Need suggestions before buying

francesco87

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Oct 7, 2014
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Hello everyone!
I'm planning to buy this tablet because it seems the most suitable to my needs, but I also want some advice from you.
I would use it mostly at the university to take notes (handwriting and with the keyboard) and to read / annotate / study the thousands of pdf documents that I print daily.
In addition, I would use it to write documents when I'm out and I don't want to carry around the laptop, as well as to look up articles in the civil, penal code, etc. .. These are the main uses.
As secondary uses I'd like to watch some movies and read news on the move.
A question: is it easy handwriting (and quickly) with the s pen? I'd like to write with the same speed of a pen on paper.
There are delays in writing? (I mean between the time the s pen touches the screen and the one in which appears the stretch).
How to carry the tablet and the keyboard? Are there any suitable covers or do I just carry the tablet with a cover and the keyboard apart?
Thanks to those who want to respond.
 

SpookDroid

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Jul 14, 2011
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Hi there,

This is a tablet you won't regret buying if you want the S-Pen input. It's quite precise, very fast, and yes, JUST like using pen and paper. HOWEVER, you might want to try it out at a store first. Why? The size and weight. The 12.2 inch model is, in my opinion, too large to hold comfortably if you want to take notes on this while, say, standing up as if you were using a note pad. But if you're gonna use it on a desk all the time, then the larger screen might be a better fit for you. If it feels too large or heavy, I'd try the 10.1 version.

As for the PDF and document annotations, you can do this with a bunch of apps, but the pre-loaded S-Note is quite good, and it syncs with Evernote should you ever want to access your files there.

The screen is also very nice for movie watching and reading documents.

As for the keyboard, I believe Logitech makes a very nice, slim, keyboard cover (expensive), so once again it becomes a matter of taste and how you're gonna use the device. If you'll be carrying it around to take notes standing up, a keyboard case will be too bulky and impossible to handle. But if it's gonna be on a desk all the time, then that might work, make it feel more like a laptop with a detachable screen.
 

madaudio

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May 29, 2014
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If you will be holding the Note with one hand while trying to write with the S pen with the other, you might want to look into cases that have a hand-strap to allow you to easily hold the Note with your non-writing hand. Check out the Snugg range (just google "The Snugg"). Would also strongly suggest buying a screen protector on the same day you buy the note, and put it on before using the Note.
If you will be seated while note taking, your lap or desk/table top will be fine, and a combined keyboard case or cover may better suit your needs than The Snugg case with its handstrap.
Amazon also sell a Moko case/cover with a handstrap
 

Nychotxxx

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I'm a writer and use the very slim bluetooth bkb10 samsung keyboard that has many shortcut keys and i use the samsung s action mouse also with shortcuts. Both are very lightweight and work fantastically with the note 12.2. Together the kb and mouse should cost no more than $50.
 

beh

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Oct 13, 2011
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The 12.2 is a bit heavier than the PRO 10.1 but the extra real estate will be a Godsend for writing as it is almost the size of a paper tablet. The S pen is not only very precise but also very fast. You should have no problems with it keeping up with your writing unless you are truly very fast.
While I use tempered glass screen protectors on my phones I never use them on my tablets. A personal thing but unless you are very careless or carry the tablet uncased in you hand while moving from place to place or brush it off the table the extra glass just adds weight in my opinion. But again this is personal.
I use the Logitech keyboard folio case and a Logitech slim BT mouse with my 12.2 and I do like both better than any of the other such products available. Though except for the slim profile the Samsung mouse is top notch. If you are going to be opening and closing the folio case a lot "on the fly" I would caution that it doesn't lock the tablet to the folio and it can come loose if you don't pay attention when opening the folio to use the tablet.
I think you have chosen the premier tablet for your applications. I am a patent attorney and use my 12.2 for most of my work when on the road and find it does an excellent job.
 

Grimgrak

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Truth be told I find scrolling thru pdf pages to be alot slower than apple products. Up to a 3 second load time sometimes when scrolling between pages.
I like the 360 degree amazon rotating cases, handy for portrait mode reading. My logitech keyboard/case was starting to get loose at the tabs that held the tablet in place so I cut the folding part off and stuck the keyboard inside the 360 case and imo this is the best combo.
 

muzzy996

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Truth be told I find scrolling thru pdf pages to be alot slower than apple products. Up to a 3 second load time sometimes when scrolling between pages.

+1 on this, performance varies greatly by file complexity and workflow though so it depends.

The thing is though that there's greater flexibility for various workflows. Personally I require the ability to annotate comments and do redline markups on PDF files whether they be technical reports or engineering drawings (I'm an engineer in the transportation field). I can't see doing what I do with my Note Pro on any iPad given the fact that there is no active stylus. Making tiny handwritten notes in margins of pages must be a pain in the **** on iOS devices compared to Note products.

My favorite workflow is importing of PDFs into Lecturenotes as new notebooks and then marking them up for export back out. Lecturenotes supports multiple layers so my edits float on the page which makes it super easy to do whatever I need to do without touching the underlying image. Dropsync ensures my notebooks are always available in my Dropbox.