Database Develop

Itech Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard

WOW! I cant tell you how much i like this keyboard with my Mogul. It paired up with no driver download required. Just make sure you enter the same passcode and press return with the keyboard immediately after pairing with the ppc. Instructions are minimal in the box, online are better. I thought it worked very well right out of the box. It was fairly accurate and seemed to improve as I used it and played with the sensitivity (lessened it, as I was getting multiple letters occasionally. It makes a click sound every time a key is recognized. The laser projected keyboard is very visible in all but the brightest of rooms. The futuristic look and function is beyond belief. The reviews were slamming it for some reason. While it might not be the ultiimate solution to mobile computing, it is so easy on my eyes (much more so than the onscreen popup keyboard, tactile keyboard or "full screen keyboards) I dont have to use my reading glasses! I paid $149.00 at Fry's in stock here in Houston. Total accident that I stumbled onto it. Did i say it is less than 1/2 pack of cigarettes in size? A bluetooth laser projected vrtual keyboard! You have been warned. I saw this same thing floating around the net years ago and thought it would never happen. It has and it works! Now I want the bluetooth projector (not out, but was in same picture years ago).
Anyway now for the cons, andd they are minor in my opinion. It requires sitting on a flat surface (has a microswitch on bottom that turns it off if lifted though it repairs instantly upon repowering) which makes use in a car difficult if not impossible especially if moving (now if they would have built a clip on it to clip it upright on say a notepad!) That is about it. Btw I paid retail and get no compensation from any manufacturer and I think it was worth it. You wont believe the look on friends faces when you pop it out of your top pocket!

link to the manufacturer's or reseller's website please?

Wow, this is really expensive.
http://www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com/
I'm not sure I'd want to use a bluetooth keyboard when the Mogul already has a built-in keyboard, kind of overkill if you ask me.
Also, what's the battery life on this thing and the effect on the Mogul when paired up with it?

Here is the link http://www.vkb-support.com/index.php
The claimed battery life is 2 hours of active typing. The laser dosent use much power I wouldnt think. Also you think the keyboard on the mogul is good? You must have great eyes and be into texting. It is not a better keyboard (the mogul) nor is it more accurate. Re: The price yes at 149.00 it wasnt cheap, however a bluetooth folding keyboard is 149.00 at Best Buy and a palm bluetooth (not compatible with ppc) was 89.00. So you choose what you spend your money on. I personally think it is one of the most futuristic accessories I have have ever seen and it works very well maybe not perfect but neither is the user! 2 good dinners for my family of 5 easily costs the same and all I get is a larger waist with the dinner. Cya

Those are some cheap dinners...
Fastest1 said:
Here is the link http://www.vkb-support.com/index.php
The claimed battery life is 2 hours of active typing. The laser dosent use much power I wouldnt think. Also you think the keyboard on the mogul is good? You must have great eyes and be into texting. It is not a better keyboard (the mogul) nor is it more accurate. Re: The price yes at 149.00 it wasnt cheap, however a bluetooth folding keyboard is 149.00 at Best Buy and a palm bluetooth (not compatible with ppc) was 89.00. So you choose what you spend your money on. I personally think it is one of the most futuristic accessories I have have ever seen and it works very well maybe not perfect but neither is the user! 2 good dinners for my family of 5 easily costs the same and all I get is a larger waist with the dinner. Cya
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Click to collapse
WOAHHH!!!
you can get TWO dinners for 5 people for $150? Where are you? In NYC a family of 5 can't eat that cheaply unless they go to McDonald's.
Still not understanding though, the Mogul/Titan HAS a built-in keyboard doesn't it? Why then do you need a second keyboard?

yes it does have a tactile keyboard, an onscreen keyboard and i have even dowloaded larger onscreen keypads, however none of those are like typing on a full size keyboard. The VKB is better when being at a stationary location and would like to type easier. I avoid detail when using any of the onboard solutions due to the inconvenience. I am over 40 and the ability to read without glasses is slipping away and that has a lot to do with my preference and the fact I actually TALKED to the girls I was chasing when I was young and single so Texting isnt second nature to me. I really want a total voice command of some type preferably not via a web connection but onboard the phone. Actually if HTC would combine a virtual projector, vitual keyboard and phone the size of say a credit card with a terragig? Is that too much to ask? or do I have to wait for an underdeveloped nation to bring it to me? Btw regarding food, I didnt say a nice restaraunt or nutritious! and surely no good drinks. In NYC you couldnt even afford the toll road to get to the restaraunt with 5 people!

we take the subway
Fastest1 said:
Btw regarding food, I didnt say a nice restaraunt or nutritious! and surely no good drinks. In NYC you couldnt even afford the toll road to get to the restaraunt with 5 people!
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Click to collapse
toll road? unless you're part of the bridge and tunnel crowd coming into the city, we take the subway by and large. It's efficient, clean, and safe. Just the tourists are afraid of it. Don't know why, but that's their lookout.
Oh, and there's plenty of places to eat that are affordable, just not kansas affordable (no knock on kansas, I just have to believe that prices in kansas are considerably less than NY).

I have one of these, and I like it, but there are probably a few things you should consider before paying the bucks. First, it's got a major cool factor attached to it, however, if you touch type, it's likely going to drive you crazy, it's a full sized virtual keyboard, but there is no touch feedback, you're going to have to watch yourself type unless you get very good. Also, it's no good in high light situations, you won't be able to see the projection of the keyboard. It will only work on a stable, flat surface, don't expect to be able to whip it out in your car or lap (has a cut-off switch on the bottom, and does NOT like anything that will interfere with the infra-red reading that detects your finger touch on the surface).
Now, all that being said, it's still extremely neat and handy to be able to carry a full sized keyboard easily in your pocket, and using it will certainly turn heads, and even having to look at the keyboard to type, I can still certainly out pace my typing on the hardware or software keyboard on my kaiser and tytn..
It is HID compliant, and will be picked up as an input device natively in wm5 and wm6 from my experience. It is rechargable, and has a decent run time, never used it until it's died, so can't say on real world total run time.

Help me replace my laptop with something brand new...

So, right now, I have a desktop PC and a laptop PC that I use on a regular basis. The desktop is my master system and is good for another 2 years definitely. My laptop has been aging and we're on the verge of a revolution in small PCs.
I have a Dell XPS M140 that I upgraded to 2GB RAM. It has 80GB of hard disk space, CD/DVD burner, and Windows 7. It's getting old and I wondered if everyone could chip in some advice for a replacement.
I spent like $600 on it originally, so I'd like to stick with that price or less. I use it to browse the web and watch internet videos on it while I play XBox360 or when I have people over. I use it to feed to my TV when I have a movie to watch (movie file, not a DVD). I also take it with me on any vacations in the hotel room to keep connected to the internet.
For a replacement, I'm looking for the following...
-CD/DVD drive
-video out
-at least 120GB of disk space
-ability to run Windows 7 Ultimate with Aero
-ability to have 2GB of RAM at least
-USB ports
-Wifi (of course)
-A good processor
-HARD keyboard
-multitouch screen
-$600 or less
Preferred but optional
-ethernet port
-webcam
-4 USB ports
There may not be anything out there just yet that meets all the requirements, but if anything's close, let me know.

I have a Dell XPS M140 too. Great system. I loved the battery life -- 7.5 hours when I bought it like 3 or 4 years ago. But now its old and I rarely use it.
I've migrated to a Samsung N120 netbook. The keyboard is great even though its smaller form factor. The portability is excellent. It's so comfortable to use even with the 97% sized keyboard and 10" screen that I am still able to do most of my programming on it. So it can be used every day for hours with no eye strain or me wanting to throw it cause the keyboard is awkward. I love it.
I've run Windows 7 on it and it runs great once I upgraded it to 2GB. I did go thru the Windows Services and set to manual/disable some of those that I don't need (heavy networking ones) that made it a little faster. It can run OSX too as a side benefit. You can pop in a 640GB in here for cheap if you feel comfortable taking it apart.
I know there is going to be complaints about the processor speed...its a slow Atom. For daily browsing use its not that much difference than the M140's 1.73ghz P-Mobile. I do agree that its slow on Youtube videos and having multiple flash animations on the same page. The newer generation of netbooks are faster and will probably do a better job. Also Adobe is releasing a new version of Flash very soon that they have tweaked and stating would allow the Netbook to view Youtube without the jitters.
If you already have a desktop that is powerful enough for the heavy lifting tasks (photoshopping/video editing/filesharing/etc) then if I were you I would look into a netbook for its portability and convenience. It can still photoshopping btw, just going to take a little longer with the filters and handling large image sizes. And of course it is harder on the small screen.
You can get a great netbook in the $300-350 and get an external slim DVD burner for $50. If you do a lot of traveling or working away from home like at a cafe or just like having it on your lap surfing while you are in front of the TV, a 10" netbook is the way to go.

for the touchscreen thing,
i think you should buy additional hardware such as DUO.

Hmm. Very interesting! Thanks for the feedback.
I really appreciate that another M140 user out there has spoken. I haven't found anyone with this "XPS mini"!
When I upgraded to Windows 7, I can't believe how smooth everything ran. It really sold Windows 7 for me. Yeah, my desktop was faster but, wow, it turned by old M140 into a new PC. I haven't done much programming since college and even then, I did more making Counterstrike maps on their CAD-like interface software than anything.
I was really considering netbooks and your advice fits in well. I like the idea of add-on hardware like DUO to make anything touchscreen, but I would like to be ahead of the game with my new purchase. I felt like even my M140 purchase was behind the game. My desktop was nicely fit with a quad-core masterpiece at the time. Now it's commonplace.
I think a netbook fits my needs perfectly, but maybe I'm waiting for the next wave to include multitouch netbooks. The technology is definitely there, and fortunately it shouldn't be that expensive. I was waiting for someone to post the latest Eee multitouch PC, but I know that the processor is child's play.
I guess I see myself owning 3 systems...
Desktop PC - currently fulfilled need
Multitouch PC - for portability and ahead of the game portacomputing
Slate Phone - I know there's phones and then there's slates, but I won't be buying a replacement for my Rhodium until a nice slate phone arrives (with slide out hard keyboard, of course)
These 3 systems will practically make me have a mess in my pants. We're on the verge of #2, but I know I might have to wait 2 years for a good #3.
I'm staying away from virtual keyboards forever. I know how they are and I know what they can do, but I cannot accept 30 wpm slower. Unacceptable.
Great advice guys, and I really do appreciate your input. Tablet PCs are going to erupt soon, to prove that the iPad is garbage. And I just can't wait for the results. I dream of a day when I can just pop out my multitouch netbook in the comfy Hyatt hotel bed and respond to the next great XDA post.

I actually was looking tonight and there really isn't anything out there right now. I really hope this market picks up. The closest thing is the newest Eee PC, with a processor at 1.66 MHz. My M140 is at 1.73, so I can't go lower. Let's hope for a nice push in products...
Dell should hit this up. The only Multitouch tablet they offer is over $2k!!!!

I bought a LOADED HP tx2000z two years ago because I thought that I'd actually use the touchscreen/wacom digitizer. Boy was I wrong. 2000 bucks later, I honestly wish I would have bought a macbook pro over this POS.
Using a mouse or keyboard still is faster. Windows is not designed well for using a touch screen. Plus, that tiny swivel point where the screen connects to the rest of the computer isn't quite as strong as I had once thought, and all the wiring inside of it, over time, starts to get shorts in it. My sound crackles as I swivel the screen. Also, HP doesn't have the best of build quality in general. However, the digitizer does do an excellent job of speeding things up in photoshop.
My advise: Stay away from laptops with touch screens. Unless you spend the majority of your time in photoshop, it won't be worth it.

got the earlier tx1270 little brother of tx2000z
it get too hot to use in tablet mode and it's too fat and it makes too much noise
speedfan say the gpu is 89c in idle
the heat caused the wifi to stop working
but it was good for reading eComics on if I could stand the heat
I'm not put off tablets yet though
what laptop to get is really down to what one use it for
if it's surfing in the sofa netbooks are great and got long batt
but some people like to game on their laptops in which case they end up having to pay
a lot
got 2 dell work laptops both ugly and plastic'ish but better quality then crappy hp
and got a acer very underpowered one but manage with xubuntu
gf got a new macbook pro cost an arm and leg and kidney but the build quality is pretty good
osx remind me of linux really in a closed platform version though
if I were looking to get a laptop now I would look at tablets without combi keyboard option like the hp got
otherwise I would look at asus eebooks or whatever they are called

Hmm, good points. I guess my consideration for getting something with multitouch is basically to make sure that I'm consistent with the market. If that's what people are buying, I want to have my copy, just in case software erupts for it.
But I'm surprised at the story about the shoddy HP hardware.
I could, however, see how I can use a touchscreen with Windows 7. I won't touch Apple products because they don't suit my needs, but I guess that's why I won't spend $2k on a tablet PC. It sounds like it's just not worth that much.

Rudegar said:
got the earlier tx1270 little brother of tx2000z
it get too hot to use in tablet mode and it's too fat and it makes too much noise
speedfan say the gpu is 89c in idle
the heat caused the wifi to stop working
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Click to collapse
I've had the SAME exact problems with my tx1219. Too loud, too hot, wifi stops working, and also the touchscreen is horrible.
I've only worked with the tx2000 for 10 minutes, so I can't comment on the problems, but the the touchscreen was really good on it.

yeah tx2000 and up have vacom active digtizer and some got capative with dual touch
but I don't trust their quality so even if they look good on papir I don't want to pay that much with such a high risk of being ripped off

[Q] Worth getting without keyboard

I'm looking into getting the tf701 as my first Android Tablet. I think I've pretty much settled on it, but I just have a few questions.
Is it fully functional without the keyboard dock, or has the UI been changed in such a way that using without the dock is problematic (I don't plan on getting one for at least the first year)?
What am I missing out on without the dock? As far as I can tell, they dock offers a keyboard (duh), extra battery and USB 3 connectivity. As far as I can tell, All other slots (SD Card, headphones) are on the tablet, please correct if I'm mistaken.
Is there a dongle to enable USB without having a dock? It seems there was one for older models, but I can't find one for this model specifically.
If i connect a bluetooth keyboard, is the experience the same as with the dock? (minus battery and USB obviously)
What kind of case is necessary? Do I need a heavy duty otter box style case, or do the basic pleather ones do well enough.
The only other tablets which seem to be comparable are the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, which is something else I'm considering, and the Galaxy Note 2014 (quite a bit out of my price range). Are there any other tablets I should be looking at?
Sorry for all the questions, but these tablets aren't cheap, and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision.

CastrTroy said:
I'm looking into getting the tf701 as my first Android Tablet. I think I've pretty much settled on it, but I just have a few questions.
Is it fully functional without the keyboard dock, or has the UI been changed in such a way that using without the dock is problematic (I don't plan on getting one for at least the first year)?
What am I missing out on without the dock? As far as I can tell, they dock offers a keyboard (duh), extra battery and USB 3 connectivity. As far as I can tell, All other slots (SD Card, headphones) are on the tablet, please correct if I'm mistaken.
Is there a dongle to enable USB without having a dock? It seems there was one for older models, but I can't find one for this model specifically.
If i connect a bluetooth keyboard, is the experience the same as with the dock? (minus battery and USB obviously)
What kind of case is necessary? Do I need a heavy duty otter box style case, or do the basic pleather ones do well enough.
The only other tablets which seem to be comparable are the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, which is something else I'm considering, and the Galaxy Note 2014 (quite a bit out of my price range). Are there any other tablets I should be looking at?
Sorry for all the questions, but these tablets aren't cheap, and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello tab works fine with out keyboard. it is just like any other tab
the keyboard adds a sd card slot. usb and battery, track pad. the tab has a micro sd slot.
it is worth getting the dock if you like to sit on the train and watch a video or do some emails/ work much more comfy than holding the tab or sitting it on a bag or lap to do this.
any case is fine i like the caseen ones.

I don't own the dock. If I wanted a dock I'd buy a laptop. For me, it defeats the whole purpose of owning a tablet.
Sent from my Transformer Infinity TF701T using Tapatalk HD

I've had my tf701 for almost a month and I'm not a fan of not having a kb. I like being able to type faster and having different degree of tilt when I'm using the tablet, plus the extra battery life of the dock. And it's a PITA trying to hold the tablet when I'm watching a video in bed. My tf700 has a dock and I can just lay it on my lap or if I'm laying down I lay it on my tummy and angle the screen down so I have the best viewing angle and my hands are free. And to me, my tablet is my laptop replacement.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

The auto-background-dimming problem kills it for me, even if there were no issues with the dock.

improvius said:
The auto-background-dimming problem kills it for me, even if there were no issues with the dock.
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Click to collapse
has anyone spoken to asus about it?
mine in jp doesnt dim like in the vid else where but does change too often for my liking and doesn`t fade the dim like my old acer a510 wish it did.

improvius said:
The auto-background-dimming problem kills it for me, even if there were no issues with the dock.
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Click to collapse
The dimming issue is for me really not a biggie, I hardly notice it.
But main concern is for me the dock connection problem.
My expectance is that all users who don't have the problem now wil have it sooner or later because the mechanical stress put on to the connector (both female and male side) is immense and (as electronic engineer with my own engineering company) it will fail for sure later on.
We would NEVER put an electronic device on the market with such a dorming problem!!

I had a TF700 for a year without a kb dock, it's really not necessary. Android and tablets in general are designed to be used from a touch screen. SwiftKey is a really nice keyboard btw, I like the split keyboard for thumb typing.
That being side when I got the TF701, because of the TF700's annoying lagginess, I picked up the keyboard with it on a whim. It's actually really nice to be able to plug in a real keyboard when you want to type out an email or a forum post. The track pad on the keyboard sucks by the way, but you still have the touchscreen so it's not a game killer.

on the subject of keyboards. the Japanese supplied keyboard app that runs with the dock sucks when in tablet only mode you must press enter every word you type. There is no option to remove this even with predictive off.
I downloaded a third party jp keyboard but it fills up half the screen when typing on keyboard dock and it doesn`t register the keys for changing input language.
does anyone know if there is a multi language keyboard that will work correctly with the tf701 keyboard and all it`s keys.

The physical keyboard is a real blessing especially if you have to be on the road a lot. Typing emails, longer texts just isn't and will never be as smooth and fast without a real one. I'm currently using the tf300 combined with the KB and its like a mini notebook.
Will be buying the tf701 next year - the screen is like night and day compared to the tf300 - my girlfriend just bought it and i cannot get her to trade wonder why +gg+
If yyou are looking for a great keyboard app, I'd recommend thumb keyboard, no other KB has that much customization options.

The formfactor of the TF701 (tablet+keyboarddock) is just the USP that makes people choose for this tablet.
When bought without the dock and no need for a keyboard there are more competitors with similar products which you can compare to each other.
Then things like support (updates frequently available), build quality, stability and over all speed are most important.

The dimming issue will be fixed in a future firmware update. The dock issues are being addresses as well. The tablet is less than 2 months old. We'll always suffer as early adapters with Asus. It is what it is..
Sent from my Transformer Infinity TF701T using Tapatalk HD

Thumbs up for Thumb Keyboard
frankgreimes said:
If you are looking for a great keyboard app, I'd recommend thumb keyboard, no other KB has that much customization options.
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Click to collapse
I also use Thumb Keyboard and think it's hands down the best android keyboard out there. The only downside I've found is that it doesn't do swiping. I've recently discovered Swype and for quick texts on a phone it's much easier to use. For the tablet, however, it will always be Thumb Keyboard for me!

yeah it`s not supporting jp at this time so i`ll keep looking for a good app.

TAB S 8.4" - My thoughts after a week

Hi,
I thought I'd share my thoughts on the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 I got last week. It's the LTE model, but UK so still uses the Exynos processor.
Firstly, I've been an Android user for quite a while. Started with the second generation of phones, and got a tablet shortly after. Had a wide range of cheap and cheerful devices , on which I always installed custom roms before becoming settled on Nexus devices a few years ago, and been happy with stock - had a nexus 4 and both generations of nexus 7.
I currently have an LG G3 for my phone (which is great btw)
I tend to prefer a clean, close to stock android experience, and I have always steered away from Samsung - never fancied touchwiz, wasn't keen on the oversaturated and blue hued screens, plus I like being different!. But based on the reviews, and after a quick play in the shop I took the plunge with the Tab S.
Firstly - form factor. I toyed with getting the bigger one, would have been better for work stuff, and watching tv/films at home, but I also use it a lot as an ereader. So the 8.4" form factor was best for me. I have big enough hands to comfortably hold it one handed on the train etc, and it is nice and light. Still sometimes wish I had got the bigger one though.
Interface - I actually like Touchwiz now.... I've not experienced too much lag, and I like the extra bells and whistles. The Notification bar is a little messy, but also has extra functionality so I will let it off (putting the IR blaster remote in there is a great idea) . The quick settings panel on the 2 finger scroll is a little cluttered, but functional too. I have replaced the launcher - I've used Apex for years and have got too used to the control it offer. Lets me get rid of the useless magazine ux too. Main thing about Apex is that it lets me use a much finer grid on the homescreens - I use widgets a lot, and like a lot more control over size and placement.
Screen - It's great. I'd like the whites to be a bit crisper, but the rest of the plusses make up for it. I actually like the active display mode - I keep trying it on basic, based upon other reviews and display tests, but keep turning it back. I like the wow factor. Maybe I will tire of it eventually and want something a bit more reserved, but for now I love it. Even on the active/AMOLED Cinema mode it is nowhere near as garish as early Galaxy displays.
If you want to show off the device, play someone the sample video that comes with the device. Obviously overtuned up to show off the screen but it is impressive.
Software - A lot of rubbish on the device obviously, but some is actually useful. The office viewers are handy, and the pdf viewer is a lot quicker than others I have tried, or using kindle which is very clunky.
Papergarden is actually quite impressive - it's the magazine experience I expected to get on a tablet (And annoyingly you can get more on an ipad...) - not sure how many magazines I will actually buy with my own money though.
Battery - It's ok, doesn't seem as good as my old nexus 7, but maybe I'm using it more, and probably cranking up the screen brightness too (And the 4g must use some too). I'll try it with some more reserved usage. Might try juicedefender on it too (which will probably help my data usage as well).
I also got a dud charger, which I will take back tomorrow - charging on a low power charger (supplied one is 2A) is pretty slow, but that's not the tablet's fault.
In conclusion - It's the best tablet I have had (Also the most expensive so you would expect it to be!). Performance is fine, the form factor is almost perfect for me, UI is good after some tweaking and the screen is great. Will post an update after I've been suing it for a month or two, see if I still feel the same.
Carl

interesting. very similar to me, coming from a N7 and using it a lot for media etc.
I was a very reluctant buyer, only the £50 play voucher pushing me over the edge as there were no other quality tablets out there to replace my nexus 7. I tried it out in john lewis and I was instantly impressed by the size and weight, not much different to the n7 but with the bigger screen.
so bought it, half expecting to just sell it in a year when something better came out. but the more I use it, the more I liked it. Switched out the launcher to nova and I was all set. I had no prior experience of amoled screens before, but as a big media watcher, I am now really glad I accidentally have one. I wouldnt bother so much on a phone, but on the tablet its perfect, I really notice the difference when using my partners regular tablet. I also went about downloading 2k youtube videos and putting them on the tablet and the quality was amazing, now of course its built into the app so even better!
The only lag I notice is sometimes on clicking the home button and I have had others tell me the tablet is bad as it does badly in benchmarks. which to me is crazy but its their call. the battery is not as good as the n7 but if you have the love the extra pixels, they draw more power. Luckily more than enough time for a good solid days usage but the n7 was better.

Active display mode?

I think the OP means "adaptive". The dynamic display mode that puts color and contrast into some kind of super overdrive. Eye candy in my opinion, but not for extended periods of time.

2k screen display consume alot of RAM and battery. Not redcommend for gaming

Seems good but some frustrations
Absolutely the main reason to buy this tablet is the screen. I don't think anything out there can touch it. My biggest issue is the SD card. I have a Patriot 64 GB microSD UHS-1 card and it just doesn't seem to work in this device at all. Tried formatting in Windows (ExFAT) - works great. Put it in my ASUS TF700 tablet - works great. Put it in the TAB S - mounted the card with no trouble but then when I try to write to the card (using the Myfiles app), it locks up. Sometimes it freezes solid and I can't get it to do anything until I pop the card out - then everything immediately starts working again. Obviously a card problem of some sort. So I tried another identical card I had for another tablet...same problem. Tried formatting in the tablet - it locks up. I left it for half an hour and came back - it was formatted but it didn't work at all. Tried a 16 GB FAT32 card - it works flawlessly. So...is it the card or is it the tablet...? Still working on this...
I'm not a fan of the Touchwiz interface but I'm adapting to it slowly. Removed most of the panels that were not useful and it's getting better. I'm really frustrated at how much storage is being used with crapware that I can't uninstall. Like WatchOn - I finally ran it to see what it was all about and there's a message that pops up saying that this service will no longer be in operation after December 31, 2014. Really? So I can't remove the app and I can't even use it now...that is NOT COOL! I've never had a tablet with less than 32 GB before (because the 32 GB version of the tab S seems to be a myth - in Canada anyway). There really needs to be a way to remove some of this stuff...especially since I can't get the SD card to work.
I mainly use a tablet for video - and that's where this really shines. Netflix, MKV files, streaming from my server, etc...works flawlessly! It looks amazing and that's why I bought it! I just wish I could get the storage thing figured out.
I really don't like the dedicated buttons for Home, Back and Recently Used Apps. Why they would reverse the buttons from the Android buttons, I really can't figure out. Often, when I'm in Netflix, I hold the tablet in landscape mode and my finger/thumb keeps hitting the Back button and then I have to reload the movie again...what a pain! I can't see the buttons in the dark either...don't like them! KitKat lets you run apps fullscreen so I don't get the dedicated buttons anymore!
The sound has been okay - probably on par with my Nexus 7 2013...but it distorts at full volume (subtly). Battery life is okay but not great - seems on par with the Nexus 7. The size is good - still fits in my inside jacket pocket like my Nexus 7 did - but has a much larger screen. My eyes aren't great these days so the web page text is fairly small but I'm getting by.
I see no issues with performance at all...not sure why people complain about lag - if there is any it's so subtle...it certainly doesn't affect the usage whatsoever.
I really don't like that you HAVE to use the Samsung charger and you HAVE to use the Samsung cable it came with...they're really acting like Apple in this way. I have 10' micro USB cables I use for all my other devices to charge and they've never had a problem...until I tried them on this tablet. So now I'm stuck with the 5' cable again and the single charger. Looking for options on eBay...
I need to find a case tomorrow...the Samsung book cover is on sale so I'll try it out.
Eventually, I'll get everything working! Still happy with the purchase (it was $50 off) but I'd like to get these little problems resolved!

I hear ya on the WatchOn thing. Waiting a week or two before I start learning to strip the bloatware out but right now I am okay with the stock ROM. Have disabled non-used items for now but as you said with only 16GB to work with I also want it as clean as possible
Will not lie, scared of voiding the warranty. Wishing I had bought the LTE version through Bell becaise through them you can buy insurance...
I picked up a 64GB card (AData) on sale for $30. Working with no issues. Possible the Patriot card is buggy? NCIX.com is a good place to shop

What's up with the USB charger and cable? They're standardised items, no? The whole idea with USB, or so I thought. One usb cable can't differ from another - that doesn't make any sense what so ever...!? Sure, the charger may vary in regard of ampere and volt, but why am one forced to use the supplied Samsung charger / cable?

No idea about the charger. I am using the OEM one for now but have always used a BB one for my S4. Strange

USB cables do vary. Some will only charge, and not carry data. Some will carry more current than others, and will therefore charge more quickly.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

Question Should i buy the Tab S8?

Dear XDA community I am very tempted to buy the tab s8 but i may need your help to understand whether this device is for me.
I bought a Tab S 8.4 waaaaay back in 2014 and I have been using it happily ever since. Before buying a tablet i thought that tablets were mostly productive devices rather than glorified phones with a bad camera. The tab s was an amazing device for what it was (especially at 350€) but i quickly found out that it couldn't do most things that I wanted it to do.
It couldn't be truly used to write documents due to the castrated mobile office apps
It couldn't be used for true multitasking (multi window worked only for selected special apps which most of the time where not the one I used)
External monitors could go only up to 1080p 30Hz and had way worse colors and i couldn't charge my device while displaying something on a TV
There is no concept of "running apps" infact every app except for the one i was using was just closed after a while, it has happened to me to actually loose edits on documents or comments.
Laggy alt tab and more in general laggy UI (yes even when it was new. In fact I'm quite sure it's more responsive now without all the Samsung bloats)
Instant throttling due to extremely poor thermal solution
Updated only twice and each update gave me worse and worse performance.
Now the reason why I didn't upgrade so far is because tablets just didn't inspire fun anymore. I tried iPads but they were not even capable of coping some files in background without errors. Windows tablets unfortunately have just eighter bad performance or impossible prices (really you could spend 3000+€ on a flimsy quad-core just to have as little as 16gb of ram, which truly i the minimum for windows). Chrome os tablets just don't exist, most have 4gb of ram and the ones with a decent build qualty like the HP x2 have massively under-powered internals. This is a shame because they are now supported for 8 years and i really value long term support. Then i took a look back at android and saw a graveyard of devices built to be trashed after one year and never updated.... except for one that suffered from chronic underfuned development: the tab S. Even that though was not as impressive as the original version. It had barely more ram, extremely inflated price, still no decent apps.
Now i wonder has all of this changed for the Tab S8?
I write less documents so may be able to withstand a crappy office suite.
8gb of ram finally a decent size although the phone i have in my pocket already has 8gb of ram and i bought it 6 years ago so i wonder if that little amount of ram will doom the tab S8 to be trashed in a couple of years.
External monitors seems to be decently handled by dex but I've read that it supports only 1440p60....... which seems strange because 4k monitors are very cheap..... like I litterally bought mine for 250€ to replace an old 1280x1024p75 and the difference is amazing. That alone if it is true is a reason to not buy the tab. I don't pretend to do video editing on it but device that costs as much as a semi decent laptop and cannot fulfill basic computer tasks like browsing on a big screen would be a no go. Also it is not clear whether dex supports window snapping, fast alt tab, and persistent applications that don't close without my permission.
Is the UI still bloated? I've read some reviews that when switching from one app to the other the animation can drop a lot of frames and the alt tab stutters. I was really hoping that after so many years that would not be even thought to be possible anymore.
Also about throttling: i've read that samsung gave up on not making it throttle so they under-clocked it to keep the thermals within a controlled range.
For what concerns the 4 years of support i wonder: does that mean true support and updates or i will receive updates 9-10 months later than google devices with a final bloated update that cripples the device?
NO HEADPHONE JACK? really? on a device that is supposed to be productive?
16/9 aspect ratio..... so they put a screen to watch cat videos on a 700-1200€ product....it makes me wonder why not a more normal 3/2 or 4/3.
Also it seems that if i want a screen that is not worse than the one i already have in my very old tablet I need to pay 200€ more and have a bigger device that is heavier and less confortable to hold. Also i've seen online that when you activate the night mode on the TFT display the colors become way worse.
One thing that really interests me is the S pen.
The idea of properly taking notes and drawing on a device like this puts me in a position where I am very willing to try and see how the experience of using it is.
Are there some decent drawing apps? Paid ones as well as long as it is a one time payment and not a lifelong rental.
Do you know if there are some programs that recognize hand writing to transform it to computer words?
Guys sorry if I am criticizing a bit. I really don't want to offend anyone. I was just looking for some help to select a decent device. Thank you, i hope you understand.

Hello! use S8 ultra.Everybody think is the best tablet.

Well s8 ultra is really good, I own one and I can even run desktop mode of dex straight onto my s8 ultra. Without needing tv or so.
Also screen is biggest one ever as a OLED one. Next I like is that it's smooth and hardly lags for me at all.

I use the Tab S8+ as an upgrade over my Tab S4 from a few years ago and I'm just saying that I'm never looking back. The bigger screen is amazing for media consumption, drawing, editing (whether it's photo or video), multitasking, etc. I don't output to a monitor or TV very often, but if I do, the experience is pretty good. Dex has come a long way over the past couple of generations and device revisions and is almost good enough to be a laptop replacement (for some, not for all though). I'd only recommend the Ultra if you SERIOUSLY need double the ram, a bigger screen ( 2.2" bigger than the S8+, 3.6" bigger than the S8), and the second forward-facing camera. The performance is practically the same for all three Tab S8s, the only difference being the size, cameras, and ram. 8GB is enough for most people, but if you genuinely need more, then I'd spring for the S8U, but if not, then either the S8 or S8+ is perfectly fine. I chose the S8+ for the bigger, more vibrant, super AMOLED screen. After daily driving a device with an OLED screen, I can't go back to LCD, but I've heard the TFT LCD on the S8 is pretty good for being an LCD. You do miss those deeper blacks and some color fidelity though.
Edit: I thought I should answer a few of your questions and address some of your concerns.
- The UI is still pretty bloated (especially if you have an S8 with 5G capabilities like Verizon), but it's a lot more manageable than before. You can disable a lot of apps that you don't plan on using, as well as uninstalling their updates, not allowing them to change system permission or have any permissions at that, or even straight-up hide them from the app drawer if you're using the OneUI Home launcher. You can even remove them via ADB commands if you hook your tablet to a PC as long as you input the right commands.
- The aspect ratio of all Tab S8s is 16:10, not 16:9. The tablets are a little wider to account for that. As a result, it's not going to cover the entire screen when outputting to an external display, and yes, it'll only be at 60hz.
- The Tab S8 line will continue to receive software updates for the next five years (until 2027), so we will probably get the next two or maybe three next versions of Android, as well as semi-frequent security updates and patches. We'll be up to date for quite a while, at least until the next Tab line comes out.
- Not having a headphone jack is one of the main reasons why I didn't spring for the Tab S6 line back in 2020, but times have changed and now I've found pretty reliable alternatives to continue using wired headphones, use the mic attached to those headphones for calls and audio recordings, and to charge at the same time. I'll use the ANKER USB-C Hub mainly for displaying to an external display, but I did use it for simultaneous wired headphones and charging until I got the Stouchi USB-C 3.5mm Headphone and Charging Adapter. This dongle has served me well for some months now and while it can give me some occasional charging issues (mainly due to my poor positioning), it's a quite durable and serviceable dongle. Not to mention that if you ever have issues with it, customer support responds via email very quickly, and has a quite friendly staff team that'll help you out.
- The tablets really aren't as large and unwieldy as many people try and make them out to be. Maybe it's just because I have big hands or have no problem carrying reasonably heavy things, but it's genuinely not that bad. With the specs that are in these newer tablets, I'm surprised that they're not heavier. The S8+ is 1.25 lbs (around 0.6 kg) and is quite thin and quite lighter than it should be given what's inside and how well they perform. Adding the cover case included with the official keyboard for these tablets (not the slim one, as those are one piece as opposed to being made of a magnetic back cover with an S-Pen cover and a keyboard attachment) does add a bit of weight to it, but not enough to cause any sort of strain.
- I use Sketchbook for drawing, but I've been recommended Medibang quite a few times since it has a lot more creative tools that you can use. Both are free as far as I know.
- Samsung Notes has a feature where it can turn words you've written down with the S-Pen into regular text. I believe there's also an S-Pen related app that you can use in its little sub-menu (when you press the button on the S-Pen close to the screen), but if there is, I don't use it very often. I just stick to Samsung Notes since it seems like a dedicated app for exactly this purpose. You can even backup notes you've made to the cloud if you log in to your Samsung account. Quite the handy application if I do say so myself.
It may be a lot to read, but I hope I helped you in your decision a little bit. These are some pretty great (if a little pricy) devices, and any of them would be a great upgrade over your previous (or I suppose current) Samsung tablet.

Also another thing I want to add is that s8 ultra is durable. Since jerryrigeverything did a durability test and even he failed to snap the s8 ultra in half. Like he could with first Ipad pro gen 1 when it was first biggest tablet on the marked.
The Ipad pro broke in half like paper, but when he tried to do same with s8 ultra 14.6 inch he couldn't bend it at all, even if he took all his strength. Yet it wouldn't bend and he was impressed on samsung on managing to build a 14.6 inch tablet that is impossible to bend. He was expecting some bend or breaks on first tablet that big.

Ops double posted my bad.
Was trying to edit post above and for some reason it went double post.

SavXL said:
I'll use the ANKER USB-C Hub mainly for displaying to an external display, but I did use it for simultaneous wired headphones and charging until I got the Stouchi USB-C 3.5mm Headphone and Charging Adapter.
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Click to collapse
FYI, I think both your links are borked somehow. Thanks for all the info, though!

Massive thanks to all of you for your replies, especially to @SavXL for the detailed reply.
In the end I decided to give it a try and see what happens.
I choose the 10.4'' size because it is definetly a bump in dimensions and weight compared to the 8.4 i was using. The main bummer is that the screen is a literal downgrade from the one i was using before. Still as you said for an LCD is not bad at all and the colors are decent. It is however true what it was told online in a couple of other places: "turning on the blue light filter totally destroys the screen"... such thing would not happen with an oled.
I went with more storage and with the keyboard cover because there was a 50% discount on both the upgrade and the keyboard. What can I say, the device feels solid however I was worried to scratch the lens without the cover as it is literally rubbing on every surface without a cover. The keyboard is surprisingly nice to type on for what it is, keep in mind that still if used as a desktop attached to a monitor it makes sense to have a 20€ membrane or 60€ mechanical keyboard at least. The difference with the official tablet keyboard is massive. The track-pad is just trash. unfortunately there is no better way to put it. A thinkpad or dell from 2007 will have a better track-pad. With a bluetooth mouse and the touchscreen thankfully the trackpad can be ignored. The software keyboard improved a lot to the point where for now I'm not replacing it with my normal "Swiftkey".
The pen is surprisingly natural to use and surprisingly.... small. It is strange to say because it seems massive from the pictures. But I've noticed it slips while writing a bit more than a normal pen. Maybe i find a "case" for it that increases the diameter and grip but still fits in the space dedicated in the cover. Pen gestures in the air are just a meme so I will not talk about them. Still it is a joy to use.
I didn't try dex in a real way so maybe I write an additional message in the next weeks after I thoroughly try it. For that I will source an adapter and try it on a 4k monitor, I really hope the tab S8 has improved resolution handling..... being limited to HDMI1.4 bandwith in 2022 will not be funny. For what concerns the multi window the limit went from 4 of the original tab S to 3 of the S8 ...... now I get that we have a small screen and it may be stupid to use more than a couple of applications in parallel... but I would like to be the one deciding that on my device. One major annoyance with the split screen support is that when resizing windows the content blurs... hopefully I can find a way to disable that crap because it truly slows down the interaction with the device. In general the multi window behaviour improved a lot, but the way i interact with windows is still strange as if we were still in the windows 3.1 days where we hadn't figured out a way to properly grab windows, resize them, move them, snap them. This awkwardness is a lot reduced by enabling the multiwindow line even on full screeen windows. That helps to feel the environment less forced.
Speaking of slowdowns: I was shocked that after 8 freaking years Samsung didn't manage to have a fluent interface. Don't get me wrong it is mostly fluent but full of small hiccups that I may accept on a cheap underpowered device but not at this price range. There is a lot of preinstalled bloarware, most of it can be removed or disabled so for now I'm accepting it.... after I get more confident with the device I will definetly debloat it.
Alt tab between the last 2 applications takes ages. It takes literally seconds. By disabling all the animations in the developer options the situation becomes a lot better but still the point is that the alt tab works correctly when you want to alt tab between several applications but not when you want to alternate between the last 2. Try on your normal computer. You shouldn't see the list of applications when quickly alt tabbing. If you see that, it then becomes distracting and slows the workflow because then you need a couple seconds more to focus on what you were doing in that app. Continuing with the alt tab I have to find a way to make the recents smaller and/or vertical and/or fit all in the screen. I have no use for big previews that show the content of the app. I opened that app, I am already aware of what I am doing with it. Another problem with the alt tab is that there is no text. If i have 2 documents that look very similar to one another you can bet that they have a different name so I'd rather be able to identify them at a glance rather than squeeze my eyes and play "spot the differences".
The sidebar to quickly open applications in split or floating mode is very handy. I have to use it more to get used to it but for now i can say that i wished the icons were smaller, that there was more compact content, and less "pages". If it takes me more than a couple of seconds to scroll through the pages then I might just as well go to the home screen and do there what I wanted to do. Maybe there is a way to customize it more than what I noticed so far. This seems very much a phone app ported to a tablet rather than a proper tablet app.
I was almost forgetting the fingerpint. It's fast. I'm glad I chose the smaller device for that as well. Under-screen sensors in the past have been slow, though I don't know how much they improved in the past couple of years.
Video calls are great. The front facing camera has a decent contrast and dynamic range, obviously better than windows devices that cost twice as much. It is also positioned as close to my eyelevel as it can be on a small device. I have yet to try the microphone in a proper way but considering I didn't have to raise my voice too much to be heard on the other side it seems good.
On the software side I'm happy. I had a couple of issues with skype where i cannot move the automatic floating window that appears when I go home during a call, dropbox decided to limit me to 3 devices all of a sudden so I will just use google drive from now on. I've downloaded a bunch of drawing apps including the ones suggested by SavXL. so far so good.
In conclusions: Is this device worth it? Yes if you use the pen. Everything else on this device is excellent but not unique. Otherwise If you have a decent phone you could just grab a cheap lapdock or tabdock and you will have an amazing experience. If you want more proper windows or a more proper browsing experience you can grab a chromebook. It will still have the same hikkups in the interface but at least is because you saved some money. What makes this tablet unique is the pen, which is amazing.

Just as a comparison: A modern wacom pen on the left vs the S-Pen on the right. I can assure you that the diameter difference makes it slip more.
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knosso said:
Just as a comparison: A modern wacom pen on the left vs the S-Pen on the right. I can assure you that the diameter difference makes it slip more.
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Click to collapse
It's ironic since I only had one S-Pen before - from the Note 10+, so when I bought the Tab S8 Ultra as my first Samsung tablet, I was surprised it was that big, but what you say definitely makes sense. I would be afraid that putting anything around it semi-permanently would interfere with either the magnetic sticking to the back of the Tab and/or the wireless charging of the S-Pen.
Also with at least the Ultra's Keyboard Cover, it might not allow fully closing the top-hinged portion of the back cover where the S-Pen is.
Of course, an easily removable solution would beat these concerns.

knosso said:
In conclusions: Is this device worth it? Yes if you use the pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been meaning to ask this question: What do people use the pen for? No real guidance in the manual. All I've done with it is keep it charged.

lloydsw said:
I've been meaning to ask this question: What do people use the pen for? No real guidance in the manual. All I've done with it is keep it charged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't fooled with the Tab S8 Ultra's S-Pen much yet, just experimented with both Samsung's and Google's implementation of handwriting to text conversion. On my Note 10+ which got rid of, I would occasionally sketch out rough ideas for building things or rearranging furniture, etc. I rarely play games but with some games, the S-Pen came in handy as well.
My wife plans on using handwriting to text conversion.
Edit: I'd like to add that from research I've done in the past, Samsung owns patents on several aspects of their styluses which prevent other styluses from being quite as good.

lloydsw said:
I've been meaning to ask this question: What do people use the pen for? No real guidance in the manual. All I've done with it is keep it charged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I think that literally any function other than the pen can be done by another device better than an android tablet (chromebooks have a real browser, phones are always in your pocket and have good cameras, computers have real applications to do real work) but if you want to paint, sketch, and take notes you don't really have any other option aside from the tab S line and the iPads.
The Remakable is wonderful to take notes but you cannot paint on it. Wacom tablets are amazing to paint but are to do creative work at home with a computer, it would be cumbersome to use them in a park.
If you are in classes or in a meeting and want to take notes but then also be able to sketch something on your free time in a park or cafè then a tablet is a must have.
Personally im not an artist but I'm having tons of fun with medibang paint, ibis paint, sketchbook, and other apps. When i become a bit better at drawing I will invest in Clip Studio Paint.
I wish there was something like premiere rush but for davinci resolve available for our tab s8. Starting my video editing on the tablet with dex to then finish it on a real computer would be amazing. I would hands down pay for that app instead if being forced to rent the adobe suite. If it existed I would be forced to use my pc 10 times less.