Samsung stretches 5in Galaxy Note phonetab to 10in Reg Hardware Mobile Week In a spirit, surely, of 'we don't know what the punters want so we'll give 'em everything', Samsung has announced version of its Galaxy Note 5in smartphone-cum-tablet that's almost twice the size of the current model. As its name suggests, the Galaxy Note 10.1 sports a 10.1in screen, which is built …
To our anonymous friend.
It's not easy typing with an onscreen keyboard either. Especially one-handed, as tablets tend to be used. So handwriting recognition is a pretty good option.
From experience of my old Windows tablet and an iPad, I'd say that frustration sets in after 1-2 paragraphs with an onscreen keyboard. But with a stylus you can get 4 or 5 in, before it starts to get annoying. That was with Vista's handwriting recognition, which was pretty good (once trained).
So if Samsung have got it to work, then hooray for them! I barely missed Flash, when I dumped my tablet PC for an iPad, and not even the physical keyboard that often. But I miss the stylus most days.
Samsung stuff includes Swype, which makes text entry pretty easy. Unfortunately, everything else about the Galaxy Tab 10.1 which work bought for me is unutterably shite.
Last week's software upgrade has reduced the mean time between crashes for the browser from 20 minutes to about 10. Thanks, Samsung.
Does anyone really want a stylus apart from a very small minority?
Here is the problem with a stylus:
1. You lose them. Regularly. Make whichever Ebay seller you buy the replacement from "favourite" status as you'll be using them a lot.
2. If you don't hold pens for long periods these days, try holding one for the next 2 hours. If your hand isn't in absolute agony, then you're a better man than I. I had Windows Tablet years ago, and the stylus was one reason it was just so plain horrible. Once you leave school, you simply don't use pens or pencils for much in the grand scheme of things.
3. Where are the millions of users crying out for a stylus? They all seem quite happy to use their finger after all.
1. There's a simple solution against loosing them, make them wired. That also allows for a lot more precise technologies.
2. Well you don't have to hold the pen for anything, if you want to press buttons or scroll with your fingers that's fine. I don't see how you can have a job which pays enough to afford a tablet, without regularly using a pen or pencil? How do you extend the capacity of your brain without pens and paper?
3. There will always be a majority of idiots. There's saying in German, "Millions of flies eat dirt, does that mean you have to do it, too?"
Now what we'd really need is software which can take use of a pen. Software which can actually understand what is being drawn. So example I draw a schematic, and while I draw, the software recognizes the parts and how they are connected. It immediately "neatens up" the drawing by replacing the parts it understood with neatly drawn symbols. That way I know when it misunderstood me, and can correct it immediately. I can then use the parsed schematics to do some circuit simulation, or use it as the base for a PCB.
An architect could also draft in a sketch of what he intends to have. The computer would neaten it up and he could insert measurements. At home he would then already have a proper draft to work with, instead of some sketches on pieces of paper.
Again, it's just a question of software.
Some of that software has existed for sometime for use on Windows tablets.
Most of the really interesting stuff I do on computers is to do with editing photos, creating images and diagrams and writing/editing music. None of them are terribly easy without a stylus. I also have no trouble writing for hours with a tablet pen/stylus. There's no reason you have to use a toothpick-sized one - there are plenty which are the same shape/weight as a regular pen or pencil.
Had Palm PDAs for over 10 years now and never lost a stylus. Had a Compaq Concerto before that and never lost the stylus. Just what are you doing with them?
A stylus expands the things you can do on a small screen so not sure if I am more enamoured of a 10.1 over the 5 inch Note, but - as always - it depends what you are using it for. As someone mentioned above, to simply consume entertainment, finger is enough, but for real input you need more.
I notice that the Lenovo Thinkpad comes with an optional stylus for business use - abyone know how many are being sold without one?
There was mentioning of the stylus being optional in early reports of the Lenovo ThinkPad.. so far unconfirmed.
The device sports an opening in which the stylus can be stored, so shipping it without a stylus (and therefore with a 'big' hole in the side) makes no sense.
The ones i've seen so far, came out of the box with the stylus sitting where it should be - in it's storage slot inside the tablet.
Does anyone really want a stylus apart from a very small minority?
Yes please, I find using a finger is pretty poor for anything except very basic dragging things around on a touch screen and possibly thanks to Swype some limited text entry - certainly if I am doing any drawing, even very basic doodling, it requires a stylus so I don't know where the millions are but they can form a queue behind me.
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