Flyer good for class?

**ef3309ct** · 06-02-2011, 09:28 PM

Hey guys, this is my first post..yay.. so I am intersted in purchasing the flyer or the evo view but i want to know how good is the note taking feature? is it good enough to take it to lecture and take in depth notes more than 3 pages a class or is it just a jot down thing fo reminders etc. how useful will this thing be for a student or should i just stick to a paper and pen. any opinions...thanks

**S Prime** · 06-03-2011, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by ef3309ct

Hey guys, this is my first post..yay.. so I am intersted in purchasing the flyer or the evo view but i want to know how good is the note taking feature? is it good enough to take it to lecture and take in depth notes more than 3 pages a class or is it just a jot down thing fo reminders etc. how useful will this thing be for a student or should i just stick to a paper and pen. any opinions...thanks

First off, I use the note feature on a daily basis and find it useful for tracking my billable hours during the course of my workday. In answer to your question and only from my perspective, if I was looking for a pen and paper quality replacement, I would be disappointed. I find it to be more a matter of determining if the note and scribe technology on the Flyer provide you with acceptable quality, as it does for me. Admittedly my handwriting on the Flyer has improved with practice and may improve more. Also we may find apps down the road that improve quality, but that is a guess at this point. My suggestion is to demo one if possible at a Best Buy store and plan on seeing the quality improve by 50% or more from your initial efforts. Others that have used it more extensively than me may be able to provide you more information.

**suzi** · 06-03-2011, 03:54 PM

I'm using it for meetings, and I find that it's faster if I take most of my notes with the keyboard. But when i need a graph or chart, the pen is really helpful. Also, I use the highlight feature on the pen to mark typed text for to-do's or important points.

I am a college prof, and my area is math - and I arrange music for an amateur band, so in my opinion, the pen is invaluable -- but if the stuff you want to capture is mostly text based, I would say you could save your money.

**ef3309ct** · 06-03-2011, 11:21 PM

Ok thanks for the replies...yea most of the stuff I want to do is text so with that in mind I guess paper and pen will do..but let's say its for a class that posts the lecture slides. I'm assuming the pen would work better to jot down clarifactions on notes that are already posted. Since most of my classes do this would that be a better way to take full advantage of the pen?

**waynew73** · 06-09-2011, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by ef3309ct

Ok thanks for the replies...yea most of the stuff I want to do is text so with that in mind I guess paper and pen will do..but let's say its for a class that posts the lecture slides. I'm assuming the pen would work better to jot down clarifactions on notes that are already posted. Since most of my classes do this would that be a better way to take full advantage of the pen?

Yes, you can definitely do that. I do that with presentations at work meetings.

Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk

**duckwars** · 06-13-2011, 12:11 PM

As the only person who is a student who tried to use this for notes, I think I should weigh in.

No.

Don't think it will replace a pen and paper. You write at least 30% slower, messier, and the amount of space you have to write is much smaller. Also, if you try to record the lecture, I got the professor VERY quiet, and I could constantly hear my pen clacking on the screen.

It is GREAT for annotating a slide. If your class is slides that you need to write on top of, then I think it is quite good.

**Mouretsu** · 06-14-2011, 09:58 PM

I have been on the fence for getting an HTC Flyer, Acer Iconia or the Toshiba Thrive. I am currently typing this on my Gateway convertible tablet with Windows 7. I bought this tablet almost four years ago when I started paramedic school. I scanned all of my text books into PDF files and imported them into Windows OneNote. I used my tablet every day and took copious amounts of notes on it. The Windows platform (Vista at the time) along with a digitizing pen (non touch screen tablet) is just as fast as a paper and pen and far superior because of all the options in OneNote (and other programs). My "pen" also never dried out, my tip never needed sharpening or broke, and I actually was able to write faster than with actual pen and paper. You can highlight text, bookmark text, write down mathematical formulas and the computer solves them for you and tons more that I never used or figured out. You can import web pages or clips from web pages directly into your notes. So if we were talking about the heart I could browse the web for what we were talking about, find a picture or article I liked and import directly to my notes in one step and then add notes and arrows and such around the imported pic or text. The most awesome part, aside from having all my books in one place, was the search function. I could search for a word and it would find all instances of that word in every text book PDF and all of my hand writing. I have horrible hand writing and it always found the word or phrase I was searching for. This was invaluable when you have several hundred pages of hand written notes and you want to find something you wrote down about a certain drug or cellular structure.

I now mostly use my tablet as a regular laptop with the screen up and keyboard in the regular position. It is a 15.4" screen and fairly heavy since it is a full-on laptop with a swivel screen so it really isn't easy to put into portrait mode and read a book on my Kindle PC software or carry it around for web surfing and media viewing. It's served me well and will need to be replaced soon and I'm hoping that an Android tablet with a pen will eventually come close to the awesome experience I have had with this convertible tablet. I don't need it to do everything Windows does because I'm not in school anymore and I have different use needs now. However, based on my little bit of playing around with the Flyer at Best Buy, it is currently not even remotely close to the same level of pen function that a Windows tablet has. If you have a year or more of school left I would not hesitate to buy one of the few Windows tablets that are out there right now. They will be much lighter and easier to work with then my 3+ year-old convertible tablet but heavier, bigger and more expensive than any of the Android tablets out there. The trade off is that you will get a tablet that is meant for and built for a complete and awesome penning experience.

I really do wish the Flyer was as good of a penning tablet as my Gateway but it's not. Having a 10" option would also be nice for school situations but the 7" screen seems really nice for my current use needs. So I'm trying to decide on the Flyer which has great future potential if people develop more for it or a 10" option tablet (Acer/Toshiba) which have great connectivity options of full size USB, full sizeHDMI and SD Card (on Toshiba).

**jlee91780** · 06-21-2011, 08:13 AM

Okay, it's a bit vague everyone saying its not pen and paper quality, but yet most say you can take pretty good notes on provided slides. Can someone post a picture showing a HTC Flyer page with as many HTC scribed notes as possible? From the demos I've seen at Best Buy, I don't see why the quality isn't good enough to fill the screen with tiny scribes. If possible, if someone can also post a comparison note from a windows pc tablet that everyone is saying is that much better>?

**S Prime** · 06-21-2011, 05:51 PM

I don't have a Windows tablet pc, but I am posting a pen and paper comparison to the Flyer.

IT Service Professional - I Just Want My Device to Be Productive

**jlee91780** · 06-21-2011, 09:06 PM

Thanks a lot for doing this for your forum. So it looks like you can't write as small on the flyer suggesting fine detail is not good on the flyer. I have an Asus 101MT tablet PC and I'm not sure I can write all finely on that neither. However, I would have thought a flyer with its specially made screen and pen could get close to pen and paper quality but I guess not. I wonder if improved software might improve. I was going to get a Evo View for sure but now rethinking this. I wanted to justify this purchase with the thought that it would make me more productive unlike an Ipad I returned when I found out it was purely an entertainment device.

**jlee91780** · 06-21-2011, 09:10 PM

Another question I had was whether some of the problems with not being paper quality is that the Flyer isn't 10 inches to get closer to what a standard sheet of paper is and you end up zooming and re-zooming? If so, would waiting for the rumored 10 inch Flyer be worth it?

**yapkuen** · 06-21-2011, 11:20 PM

Zooming in and out isn't an issue, per se, since the Notes app only gives you a "sheet" of paper that's as big as the screen. You're not zooming and re-zooming to fill up an 8.5x11 inch sheet of paper, you're just writing on a smaller sheet of paper all together. What you do end up doing more frequently than you would on a hypothetical 10" tablet is scrolling as you fill up the page.

**jlee91780** · 06-22-2011, 07:29 AM

So you are essentially telling us the scribe pen and digitizer screen on the Flyer just sucks? No ifs and buts? Could you see software updates improving this?

**S Prime** · 06-22-2011, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by jlee91780

So you are essentially telling us the scribe pen and digitizer screen on the Flyer just sucks? No ifs and buts? Could you see software updates improving this?

That is anyone's guess at this point. But my guess is that it will happen about the time Pigs Fly 'er.......

IT Service Professional - I Just Want My Device to Be Productive

**yapkuen** · 06-22-2011, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by jlee91780

So you are essentially telling us the scribe pen and digitizer screen on the Flyer just sucks? No ifs and buts? Could you see software updates improving this?

Not clear who you directed this particular post to, but it's certainly not what I'm saying. I use it for taking meeting notes on a regular basis, and my handwriting isn't too far degraded from how it looks on paper. I'm not sure whether the Flyer could have stood up to the volume of notes I took in class when I was in college, but it certainly does its job well enough for what I need.

**jlee91780** · 06-23-2011, 08:43 AM

So I'm not expecting pen and paper quality (although I kinda hoped) but if it got to %80 of pen and paper, I saw huge advantages in terms of organization; I mean everything would get automatically organized. I also thought the audio recording would do better than reported here. How close to the speaker do you have to get? We have small conferences and if I could sit in front, I was hoping to be able to record it and have it time stamped as advertised?

**S Prime** · 06-23-2011, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by jlee91780

So I'm not expecting pen and paper quality (although I kinda hoped) but if it got to %80 of pen and paper, I saw huge advantages in terms of organization; I mean everything would get automatically organized. I also thought the audio recording would do better than reported here. How close to the speaker do you have to get? We have small conferences and if I could sit in front, I was hoping to be able to record it and have it time stamped as advertised?

So we are all victims of our expectations, based on our interpretation of the marketing of the Flyer. It is certainly capable of doing everything that I saw in the advertising, but I was expecting better quality. I honestly purchased the pen to make notes during the workday to help me track my billable hours and I am not disappointed in that. I have questioned if I would pay $80 for the pen again and believe I would option for the Futijsu N-Trig at $30 and sacrifice the erase button. I must honestly admit that the 7 inch form factor has been one of the best features of the Flyer.

IT Service Professional - I Just Want My Device to Be Productive

**Mouretsu** · 06-27-2011, 11:00 AM

Screen shots from paramedic class on my Gateway convertible tablet. You can see that I imported pictures from the web and PDF files directly into the page and then took notes over the top of them. You can also see that my handwriting isn't the best but if I search OneNote for certain words, it still finds all instances of those words in my handwritten notes. If you are going to school then you should get the . It's more expensive and about a pound heavier than an Android but put it on a small folding stand (like I did) and it sits at the perfect angle to take notes on. I actually took notes in landscape rather than portrait. But 2.5 pounds and 5 hours of battery life is fine for the average college day. If you're doing a lot of field work then I might try to make the Flyer work but for sit-down classroom stuff, you can't beat a W7 tablet and OneNote.

**xxx4rch4ng3lxxx** · 06-28-2011, 12:06 AM

Does Android have a handwriting recognition input method? Or an app to allow it? I'm not sure if I'd be fast at typing, but I'd definitely like a quick handwriting-text input method.

Also, is the general opinion good or bad for the Flyer's writing capabilities? I thought about getting one for general writing (like a journal or ideas and such).

**ef3309ct** · 06-30-2011, 07:52 PM

The idea is still exciting for me and I learned a lot from these posts I'm still interested in it not sure if I wanna drop the money for the flyer or get the view with sprint... since the pen is good for jotting down and not for longer notes..that's ok I guess but how what would you guys say about the entertainment side of it...does it feel like an enlarged phone or something different

**yayahero** · 07-01-2011, 12:01 AM

Sorry for this irrelevant post. I need to post something to see the attachment from @ Mouretsu. Again sorry for the irrelevant post.

**S Prime** · 07-01-2011, 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by ef3309ct

The idea is still exciting for me and I learned a lot from these posts I'm still interested in it not sure if I wanna drop the money for the flyer or get the view with sprint... since the pen is good for jotting down and not for longer notes..that's ok I guess but how what would you guys say about the entertainment side of it...does it feel like an enlarged phone or something different

From an entertainment standpoint, I cannot speak on gaming, but for music or video consider the Flyer to be a PLD (Personal Listening Device). Which means the experience is less satisfying without using headphones. I have not tried the Flyer ported to a big screen, nor have I seen any comments on the Flyer's usability in that mode.

IT Service Professional - I Just Want a Device to be Productive

**Gawain** · 07-02-2011, 01:08 AM

Originally Posted by ef3309ct

Hey guys, this is my first post..yay.. so I am intersted in purchasing the flyer or the evo view but i want to know how good is the note taking feature? is it good enough to take it to lecture and take in depth notes more than 3 pages a class or is it just a jot down thing fo reminders etc. how useful will this thing be for a student or should i just stick to a paper and pen. any opinions...thanks

I have not used the HTC Flyer, but for your purposes, I seriously think you should look at a Windows 7 tablet or notebook/laptop, with a stylus and Microsoft OneNote. OneNote will allow you to organize your notes very very well. With the handwriting recognition, your notes are searchable. If you have notebook, then you also have access to a keyboard. Also, OneNote allows you to make recordings from right within the application.

I use the Fujitsu LifeBook series (for work), and the application works amazingly well. Plus, the 13 inch screen allows for plenty of space. The application allows you to keep writing down further on the page...like you never run out of paper. With prudent power management or a spare or bay battery, and the machine will easily last you all day.

I'm sure mentioning Microsoft in an Android forum is a recipe for drawing flames from many, but OneNote works. It works really well. Plus, it's a core application and allows for printing notes to PDF or emailing directly via Outlook.

The one drawback is money. The LifeBook series gets very expensive if you option it up. I've had mine for a little over 18 months and I'm still amazed by it. It has put up well with being shoved in, yanked out of my pack, and toted around all over the place. If you have many years of school ahead, this might be worth the investment.

My $.02 if you're seeking a viable alternative to pen and paper.

edit to add: I saw that someone else already recommended OneNote (that's what I get for rushing to type on the internet). So, I'll add, "What they said." ;-)

**RkyMtnHigh** · 07-04-2011, 09:30 AM

All my notes look just like my writing...Works great and like the calendar import. Same with the screen capture and email...This tab gets better and better. Reminds me of my Evo.

**swixtwix** · 07-09-2011, 01:38 AM

I, for one, am enjoying the pen integration on the Flyer. Much better than my iPad with a conductive stylus. The accuracy of the hard tip pen is definitely more "paper and pen" like than a soft tipped conductive stylus or finger tip. Don't get me wrong, its definitely not a "pen and paper" experience, but close enough for my taste. The fault is the hardness of the glass... try writing on glass with a ballpoint pen. The matte protector creates a little more friction, but doesn't overcome the hardness... and dulls the screen, IMO. Maybe a rubberized plastic texture for the pen nib would create more "give" and friction.

I average about 7 meetings per week with my Flyer over the last month. Always record audio and meeting duration range from 30-90 minute minutes. The first week of meetings were cumbersome, but after getting used to the quirks of the device, its been pretty smooth sailing. The biggest hurdle was writing in landscape and actively scrolling with your finger.

I'm in IT also, but my customer-base does not always allow me to bring tablets to meetings. I've been on a quest to digitize my workflow since my first PDA. The Flyer definitely getting me closer to that goal. I prefer the 7" form factor, though a poster is correct that a 10" tablet better resembles a sheet of paper. I personally prefer "lab-notebook" or half size paper filler for my notebooks over full sheets.

As for more apps, the tablet form-factor is still new for Android developers. Honeycomb will definitely spur more tablet friendly apps. As for pen integrated. apps, that's something we'll have to rely on HTC to support for now amd maybe forever... It will depend on the popularity and the ease of adding the feature onto apps. I'm hoping for the best, but I'm not holding my breath. This 2nd gen tablet is working for me. And I don't see the note-taking experience getting better on the iPad or any tablet without pen integration.... Actually Wacom's app for the iPad uses some sort of algorithm which greatly improves the experience (it rounds out handwriting more and has "tails" to the end of strokes). So maybe 2nd gen software can also improve the experience.

In any case, don't discount the pen experience on the Flyer... Definitely the best out there if you are dead set on taking notes on a tablet.