{"id":76898,"date":"2013-05-26T14:34:07","date_gmt":"2013-05-26T12:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=76898"},"modified":"2013-05-26T14:35:21","modified_gmt":"2013-05-26T12:35:21","slug":"samsung-galaxy-note-8-0-hands-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/gadgets\/76898-samsung-galaxy-note-8-0-hands-on.html","title":{"rendered":"Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 hands-on"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s one thing you can count on in the world of smartphones and tablet PCs, it\u2019s that if there\u2019s a form factor, Samsung<\/a> has a device in it.<\/p>\n

Want a tablet? No problem, sir, would you like a 7-, 7.7-, 8.9-, or 10.1-inch screen?<\/p>\n

Smartphones? We have them in 2.8-, 3.0-, 3.65-, 4.0-, 4.8-, 5.0-, and 5.01-inch flavours. If that isn\u2019t big enough for you we\u2019re also getting them 5.8- and 6.3-inch later this year.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the Note range, which you may be forgiven for thinking only consists of Samsung\u2019s tablet-smartphone mutant hybrid that some have taken to calling \u201cphablet\u201d (though \u201ctablone\u201d is clearly the better term).<\/p>\n

In addition the 5.29-inch Note and 5.55-inch Note 2 smartphones, the range also has tablet-sized devices in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the recently added 8.0, which are both named for the size of their screens.<\/p>\n

Does the addition of a stylus a new category make?<\/h3>\n

The only apparent difference between Note devices and Samsung\u2019s more conventional smartphone and tablet lines? A stylus and some software specific to the use of said stylus.<\/p>\n

However, when you delve deeper and compare using the stylus on the Note to using the after-market styluses (styli?) on other tablets, a bigger difference becomes apparent.<\/p>\n

Unlike its more standard smartphone and tablet PC ranges, Samsung Galaxy Note devices boast with a Wacom digitiser to process the input from the stylus.<\/p>\n

To test whether this does indeed provide an improved experience, or is just another gimmick, we handed the tablet to resident business technology journalist and thumbnail image wizard, Quinton Bronkhorst.<\/p>\n

He has extensive graphic design experience in addition to many hours of leisure time spent with Draw Something on iPad, making the game a convenient way to compare the capabilities of the two devices.<\/p>\n

According to Bronkhorst, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 offers much greater drawing precision compared to using a stylus on an iPad. This is despite the Note 8.0 having a screen that is 1.9 inches smaller than the iPad.<\/p>\n

\"Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 S Pen Page Buddy<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s never too big to be a phone<\/h3>\n

Outside of its stylus-specific features – including a special \u201cPage Buddy\u201d homescreen that appears when you remove the pen from its slot in the bottom right of the device – the Note 8.0 functions like a normal Samsung tablet.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s unless you come from the school that thinks it\u2019s unusual to be able to make cellphone calls and send SMSes from your tablet PC.<\/p>\n

A number of Samsung\u2019s tablets that have a 3G-capable model also let you make phone calls and send SMSes from them, which can be quite handy in a pinch.<\/p>\n

In my testing, the Galaxy Note 8.0 transmitted clear voice and produced good quality audio from the earpiece speaker.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately there\u2019s nothing it can do about you looking silly when taking calls on it, though. As with Samsung\u2019s other phone-enabled tablets the only way to mitigate this is to use a headset.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a tablet PC that lets you sketch digitally while away from your computer and trusty Wacom tablet, then Samsung\u2019s Note range is basically your only option.<\/p>\n

As with the other devices in the range, handwriting recognition on the Note 8.0 is good, and it delivers the experience you would expect from a new Samsung tablet.<\/p>\n

While it is a matter of preference, the design of Samsung\u2019s casing makes it look and feel cheap.<\/p>\n

Another strange design decision is the use of hardware buttons (physical home, capacitive menu and back), instead of the software buttons Samsung opted for on its Galaxy Tab 2 devices.<\/p>\n

On devices with larger screens reaching for hardware buttons (as opposed to software buttons following the orientation of the display) can have a negative impact on usability.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in the market for an Android tablet and find the 7-inch models too small and the 10-inch models too big, then the Note 8.0 might just be your Goldilocks tablet for this generation.<\/p>\n

\"Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 side view<\/p><\/div>\n

More Android and tablet news<\/h3>\n

Galaxy S4 on-site next business day warranty<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 announced<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Samsung Galaxy Mega smartphone is big, real big<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 SA launch dates<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Jacket) pocket-sized tablet PC with a Wacom digitizer and stylus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":74573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[397,167,35,645,18538],"class_list":["post-76898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gadgets","tag-android","tag-google","tag-headline","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-galaxy-note-8-0"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76898"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76898"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78712,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76898\/revisions\/78712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}