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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.
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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.
Hey all,
I've been looking around trying to decide what to get for on-the-go work since my last laptop died. I want something more portable (weighs less) than your normal laptop, and I really don't need the power. The Transformer Prime definitely has the power, but I'm not sure if it has the same or adequate functionality and so I'm thinking maybe I should get a netbook or ultrabook instead.
I'm a computer science major, and I also do web development and work on apps in my spare time. Here are the things I would be using the tab for:
-Textbook replacement: Biggest reason for going with the Transformer, I'm sick of paying for textbooks and since I can download them, I'm going to forego the $500 fee for my education.
-Coding: I'm currently studying C++, so I would need to be able to write and (possibly) compile relatively small programs (largest would probably be a few thousand lines.)
-Web Development: I write in html/css/php/js and I add more languages as I go. I generally don't need to do more than manipulate files, code in a basic text editor, and preview files in a browser (this is a big one, I need to be able to see what is going on when I display it.)
-Image Editing (optional): I have a desktop which I rely on for image processing and other intensive tasks, but sometimes being able to edit an image really quickly can be helpful. Not necessary, but would be a plus.
Other than those functions, I'm going to be using the device for media consumption a lot, browsing the net and such. So, what would you recommend? And are there any things that a comp-sci major such as myself may need to do on the go that I forgot? (Honestly, I may be missing something here, would like to hash this out as much as possible) An ultrabook seems like overkill, and a netbook would definitely fill my needs (+more ram is really nice) but the battery life and dual functionality of the Transformer Prime as a tablet could be very useful, I might end up using it more than I would a netbook, in which case I'd want it.
Also, I've heard you can boot ubuntu on the Prime. Would this be a better way to create my ideal programming/webdeveloping/textbook reading tablet/laptop?
The Prime will be able to do function #1 easily enough, but functions 2-4 will not happen, IMO. You need a laptop/ultrabook for those. The Prime does not have enough processing power or memory ... besides, your C compiler and image editors will not be available for the Prime. I did see a demo of Ubuntu running on the original Transformer ... it was really, really slow. I do not expect the Prime to be that much faster.
Many folks who expected the original Transformer to be a laptop replacement were sorely disappointed -- the same will be true for the Prime. These are still consumption devices, for the most part. I do expect the Prime will replace my laptop for many of my tasks, but for development, I have my high-powered (dual boot: Win/Ubuntu) laptop.
Yeah, I'm not expecting it to do all the same things as a netbook/laptop. Obviously its less powerful and functional (at least for development purposes) but the thing is I never used my laptop for more than text-editting and the OCCASIONAL image processing job (very rare, I prefer working at home on my desktop for that.)
If I get a Prime and end up using it more than I used my laptop, then I'd consider it worth it. If I can code on it (especially with preview, very important feature) then the rest should be ok. And being able to read textbooks e-reader style would be very nice.
Its not easy to weigh the pros and cons, thats why I'm posting here, trying to get different perspectives.
Some users have been able to make some serious adaptations and use the Transformer really well. It's just so limited, that I think you will be disappointed ... I think you are forgetting that you are a computer science major! Just teasing...
Besides all that ... this is NOT a cheap device by any means. For the money you would pay for the Prime you could get a pretty good laptop that will last you quite a few years. Then, you can buy a cheap consumption device that fulfills the needs of consumption rather well. Of course, I am one to talk ... I bought the Prime. I do, however, have a good laptop and desktop, so it is a little different.
Very true, I think I'll definitely feel the squeeze of inferior hardware if I do get it which is unfortunate =/
As for getting a laptop, I really am done with them. Weighs too much, hurts my back while running around, generally bulky and again, I don't use them all that much. I think the Transformer style laptop/tablet combo is the way to go in the future, so much more functionality for the same amount of hardware (As opposed to having two devices). I think when similar devices have >2GB ram and can run a more powerful platform like Windows 8/Linux, they will definitely be full fledged enough to compete with laptops.
Still, right now is right now... I guess it really depends on what I'll be using it for more than anything else. If my primary use is taking notes and reading textbooks, and coding is more on the side, then the Prime is probably the better choice. So the question is, is using the Prime as an e-reader for textbooks that much better than opening them up in a pdf and reading them on a netbook/laptop?
hmm, need to think about that...
if you have a desktop, you could jsut remote log-in to that via splashtop, teamviewer or logmein.
that's probably the best way to get access to the things you need for 2-4. Other things you could do well on your prime.
worst case, hold out for an ultrabook ie mac book air, or acer aspire s5?
I'd actually never heard of splashtop before, thank you for that info! This definitely changes things, since I rarely use photoshop/other features that a laptop would be able to have. If that's the case, I can just remote login when I need those functions and go with a basic text editor for on the go coding!
I'm definitely leaning toward the Prime now, I think it'll support what I need without sacrificing too much functionality.
Textbooks-As others have said, you can definitely use the prime for #1. If you would like to use it for the other tasks, here are a few helpful apps.
Web- Android web editor pro. What I use for web development, should do everything you are looking for.
C++- check out C4Droid. It is a C compiler for android, that supports C++ with root. Can't vouch for it though, I use mostly Java.
Image editing- adobe has launched a whole mobile design suite specifically for android tablets not to long ago, Photoshop touch being the main feature. I use it fairly often, it is quite good, not on par with regular Photoshop but a big step up from average image editors.
Hope you find something useful out of my ramblings.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Splashtop HD is really good. Probably the best. Another great thing is that The Prime comes with this built on so no need to buy the app.
If you have a desktop just sitting around while you are out, Splashtop is a great way to remote desktop in, particularly on wifi (as with the prime). Think of it almost like a thin client connecting to the mainframe servers... which is how I got my CompSci degree. You get all the power of your desktop with all the portability of your tablet.
Personally, I'm hoping to find a way to write android apps FROM an Android device... seems like a logical programming environment, considering all the libraries and such are already present. Who needs an emulator when you're holding the real thing.
webin said:
If you have a desktop just sitting around while you are out, Splashtop is a great way to remote desktop in, particularly on wifi (as with the prime). Think of it almost like a thin client connecting to the mainframe servers... which is how I got my CompSci degree. You get all the power of your desktop with all the portability of your tablet.
Personally, I'm hoping to find a way to write android apps FROM an Android device... seems like a logical programming environment, considering all the libraries and such are already present. Who needs an emulator when you're holding the real thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best thing would be some remote desktop software indeed.
I run Teamviewer on all my PCs/Laptops and there is a client for Android too. Works like a charm, even through internet connections.
I have C4Droid on my phone and ATP, and can say that it works wonderully. I'm a comp sci major too, just like OP. I code in c++, C4Droid is awesome. the only downside to it is the inability to do multi-file projects.
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App
Hi guys! I just made a power point presentation for my research paper i had to do for my studies. Just wanted to share some of my experiences and stuff you have to look out for
So first of all, check out what connections are available to you, you can buy any hdmi cable if your projector supports that. The place where i study has been stupid and went for VGA instead (probably was cheaper?) so you need an adapter from micro HDMI to VGA if you want to use your prime.
I bought the official one from a local online shop. Works perfectly.
So next important thing i found out about: there is no Android App available atm that supports MS office PPT animations. So if you made a slide with 3 points and set them to appear on after another by click, on your tablet it will just show one slide with all points on it.
An easy way to work around that is to make copies of your slides each with an additional point. The result will look exactly the same. Oh and no one likes those fancy fly in animations anyway, they only distract people
Finally what app to use? The prime comes with a pretty capable office app called Polaris. It would be the best as you can simply tap on the left or right side of the screen to go to the next slide. Unfortunately i couldnt get a full screen view with that app. When i open the presentation mode it shrinks the screen and your actual presentation only fills about 3/4 of the screen and there is this ugly blue bar in the bottom (see screenshot, 2nd one is with QuickofficeHD). I hope that gets fixed in a future version! This also happens when you create the presenation directly with the app so i havnt found a workaround for that.
What I ended up using is Quickoffice Pro HD. It has a nice full screen view that fills the screen and you can switch slides by swiping the screen. It also has an autoplay feature for those who want to use that. Make sure to disable it when you launch the presentation because its enabled by default.
Be prepared to fix some text alignment issues once you copied your presentation to you tablet. I had some problems with lists and tabstops, but it was a quick fix.
Also Android doesnt like the Calibri font. Letters are far too close to each other, so make sure to use Arial (which is what i used) or test out your font beforehand.
Cheers and wish me luck its this Wednesday. I guess at this point its still simpler to use your laptop for more lavish stuff. But who wants to use laptops?
good informative post and good luck on Wednesday. you gave me the idea to look for an adapter for HDMI to AV to hook prime up to older t.v.'s also.
This demonstrates one of the reasons why an Android tablet doesn't replace a notebook for everyone. I use animations in my presentations as well, and the trick of making extra slides wouldn't work for me (our animations are quite complex, and really need the usual animation function to work). I'd love an Office-compatible suite that supported more advanced functions like this, or really ANY advanced functions.
wynand32 said:
This demonstrates one of the reasons why an Android tablet doesn't replace a notebook for everyone. I use animations in my presentations as well, and the trick of making extra slides wouldn't work for me (our animations are quite complex, and really need the usual animation function to work). I'd love an Office-compatible suite that supported more advanced functions like this, or really ANY advanced functions.
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Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure it'll come eventually Its just a software thing, and remember Android Tablets have only come out one year ago (i think the xoom came in late February). These office apps get updated constantly, so its just a matter of time.
But as of now, an Android tablet is not good for very complex presentations. For my needs its perfectly fine though. Really looking forward to how people will react when i only have this thing lying on the table and swiping around on it
wynand32 said:
This demonstrates one of the reasons why an Android tablet doesn't replace a notebook for everyone. I use animations in my presentations as well, and the trick of making extra slides wouldn't work for me (our animations are quite complex, and really need the usual animation function to work). I'd love an Office-compatible suite that supported more advanced functions like this, or really ANY advanced functions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone hates Powerpoint animations. Even if they lie and say that they were cute or funny, really everybody hates them.
To put it another way, it is very rare that an animation enhances the information being shown. In general (99% of the time) animations are just a distraction or added in as a "cool" effect to spice up a boring presentation.
This is part of the reason I use .PDF for all of my presentations instead of Powerpoint, even though most people in the company use Powerpoint.
Off-meeting reading (like for people who had to miss the meeting, and who REALLY hate animations) and over-all device compatibility (every phone, tablet, PC, Mac, etc can read .pdf) are the other reasons. Plus Adobe Acrobat is intended for designers (like me) so it is easier to make a NICE looking presentation.
almightywhacko said:
Everyone hates Powerpoint animations. Even if they lie and say that they were cute or funny, really everybody hates them.
To put it another way, it is very rare that an animation enhances the information being shown. In general (99% of the time) animations are just a distraction or added in as a "cool" effect to spice up a boring presentation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're preaching to the choir... I just wish my bosses would understand that.
Thanks !
Just a quick shoutout to say thanks for doing the mini-review. I have my own presentation due in a few weeks and I found you insights helpful.
Cheers!
Did you try using a VNC to access powerpoint for the presentation? I am curious if you would be able to use the full screen presentation mode and how the quality would be.
If there was wi-fi available, you could try using Onlive Desktop next time...
www.desktop.onlive.com
I'm DEFINITELY using this when I get a tablet...
If there was wifi i would use Splashtop Remote desktop, but i wont be having wifi there
Onlive looks ok, but they havnt released it in europe and i'm pretty sure they dont have servers here either. Seems to be pretty laggy for me.
Hey guys,
I own a sensation with stock JB and LOVE android and google's interface to death. I need a laptop for school to take notes and the transformer fits the bill. I keep reading about the wifi bug and am wondering how bad it is? Is it just some devices or all, will I have trouble connecting to networks like a busy library or somewhere weak/loaded with users. I dont really care about GPS, I have my phone with a data plan for that. I was thinking of the tf300 but am worried about breaking the glass and I get the feeling it is fragile as it is not gorilla glass. The infinity is a little out of price range although I am considering trying to buy a used prime from futureshop with extended warranty(owned by bestbuy) and return it and hope for the prime
I dont know about custom roms but Get the Prime only if you're satisfied with casual gaming or browsing, using the prime for school work is just like placing yourself at the edge of a cliff, you'll never know when it'll crash, screen glitch or have a random reboot. File transfers rate using a thumbdrive is dirt slow. The best advice is to wait for the jellybean release and to examine the results and make a decision from there
I love my prime its my 6th but I've finally got a good one. If u get one check the screen very carefully...
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium
People who use a custom rom with some tweaks are very happy with it. I use stock and wait for JB. If that does not fix things - I will just install a custom ROM.
Rooted user with ATPTweak and Browser2RAM here. I am very satisfied with my device, using it for college classes and it didn't fail me once. It is great to take notes in SuperNote. Combine that with a camera that is actually good enough to "screenshot" the board from afar and you've got yourself the perfect educational device.
I don't have any of the issues described by other users, except for the occasional ANR when updating apps and using the tablet at the same time.
Very Happy
I bought a second hand one from Craigslist that came with the keyboard. I could not be more satisfied. I know the GPS does not work but I have never needed it. It may reset itself or have an ANR a few times a week, but I game, surf, watch videos all on stock with no problems. I constantly put new ROM's on my phones, so I am sure it could do it on the Prime, but I have never had the need. As to the wireless, it is a little weaker to pick up than say my HTC Sensation, but not so much that it is a problem. My daughter has the Nexus 7 with JB and I think the Prime will only get better with JB.
DeKubus said:
Rooted user with ATPTweak and Browser2RAM here. I am very satisfied with my device, using it for college classes and it didn't fail me once. It is great to take notes in SuperNote. Combine that with a camera that is actually good enough to "screenshot" the board from afar and you've got yourself the perfect educational device.
I don't have any of the issues described by other users, except for the occasional ANR when updating apps and using the tablet at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exact same situation here. I'm not sure that I would still buy it at the same full price today, seeing how close in specs the Nexus 7 is, but it's still a really nice device.
Put reddit.com/r/aaw on the screen and it's also a chick magnet.
waltthizzney said:
Hey guys,
I own a sensation with stock JB and LOVE android and google's interface to death. I need a laptop for school to take notes and the transformer fits the bill. I keep reading about the wifi bug and am wondering how bad it is? Is it just some devices or all, will I have trouble connecting to networks like a busy library or somewhere weak/loaded with users. I dont really care about GPS, I have my phone with a data plan for that. I was thinking of the tf300 but am worried about breaking the glass and I get the feeling it is fragile as it is not gorilla glass. The infinity is a little out of price range although I am considering trying to buy a used prime from futureshop with extended warranty(owned by bestbuy) and return it and hope for the prime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As for your original question there is no WiFi bug. On many primes there is a physical manufacturing issue where they did not get proper contact between the antennas that are on the glass side of the device and the ground points with the backplate. Is causes the signals to attenuate at fairly short distance from the router. Don't buy it if they don't let you test it against another tablet unless you plan on opening it up and fixing the issue.
As for what everybody else says, yes stock software is buggy and annoyingly unstable. Jelly bean seems to fix most of what ails the prime. Again I wouldn't buy one unless you plan on voiding the warranty and unlocking for a custom ROM.
Your last sentence bothers me about getting the prime cheap and trying to exchange for what I assume you meant to say was an infinity. Why not just switch the price tags in the store or even easier, steal one?
Its the keyboard
waltthizzney said:
Hey guys,
I own a sensation with stock JB and LOVE android and google's interface to death. I need a laptop for school to take notes and the transformer fits the bill. ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing I didn't see anyone mention is the keyboard dock and how its (to my knowledge) unique among Android tablets. The keyboard dock has a usb port that works with everything I've thrown at it including flash drives, track balls, external hard drives, mice, usb card readers, and a usb wired Ethernet adapter. I can also use multiple usb devices at the same time using a small usb hub. About the only issue I've had is if I try to use the wired Ethernet and the external hard drive at the same time. Both work individually and also when used together with a mouse, but I'm guessing they draw too much juice to use at the same time - but that's hardly a limitation. As far as usefulness for school work/note taking etc, I would think the dock and its capabilities offers a huge advantage
As far as buggy software, many or most of the complaints I see seem to revolve around the built in browser - which I have basically never used anyway. I use Chrome and Dolphin and don't have any problems.
My WiFi also works more than adequately. I don't get as good a speed as I do with my Dell laptop but I get better WiFi speed than I do with my Droid 3 phone. So it falls in the midrange of my devices. At work, my office is on the other side of the building from the wifi router with an elevator shaft and a bank of metal file cabinets between me and the router. No device gets a very good signal at my desk. But even in that worst case environment, my prime gets a good enough signal to get my email and do light web surfing - which is as good as any device can do in that location. Its not a problem at home at all. It's not a speed demon by any means but I'm not trying to download huge files with it either (as some have said they do). Since I have a variety of devices available including a desktop and a laptop, I'm not sure why I would choose to do things like that using a tablet anyway. For a big download I'd probably do it on my desktop while I do other things with the tablet. Also, I'm guessing you probably don't need to be doing bit torrents and take notes in a class both at the same time?
Which brings up the question of weather its going to be your only device? If you have a regular computer (either laptop or desktop) I would not worry. IMO there are some tasks that tablets are just not well suited to and I don't see how a student could get away with any tablet as their only computer anyway.
All that said, here are a couple of points:
1. buying it specifically for the purpose of returning it is reprehensible. Don't do it. This sort of behavior is part of the reason electronics are as expensive as they are for everyone else.
2. Given that the Transformer Infinity is out and offers all the same advantages as the Prime, the only reason to go with a prime now is if the price is really, really good. I would say that to be reasonable, a used prime would definitely have to cost less than a new TF300 - since the new TF300 would have a full warranty. Unfortunately Amazon has $324 as the cheapest used prime while I would say no more than about $250 would be a good price for a used one (not including keyboard)
3. You could consider a TF300 which once again offers the keyboard dock with all its advantages for around $300 not including the keyboard.
ratman6161 said:
One thing I didn't see anyone mention is the keyboard dock and how its (to my knowledge) unique among Android tablets. The keyboard dock has a usb port that works with everything I've thrown at it including flash drives, track balls, external hard drives, mice, usb card readers, and a usb wired Ethernet adapter. I can also use multiple usb devices at the same time using a small usb hub. About the only issue I've had is if I try to use the wired Ethernet and the external hard drive at the same time. Both work individually and also when used together with a mouse, but I'm guessing they draw too much juice to use at the same time - but that's hardly a limitation. As far as usefulness for school work/note taking etc, I would think the dock and its capabilities offers a huge advantage
As far as buggy software, many or most of the complaints I see seem to revolve around the built in browser - which I have basically never used anyway. I use Chrome and Dolphin and don't have any problems.
My WiFi also works more than adequately. I don't get as good a speed as I do with my Dell laptop but I get better WiFi speed than I do with my Droid 3 phone. So it falls in the midrange of my devices. At work, my office is on the other side of the building from the wifi router with an elevator shaft and a bank of metal file cabinets between me and the router. No device gets a very good signal at my desk. But even in that worst case environment, my prime gets a good enough signal to get my email and do light web surfing - which is as good as any device can do in that location. Its not a problem at home at all. It's not a speed demon by any means but I'm not trying to download huge files with it either (as some have said they do). Since I have a variety of devices available including a desktop and a laptop, I'm not sure why I would choose to do things like that using a tablet anyway. For a big download I'd probably do it on my desktop while I do other things with the tablet. Also, I'm guessing you probably don't need to be doing bit torrents and take notes in a class both at the same time?
Which brings up the question of weather its going to be your only device? If you have a regular computer (either laptop or desktop) I would not worry. IMO there are some tasks that tablets are just not well suited to and I don't see how a student could get away with any tablet as their only computer anyway.
All that said, here are a couple of points:
1. buying it specifically for the purpose of returning it is reprehensible. Don't do it. This sort of behavior is part of the reason electronics are as expensive as they are for everyone else.
2. Given that the Transformer Infinity is out and offers all the same advantages as the Prime, the only reason to go with a prime now is if the price is really, really good. I would say that to be reasonable, a used prime would definitely have to cost less than a new TF300 - since the new TF300 would have a full warranty. Unfortunately Amazon has $324 as the cheapest used prime while I would say no more than about $250 would be a good price for a used one (not including keyboard)
3. You could consider a TF300 which once again offers the keyboard dock with all its advantages for around $300 not including the keyboard.
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thanks guys..... Why I am buying it is because I want something to take notes on at school in class and when reading chapters in books. I use to have a macbook pro that got destroyed taking it to school on my bike everyday, now I own a Levano Y580... (beast of a laptop btw for a great price) but do not want to lug it around and want to just keep it at home. my last two questions are with note taking apps like the one mentioned, Can you save these notes as DOCS then open them on your windows pc in word? also can you use google docs offline like you can on windows on your prime?
also what are the common issues I should inspect in regards to hardware issues?
waltthizzney said:
thanks guys..... Why I am buying it is because I want something to take notes on at school in class and when reading chapters in books. I use to have a macbook pro that got destroyed taking it to school on my bike everyday, now I own a Levano Y580... (beast of a laptop btw for a great price) but do not want to lug it around and want to just keep it at home. my last two questions are with note taking apps like the one mentioned, Can you save these notes as DOCS then open them on your windows pc in word? also can you use google docs offline like you can on windows on your prime?
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Well, that's getting to more a matter of what software you want to use and how you want to take your notes. Handwriting recognition does not work for me...not on the prime and not on anything else I've tried. Even things that work for others don't work for me. My handwriting is so terrible that it just doesn't work. So I can't speak to that. And I absolutely despise on-screen keyboards as well for anything other than web surfing etc. So the keyboard dock is the biggest reason I chose the prime in the first place...though what works for you is for you to decide.
As to typing notes (which I assume is OK with you since you said you used to do this on a laptop) there are a number of options. You mentioned knowing Android well so I will leave it to you to pick apps that do the job for you. As far as what is on the machine as it comes out of the box, there is Super Note which I don't particularly like. There is also Polaris Office which handles Microsoft Office documents quite well in my opinion). Any 10 inch screen is not going to be that great (once again for me) to do detailed editing, but matched with the keyboard dock it works great for typing notes to be saved as Word docs and transferred to the PC later. However I mostly use Polaris office for reading documents others have sent me.
What I actually use for notes most of the time is Ever Note so that my notes get auto synced to my desktop PC. These can be easily copied and pasted to Word Documents if I wanted to though I rarely actually do that.
As far as Google Docs, I don't really use them but I don't think you can get at them off line (i.e. with no internet connection)
As far as carrying it around every day, well, the tablet can get broken too. So if your Mac Book got "destroyed" then I'm not sure a tablet will fare much better...a lot of it is made of glass after all. But if you are set on a tablet, I don't think the Prime is any more fragile than any other.
---------- Post added at 03:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 PM ----------
waltthizzney said:
also what are the common issues I should inspect in regards to hardware issues?
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That's a question that will typically generate a flame war on this forum between the people who have had problems and those who have not. I'm one of the ones who hasn't had any problems getting it to do the things I want it to do.
But I'll leave it to you to browse the forums and decide for yourself.
ratman6161 said:
Well, that's getting to more a matter of what software you want to use and how you want to take your notes. Handwriting recognition does not work for me...not on the prime and not on anything else I've tried. Even things that work for others don't work for me. My handwriting is so terrible that it just doesn't work. So I can't speak to that. And I absolutely despise on-screen keyboards as well for anything other than web surfing etc. So the keyboard dock is the biggest reason I chose the prime in the first place...though what works for you is for you to decide.
As to typing notes (which I assume is OK with you since you said you used to do this on a laptop) there are a number of options. You mentioned knowing Android well so I will leave it to you to pick apps that do the job for you. As far as what is on the machine as it comes out of the box, there is Super Note which I don't particularly like. There is also Polaris Office which handles Microsoft Office documents quite well in my opinion). Any 10 inch screen is not going to be that great (once again for me) to do detailed editing, but matched with the keyboard dock it works great for typing notes to be saved as Word docs and transferred to the PC later. However I mostly use Polaris office for reading documents others have sent me.
What I actually use for notes most of the time is Ever Note so that my notes get auto synced to my desktop PC. These can be easily copied and pasted to Word Documents if I wanted to though I rarely actually do that.
As far as Google Docs, I don't really use them but I don't think you can get at them off line (i.e. with no internet connection)
As far as carrying it around every day, well, the tablet can get broken too. So if your Mac Book got "destroyed" then I'm not sure a tablet will fare much better...a lot of it is made of glass after all. But if you are set on a tablet, I don't think the Prime is any more fragile than any other.
---------- Post added at 03:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 PM ----------
That's a question that will typically generate a flame war on this forum between the people who have had problems and those who have not. I'm one of the ones who hasn't had any problems getting it to do the things I want it to do.
But I'll leave it to you to browse the forums and decide for yourself.
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thanks for the reply...... Trying to decide between the tf201 which has a nicer screen vs the tf300 which has most bugs fixed and will not get as scratched!
I just got a new Prime on ebay for $300. Did I pay too much considering some of the problems I've been reading about?
kosenn said:
I just got a new Prime on ebay for $300. Did I pay too much considering some of the problems I've been reading about?
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just think you got it $200 cheaper than most of us and if you dont care about warranty all can be fixed or worked around other than (as far as i know) bt/wifi dropout http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1443868&highlight=dropout.
I just got my Prime 201. I tried to upgrade from 3.2.1 and it shows no updates available. The build number is HTk75.us_epad-8.8.3.33-20111223.
kosenn said:
I just got my Prime 201. I tried to upgrade from 3.2.1 and it shows no updates available. The build number is HTk75.us_epad-8.8.3.33-20111223.
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so go to asus and download one if its available. they have instructions there too. This is of course not in the least bit applicable to the thread you have posted in. (OMG listen to me, I have become my father)
I have been looking for a tablet for myself. Mostly, for note/lectures taking and reading. And also for remote connections to Linux machines, when I'm at the beach for example.
When I first saw it, I immediately understood that I had to have it. I bought Android version through Lenovo website. Windows just doesn't make sense to me on this device, it is not powerful enough, and it is a tablet! It is not supposed to replace a laptop. I don't find Windows apps ecosystem as good for mobile devices, as Android.
Waited about a week. Was very excited, when I finally got a package (yeah, I know, I'm a grown-up baby ). And, unfortunately, was disappointed right out of the box. The screen was defective (I even posted it here, lol): uneven color temperature to such level, that I cannot stand. But, I decided to give it a try anyways.
1. Hardware is impressive. Tablet looks fantastic. Sound is very good for the device of this size. I'm still blown away by a case itself. I liked the hinge, and how you can easily transform the tablet.
2. Halo keyboard looks futuristic. And it is OK for typing. I saw many reviews heavily criticizing it, but it is fine. Yes, you cannot type as fast, as on the mechanical keyboard, but it is still much faster than on the on-screen keyboard. Well, touchpad is bad and doesn't support multi-touch (though manual suggests it does), but I actually don't think one needs a touchpad on Android, so I don't complain here.
3. Drawing and note-taking on the Wacom surface is reliable and was a good experience for me. It is a little bit awkward in the beginning to physically write not directly on top of the area where image appears, but it is very easy to get used to. No buttons on the pen though.
4. Atom CPU is more than enough, device felt very responsive overall. However, I did notice it stuttered while charging, probably due to thermal throttling. But on battery I didn't notice any performance issues with the apps I used.
5. Now comes a weak part. Software.
I liked the taskbar, it is nice and useful, but overall, stock software feels like it is a beta version, and it is very basic (to say the least). Especially Lenovo apps (including note-taking). Well, not a real minus, since there are good apps in Google Store. But Lenovo Android customizations definitely need polishing.
Multi-window is almost useless, you cannot resize apps, but only have a smartphone-like size. And in windowed mode apps very often crash (I actually don't remember, when was the last time anything crashed on my Nexus 5, but I root-customized it...).
Some settings simply don't work: no matter what you do, it resets itself back to the default value. For some reason, I couldn't select my Google account as a backup account... Encryption is enabled by default, and you cannot disable it (it actually resulted in a factory reset, see below). Transition animations constantly turned on/off by themselves. And manual is simply inconsistent with the actual software.
I didn't find an easy way to switch Halo keyboard languages.
No customization for note-taking app: every time you switch to Wacom input mode, annoying Lenovo note-taking small window appears, and you have to close it in order to continue drawing in your app.
I had a nasty experience with an update. While updating everything seemed normal, but on the final boot I got a message "Encryption failed. Your tablet will be factory reset". And, yep, I got a completely fresh system, but it was updated. :good: And since there was no option to use my Google account for backup, I had to reinstall and reconfigure everything again. :silly:
Taking all that into account with my initial hardware problem, I just decided to return my YogaBook. I should say, it does feel sad a little bit as it is a very unique device. Honestly, I really wanted to love this device. But it definitely needs polishing, and if you're not a gadget enthusiast, you probably should wait for the next version.
disagree in all points
Gesendet von meinem Lenovo YB1-X90L mit Tapatalk
Hanfried said:
disagree in all points
Gesendet von meinem Lenovo YB1-X90L mit Tapatalk
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Sure. Do you disagree on all points or only on negative ones?
I really wanted to love this device. Well, I'm returning mine anyways because of the screen issue. I went with my YogaBook to BestBuy and compared it to other tablets, and yep, even Samsung Tab A 10.1'' has a better screen than my tablet. This is definitely unacceptable.
I'm not 100% sure though, if I should just return it or actually do an exchange. But I'm returning, because in this case, if I change my mind, I can purchase a new one (hopefully, without screen defects) (effectively do an "exchange").
If you could be so kind, and point out to me how to fix these software glitches, I would really appreciate it.
couldnt agree more. I personally contacted lenovo in order to return the yoga book too. so disappointed. I think they should have installed Chromebook OS
BTW, I also had the problem with the upgrade and I had to reset everything...
Just curious . . . .
Don't you think the problems will be solved with updates? It is a new product after all. :silly:
spmcd said:
Don't you think the problems will be solved with updates? It is a new product after all. :silly:
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Maybe. That's why I say one should wait for another version.
I have bought Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 with S Pen, and this tablet actually performs much better than YogaBook, despite lower specs. Moreover, it actually feels much more comfortable to write directly on the screen.
I just got mine in uae and despite its flaws i really love this device because of the battery life, sound, display and the wacom stylus. Sure the halo keyboard needs some more work but otherwise it works as intended. Just waiting for someone to make a remix os for this.
focus-pocus said:
Maybe. That's why I say one should wait for another version.
I have bought Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 with S Pen, and this tablet actually performs much better than YogaBook, despite lower specs. Moreover, it actually feels much more comfortable to write directly on the screen.
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I pulled the trigger and am going to give it a try. The biggest selling point for me is being able to take notes on paper and pen and then have handwriting recognition do its magic.
Also, there is "Any Pen" support for writing directly on the screen. Though it is not perfect, it should be enough for me.
Admittedly, I am still not 100% convinced and I will let you know how it goes when I get my hands on it.
i picked one up at last friday, i wanted a light decent 10 inch android tablet for mostly browsing, evernote and messing on, the keyboard is a compromise but suits my needs, if im going to do a large amount of typing ill do it on my desktop pc, I personally really like it overall but I just hope they bring Nougat to it so we can atleast have the 2 window option, other than that i lowered the dpi because it was far too high for me, and hopefully we get root soon so i can force chrome to always display desktop sites, as mobile sites on a 10 inch tablet is stupid.
oh i also wish you could scroll easily with the trackpad but i guess thats an Android limitation.
Yeah true that really need that nougat. Has anyone tried installing remix os on their yoga book?
bisharat said:
Yeah true that really need that nougat. Has anyone tried installing remix os on their yoga book?
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I ůove this device so much but i must totaly agree that Lenovo should agree with jide and Remix OS should be preinstalled as the lenovo modified android realy sucks and is inmature... BTW i am intersted in same Did anyone?
I love it, you have to get used to it
Got mine few days ago.
I love it.
It takes some adjusting of workflows, but it is new, it is different, it is astonishing! Those are the reasons I bought it!.
HINGE IS MIND BLOWING!!!
Coming from range of tablets (Samsung 7" once upon a time, 10.1 Samsung, Xperia tablet z...) and many phones from different manufacturers, keeping just glass/glass as lite motiv (iPhone 4,xperia z1, S6 edge, S7 edge) I confirm it is different!
Missing lot of Samsung staf, missing lot of IOS stuff, but who cares. Playstore can provide all needed apps for my life/work stile.
It is little bit havy, looking at you keybd, but it has a keybd. For others I had to buy separate one. Halo is not a PC (Mak) keybd, but tablet is not a PC nor Mak. This just works It would be nice to change halo keybd (what you can see) but I can live with German layout I've got, just installed swift and off we go!
The only thing that is a real problem is waterproofing! I was so happy reading in a hot bath! When Experia started leaking it really hurts!
If someone knows about waterproof light case for yoga, please, pretty please let me know!
Everything else will solve it self out, root, android 7.... Just have some patience. XDA always brought a solution. For doubtful - check HTC HD forums...I forgot about my 2 phones, but development is still kicking!
Just that waterproofing IP 68 anybody?
P.S. You can swipe with mousepad, in android, just not 2 finger like manual is promissing.
I got mine today and I love it, but there are things (mostly software) that are bafflingly annoying... I got this device with the idea I could utilize Netflix's offline downloading feature only to find out it's not compatible... wtf... fail...
I got mine about three weeks ago and I'm quite happy with it. I "forgot" my work laptop in my office before Xmas and I was able to survive with my Yogabook (LTE version) so far. Android MS Office apps work sufficiently well for me. VPN and Citrix Terminal Client do their job. I only use my apps in full window mode because the task bar does the job for me. Yes, it's very basic but ok for me.
I had a lot of stability issues in the beginning. I figured out that most of the apps were installed on the 128 GB sd card by default. After moving all (no exceptions) apps to internal storage, there were no crashes anymore. I already used this solution for another Android device with lots of crashes.
It took a while to get used to the keyboard but it is possible to do 10 finger typing at medium speed after some training. I just had to switch off the word completion feature because it began to drive me crazy.
After watching some Youtube videos from an artist who uses his Yogabook as a professional drawing device, I even became motivated to try it out myself. Before I just used the pen to take some notes in Evernote. It's actually quite some fun to use it for drawing and I had to buy the add-on stuff of the ArtFlow app.
Yes, it's annoying that it is not possible to download stuff to the tablet via the Netflix app. Amazon, Spotify, and Maxdome download content works well, however, in offline mode. The HDMI output to an HD TV or a projector looks good, too. Both for video streaming and Powerpoint presentations.
In summary, I'm quite happy with it ... even as an unplanned replacement for my work laptop ...
the drawing surface work with other apps or just the lenovo drawing app? for example Adobe sketch
dshadow21 said:
the drawing surface work with other apps or just the lenovo drawing app? for example Adobe sketch
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It works great with Sketchbook, Infinite Painter, Layer Paint. However somehow most brushes do not work with Corel painter.
I personally find drawing on Yogabook to be more responsive and less alggy than compared to my Samsung 10.1 2014.
hajkan said:
It works great with Sketchbook, Infinite Painter, Layer Paint. However somehow most brushes do not work with Corel painter.
I personally find drawing on Yogabook to be more responsive and less alggy than compared to my Samsung 10.1 2014.
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I used so far without issues: ArtFlow and ArtRage for Drawing, Evernote and Lenovo Note Taker for handwritten notes, Ez PDF for annotating pdf documents.
For my purposes, the pen is very accurate and responsive. In ArtFlow the pen pressure dependent line thickness and color intensity work very well.
Small addition. It survived nasti drop from table height in the office, rough terrain (PC, table legs, chair legs).
Ugly dent in metal and some scratches. That is a drawback of metal build! Glass glass will shater or survive without evidence.
BUT IT WORKS no problem at all!
Stupid question
How to @ on the Halo keyboard?
Shift + @