Stephan Paukner :: syslog

Shortly after I had published my first post in this series, rumors about a large (12.2”) high-resolution (2K) Note-branded Samsung Android tablet turned up. I followed those rumors closely until the sudden reveal of the Galaxy NotePRO at CES a few days ago!

This device finally seems to fit my original requirements, tailored around “active” reading:

• High-resolution screen for perfect font rendering (247 ppi); LCD in favor of e-ink due to versatility,
• Large screen for displaying A4-/Letter-sized or magazine pages in (almost) their original size,
• Dedicated stylus input for on-screen and in-document annotations in form of free-hand text, graphs, arrows, and formulas.

I still get opinions that even 10” tablets are too large & heavy and 8” are about right; anything larger ought to be a MS Windows 8 notebook. But MS does not play a role in my personal computing setup. I really do care about the points listed above.

A different point is software updates. I'm an update geek regarding Android, but in this case my focus is on the stylus software features (consider search by hand-drawn shape—yes, it works!), so I don't mind Samsung's TouchWiz UI or the possible lack of OS updates, especially since Samsung has finally fixed some long criticized issues. And it's based on the still fresh Android 4.4 after all, while my Galaxy Nexus is now stuck to 4.3.

Originally, I wanted such a device for a better workflow of reading scientific publications for work. Too bad my job has meanwhile changed... twice. But I will still make use of its features for “active” reading (annotating) of math/CS literature and for conceptual work, as well as for image editing.

I started the following section as a draft in 2008, with the generic title “Mobile device wanted”:

• I need an electronic device with about the shape and weight of a usual magazine or book.
• It should have an electronic touch-screen with a reasonably high resolution, in a size that covers most of the front area.
• The device should be capable of storing files of all type.
• The device’s software should be capable of:
• Showing documents of various formats (especially PDF) that can be scrolled by touching the screen.
• The screen should capture and visualize touch-pen movements correspondingly, e.g. to underline phrases or add hand-written notes. (Most important!)
• Bookmark functionality and cross-document references. (OK, just nice to have.)
• These notes should be stored in some way, either directly in the document (if the format allows it), or in a separate database or file that maybe even allows exporting the additional information.
• Editing editable document formats such as DOC or ODT by translating touch-pen movements to text is optional.
• Optional features:
• Keyboard underneath or attachable.
• Network connection (LAN/Wi-Fi) and internet/e-mail/WWW software.

I want such a device as I read many scientific papers/PDFs for work. It’s not convenient to print them all out, gather them as a bunch of single sheets and take notes with a real pen while e.g. on a train. It would be nice to have a PC-like device, as software and operating systems already exist, and it would immediately be possible to search the web for further information.

It seems that such a device is finally coming in two different incarnations: As netbook or as e-reader.

Yes. The ¡Pad didn’t exist yet. That mentioned netbook back then was a convertible, with a touch-screen LCD that could be rotated to be operated like a tablet. Similar solutions still exist, e.g. the Lenovo ThinkPad X230, but I dislike the low screen resolution, its weight and the MS Windows 7 OS that’s not tailored for touch use. But the main reason why I disliked both the netbook and the e-readers was that these were no dedicated solutions for stylus input—I wanted to write formulas and draw graphs and arrows. I followed the evolution of e-readers with e-ink displays, but they were just too laggy.

When the ¡Pad was introduced in 2010, I saw the desired technology approaching, but I was leering at a more open Android solution. Sadly, in the first time those tablets were only targeted at game and movie enthusiasts, and were more considered gadgets than productive devices. I was drooling over Plastic Logic’s QUE e-reader that also had a stylus, but of course it never appeared on the market.

The finally tablet-optimized Android 3 of 2011 wasn’t mature. Also, I still think that 10” screen diagonals are somewhat small compared to textbooks or magazines, so I was drooling over Kno’s 14” tablet. (I shake my head over opinions that 10” are already too large.) Of course, Kno went out of the hardware business before reaching production. From a different manufacturer, and while too underweight for my needs, the NoteSlate was a nice concept, but it still doesn’t exist.

2011 also brought Samsung’s S Pen technology with their Android-based Note brand, and I thought that a tablet variant would be just around the corner. Indeed, the Note 10.1 came in 2012, but it still had that pixelated 720p resolution (regarding font rendering) instead of more reasonable 1080p. Finally, there seem to be two 11” Samsung tablets lurking for 2013, but none of them is Note branded; there’s also a rumor that there won’t be a Note 10.1 successor soon due to weak sales of the current model.

It appears I’ll have to wait for yet another year.