The jewel of any Note device is the
accompanying stylus (we know, we are not allowed to call it that), also known
as the S Pen, and Samsung continues to improve it with each new version.
Indeed, the original Note, Note 10.1 and Note II come with their own quite
unique pens, but they all have the same arch design and can work
interchangeably, which is the handy information for anyone losing their Wacom
pen, although there is one disadvantage: not all S pens have the same shape, so
they do not fit to swap in each other’s cradles.
The
jewel of any Note device is the accompanying stylus, also known the S Pen.
The original Note pen lies loosely in the
cradle of Note II, and we would not think that it was still lying long before
popping out. The safety and efficiency are major concerns when Samsung designs
stylus and indeed, each version seems to have a better feel in the hand. The
Note II’s S Pen is slightly fatter on the button side, when you press your
thumb into it; it feels like a real pencil. Adding to the nostalgia of using
the old number 2 is the bigger rubber tip, the slightly larger diameter (8mm)
and the increased length of the pen. You can tell the phone if you are right or
left-handed (sorry, ambidextrous users, you have to select one).
The
Note II’s S Pen is slightly fatter on the button side, when you press your
thumb into it; it feels like a real pencil.
We believe that there will be no surprise
that the Note II’s S Pen and Wacom digitizer have much more in common with the
Note 10.1 than with the original Note. First, the device will realize when you
remove the pen from the bag and assume in an intelligent way that you are ready
to use it, taking you to a particular page with a few special applications
optimized for stylus. (It also allows you to set the alarm, which will activate
if the S Pen and Note are too far apart). Like a tablet, the Note II has the
ability to recognize up to 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, a four-fold
increase compared to the original Note’s 256. As a result, we found an
improvement in accuracy when using the stylus to write, draw and do the other
activities. Moreover, the screen does a better job of calculating how much
power you are using. We have just dug the surface of what the S Pen can do. The
Note II not only marks improvements to the existing features, but also brings a
new set of features, which makes the phone more attractive than the last year’s
model.
Even the button is refreshed: this time you
can press the button while drawing the gestures on the screen to access the
features such as the Quick Command tool (we'll talk about this later) and a few
other navigation features. In addition, you can now copy the special section of
the screen with Easy Clip, which is activated by pressing the button and
drawing around the area you want to cut. Once it is cut, you can choose to save
or cancel what you have selected. You can also select the text by holding down
the button, tapping the screen and dragging the stylus. And we have just
started – the button can do more, and we will discuss its many new talents much
later in the review.
Before going into the first feature, it is
important to note that the Wacom digitizer included in the phone has the
ability to sense its S Pen when it hovers over the screen, in the similar
manner to what we have seen in the Bamboo Pas for the last few years. While
holding the stylus on the screen, you will see a floating pointer on the
screen. It opens up many exciting possibilities, one of which is Air View.
Using this feature, the Note II makes the best of the hover function in several
ways. For example, you can keep the pen on the email in the inbox (at least in
the common email applications at this time) and one pop-up box displays the
first few lines.
S
Pen attached to the phone
You do the same in the working calendar;
these annoying appointments will present more details when taking a glance at
them. Holding the pen on a strange symbol, its function will appear, (in the
same way as when your mouse is kept on something on the computer). Our favorite
use is Air View with the ability to see GIF-like previews of movies by holding
the S Pen over a thumbnail (small picture). A great feature is worth taking
notice: all thumbnails of the video in the player display the same type of
previews without the stylus, which seems to make the full screen alive, but the
S Pen makes the pop-up screen larger.)
