Can the Note 4 replace pen/paper for note-taking in college?

goin_nil

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...That being said, the Note 10.1 has the drawback of not having an AMOLED screen, so battery consumption will be higher, meaning that if you use it 'aggressively' at school, you probably will need to find a charging port before your day is done...

Speaking of battery life, my Note Pro 12.2" gets excellent battery life. Can easily go 2 to 3 days of light/moderate use (6 to 8 hours screen on time). I've never pushed it hard in a single day but based on what I've experienced, it could easily make it a whole day, day and half of hard use.

Check out some specs I posted where I got 6+ days on a single charge (very little use, standby time mostly):
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=457666
 

SpookDroid

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6 to 8 hours of constant use of the screen AND S-Pen will probably not happen as the Pen does draw some power (the Notes even have a random glitch that the processor will get too hot and slow things down because of the S-Pen driver, but it's really rare). And since he wants this for college, the last thing you want is to have a full charge for your first class and be worried that you will run out of juice before your last class or while studying and taking notes late at night at the library before a test.

I do agree, the Note 10.1 had excellent battery life, but if you want this for really 'hard' note-taking action, the truth is it probably won't last all day.
 

Haalcyon

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6 to 8 hours of constant use of the screen AND S-Pen will probably not happen as the Pen does draw some power (the Notes even have a random glitch that the processor will get too hot and slow things down because of the S-Pen driver, but it's really rare). And since he wants this for college, the last thing you want is to have a full charge for your first class and be worried that you will run out of juice before your last class or while studying and taking notes late at night at the library before a test.

I do agree, the Note 10.1 had excellent battery life, but if you want this for really 'hard' note-taking action, the truth is it probably won't last all day.

He could get a battery pack to charge the phone, if need be, while out.
 

Jdane07

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I'd probably use it for making a to-do list or something. Definitely not replacing my notebooks anytime soon.

Posted via the Android Central App
 

Haalcyon

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As I think about this, if you were buying a notebook and pen to take notes for class you'd prolly choose one bigger than something the size of the Note 4 and S Pen.
 

WarrenBoy

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I've seen the note 4 and I think that a regular notebook may suit you best. Professors in college do not like it when people use their phones in class (etiquette). Like the others have said, the screen is a bit small. I don't think the Note 4 can replace a pen and paper. If I were you, I'd use pen and paper.

If you really want to take notes electronically, have you considered using a tablet (e.g. Galaxy Note Pro 12.2?) The screen is much larger and may suit your purpose. I've tried that tablet and it's amazing. But it is a bit too big (12.2 inches screen!).
 

Ittles

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I bought my Note 8 specifically for taking meeting notes. I can attach documents and white board pics associated with that meeting. It works great for me.
 

pantlesspenguin

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I don't know about using the S Pen solely for note taking. However, over the summer I took a 4 month certificate program and used a Nexus 7 for note taking. I typed up notes using Evernote and I took photos of diagrams that the professors drew on the board. In your situation you could definitely replace the paper and pen by typing up your notes (I type with my thumbs faster than I can handwrite these days anyway), using the S Pen for diagrams. Also, isn't there some kind of tool for taking good quality pics of a board using the Note 4?

As a side note...when I was in grad school between 2006-2008 I took all of my notes on a Sidekick 3 and Sidekick LX. I'd type up my notes, email them to myself, and file them in folders in my inbox. Worked great! I even typed out 5 pages of a research paper while in the passenger seat on a road trip.
 

stealthbr

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Thank you for all the replies! I will try to get a tablet some time in the near future. I'm still deciding on whether I shall purchase the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 or the Note tablet.
 

GregMargie

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They are both good choices, but the Surface Pro starts at about $799.....vs. Note 10.1 around $500. Good luck in your choice!
 

Jonathan Gervitz

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In short. No, it cannot.

Here's my biggest gripe with the Note. I used to have the Note 2 and I LOOOOVED it, one day it got stolen from me and I spent 3 years trying to buy a new note because of how much I loved the Stylus. Since I didn't have enough money, I bought Journals and Moleskines instead.

Fast-forward to 3 years later and I finally get to buy the Note 5... Oh my surprise when I found out after about a Month of use how inferior a stylus is versus real pen & paper after 3 years of writing on Real notebooks. I'll give you real life examples:

1. Let's say you're out and about actually needing to take a note of prices in a store while you're talking with the store clerk. The first thing you'll notice is that the Note eventually tuns its screen off after a while. If this happens, in order to take a note of the price you have to unlock the Note, open the file, select "edit note" and then zoom (because it's note (pun intended) confortable writing without the zoom) and then write. For this you interrupted the conversation and a simple thing got complicated.

You can tell me that you can leave the screen on with the Note, but trust me after an hour o hour & half of talking prices, you will be nervous about your battery (especially if you have a full day ahead of you).

2. You're at school. Teacher talks and talks and talks, the lecture is about 3 hours long. Do you really think your Note will handle the 3 hours with the screen on? Do you really think you'll feel confortable doing that?

A notebook or Journal, my favorites being a Moleskine or a Midori Traveler's Journal, can always be open, do not have battery and are a thrill to write or draw on.

I tell you this as an Ex fan of the Note Series. As evidence I include a photo of my note 5 sorrounded by my 2 journals i'm using right now. As you can see, I don't even have notes in my Note 5.

ScreenClip [1].jpg
 

pduffer

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With my Note 4 I can write a note, hit the power button toshut the screen off, and then click the power button again to continue note taking right where I left off. Can't imagine how pen and paperwould be more convenient