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I read an article on Ipadforums that said Microsoft will release Microsoft Office for IPad in Feb. 2012. This is great news that they bringing this to mobile platform but how long do you think it'll be before they give Android some love also? This will kinda be a big deal as this could finally be the word processing capabilities that students and other people have been yearning for on Android. I would hope Microsoft would have the best version of word processing considering it's their format n programs that's most widely used in pc community. Do you think it could be implemented in full capacity or that it might have to be dumbed down some.
Just a f.y.I. In case you haven't heard this news. It's been rumored for a while but now I think it's official.
Is this a full Office suite or is it their answer to Google Docs? I think that is called MS Office 365 or something similar. I'd be curious to know. This is where software is headed in the future anyway so it would make sense if that is what it is.
edit:// I just looked at MS Office 365 and it will already work on our devices including the Prime. It is cloud hosted software though and is $6 a month.
For some reason knowing Microsoft, they will drag their feet for a couple years, and if it ever does drop for android i would imagine it to be a very very very water downed version. (It pretty much depends on Microsoft's relation ship with Google). Now i have no basis for this opinion, other than the last several versions of office for mac. Despite Microsoft having one of the best word processing suites for Windows they always seem to make the mac version seem cumbersome and not as good.
skeptikal said:
Is this a full Office suite or is it their answer to Google Docs? I think that is called MS Office 365 or something similar. I'd be curious to know. This is where software is headed in the future anyway so it would make sense if that is what it is.
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I just checked the article again and it doesn't specify if full suite or not. Plus article won't name sources. I think it's against rules to link an article from another forum, so I didn't. I'm curious also as to how much can be expected out of it. Apple has iworks to compensate for non existing Microsoft office before. Bit Android never really had anything like iworks. Only third party apps n such. Which some work great also but hardly any that let's you do everything or at least a suite of apps from same developer to compliment each other.
lmm112190 said:
For some reason knowing Microsoft, they will drag their feet for a couple years, and if it ever does drop for android i would imagine it to be a very very very water downed version. (It pretty much depends on Microsoft's relation ship with Google). Now i have no basis for this opinion, other than the last several versions of office for mac. Despite Microsoft having one of the best word processing suites for Windows they always seem to make the mac version seem cumbersome and not as good.
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Supposedly Microsoft just updated or is going to update the Mac version. I wouldn't think apple/Microsoft relationship could be better than one with Microsoft n google. Apple has been their arch nemesis for years. Apple has always cried Bill Gates stole their tech and made him the richest man in the world because of it..lol not bill fault they sold him the rights when he knew the true potential of it.
I use office pretty regularly and am actually considering paying 6 bucks a month for the cloud version. $72 bucks a year sounds sort of reasonable to me for an official MS Office product. Worth a trial at least.
For the Transformer series, an awesome word-processing application is essential. I find it hilarious that there is really no good one on Android yet.
Polaris is absolutely awful.
My money is on Google to finally update their Google Docs app to make it half-decent for tablets. But right now, it is a disgrace.
We also have LibreOffice announcing an Android version slated for 2012. Microsoft has slowly been releasing mobile versions of their software so I am sure there will be a Office 365 version out there eventually.
I have used a few Android Office Suites, and my favorite is QuickOffice Pro HD, specifically designed for tablets. Allows for opening, editing and authoring Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDFs. It also supports "save as" for Office 2010, 2007, and 2003.
It was Amazon Free App of the Day a month ago, and I love it. Best thing is that it hooks to many different cloud document storage sites, like GoogleDocs and Dropbox.
http://www.quickoffice.com/quickoffice_pro_hd_android/ for screen caps. It's as close as you can get to the real MS Office for a tablet, I think.
The phone version (non-HD version) is not that great, IMO. The tablet specific one is pretty darned good.
xTRICKYxx said:
For the Transformer series, an awesome word-processing application is essential. I find it hilarious that there is really no good one on Android yet.
Polaris is absolutely awful.
My money is on Google to finally update their Google Docs app to make it half-decent for tablets. But right now, it is a disgrace.
We also have LibreOffice announcing an Android version slated for 2012. Microsoft has slowly been releasing mobile versions of their software so I am sure there will be a Office 365 version out there eventually.
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I'd not say there is no good one. I quite like QuickOffice.
I agree that there is no good office suite for Android as of yet. I prefer QuickOffice mostly because of the cloud integration, but all other features are roughly the same as other apps (I actually like the look of Polaris best, but no dropbox integration makes it worthless to me). I would be thrilled to see a full office suite from Microsoft or anyone else (hoping LibreOffice comes through!). But really, all we need is for Microsoft to open MS Live office to mobile browsers - that would be enough for me, though I would rather have an app like QuickOffice with full cloud integration and full formatting features and spell check(!). It seems silly to me that nothing like that exists. Hell, when I type posts on this forum, I get more formatting options than most, if not all, office apps and it has spell check!
Yeah, quick office HD pro is a good one. I have it on my iPad along with Office2 HD, Docs to Go premium, and Iworks Pages. Also PDF expert n PDF reader. Got several different ones just in case one does something the other doesn't do.
So for Android, as I'm hearing, quick office HD is the way to go. At least until Microsoft releases office. I mainly use these apps to make/edit my resumes in such. Some apps act funny with formatting n such. Reading and filling out pdf'sworks well with PDF expert n PDF reader.
Does Android have those others I mentioned, minus Pages? I think I've seen docs2go. I have quick office on my Atrix4g. Will definitely get the HD version for Prime once I pick it up.
When I consider the numerous areas where Google is in direct competition with MS,l I would be very suprprised if MS offered any products which even remotely benefited the Android platform. Of course, once Windows 8 is released for portable devices, the odds of an Android version of Office, will probably approach zip.
All I know is that the SINGLE biggest thing preventing tablets from being able to serve as an effective replacement for ultra slim laptops is the lack of word processing abilities. If tablets were able to do that, they would be able to do pretty much everything I use my laptop for. Word processing is absolutely KEY for any sort of computer device that is supposed to have practical benefit for your life. As a student, it is essentially the only thing I do on my laptop that is entirely practicality-focused rather than media focused that tablets can't do.
While I'm probably going to be getting the TF Prime, the only thing holding me back is if I really need it. If it was capable of word processing, that question would be absolutely erased from my mind. Anyone in the tablet industry needs to jump on making that happen.
I highly doubt Microsoft will release anything worthwhile on Android.
Personally, I'm holding out for LibreOffice, though I also have a faint hope that Google might actually develop their Gdocs app into a full office suite app, something with the same capabilities of the desktop version at least.
If none of those happen... well, here's hoping for dual-booting Android/Windows 8.
LibreOffice for Android is in the works as I read somewhere. I much prefer LibreOffice to MsOffice. I also don't like much what Android has to offer, because no app saves odt files, which I prefer. Still - fully functional web Google Docs would be enough for me.
Hi, folks!
I am seriously thinking about buying a TF201 to repace my Vaio. The main obstacle for me seems to be the way to handle my mail. I am used to keep my mail locally (with pop3) and backing it up later. Can anyone, please, clarify a few moments:
1. Is there any decent email application that would be able to handle about 25-30 Gb of email, show it with threads, use Android addressbook, etc? I hear about K9 but this one seems to be rather rudimentary in comparison to a full blown desktop client. Don't suggest a GMail app beuase it's a cloud based app.
2. Did anyone try to use a wired network on a Prime, say with USB-to-Ethernet?
3. Did anyone try to use a 128 Gb flash drives on a Prime?
Thanks a lot in advance,
I'm right in the same boat! I have an HP Touchsmart TM2-2057sb and I'm deciding right now to sell it and just run with the Prime. All of my tests seem to line up that way!
1. Touchdown is a good email client. On my A500, I used that to get my work email and it's probably your best bet.
2. Yes, the latest .21 update has given the ability to do this. Check the herehttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1581824 for the Prime for several threads describing which ones work the best.
3. Not sure. But hard drives yes. Considering the SD can handle 64 and the microSD 32, plus the ability to connect a portable hard drive. I think you're safe.
I'm still going to keep my laptop for another few weeks just to make sure I can do everything I need to but the real test will come on our next vacation somewhere.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
rorytmeadows said:
I'm right in the same boat! I have an HP Touchsmart TM2-2057sb and I'm deciding right now to sell it and just run with the Prime. All of my tests seem to line up that way!
1. Touchdown is a good email client. On my A500, I used that to get my work email and it's probably your best bet.
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Can it import emails from another client? Say, from an mh folder structure?
vomus said:
Can it import emails from another client? Say, from an mh folder structure?
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Not sure as I wouldn't store my emails that way.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
rorytmeadows said:
Not sure as I wouldn't store my emails that way.
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I looked at the program but it seems to be an Exchange client only. No "normal" pop3/imap mode of operation. Would not work for me this way.
vomus said:
I looked at the program but it seems to be an Exchange client only. No "normal" pop3/imap mode of operation. Would not work for me this way.
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I thought it could handle that. The default Android email app handles POP3/IMAP. What do you have in your email folders that's so precious? Upload it to a cloud based email service and call it a day. Then you'll never have to worry about questions like these ever again.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
I have been using GMAIL routing all my accounts to it and have not had any issues. Also have been using OWA on chrome beta with no issues to get my work email. I think it is a great replacement for a laptop
Droidmail and advanced email both have the option to store your emaail locally.
The TFP is a terrible laptop replacement as far as productivity is concerned. I tried really hard to use it in that capacity, but despite my best efforts, Android in general just isn't up to that task yet.
Granted, if your idea of a laptop replacement is nothing more than something to check/store email on, you should be able to get by. It's when you roll into making presentations and spreadsheets that you begin to feel the pain. Anything beyond the most basic of tasks is either impossible or at best, a chore.
Web browsing utterly blows as well. Soooooo slow, and crashes/freezes frequently. My phone slaughters the TFP as a browser, and I only consider it tolerable. (Galaxy Nexus)
Even Google's own services offer sub-par experiences on Android compared to what you can get on Mac/Win PCs. Try editing a spreadsheet in Google Docs' Android app. Activate an entire row of cells for editing, enter values, save row? No thank you! Google Hangouts? Good luck finding how to start one, much less getting it to actually work. My wife's TFP always fails to connect to the other party--unless she opens the Hangout session on her laptop, leaves, and then joins on the TFP.
The gmail app crashes constantly for some as well, so even something as basic as email is finicky. (but you can get around that by using other apps at least)
imho, the only way this would be a decent laptop replacement is if all you do is check email, keep a calendar, and read pdfs. (It's like, the best PDF reader ever). Maybe if you type up Word docs occasionally that contain nothing but text.
My prime is my 'tabbook'. A netbook in concept is not really intended for the 'locally' bit so much as the cloud bit, hence the 'net' part in the name.
Although in reality a netbook is just a compact laptop with low end hardware, so people use it like a regular laptop instead. Android tablets are closer to how Netbooks were originally intended, and lack powerful software by comparason. Things like MS Office, full Photoshop, etc. That's the big difference. Access to the most powerful tools on this device requires going closer to bare Linux, and that is most easy at terminal level.
1.) I'm only familar with stock email applications (Froyo - ICS) and gmail. Storage space matters aside the principal problem is attachments. The clients can be pissy about opening certain types of files. I think K9 lacks tablet friendly UI but it does say, it's intended for large mail chewing. When I need to go outside the stock email/gmail, I've always just reached for mutt. Simply put, the device is cloud oriented. I rely on "Caching" such as having a months worth of e-mail stored and sync when Internet access becomes available again.
2.) Some threads have existed, between TF101/TF201, and I've considered getting one of these. When I get my tablet back from RMA, I want to try the adapter that came with the Zenbook.
3.) I've only tried 4GB flash drives formatted in FAT32. You should have no problems AFAIK as long as the file system is supported. That can vary by kernel/rom setup on any such device.
punitenshu said:
The TFP is a terrible laptop replacement as far as productivity is concerned.
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All of the issues you point out are software issues. And why e.g. you can use a Windows/Linux/Mac netbook as a laptop, but you cannot (so easily) use an Android anything as a laptop. E.g. you won't get MS Office unless you remote to a PC.
Browser wise, speed seems to leave a lot to be desired on the 10" transformers. I think either the software isn't tuned for Tegra 3 properly, or there is just not enough power being devoted. I'm curious about how the Kait powered models are gonna do later in the year. I really would like to know what the hell is with the GMail app too.
Sadly, stuff like Google Docs while decent on a PC, is not so good on mobile. Microsoft's solution was crippled off Windows Phone last I looked at reviews, and Android apps offer much more features than Google Doc's mobile clients.
These are issues people should look at when deciding if a device like this is right for them. For me, all the heavy duty software I need can be run from a Debian chroot and a terminal emulator, so I'm good lol.
Personally, I don't feel productive on a notebook to begin with. I need 2+ screens, a real keyboard with number pad, and a real mouse. So, for me, the Prime is indeed a notebook replacement. I just don't consider a notebook to be a desktop replacement
bedoig said:
Personally, I don't feel productive on a notebook to begin with. I need 2+ screens, a real keyboard with number pad, and a real mouse. So, for me, the Prime is indeed a notebook replacement. I just don't consider a notebook to be a desktop replacement
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All of which can easily be had in a normal person's laptop setup even without resorting to the "desktop replacement" class laptops. (I'm typing right here with my spare monitor, mouse, and number pad-sportin' Samsung Series 7).
I'd say the term "desktop replacement" when applied to laptops is leagues closer to being a realistic term than "notebook replacement" when applied to an Android tablet. Heck, even a sorely-underpowered Ion Netbook is better for productivity.
But, yeah, you're right--it's a great laptop replacement for people that don't really do anything with their laptops, sort of like how a microwave is a great oven replacement for people who eat out every day.
punitenshu said:
All of which can easily be had in a normal person's laptop setup even without resorting to the "desktop replacement" class laptops. (I'm typing right here with my spare monitor, mouse, and number pad-sportin' Samsung Series 7).
I'd say the term "desktop replacement" when applied to laptops is leagues closer to being a realistic term than "notebook replacement" when applied to an Android tablet. Heck, even a sorely-underpowered Ion Netbook is better for productivity.
But, yeah, you're right--it's a great laptop replacement for people that don't really do anything with their laptops, sort of like how a microwave is a great oven replacement for people who eat out every day.
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Woah, relax. I'm just saying I find the notebook form factor limiting. Of course you can add peripherals to a notebook to duplicate a traditional "desktop" environment. But as long as we're adding peripherals, let's add external monitors, a keyboard, and a mouse to the tablet along with an external PC to VNC into...
Edit - I just realized I may have been reading some combativeness into your post that wasn't really there. If so, my bad
punitenshu said:
All of which can easily be had in a normal person's laptop setup even without resorting to the "desktop replacement" class laptops. (I'm typing right here with my spare monitor, mouse, and number pad-sportin' Samsung Series 7).
I'd say the term "desktop replacement" when applied to laptops is leagues closer to being a realistic term than "notebook replacement" when applied to an Android tablet. Heck, even a sorely-underpowered Ion Netbook is better for productivity.
But, yeah, you're right--it's a great laptop replacement for people that don't really do anything with their laptops, sort of like how a microwave is a great oven replacement for people who eat out every day.
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I agree with this. My tm2 is really just a mobile desktop for checking email, looking up things on the web, FB, looking up eateries/attractions while travelling. I would never use this as anything for productivity.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
bedoig said:
Woah, relax. I'm just saying I find the notebook form factor limiting. Of course you can add peripherals to a notebook to duplicate a traditional "desktop" environment. But as long as we're adding peripherals, let's add external monitors, a keyboard, and a mouse to the tablet along with an external PC to VNC into...
Edit - I just realized I may have been reading some combativeness into your post that wasn't really there. If so, my bad
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No problem...I'm used to coming across that way on the interwebz, just don't want to confuse the TC by being unclear about what each of us actually thinks constitutes "laptop replacement".
Where I work (university) most people actually do commonly use laptops in "desktop environments"--and having a desk with a second monitor/mouse isn't really excessive considering you'd need even more than that for an equivalent desktop setup. As far as I'm concerned, I just exchanged two static pieces of hardware for one and gained portability in the process.
I do not know if you guys already know, but until recently did not have such access, but now within the hotmail skydrive, you guys can create and edit office documents like the windows, although with some restrictions ... however I still think the best king polaris office and office, as relates to tools.
I hope you guys have helped
(using chrome beta)
Best office app i've seen is the Softmaker Textmaker mobile beta.
It has almost everything MS office has. Also adanced features like syllabification/correction test. Also it has full keyboard support with copy/paste and selecting text is really easy. The only thing missing is thesaurus but there are enough synonym apps to replace even that.
The best thing: Its still free at the moment as its in final beta status.
google it if you wanna try
microsoft surface....is now very intriguing with regards to this type of situation. may have to abandon the prime
rogerchew said:
microsoft surface....is now very intriguing with regards to this type of situation. may have to abandon the prime
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or someone to develop a dualboot can run for prime windows 8, the surface normal also uses tegra3
rogerchew said:
microsoft surface....is now very intriguing with regards to this type of situation. may have to abandon the prime
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I dont think the keyboard is anywhere near the quality of the prime^^ I'd rather buy a Transformer style pad from Asus with win8 instead of MS surface...
TFP is currently the best Tablet keyboard combo that I can sit on the plane with the thing on my lap and type..
that alone will make me stick to the prime, for now.. The office apps for Android about the same for me.. if you really need to work on big spreadsheets nothing really compares to a 20+ inch screen and a proper keyboard.
Or you could just use the "cloud on" app as that is office!
clouds5 said:
Best office app i've seen is the Softmaker Textmaker mobile beta.
It has almost everything MS office has. Also adanced features like syllabification/correction test. Also it has full keyboard support with copy/paste and selecting text is really easy. The only thing missing is thesaurus but there are enough synonym apps to replace even that.
The best thing: Its still free at the moment as its in final beta status.
google it if you wanna try
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Great advice man, Softmaker Textmaker mobile is just amazing, any idea when they will start selling it ? Wouldn't Microsoft release Office for android in october ? and Official Ubuntu, wouldnt it be also released in October, I mean Ubuntu=Open office .
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
I use Officesuite pro, it supports google drive (cloud). works perfect on the TFP.
cloud on offers the best office experience imho
i've found "cloud on" very usefull.. so.. (after registration at the service) this will be definitely the best office-like program..
Office Suite Pro is on sale right now for $1
I've haven't used it much yet, but seems pretty good
clouds5 said:
Best office app i've seen is the Softmaker Textmaker mobile beta.
It has almost everything MS office has. Also adanced features like syllabification/correction test. Also it has full keyboard support with copy/paste and selecting text is really easy. The only thing missing is thesaurus but there are enough synonym apps to replace even that.
The best thing: Its still free at the moment as its in final beta status.
google it if you wanna try
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I downloaded the file. Any tips on installation?
Edit: Found the .apk. This is the website if anyone's interested: http://www.softmaker.com/english/download_en.htm
It's not playing nice with my Prime atm. Getting screen artifacts or something on the left side when opening it up. Going to download again.
When checking the comparison page to the other apps, this looks amazing.
effezie said:
I downloaded the file. Any tips on installation?
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Make sure you have 'Unknown Sources' under security settings checked to enable installation of non Play Store apps.
Then simple tap the downloaded apk in the file manager and it will prompt to install.
ThiaiZ said:
Great advice man, Softmaker Textmaker mobile is just amazing, any idea when they will start selling it ? Wouldn't Microsoft release Office for android in october ? and Official Ubuntu, wouldnt it be also released in October, I mean Ubuntu=Open office .
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
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The last email i got said something like "final beta version" so i guess its rather sooner than later
My download for the free beta version ends the 2nd week in July.
Kingsoft Office. Free. All basics are here for ppt(x), xls(x), doc(x).
I have tried all the office style apps that are available so far on android as I was hoping to have a replacement for office when I am traveling. Polaris office is one of the best but I have had some issues saving with my external SD card and kept losing my work.
I have started using softmaker office and other than not being as smooth for two finger zooming, the features are well above anything else available at the moment.
It is now in 5th beta so imagine it will come out pretty soon. I just wish there was an email system that could handle pstx files and I would be complete
Office apps for prime
I can highly recommend Cloud on. I tried various options, and cloud on is by far the slickest - I also agree that using spreadsheets on anything less than a 20 inch screen is a nightmare.
myndworkz said:
I can highly recommend Cloud on. I tried various options, and cloud on is by far the slickest - I also agree that using spreadsheets on anything less than a 20 inch screen is a nightmare.
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Typically not available in Australia. Looks good though!
Gilbo12 said:
Typically not available in Australia. Looks good though!
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It appears it's only available on the ipad in the US.
I played around with SoftMaker's office-like app in Beta - quite liked it, but it was never very stable (e.g., it often just wouldn't open) and there was quite a bit of typing lag when using the keyboard. Has anyone stumped up the pretty hefty price for the full release and tested it (particularly the TextMaker element) who would care to comment on its pros and cons? I guess for me, in addition to genuine multi-tasking, having a pretty full office suite is the one thing that may put me off getting a Surface - at least in its first iteration.
dgjl said:
I played around with SoftMaker's office-like app in Beta - quite liked it, but it was never very stable (e.g., it often just wouldn't open) and there was quite a bit of typing lag when using the keyboard. Has anyone stumped up the pretty hefty price for the full release and tested it (particularly the TextMaker element) who would care to comment on its pros and cons? I guess for me, in addition to genuine multi-tasking, having a pretty full office suite is the one thing that may put me off getting a Surface - at least in its first iteration.
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Funny i just came here to make a thread about softmaker office mobile
First off: There is a 30 day test version that you can try out with all features enabled.
I used it since early beta, and i've even written a full 6 pages essay for my final exams with it. There is spelling correction and everything. There is not a single feature that is missing for me. You have to use a seperate app for thesaurus, synonyms and stuff but that doesnt bother me. It seems that they fixed the typing lag issues as well, even when writing longer texts i didnt come across any lags - make sure to enable opengl acceleration in the options.
You can also install any font you like, you just have to put it in the right folder. It reads every file i've come across and displays it correctly. For my essay i had to write it in a premade file that came on a usb stick. No issues at opening it or saving it in the format it came. No display issues or formatting issues.
You can also save your files directly to pdf from the app and the dropbox integration is flawless. In a way it even makes stuff easier than on the pc because everything is integrated.
About the cons.. Well it takes some time until you know what all the buttons do, there is an option where you can arrange the symbols the way you want and there there are explanations on what each symbol does - but thats the only place where they explain it.
Also i didnt find a way to change my standard document. So each time you create a new file you have to set up the font and size before you start typing. Maybe there is an option for that and i just havent found it yet though
Also i checked out the presentation app, IT EVEN SUPPORTS ANIMATIONS! I think its the only mobile app that supports ms office animations. So you can simply create stuff on your pc at home save it to your dropbox and present it via hdmi or vga (adapter needed) out, and you can depend on it that it will display exactly the way you created it at home. Over are the days where you need to carry heavy laptops and bring your power adapter
I can fully recommend it at this point and suggest you try out the trial version.
On a side note i read about rumors that Microsoft is planning on releasing their own office apps for both ios and android later this year (probably november). So for me there is no reason at this point to buy a windows 8 tablet. Office was the last thing i was looking for. The gap is filled - at least for me.
Cheers mate
Damn, I wish I knew this a month ago... So many essays that I've used QuickOffice for. This feels so much nicer, + the animations in Presentations are nice!
clouds5 said:
Funny
On a side note i read about rumors that Microsoft is planning on releasing their own office apps for both ios and android later this year (probably november). So for me there is no reason at this point to buy a windows 8 tablet. Office was the last thing i was looking for. The gap is filled - at least for me.
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Thanks for all the helpful info. Don't you think it would be odd for Microsoft to release the Surface, which most people would buy because of MS Office functionality, and then a couple of weeks later release Office for Android/iOS? (As far as I can see the last 'rumours' of this release were back in May) Still, when my ATP comes back from its 3rd RMA (tomorrow) I'll give the 30 day free trial a go. Hopefully by the end of that we'll know a bit more about whether Office proper is coming to Android.
Kingston Office just got an update... it's awesome now, it was great, but now it is awesome... highly highly recommend this great app
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
bunnybash said:
Kingston Office just got an update... it's awesome now, it was great, but now it is awesome... highly highly recommend this great app
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
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I think it's Kingsoft - and yes, the interface looks really good now; if only it had a few more fonts...It's also not nearly as accurate at presenting docs as Softmaker appears to be - though SM's interface is pretty demanding to get your head around at first. I guess all these small Office-esque apps are rather concerned about the upcoming MSOffice app (if it comes) and the Surface. It should certainly encourage some good work from the competitors.
Trying to find a good app for lecture note taking with my Galaxy Tab S6 (which is on its way). I seen literally hundreds of reviews, videos etc. I've made a short list of (possibly) the best available apps for android, but I'd like to have the opinion of experts on this matter. Why am I being proactive with this? Well my tablet was received damaged and a replacement on its way, but I'm really running late with my notes and workload piling up.
I don't mind paying for a good app, as long as it does the job it was intended for. I take engineering notes with lots of math formulas. Handwriting OCR is a must. My humble shortlist after doing my research is:
- Nebo
- Squid
- OneNote
- MS Word
Most of these apps were exhaustively reviewed with an iPad, so I'm not sure which one of these, or any other I missed can do the job on the Tab S6.
Any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I can only speak to Nebo. I bought it for it's excellent 'written text to .txt' function; aslo does Word (.docx), PDF or HTML. It is in continual development, and they've added some new features just in the last few weeks. Works very well at deciphering even my scribbles that I can hardly make out.
Something to check out is FiiNote; I'm just now starting to evaluate it, (as a replacement for Joplin, not a note-taking app, but good for information consolidation).
FYI, my work-flow using Nebo and Joplin us to scribble notes in Nebo—>convert to plain text—>paste in to Joplin.
TiTiB said:
I can only speak to Nebo. I bought it for it's excellent 'written text to .txt' function; aslo does Word (.docx), PDF or HTML. It is in continual development, and they've added some new features just in the last few weeks. Works very well at deciphering even my scribbles that I can hardly make out.
Something to check out is FiiNote; I'm just now starting to evaluate it, (as a replacement for Joplin, not a note-taking app, but good for information consolidation).
FYI, my work-flow using Nebo and Joplin us to scribble notes in Nebo—>convert to plain text—>paste in to Joplin.
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Thanks TiTiB for your input. I've purchased and tested Nebo with the Tab S6. Handwriting is indeed faster than OneNote. Math formula writing is again much better. The downside, you cannot import something from pdf, like a graph or a photo from your notes into Nebo. Export to Word works well. I try to do some formatting and inserting graphs using Word on Windows, which takes some time. Dark theme is also not available, which should save some battery. Have you noticed that any of these features can work somehow?
Other than that, Nebo is a very good app.
euclid444 said:
Thanks TiTiB for your input. I've purchased and tested Nebo with the Tab S6. Handwriting is indeed faster than OneNote. Math formula writing is again much better. The downside, you cannot import something from pdf, like a graph or a photo from your notes into Nebo. Export to Word works well. I try to do some formatting and inserting graphs using Word on Windows, which takes some time. Dark theme is also not available, which should save some battery. Have you noticed that any of these features can work somehow?
Other than that, Nebo is a very good app.
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I have not used any Word functions (nor even Word, for that matter). I don't use Nebo fo anything other than 'scribbles-to-text' ability. I use Joplin for 'consolidation' of text and image/pdf files; tho, like I said, I have FiiNotes installed and am evaluating that app.
Noteledge maybe?
RedMist said:
Noteledge maybe?
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So far I've tried more than a dozen apps and none of them seem to be able to do what I'm trying to achieve!
Currently trying to test Joblin. I'll try Noteledge then and see how it goes.
I'm afraid that buying the Tab S6 for becoming more productive in note taking was a waste of money and time!
euclid444 said:
So far I've tried more than a dozen apps and none of them seem to be able to do what I'm trying to achieve!
Currently trying to test Joblin. I'll try Noteledge then and see how it goes.
I'm afraid that buying the Tab S6 for becoming more productive in note taking was a waste of money and time!
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Can you please elaborate on why it's a waste of money and time? I'm considering buying a Tab S6 (or iPad 10.2 + Pencil), also for lecture note taking and would really appreciate your opinion.
Jacko2410 said:
Can you please elaborate on why it's a waste of money and time? I'm considering buying a Tab S6 (or iPad 10.2 + Pencil), also for lecture note taking and would really appreciate your opinion.
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I extensively tested the Tab S6 for note taking only, nothing else, since I have a lot of homework piling up. I spent more than 2 weeks with that. I could name over 20 note taking apps that I have tried in the process.
The ones I worked with the most since I found more suitable than the others were OneNote, Nebo, Notion, Evernote, Joplin. Every single one of them has something missing which is covered by the other. It is not my purpose to mention pros and cons of each of those. Bottom line, I straggled trying to figure out a way to work more efficiently than taking notes either on paper or using MS Word on the laptop. In the end I realized I was much faster with the laptop!
Tab S6 appears to be an excellent machine, very fast and handy if you are on the go. It's probably the best android tablet out there at this point. However, the android apps are not as good. I've purchased paid versions of some of them above, but still I wasn't efficient enough.
Most of professional apps out there for tablets are demonstrated using either iPad Pro or Surface (YouTube videos). So I was misguided to buy the Tab S6 since I thought that it could cover all these. Big mistake! If you want to make a shopping list or a to-do list on the tablet fine, but that's about it. Besides I don't know why should anyone bother with that anyway, just use the phone.
Don't get me wrong, the Tab S6 was an excellent machine, but cannot compete with the power or multitasking of a laptop. I'm saying "was" because I gave up 2 days ago and I'm back to the old fashion way. Currently, I'm looking for a WACOM or using Notion on laptop to evaluate and see if any of those can to the job efficiently.
I almost mainly use OneNote for note-taking for work, works great for me... And I now noticed OneNote introduced dark mode which is great for oled screens. Every now and then I use Samsung NOtes for a quick random note.
But give some concrete examples of what would be missing because right now it just feels like your greatly exeggarating here. The very general 'every app was missing something' doesn't help either.
I use mainly written notes btw, bought the tabs6 as a replacement for my paper-note-taking primarily.
dagrim1 said:
I almost mainly use OneNote for note-taking for work, works great for me... And I now noticed OneNote introduced dark mode which is great for oled screens. Every now and then I use Samsung NOtes for a quick random note.
But give some concrete examples of what would be missing because right now it just feels like your greatly exeggarating here. The very general 'every app was missing something' doesn't help either.
I use mainly written notes btw, bought the tabs6 as a replacement for my paper-note-taking primarily.
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If you want details, I'll try to be brief:
-OneNote: probably the best of all I've tried, but, I had to use 3 different versions of OneNote to complete my notes, plus MS Word in the end. OneNote on android for taking handwrtitten notes, which by the way cannot recognize math formulas, and I have a lot. Fortunately auto sync on all devices, so used OneNote on W10 to insert graphs and tables. This one has a dark mode as well, but many features are missing. The fully loaded OneNote 2016, which unfortunately is being phased out, has everything, no dark mode, but that's not a problem. Then export to docx, which needs some further formatting and corrections. One problem there, math formulas are extracted as images, not formulas! But overall, OneNote was the best I used. Finally realized, I was faster typing everything on my laptop using Word!
-Nebo: very good with math formulas and all these are transferred as actual formulas when exporting to Word. Dark mode as well. Cannot import tables or graphs, so I had to do this in Word with laptop. Still faster with the laptop!
-Joplin: Excellent app, but still more complete on the Windows version rather than the android app. Didn't practice much with this, still much to learn.
-Notion: excellent app, many possibilities, like Joplin, more powerful on the Windows version rather than the android app. Still much to learn from this.
The handwriting recognition on the Tab S6 is excellent, but I have the impression that everything is done from the tablet itself, not by the different apps. So all the credit for the text recognition goes to the tablet not to the apps, which all use the same input method. I could go on and on, but I have homework to do. I'm stating my honest opinion here, nothing to do with manufacturers or anything else. Unlike many videos posted on YouTube and others, which present things in such an incredible way, giving wrong impressions at times, especially for apps.
euclid444 said:
If you want details, I'll try to be brief:
-OneNote: probably the best of all I've tried, but, I had to use 3 different versions of OneNote to complete my notes, plus MS Word in the end. OneNote on android for taking handwrtitten notes, which by the way cannot recognize math formulas, and I have a lot. Fortunately auto sync on all devices, so used OneNote on W10 to insert graphs and tables. This one has a dark mode as well, but many features are missing. The fully loaded OneNote 2016, which unfortunately is being phased out, has everything, no dark mode, but that's not a problem. Then export to docx, which needs some further formatting and corrections. One problem there, math formulas are extracted as images, not formulas! But overall, OneNote was the best I used. Finally realized, I was faster typing everything on my laptop using Word!
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OneNote 2016 for Windows is some kind of a Swiss army knife to me... especially with Addons
Because of the downgrades in the 2019 version, I bought OneNote 2016 (Office Home & Student 2016) several months ago.
And the Onetastic-Addon :good:
Good news regarding OneNote 2016?
@euclid444: for math formulas, did you try
- Microsoft Mathematics-Add-In for OneNote (for windows)
- MyScript Calculator 2 (android)
I want to add Lecture Notes to the list.