as well
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
I use it to takes notes in my classes. I find the notes mobile app much easier to take notes with compared to the HTC notes app. Plus with honeycomb you can use the pen all throughout the tablet as apposed to only taking screenshots on gingerbread
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
I use it @ work (IT) for taking notes, since we are trying to go "green" in the office, it's my "see here ya go I'm going green"...and hopefully this means that work will reimburse me for it.
I never even thought about the possibilities involving roms.
Could be loads of fun.
Hm... wonder if ICS will have anything special for pen based tabs...
I design and manufacture parts for the auto racing industry.
I use the Flyers camera to take a photo of the area I’m working on then, note the dimension on the pic with the pen.
If need be I can take several shots from different angles.
I then return to my workstation’s cad program and I have all my info at hand.
It really helps me to visualize the part I’m working on.
For making a usable quick sketch and markups. I was surprised how much I started to markup screen shots of Web pages once I got used to the idea.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk
I got the pen just because it was on sale for 39.99 and I had a 10 dollar reward certificate. I'm not really sure how much I'll use it but hope with the upgrade it'll be more useful.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium
Make notes when reading eBooks.
Take a picture of office maps (fire routes work great) then mark them up for new network drops and whatnot.
I've started using it in place of anything I'd have used a paper notepad for. Extra cool that the notes are ocr'd and searchable.
Maybe one day I'll get around to drawing up plot diagrams, creating story arcs, and writing a book... Too busy for that right now though.
I use it to take notes. My daughter uses it for notes and to annotate her books for her English class using the reader that came installed on the flyer.
Everything. I am a recruiter for a consulting firm and take notes on my conversations with candidates - been using evernote for a few years so its a virtual database of people now. Also in grad school and use it to mark up powerpoints and sometimes record audio or the cam to capture diagrams on whiteboards. Used it at a family get together to find a pizza place with Google maps, pull up the menu, and write down (on the menu screenshot) our complete order - easily placed the correct orders and people were like "that is awesome". A life saving feature is accessing my home machine via logmein as well. I love this thing.
Sent from my PG41200 using xda premium
jlczl said:
I got the pen just because it was on sale for 39.99 and I had a 10 dollar reward certificate. I'm not really sure how much I'll use it but hope with the upgrade it'll be more useful.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I've heard a lot of good things were going to open up with the HC upgrade. I hope I'm not disappointed.
Sent from GrandAdmiral's HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk
I use it for my business and for note reason when I go on the road to sale insurance. I bring the terms and all up and underline the keypoints.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using XDA App
I was thinking of sending the fire back for the flyer/view, the HTC has a leg up on almost everything, however I am stuck on a few key features that the fire has, and I would like to know if there is some sort of port, or if HTC built these things in..
The fire has updates for it every few months so far, so its live, since the HTC flyer/view have been cancled, will they get updates??
The flyer/view have the "book sharing" built in, this is a nice book club feature that I like.
and the amazon silk browser has the reader view, BIG winner in my book... any way to do this on the HTC device?
I just want a handy device to read and watch some shows, prime is no big deal since they dont have what I want to see anyway, and I have Netflix anyway... I should also mention that I have a Galaxy note, so I dont "NEED" cameras or anything like that. I just need a nice responsive 7" tablet for reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen..
what do you guys think?
I'm not all that familiar with the other features you mentioned (book share and reader view), but as far as updates, I've found myself not needing or particularly wanting firmware updates for my Flyer. This is coming from a person who constantly changes the ROM on his HTC Desire Z phone to get better performance and features. I have never even bothered to put a custom ROM on my Flyer, the stock ROM just runs so smoothly, and has all the features I need.
I did do the upgrade from Gingerbread to Honeycomb. It added some more tablet-friendly interface layout, bit more eye candy, and much better pen support. It runs just as smoothly as GB. Really more of a personal preference, either GB or HC run rather nicely (fast and smooth).
I haven't found myself wanting anymore out of my Flyer. The performance is great, and I haven't had any significant bugs to speak of. There does seem to be a issue with GPS maintaining lock in HC (but I never use my Flyer for navigation). But of course, that isn't even an option on the Fire, anyway.
I haven't personally had a chance to compare side-by-side. But I believe the Flyer is more responsive (clock speed matters more than dual cores, for most tasks) and has a better screen than the Flyer. What you do get in the Flyer (in addition to the Prime-specific features you mentioned) is probably better support from 3rd party accessory manufacturers, as the Fire already has a healthy customer base, while the Flyer really doesn't have much to speak of.
Thremix said:
I was thinking of sending the fire back for the flyer/view, the HTC has a leg up on almost everything, however I am stuck on a few key features that the fire has, and I would like to know if there is some sort of port, or if HTC built these things in..
The fire has updates for it every few months so far, so its live, since the HTC flyer/view have been cancled, will they get updates??
The flyer/view have the "book sharing" built in, this is a nice book club feature that I like.
and the amazon silk browser has the reader view, BIG winner in my book... any way to do this on the HTC device?
I just want a handy device to read and watch some shows, prime is no big deal since they dont have what I want to see anyway, and I have Netflix anyway... I should also mention that I have a Galaxy note, so I dont "NEED" cameras or anything like that. I just need a nice responsive 7" tablet for reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen..
what do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The updates you're talking about with the Fire are overwhelmingly updates to Amazon's proprietary software, not the underlying version of Android. The updates the Flyer/View have received included proprietary changes, but they're accompanied with updates to the Android software. So it's difficult to compare the updates of the two since the nature of each are different. That said, the Flyer/View already has far more functionality than the Fire ever will do to its hardware and access to the Google Play Store (still sounds weird to say that instead of Android Market). No amount of updates to the Fire will ever get it to level of things the Flyer/View can do. The Flyer/View may or may not see any more official updates (no one here knows for sure), but it's already on a higher level than the Fire as it currently stands.
I assume with book sharing you're referring to the lending of Kindle books. You cannot do this with the View/Flyer with Kindle books you have purchased from Amazon. It's a feature exclusive to Kindle devices. You can install the Kindle app on the View/Flyer and have full access to all of your books, but you can't lend/borrow and you don't have access to Prime library.
By "reader view," are you implying that the webpage is reformatted to allow you to more easily read the text? If so, there are ways of doing this on the Flyer/View. It may require a different browser or app, but it can be done.
Overall, the Flyer/View is a more well-rounded device than the Fire from a hardware point of view with GPS, cameras, and optional cellular connectivity (depending on the model). The quality of the screens are both good, and both devices feel great in the hand (although I like the feel of my View better). The View is better from an Android point of view with full access to the suite of Google Apps (Gmail, Voice, Maps, Play Store, etc.), something that the Fire does not have (quite possibly the biggest software-related point in my opinion). On the other hand, if you're heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem, and your major concern is reading (including the lending/borrowing of books and accessing the Prime library), the Fire offers more options direct from Amazon. If you're into custom ROMs, the Fire also has a much bigger developer community with a lot more support. But as far as an all-around device for "reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen," the Flyer/View is by far the better device in my opinion.
For me, the answer was simple - a regular Kindle e-ink reader for books (including lending/borrowing and the Prime library) since it's far easier on the eyes anyway and can be read outside, and the View for everything else (plus I can read almost all of my Kindle stuff on the View if I don't have my Kindle close by). The incredibly low prices on both devices make owning both a viable option for many that want the best of both worlds.
"I should also mention that I have a Galaxy note, so I dont "NEED" cameras or anything like that. I just need a nice responsive 7" tablet for reading/web/youtube/Netflix with a bright clear screen.."
The screen itself should be about the same between the Fire and the View.
I was getting ready to get a Fire, then considered a Nook Tablet, then a View. Here are the main advantages of the View over the Fire:
-View has physical volume up/down buttons
-View has a microphone
-View has 2 cameras.
-View has 32GB of storage and a micro-SD slot for up to 32GB more.
-View has GPS
That's off the top of my head.
If the Fire does a good job for you with books and videos, you won't really gain anything by switching to the View.
If you want a tablet that is much more capable and runs a stock Android go for the View.
dan1101 said:
-View has 32GB of storage and a micro-SD slot for up to 32GB more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A major point that I overlooked in my post. As for the Flyer, it comes in both 16GB and 32GB varieties with the 16GB version being far more prevalent in my experience. Both have expandable storage as well.
"I assume with book sharing you're referring to the lending of Kindle books. You cannot do this with the View/Flyer with Kindle books you have purchased from Amazon. It's a feature exclusive to Kindle devices. You can install the Kindle app on the View/Flyer and have full access to all of your books, but you can't lend/borrow and you don't have access to Prime library."
No thats book lending.
When you're reading a book, there is a little bubble at the bottom. When you press on the bubble, it takes you into a conversation list with other people that are reading the book. Much like a book club. I think that is a neat feature.
I think the kobo at the something like this no?
Thremix said:
When you're reading a book, there is a little bubble at the bottom. When you press on the bubble, it takes you into a conversation list with other people that are reading the book. Much like a book club. I think that is a neat feature.
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No, there isn't an option for this in the Android Kindle app that I see.
That's not a huge deal...
So the htc screen wont be much better? I know the duo core thing is not a big deal, the hitch runs fine from the videos I've seen. Any word on ICS? One last thing.. can you take pretty good notes on the flyer? Is it like the galaxy note?
Thremix said:
That's not a huge deal...
So the htc screen wont be much better? I know the duo core thing is not a big deal, the hitch runs fine from the videos I've seen. Any word on ICS? One last thing.. can you take pretty good notes on the flyer? Is it like the galaxy note?
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The screen difference will be marginal at best.
No official word on ICS.
Yes, the Flyer/View use the same basic technology (albeit from different companies I believe, meaning the Note stylus won't work with the Flyer/View), so note taking is very similar if you have the Scribe. I also had a Note for awhile and found the View to be more precise in that regard.
Wow really.. I think my note is pretty accurate, so the flyer must be nice! I'm going to best buy in hopes of finding a demo.. or maybe sprint..
Thremix said:
Wow really.. I think my note is pretty accurate, so the flyer must be nice! I'm going to best buy in hopes of finding a demo.. or maybe sprint..
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Click to collapse
They've been discontinued at both Best Buy and Sprint I believe, so it might be difficult to track down any display models in a store, especially that have a Scribe sitting there to use with it.
I've had other people contend that the Note is more precise, but I found the View to be when I had both devices. So chances are, that really means that they're both pretty similar when it comes to accuracy.
bsweetness said:
No, there isn't an option for this in the Android Kindle app that I see.
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It may not be in the Kindle app, but it is there in the stock HTC Reader app which I understand is powered by Kobo. I have not used it because all of my ebooks are from non-drm epub sources so while the HTC Reader displays those books perfectly, it does not allow me to use the share option.
Anyway to read the kindle books on the kobo app? Reason I ask is that kobo has a nicer UI.
I did find a demo at the sprint store, I liked it and found the screen to he a bit more vivid, I wish I would have had the time to really check out, unfortunately we were on a way to a movie, so I had maybe 30seconds with it. Can anyone cement on the speakers, some of you have had the fire so maybe you can give me an idea of the sound quality of the htc vs the fire? I think I'm gonna buy the HTC, I just need a little push lol..
All of you have been a great help.
Just to throw my thoughts in:
I am a college student and I have an internship in an office. I bought the flyer at the beginning of this semester to take notes and other various things at my job. I have used it for a few months now, and I can say that I don't even carry a notebook any more. It has also fully replaced my netbook. I have read several books for class on it, and it has worked well as far as that goes. The speakers are pretty good quality, I find them acceptable for Skype calls and YouTube videos.
Sent from my mobile typewriter with tapatalk
the flyer/view has basically one of the greatest displays for reading for its highest pixel density of android tablets (ipad 3 has a much higher resolution tho), and great color production for things other than reading. i love my htc flyer, and i would recommend it, the reading experience is still fantastic even if it lacks fire features, because htc adds their own (such as book sharing, as you mentioned)!
Similar Dilemma
I'm in the same boat, torn between fire and flyer.
For me the flyer was an extra $40, so is $40 worth:
bluetooth
2 cameras
512meg extra ram
8gb extra storage
microSD card reader
a microphone...
Normally I say, yes, of course it is, however of those, the only one that actually matters to me... might be the microSD card reader and extra storage, seeing as the fire only ships with 8GB.
Why are those other features not important to me? Because wherever I have my tablet to use, I will 100% of that time have my iPhone 4 in my pocket which has 2 cameras, 32GB storage, a microphone, etc. If I want to take a picture, i'll certainly use my phone before my tablet, same with skip or voice notes, or voip for that matter. If I had a stupid phone, of course I go with the flyer, but with an iPhone, maybe I stick with the kindle fire...
Another consideration is rom updates, yes flyer is popular, however each rom needs to support all that extra hardware, and often one piece either uses an older/supported version of android, or one piece just doesn't work. For example bluetooth for voip, or the hardware buttons of the flyer. With the Kindle it doesn't have much extra hardware, so not much else to support, therefore the rom updates that come out are more "clean" in my view.
I'm forcing myself to use both for a few days this week and make up my mind. The stylus could turn the tide to the flyer though...
We'll see...
paultman said:
I'm in the same boat, torn between fire and flyer.
For me the flyer was an extra $40, so is $40 worth:
bluetooth
2 cameras
512meg extra ram
8gb extra storage
microSD card reader
a microphone...
Normally I say, yes, of course it is, however of those, the only one that actually matters to me... might be the microSD card reader and extra storage, seeing as the fire only ships with 8GB.
Why are those other features not important to me? Because wherever I have my tablet to use, I will 100% of that time have my iPhone 4 in my pocket which has 2 cameras, 32GB storage, a microphone, etc. If I want to take a picture, i'll certainly use my phone before my tablet, same with skip or voice notes, or voip for that matter. If I had a stupid phone, of course I go with the flyer, but with an iPhone, maybe I stick with the kindle fire...
Another consideration is rom updates, yes flyer is popular, however each rom needs to support all that extra hardware, and often one piece either uses an older/supported version of android, or one piece just doesn't work. For example bluetooth for voip, or the hardware buttons of the flyer. With the Kindle it doesn't have much extra hardware, so not much else to support, therefore the rom updates that come out are more "clean" in my view.
I'm forcing myself to use both for a few days this week and make up my mind. The stylus could turn the tide to the flyer though...
We'll see...
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You are 100% in my boat! Lol the flyer will cost me about $50 more, and you and I have the same train of thought. I have my galaxy note for EVERYTHING, and with me, my gnote is almost as big as the tablets of topic! Lol
I found the speed to be more or less on par with these two tablets. And the htc reader app is a joke, the fire has a better "reading" atmosphere with the ability to change font and word spacing, and the silk browser reader view is a BIG home run.. I still can't shake the feeling I should just get the flyer.. lol
Thremix said:
Anyway to read the kindle books on the kobo app? Reason I ask is that kobo has a nicer UI.
I did find a demo at the sprint store, I liked it and found the screen to he a bit more vivid, I wish I would have had the time to really check out, unfortunately we were on a way to a movie, so I had maybe 30seconds with it. Can anyone cement on the speakers, some of you have had the fire so maybe you can give me an idea of the sound quality of the htc vs the fire? I think I'm gonna buy the HTC, I just need a little push lol..
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The Kindle books are DRM-protected, so unless you want to find a way around that (something we can't discuss on these forums), you have to use the Kindle app for Kindle books.
The Flyer/View have pretty darn good speakers for the size of the tablet. I can't think of a time when I wasn't more than satisfied with them.
Thremix said:
And the htc reader app is a joke, the fire has a better "reading" atmosphere with the ability to change font and word spacing, and the silk browser reader view is a BIG home run.. I still can't shake the feeling I should just get the flyer.. lol
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You don't have to use the HTC Reader app (although you can adjust the size of the text in the app). There are several different e-reader apps in the Play store that let you adjust font and spacing (and I know the Kindle app will at least let you adjust the font). But the biggest advantage to using the HTC Reader is that it has full integration with the Scribe pen. On Honeycomb, you can use the Scribe with any app, but you'll only be able to use some of the advanced functions of the pen with apps that are optimized for it.
You're definitely right about the Fire having a better "reading atmosphere" though. That's its primary purpose (along with watching video), so Amazon has put a lot of significant thought and design into it. The Flyer/View is very much a multi-purpose device, with the focus spread throughout the device instead of on just a couple areas like the Fire. That's why for people who want a device that is primarily going to be a reading/video device with most of the content coming from Amazon, the Fire is definitely a great option. But for those who want more than that, the Flyer/View offers many more options.
I just won a like new htc flyer with case and scrib pen for $212 shipped..
Dude, demonoid has all the books u need, the flyer reader app supports the pens and its unbeatable bybany other tablet, om taking notes all the tome, signing documents etc
Sent from my HTC Flyer P510e using XDA Premium App
Need some advice help me out! .... HTC Flyer 3G or HTC Jetstream 32GB, 4G?
(if same price)
Thanx
viriatto said:
Need some advice help me out! .... HTC Flyer 3G or HTC Jetstream 32GB, 4G?
(if same price)
Thanx
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Click to collapse
Absolutely depends on your application. I have experience with both - I own a Jetstream and a very close friend of mine owns a Flyer. What is your application. I shall suggest accordingly in view of that.
I'm debating the very same thing. I had a tablet pc (HP tmz2) and used it for taking notes like crazy.
At work I go through a couple of those little 5x8" pads of paper a month. I would like to replace those. I also take a lot of other notes, business books, church, etc. I thought the Flyer might be good since its about the 5x8 pad size ( a little smaller) but maybe its too small.
I will use this mostly for notes. I have a 9.8" Android tablet (Window N90... chinese but works great) and an epic 4g so I really don't need another plain android tablet. I really just need something to write with. I don't really want to spend 500 bucks on a Galaxy note 10.1... if I was going to go that far, I could get some sort of slate pc with full windows (probably for $600-700). I can get the Jetstream for 250ish probably, the lenovo thinkpad tablet for 250ish or the flyer for 150ish...
Based on your usage with the 2 sizes and the fact that I really just want to take notes (not really super in depth college-classroom style notes... just rarely do I want to take these kind of notes), what is your suggestion?
icevapor said:
I'm debating the very same thing. I had a tablet pc (HP tmz2) and used it for taking notes like crazy.
At work I go through a couple of those little 5x8" pads of paper a month. I would like to replace those. I also take a lot of other notes, business books, church, etc. I thought the Flyer might be good since its about the 5x8 pad size ( a little smaller) but maybe its too small.
I will use this mostly for notes. I have a 9.8" Android tablet (Window N90... chinese but works great) and an epic 4g so I really don't need another plain android tablet. I really just need something to write with. I don't really want to spend 500 bucks on a Galaxy note 10.1... if I was going to go that far, I could get some sort of slate pc with full windows (probably for $600-700). I can get the Jetstream for 250ish probably, the lenovo thinkpad tablet for 250ish or the flyer for 150ish...
Based on your usage with the 2 sizes and the fact that I really just want to take notes (not really super in depth college-classroom style notes... just rarely do I want to take these kind of notes), what is your suggestion?
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Ok as you are looking at something to take notes mainly, then I would definitely suggest either of these HTC devices or Samsung's note devices. Difference between them-Samsung is more acceptable and more post-purchase support. I have used the Note and I definitely like the HTC Flyer or Jetstream better. Note 10.1 I have no experience so can't say much about it.
Between the Flyer and Jetstream, the basic difference is in the size. For a fully functional pen experience on the Flyer, definitely need to upgrade to Honeycomb. The gingerbread pen experience is honestly bad. The experience with the pen on Flyer honeycomb and Jetstream is the same. So no complaints there. Only question that then comes to mind is what about future? If you amongst those who need to have updates on and off and it itches to have something new, then Flyer for the simple fact that the community is larger and there are already updates available. So you will be getting.your hands on some newer flavors of android for sure. The Jetstream userbase is smaller and.not much development happening so for.now, it is more or less what you buy is what you will be sticking with. But, if you want a device which is going to have better hardware specs, the Jetstream wins hands down.
Seeing as you have a 9.8 tab and are happy with it, would be more sensible to go for the Flyer as you already have a larger tab for the other functions. If however you are looking at something to replace your old tab and give you your notes function, then I would suggest the Jetstream.
I am definitely very happy with my Jetstream and I know my friend with the flyer is also.very happy with his flyer. So I can assure you this that no.matter what others say, once you buy either of the tablets, I know they will work well and will serve your purpose equally well. If portability is an.issue, then flyer better (as in the case of my friend) but if it isn't, I would go for the Jetstream.
Sent from my HTC PG09410 using xda app-developers app
icevapor said:
I also take a lot of other notes, business books, church, etc. I thought the Flyer might be good since its about the 5x8 pad size ( a little smaller) but maybe its too small.
... I really just need something to write with. I don't really want to spend 500 bucks on a Galaxy note 10.1... if I was going to go that far, I could get some sort of slate pc with full windows (probably for $600-700). I can get the Jetstream for 250ish probably...
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Click to collapse
I have two tablets--a JetStream and a Samsung Slate Series 7 (SSS7 - a tablet PC). I use my SSS7 for taking notes at conferences, church, etc.
I have tried a few different note taking ap's on the JetStream that will capture hand written notes using the HTC stylus (i.e., storing the hand written text) -- I have yet to find anything that compares to using OneNote on the SSS7. OneNote is superior to any of the note taking applications on the android, at least the ones that I have tried, which recognize the HTC stylus.
To be fair, I need to give the native note taking ap on the JetStream another chance to see how it does (i.e., I tried it early on but not recently), but when I have used recommended programs such as Quill and PhatPad, they do not compare very well to the SSS7 & OneNote. Quill is not as smooth and PhatPad was just lagey.
I am not sure if the slowness is due to pen technology on the HTC being inferior to that of the SSS7 (Wacom) or if the issue is with Android 3.x OS -- I have heard that Icecream (4.x) would be faster. The tips on the Wacom stylus that can be switched out, to provide either the feel of a pencil or a pen.
Additionally, the built in hand recognition s/w on W7 and W8 is many times better than what I have been able to find on the Android (e.g., WritePad) -- W7 / W8, it can learn on it's own based on your corrections, or you can enter 50 sentences and it learns your hand writing -- I can nearly scribble something on the SSS7, and it gets it correct most of the time. The experience on the JetStream is usually frustrating.