[robcassman]

First, I'd hold off on judgement until you actually use one. I read the same reviews as you did last week. Second, you need to be careful about the sites you read reviews from. Most are pro-Apple and if it's not an iPad then it's junk.

Oh how I wish Android Central could step it up when it comes to reviewing new products, but I digress. MobileTech Review does excellent non-biased reviews. rid of my N7 either). I've been waiting for an Android tablet done right, and I think this is it.

I plan on playing with one at my local Best Buy. MobileTechReview IS great, you're right about that.

[robcassman]

This tablet is much snappier than any I have owned.. touchpad with ICS, Sony tablet S, transformer...
I have not experienced any lag other than when i tried to open a 800MB pdf of a book.. someone decided to just scan every page of a textbook and call it an e book.... But i digress

The "poor build" as most call it is non-existent on mine or the one I got for my GF. It feels very sturdy more sturdy than the touchpad and well the tablet s felt like an angled brick so not as sturdy as that and it feels more comfortable in the hand than the transformer.

Touchwiz is almost non-existent.

Note taking is amazing on this thing and "7 note" is nice for writing to text but once you get used to the built in Samsung S note software for handwriting to text you will be pleased with it.

Resolution the big hype by all is BS. The screen is beautiful, bright, colorful, and vibrant. The resolution is not HD yes, but IMO the bigger icons and everything just make it so much easier to use especially when taking notes with an app called Papyrus(which is awesome). I don't want to have to squint when looking at my tablet...

My only gripe with this tablet is the current lack of accessories but that will soon change hopefully.

I have had my note since day one in the states, no force closes or random restarts or any problems at all once I learned how to use it. I have taken 15 plus pages of notes so far and love it and get comments every day from other students wanting to try it (senior in Computer Engineering so we are all tech nerds for the most part)
.
If you have any specific questions please ask and I and most likely others will try to answer.

Thanks. I posted my concern and came back a day later to see so many responses. Why are so many "professional reviews" very negative while the real users are mostly positive?

Specific question: How accurate is the text recognition on the S Note? This is/the/#1 reason I want this. As/a/therapist I would like to hand write my notes and have the tablet convert to text.

[robcassman]

Most of the reviews of the Note 10.1 have been absolutely abysmal

IMO, like the Note 5.3 many reviewers have this "bee in their bonnett" about Samsung, and they barely even use the device for more than 30 minutes so you can't get a fair and objective assessment that's useful to anyone.

I would recommend, if you have the money, go purchase the device, try it for yourself in your world and environment. I stopped listening to reviews other than to pick up on little nuances about the software that I may otherwise overlook.

If I'm interested in a device I buy it, try it out, and if it works for me (regardless of what other people think) I keep it, and if it doesn't work for me (regardless of what other people think), I take it back.

Good advice. My wife will say "Didn't you just buy that new phone?...and that new tablet?!" Any advice for THAT?

[robcassman]

I'm really beginning to get annoyed with some of these reviews. It's almost as if they aren't even using the same device as me. The N10.1 is the smoothest tablet I've owned, and I've been through nearly all of them.

Good to hear because I was about to decide not to purchase the Note...especially after the Android Police review.

[robcassman]

No lag here either. When the original Note first got lousy reviews and comments about being laughable, a monstrosity, etc. I used to jump in and leave comments about how wonderful it was and felt like the lone voice in the apple world until the Note started selling and made fools of those reviewers. NOW, please read the comments after the reviews finding fault with the Note 10.1. Many of them are from Tablet owners who love their device as much as we do. When you read a review that spends three sentences on the device's multi-tasking capability, a bit of a smirk about the few apps for the S pen, and paragraphs about the plastic parts and being light weight.... consider the source as unreliable. I haven't found anything I don't like about the 10.1 except that I still think there should be an app that screams if the S pen gets too far away from it. Went to use it last night and realized it's S pen is at work, on my desk. Thank heaven the original Note's S pen works with it! whew. Once you spend some time learning the features, like - really, you can take pictures of text or images from the web and just slide them sideways to lay onto a document or note, I mean, think of how innovative and wonderful this device is! I wouldn't trade it for TWO of anything else, tablets or laptops!

Is there any lag when multitasking? I couldn't care less about.games and the camera.

[robcassman]

Realistically, this review was rushed and written just to appease AC readers. For some reason, AC can't get reviews out in a timely manner, and they've been called out on that many times. I'd rather wait and read a useful, original review, rather then a rehashed review from other sites. Use the device, get to know it, use it as your personal device, learn some tips/ tricks. How about doing something simple as participating in the forums. You get a lot of information from people who have purchased and used the device.

In one of the more recent AC podcasts Phil and the rest went on and on about the Nexus Q and how great it was but breezed over the Note.

[J HighNote]

Is there any lag when multitasking? I couldn't care less about.games and the camera.

I multitask all the time with the Note app and the web. I've seen no real sluggishness. There is a tiny bit of a delay when one window goes from inactive to active. For instance if I write on a note for a bit, and then go back to scroll the web page or click a link, there is a slight delay. But you know, if it were instant, always running, you could just sit and watch the battery drain. I think the slight delay is worth it to be able to have a portable tablet that let's you do so much!

Trust me, when the original Galaxy Note came out I was furious at the lousy reviews and it wasn't even for sale yet. Some reviews were just awful. Once I got the phone and it went on sale here, there were even more such reviews. I left comments only to let people know there was real value in this wonderful large size phone. I realized most of them were the same site names as the other awful reviews from when the Galaxy Note first launched. When I looked up the other articles on the sites, most of them were very pro apple. I dearly love my original Galaxy Note and wouldn't give it up for anything! A lot of those writers now preface articles about the Note as the surprise hit and certainly don't quote their own reviews of it. It wasn't a surprise hit to me! Once upon a time when DOS was new, yes I know that ages me!, everyone welcomed innovation from anywhere. The animosity now is so unfair to users who might believe it.

[LagunaHiker]

I think Apple is scared to death--they appear to be planting negative stuff wheerever they can. I haven't experienced any sluggishness at all. The Apple attack appears to be centered around "it's sluggish" and "nobody wants a pen". They did the same sort of thing when the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7" tablet came out. Apparently, Apple really is the new Microsoft.

Try the tablet and decide for yourself.

[JHBThree]

What competition? Anything from Asus? I like my Nexus 7. But my three Asus tablets have had enough defects to almost put me off of them for good.

The iPad. (I mean, seriously guys? Just because the iPad doesn't have a quad core CPU doesn't mean the note doesn't compete with it)

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[JHBThree]

I think Apple is scared to death--they appear to be planting negative stuff wheerever they can. I haven't experienced any sluggishness at all. The Apple attack appears to be centered around "it's sluggish" and "nobody wants a pen". They did the same sort of thing when the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7" tablet came out. Apparently, Apple really is the new Microsoft.

Try the tablet and decide for yourself.

Seriously? You think apple is paying all of these reviewers (android sites included) to say bad things about the note? Get real.

Apple is not afraid of the note. Given the current state of the market and Samsung's inability to make a tablet that can compete with the iPad sales-wise, they have no reason to be concerned.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[StuartV]

Specific question: How accurate is the text recognition on the S Note? This is/the/#1 reason I want this. As/a/therapist I would like to hand write my notes and have the tablet convert to text.

I haven't used it a lot. But, what little I have done with it has been somewhere around 100% accurate! It is really impressive. I think the real question is, is the handwriting-to-text translation fast enough for you? I suspect that only you can really decide that.

[05GT]

The iPad. (I mean, seriously guys? Just because the iPad doesn't have a quad core CPU doesn't mean the note doesn't compete with it)

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I was strictly speaking Android based. I've owned a couple iPads and it's just a boring interface. Yes, it does work well, but I still enjoy Android better.

[JHBThree]

I was strictly speaking Android based. I've owned a couple iPads and it's just a boring interface. Yes, it does work well, but I still enjoy Android better.

But that's the thing. You CAN'T speak 'strictly of android', because android tablets are not the notes main competition. If you're being honest and objective, you have to include the iPad.

[NickA]

But that's the thing. You CAN'T speak 'strictly of android', because android tablets are not the notes main competition. If you're being honest and objective, you have to include the iPad.

I think the problem is defining the competition. This isn't just a tablet that includes a spot for a stylus. The Wacom digitizer is like nothing any other tablet has. I see a lot of reviews saying to get the Nexus 7 instead, and that just doesn't make sense. Realistically, the Nexus 7 is popular because of the price, and nothing else.

I applaud Samsung for trying something different. No one can equal the iPad. Android tablets have a long way to go; they just can't seem to get it right. Hopefully that changes. But for now, the S-Pen is a pretty cool feature. I just think Samsung needs to market it differently so it doesn't look like it's an iPad competitor.

[LegalAmerican]

But that's the thing. You CAN'T speak 'strictly of android', because android tablets are not the notes main competition. If you're being honest and objective, you have to include the iPad.

Nowhere is it written that the iPad has to be included. I wont buy Apple simply because I don't like their devices or business model. Pretty sure the guy CAN speak "strictly of Android" if he wants to. And the iPad is competition if you are only talking about tablet basics but in my opinion, the Note is in a league of it's own. Sorry if you have to include the iPad, but that doesn't mean everyone does. This Note meets my needs and the iPad does not. So I don't care about it.

To the man asking about note taking in his patients' therapy sessions, this thing would be awesome for that. You can pick different tips, as well as pen, pencil, brush, chisel tip, and another option within S-Note. You also can pick various colors or widths. There are SO many options!

[StuartV]

The Wacom digitizer is like nothing any other tablet has.

Actually, that is incorrect. The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and the HTC Jetstream have both had the same thing for about a year. I think they both use N-Trig technology for the digitizer and stylus, though, not Wacom.

I never bought a TPT because they were a bit pricey and they had some serious hardware bugs when they came out, which Lenovo promptly, steadfastly denied. A lot of their customers really got screwed over on that deal.

And I never bought a Jetstream because they were only available from AT&T, and with a cellular connection. So, you either had to pay a lot of money, plus sign a 2-year contract with a data plan, OR you had to pay a SHLOAD of money to get it with no contract. Also, apparently, the software was a bit buggy and HTC wasn't seeming too responsive to fixing them. However, the note-taking software on the Jetstream was what I consider to be the Gold Standard because it was built on top of the Evernote API, so it didn't just export to Evernote, it was fully integrated with Evernote. The Jetstream had very comparable specs to the Note, actually.

And then there were some other smaller tablets, like the HTC Flyer, which was 7" and came with Android 2.something (Froyo, I think).

So, no, the GNote 10.1 is not the only tablet that does what it does. It's just the best. :-)

[JHBThree]

Nowhere is it written that the iPad has to be included. I wont buy Apple simply because I don't like their devices or business model. Pretty sure the guy CAN speak "strictly of Android" if he wants to. And the iPad is competition if you are only talking about tablet basics but in my opinion, the Note is in a league of it's own. Sorry if you have to include the iPad, but that doesn't mean everyone does. This Note meets my needs and the iPad does not. So I don't care about it.

To the man asking about note taking in his patients' therapy sessions, this thing would be awesome for that. You can pick different tips, as well as pen, pencil, brush, chisel tip, and another option within S-Note. You also can pick various colors or widths. There are SO many options!

Frankly, you're wrong. Any legitimate comparison needs to include the iPad.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[NickA]

Actually, that is incorrect. The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and the HTC Jetstream have both had the same thing for about a year. I think they both use N-Trig technology for the digitizer and stylus, though, not Wacom.

So, no, the GNote 10.1 is not the only tablet that does what it does. It's just the best. :-)

Thanks Stuart. I wasn't aware of those other models.

[zerospace-net]

Thanks Stuart. I wasn't aware of those other models.

I actually was aware of these (as well, the Moto xyboard 10 incher has a pressure sensitive stylus), but was never impressed with any of them (I was tempted once or twice to try the Jetstream, but it was seriously overpriced). My understanding was that HTC had done a better job with the stylus software, but nothing, sorry, nothing beats Wacom, IMO. They've been an industry standard for artists for this long for a reason.

Note + Wacom digitizer > the Jetstream, ThinkPad, and XYBoard

The Jetstream has the most respectable specs out of the three, but the Note still beats it, especially with the 2GB of RAM.

[LegalAmerican]

Frankly, you're wrong. Any legitimate comparison needs to include the iPad.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Why? Because it's also a tablet? Well then we need to compare it to a slab of wood if it's a similar shape. The iPad is not even in the same consumer environment as the Note. If YOU want to compare them, fine. But that doesn't mean everyone has to simply because they are both Tablets. If Samsung came out and declared that the Note 10.1 was here to dethrone the iPad and put an end to Apple Tablet dominance, then yes you'd be correct. But that is not the goal of Samsung in this device. Just because we disagree, doesn't mean either of us is right. But it's nonsense to generalize the entire tablet market in such a way.