I am terribly interested in new technology, so when someone is using something I haven't seen before, I can't help myself asking to have a look or be shown it. This happened today. The chap I met was only too happy to show off his brand new Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet, and his wife told me that she thought it was better than her iPad because you could multitask and it is very fast.
Here is what Tech Digest have to say about it:
Design
Despite landing with Note branding, the Galaxy Note 10.1 has
(initially at least) more in common with Samsung's Galaxy Tab range than
the super-sized Android smartphone. 10.1-inches in size, it borrows the
same spacious bezel design that featured in the Tab 10.1, finished in a
pearly white plastic casing with grey highlights that extend onto the
rear. It's a reasonable finish, with a little flex and (thankfully)
enough space for front-facing speakers to the left and right edges when
held horizontally, though it's a bit of a fiend for picking up grubby
marks. A black version is also available, which we haven't seen yet,
though would expect wouldn't get grimey quite so quickly.
Measuring just 8.9mm thick and weighing 583g, it's slightly lighter
than the iPad, and just as easy to carry around all day without too much
hassle or it causing achey arms. The 10.1 inch screen runs at 1280x800;
a reasonable resolution, but by no means the sharpest (especially when
compared to the Apple Retina Display, which Samsung themselves have a
hand in building) and a little low considering the "creative"
functionality Samsung are so keen to push, which we'll get to a little
later. Regardless, it's colourfully bold, and satisfyingly bright to
boot.
You'll find a snappy quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz under the
hood, backed by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage in the entry
level model. We got our hands on the Wi-Fi only version, but a 3G
enabled Note 10.1 is also on the market, while all models support AGPS
and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. Around the edges of the tablet you'll
find a microSD slot for expanding the storage capacity of the tablet by
as much as a further 32GB, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a docking connector
and power button. A 1.9MP camera sits on the front, and a 5MP snapper
capable of 1080p video capture sits on the rear. Annoyingly, the
charging and
data
transfer connection is a proprietary one, meaning you'll always need
the exact cable to hand if you're looking to side-load media content, or
even refill a little juice on the device.
On the bottom right edge you'll find a slot for the S Pen, Samsung's
stylus device that sets the Note 10.1 apart from the Android tablet
pack. Get it out and things get interesting.
S Pen, Interface and Apps
Just like the Galaxy Note smartphone, the Note 10.1 set its sights on
keen scribblers and note takers thanks to its bundled S Pen stylus. As
with the tablet itself, it's bigger than the version that came with the
Note smartphone, being both longer and thicker, making it more
comfortable to use for extended periods of time, and by extension, more
accurate. It also now has a squared finish, meaning it won't roll of
your desk and get lost.
Using Wacom technology, the S Pen tip is pointier than other styluses
designed for use with capacitive touchscreens. It's also apparently
much-improved over last year's model when it comes to the levels of
pressure it can recognise; 1,024 compared to 256 for the original.
Whether or not you can actually notice it in action is another story,
but there's no denying that the S Pen is far more responsive and
accurate in use than other tablet pens out there.
When it comes to apps and interface features that use the S Pen to
its full potential however, it's a mixed bag. The pre-installed
Photoshop Touch is by far the best in this department.Working on the
same principle of layers as the desktop version of Photoshop, you can
easily open images or existing sketches and edit them using the pen,
with shading and colouring easily and accurately achieved using the S
Pen. Here the tablet comes into its own; artists who need a simple way
of digitising their ideas on the go have a powerful tool when Photoshop
Touch and the S Pen come together.
In this regard, it's a shame the screen isn't of a higer resolution than
1280x800; those who may be keen to use the tablet in a professional
capacity will find this frustratingly low, especially when compared to
the 2048x1536 of Apple iPad Retina Display, or even the full HD 1080p
screens of the Acer Iconia Tab A700 or Asus Transformer Infinity. For a
flagship device it's a real shame, and altogether crazy when you think
that Samsung make a percentage of the Retina Displays themselves anyway.
Samsung's own S Note app has potential too, letting you join together
images, videos and notes using handwriting recognition, but a clunky
interface makes it far from intuitive. There's also Polaris Office
onboard too if you need to get some serious
work done.
Frustratingly, many of the features you'd hope to be universal across
the tablet don't work exactly as you'd hope they do. For instance, you
can't use the S Pen to jot down an email in note form, and it be
translated into typed text. There's also no key advantage to navigating
the tablet solely with the pen as an
alternative
to finger input. As a result, aside from Photoshop Touch, there's
little opportunity for the S Pen to shine over simply using your fingers
with the tablet.
Also, despite Samsung claiming to have developed technology that
ignores your palm resting on the screen when using the S Pen, I still
noted occasions where blotchy marks would mar my work, underneath where
my hand had been placed.
Ice Cream Sandwich, with some Samsung twists
The Galaxy Note 10.1 misses out on getting the latest version of
Google's Android OS (4.1 Jelly Bean), instead opting for the
still-excellent Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean should be coming to the
Note 10.1 before the year is out, but you'll still get a wonderful
experience from Ice Cream Sandwich anyway. You'll get facial recognition
unlock options, the full suite of Google's native apps (Gmail, YouTube,
Maps etc) and access to the Google Play store, where thousands upon
thousands of apps are waiting to be downloaded too.
Samsung's TouchWiz UI is laid over the top of Ice Cream Sandwhich,
and will be familiar to any smartphone or tablet owner who has tried any
Samsung Android-based Samsung devices over the past few years. For the
most part, it's less obnoxious than previous efforts, letting the superb
Android UI do its vanilla thing in most places, but there's still a few
tweaks here and there.
For starters, you get a handful of Samsung-built apps bundled into
"hubs" under the music, video and games headings, and also mini app tray
that can have its contents customised, should you be looking for a
quick way to launch apps from the homescreen without scrolling through
what could eventually become an overflowing app drawer deeper within the
menus. Samsung Galaxy S3 owners will also recognise the return of the
Pop Up Play feature, allowing you to play and drag around a locally
stored video in a small resizeable window, which can be placed over the
top of anything else you're doing on the tablet. It's usage is
admittedly limited, but it does well to show just how powerful the
quad-core processor is. This overlay view extends to a handful of
Samsung's utility apps too, though they frustratingly tend to get in the
way of key system notifications.
The best new feature here though is the ability to have two windows
for apps snap side by side when using the tablet in landscape
orientation. You could for instance devote half the screen to the web
browser, and another half to the S Note app or Polaris Office, or even
the video player, snapping to the sides similarly to how the system
works in Windows 7. Right now it's limited to just six apps which is
unfortunate as it could be a great feature for multitasking and research
note taking with the S Pen. Hopefully more apps will be given this
extra functionality soon, but a few other improvements are also needed;
the recent apps pop-up menu stretches half screen apps into an ugly
widescreen orientation, and there's a notable delay when jumping from
one half screen to the other. Get this right, and Samsung have a killer
feature on their hands.
Media playback
The spruced up Google Play store makes getting media content onto the
Galaxy Note 10.1 a breeze. It's a shame then that Samsung insist on
using a proprietary cable for data transfer as well as charging; if
you're looking to sideload locally stored content onto the tablet,
you're always going to have to have that exact cable handy, not just a
regular microUSB cable that's pretty much the prevalent transfer system
for mobile devices these days.
Front facing speakers give a far better feeling of stereo sound than
with other tablets, who usually resort to sticking them around the back,
which, while of course not offering the detail or bottom end of
dedicated speakers, means the Galaxy Note 10.1 sounds pretty good when
watching a movie or listening to songs.
The screen too, though not the highest resolution we've seen, is
bright and colourful, with viewing angles wide enough for a few friends
to crowd around and watch if necessary. File type support is wide
reaching too, with 720p video (closest to the screen's native
resolution) looking really wonderful, playing back without any sign of
judder.
One really nifty feature is the ability to use the tablet as an IR
remote. With a zapper built into the device, you can use the Note 10.1
to control all the different items in your home cinema set-up. It worked
really well with our Panasonic TV and Onkyo receiver, and while we
can't vouch for every possible combination, it's a useful, welcome
addition if you can get it to work with your gear.
Inside the Note 10.1 is a 7000mAh battery. That's good for roughly 8
hours or what we'd consider average usage with the tablet (a fair bit of
Wi-Fi web browsing, some 3D gaming, video streaming and locally stored
video viewing), but you may see that stretch a little further or come up
a little shorter depending on your personal usage habits.
Still Camera and Video Capture
You're not likely to use the camera on a tablet very often, but if
you're likely to use a snapper on any slate, we'd assume it'd be the
Galaxy Note 10.1, with its S Pen editing and Photoshop Touch support.
In that regard, the camera does a fine job snapping away fairly
crisp, 5MP stills. Focussing is a little hit-or-miss, but colours are
again bold without being overly saturated, and as detailed as you're
likely to see from a camera of this ilk. Scene modes and a smattering of
exposure options help you tweak the images before exporting them
elsewhere too.
Video can be captured at 30fps for 1080p video. The results are
decent (crisply detailed with accurate colours, but suffering from some
judder when in motion), and nothing more exciting than you'd expect from
what's essentially an ancillary feature of any tablet. If photo and
video capture are what you need, you should know by now to buy a camera,
not a tablet.
Verdict:
Judging the Galaxy Note 10.1 is a little bit difficult.
Priced similarly to other top-tier Android tablets, it performs
admirably as a regular slate, offering a solid Android experience, and
runs Google's OS and demanding apps without a hiccup. Its screen isn't
class leading, but is bright and colourful, and makes for a good media
player. However, the Note 10.1's unique selling point is its S Pen. For
the most part it works well and is comfortable to use, but is let down
by a lack of software support beyond the (admittedly very good)
Photoshop Touch app. As a tablet with a side helping of stylus fun, the
Note 10.1 is a very good proposition. However, those looking to use the S
Pen beyond gimmickry, in a professional capacity, may find the Note
10.1 doesn't quite deliver all it promises.
3.5/5
