My Next SGNote: Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Alright, for those who followed.this blog, you know that I'm a suckered for Samsung Galaxy Note N7000, aka the original Galaxy Note. In recent years, that is the smartphone that I used for over 18 months until it became too obsolete that everything become unbearably slow to operate.

2013 is probably the slowest year for me in regards of Android smartphones, except for 2 smartphones: Asus Padfone 2 and Sony Xperia Z series.

I must say, those 2 enticed me with their creative solutions that I decided to buy Asus. Unfortunately, that was a decision that I regretted due to hardware flaws and weaknesses.

2014, I went backward and purchase the abdominal Sony Xperia Z Ultra, this 1920x1080-true-HD-6.44"-screen-2.2ghz-quad-core is the current record breaker of thinnest and biggest screen for a phone category.

As an old fan.of SGNote, stylus writing capabilities and features to support it are something that I yearned when using Asus Padrone 2 or my just retired Polytron Quadra HD. Sony creatively put an incredible amount features to their Z series, including their giant Z Ultra. Those features made my SGNote becomes a museum piece.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra exceptional and useful features (that I know of, and I believe I will find more soon enough):

- Reading/Accessing portable hard disk
Z Ultra ability to access portable hard disk makes my life easier. I don't rely on transferring files using flash memory and computer anymore on the go.  However, accessing big capacity (1TB or above) portable HDD is proven to be hardwork for the unit since the limited electricity power Z Ultra has. Connection easily severed and lost power several time. Looks like there is a limit how long Z Ultra can.supply power to the HDD unit.

- Stylus replacement: pencil, pen, or anything made of iron
Did I hear a "Huh?" Well, it is unique. Sony decided that the users of Z Ultra are people who like pens and pencils so forget the stylus and go straight to use pen and pencil as stylus instead.  Brilliant decision with some risks like screen scratches etc. Solution, screen protector.
I also found out that Samsung C-Pen (not the same as SGNote's faithfull S-Pen), which uses metalized rubber, work like they were born for each other on Z Ultra.
With this feature, users can freely use almost anything to write, annotate or sketch on Z Ultra. Why bother buying a stylus then? Well, users will still need stylus since pens and pencils will scratch Z Ultra screen surface in the long run.

- NFC Easy Connection
Whoa, Sony pretty much exploded NFC trends by applying easy connection features that now tons of NFC accessories are now available in the market. Samsung and HTC have NFC features.but they don't really put NFC as part of their main strategic feature.

- Dust and Water Proof
Sony might not be the first, but they certainly the one to  explode water and dust proof smartphones worldwide. I would.say shame on Motorola for not exploring Defy series further. Now, Samsung has noticed the.Zip series success and launch Galaxy S5 with water and dust proof feature.

- Power Management
HTC One was the first high end smartphone that featured this newer unique feature, however HTC limits this features to only One series. Sony produces almost every middle and top range of their products with Sony's stylized Power Management. Of course, HTC in turn quickly add more products with this feature and Lenovo follow suits to flood the market with affordable Android smartphones with Power Management features pre-installed.

- Being a tall unit with almost 2 cm/1 inch space on top and bottom of the screen means Z Ultra is the current best suited Android for gaming and multimedia consumption

What else can I say, last year I.made a mistake on deciding to buy Asus. This year Z Ultra has gone down in price and become my new favorite smartphone.

Of course there are some drawbacks:
- Painfully gigantic size for a.phone
- Flaps here and flaps there mean extra efforts required to access USB and the rest of the connections
- Glass (front and back) means scratches and fingerprint magnet, self explanatory here, Sony people might talk to Apple people a bit too much
- New screen means trip and error, luckily Z Ultra uses the 2nd generation 1920x1080 HD Triluminous Bravia technology so it is superior to the previous ones on Z, but not necessarily better than IPS and Super Amoled

Final words on my first 1 week living with Z Ultra, I fell in love and Z Ultra is definitely my concubine. Please don't tell my wife.

SGNote ICS Update: The Secret of ICS Deep Sleep

First of all, I would like to apologize for the hiatus in entering articles into this blog. My first job has taken so much time that I didn't have time to be active the way I like to be. Anyway, here is my latest finding.

ICS Update has now has reached 4.04. Not a major update, only clearing out some bugs.

Anyway, the first time anyone updates their SGNote to ICS, immediately he/she realizes that ICS is battery hogging. Meaning the battery don't last as long as it used to be on Gingerbread. Several solutions have been thrown into the Internet. The solution I used was using task killers, 2 of them. However, it doesn't solve the much of the battery hogging problems. Until I found the most effective way to solve it : the Deep Sleep Mode of ICS.

Some of you may not realized that the Deep Sleep Mode is very important in keeping Android Smartphones keep the battery lasting longer.

I found this in a unique way. Currently, I'm using 2 Android phones: Samsung Galaxy Note and HTC Desire VC. HTC Desire VC, being a dual on CDMA and GSM smartphone, usually is notorious to run out of battery in no time. However, HTC Desire VC's 1,650 Mah battery last 14-16 hours. Regardless only communication apps that I used on the phone, it is an amazing achievement.

So, I crawled the Internet for ideas, I found CPU Spy highly recommended by Wicked4u2c at YouTube. It is a small app that dig into Android CPU and system to show you what you Android phone processors are doing and how active it is. Here's the icon of the app:




It is a free app you can get from the Play store. What CPU Spy showed me was my SGNote hardly entered Deep Sleep Mode.

Depp Sleep Mode is an Android mode that you can activate by pressing power button to lock your screen or automatically after several minutes of no-activity on the phone. Since I always put my HTC Desire VC in Deep Sleep. Mode after usage, the battery last a lot longer.

So, I checked my battery activities IN Android Settings, the most active and battery draining hardware functioning is of course the screen. The other strangely active app, to my surprise, is my task killer. Since I set it at 1 hour task killing intervals, it always stayed active, thus my SGNote processor is hyper active almost all the time. So I uninstalled the one running 1 hour task killing intervals and kept the daily (once every 24 hour) task killing app, which I happened to install also in my HTC Desire VC. To my surprise, after several hours of changing my apps functionalities, my SGNote entered Deep Sleep Mode more, thus reducing battery drainage. Of course, it could also means ICS 4.04 fixed the drainage problems, but it certainly works. Here is what CPU Spy analyze of my system currently.



As you can see, the Deep Sleep Mode is extended every time I pressed Power button. This certainly helps a lot in extending my SGNote battery.

Feel free to try it.

Tips: there are several apps that do keep processor hyperactive. You need to check each and every apps installed before change the setting or uninstalled them.

posted from Bloggeroid

SGNote ICS Update: Beware of Battery Drainage

I have heard all over Internet that ICS Update for Samsung, whether it is for SGNote or SGS2 may cause further battery drainage. I can tell you know that on certain condition it is correct.

I have been using SGNote ICS 4.03 Update for awhile. First thing I noticed is that the multitasking went overboard. I consistently close apps by using ICS Task Manager manually, but it doesn't help. So I have installed Easy Task Killer at 15-minute apps killing interval. It helps a little. So I installed Trust Go Security for further apps killing and security, it helped with 4-hour interval. It did better, but to be safe I turned on System Power feature.

However, now I have found a new problem. The system sometimes freezes that the battery status from ICS failed to be updated. So, I have a choice of Rooting the SGNote to install Power On/Off Scheduler or find alternative method. So far I haven't found the right remedy. Rooting is not necessary the best solution since it might brick my SGNote if I set it up wrong. Plus, it void my warranty.

Anyway, I need advice or suggestion on this matter. Don't get me wrong. This battery power update failure doesn't happen often, only once in 2 or 3 weeks, but annoying nonetheless.

Oh yeah, here are the signs if your SGNote:
1. Data network failure. This means your battery has reached 20%, that is why ICS turned off data connectivity.

2. All apps go slower. That means the processor is working overtime and most likely power drainage is underway.

So there, I hope this one is helpful since you don't want your favorite phone suddenly goes off while the battery status said 60% but actually almost drained. I will update you for further development on the comment area of this article. Cheers

posted from Bloggeroid

ICS Productivity: Cloud Storage

The birth of Tablet Computer marked the climatic rise of Cloud Computing and Storage, especially for smartphones. Being relatively small in storage capacity, having additional Cloud Storage becomes a necessity rather than a luxury. With the decreasing and more affordable data plan from network provider, more and more smartphone and tablet users use Cloud Storage whether they realize it or not.

Android operating system was designed to utilize the Cloud Storage system. Once you log in to Google network, most of your data, contacts, calendars, emails, and photos are immediately synchronized (or in lamen language: stored) with the Google Cloud Storage via Gmail. This is useful when you use the data on other equipments, such as laptops or other phones you have. Even iPhone and iPad use similar system via MobileMe or Google.

The benefits of Cloud Storage:
- saving, backing up, synchronizing and sharing data across platforms (gadgets and OS)
- simplifying the process of smartphones or tablet replacement, such as buying a new phones
- enabling teamwork on documents across locations and platforms
- acting as emergency back up should your smartphones or tablets suddenly "died"
- and last but not least, simplifying data transfer, such as sending or sharing large documents.

Several Cloud services are.available in the Internet and the market place, most of them are free to a certain degree. The most popular, and notably useful, are: Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft LiveDrive, Evernote, and the Soonr. Each comes with different features that set them aside from each other.

Except for Microsoft's, I have used them all. This is my opinion based my experience in using them. Feel free to add, comment or object.

1. Dropbox

It is kinda an MLM based cloud storage. It also probably the simplest of them all. Just sync all files and folders within Dropbox Folder. So simple that you cannot go wrong with it. It has newer additional feature that benefits smartphone users: Camera backup via 3G, wifi or usb connections. I use Wifi since I meed to save my bandwidth quota. So, Dropbox in my SGNote immediately sync all photos in my Camera storage, microSD or phone, to my Dropbox and Dropbox download it to my Macbook.
Available in all OS platforms: smartphones, tablets, desktops, and laptops as long as you have Dropbox app. Starts with 1GB and growing with referral program.ine has reached 3.5GB.

2. Evernote

As the title says, it is originally a Note app that sync to the Internet and directly updates your computer(s). You can take picture with Evernote app on your phone and the photo immediately updated to whatever equipment linked to Evernote. Evernote has just updated their UI so it is more uptodate. The developers recently added modular app called Skitch to enable you to make handwritten notation.
The problem that I experienced that stopped me for using Evernote is the multiplication of documents when using Blackberry, especially for photos. Somehow Blackberry connection multiply The documents again and agian.
Available in all OS platforms: smartphones, tablet, desktop PC, and laptops. Starts with 1 GB storage.

3. Goodle Drive

Google finally joined in the Cloud Storage race by revamping Google Docs with extra storage. Probably the most compatible Cloud Storage with Android. It has the ability to share documents across Google network and even team project updates by multiple users. Also it is integrated with Gmail, Google Contacts, Picasa, etc. It will be interesting to how Google expand the GDrive.
Available in almost all OS platforms and growing. Starts with 5GB storage.

4. Soonr Workplace and Soonr Scribble

There are 2 versions:
- Soonr Workplace is pretty much similar to Dropbox with teM project sharing features
- Soonr Scribble is originally exclussive free app for SGNote. Now it is also available for other smartphones and tablets, but not for free.
The best feature of Soonr Scribble is its ability to annotate in all Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint by using S Pen. The annotated documents will be saved in PDF format.
Availble in all OS Platforms. Starts at 1 GB storage.

Note: I have an article specifically for Soonr Scribble in this blog, check it out.

So decide which is the best for you and start cutting away your dependency on your computer harddisk. Enjoy.

posted from Bloggeroid

Polls: The Battles of Major Social Networks

I have joined them all and curious on what the world thinks is better. Please give comments on which Social Network is better? Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, or others?

Right now, I have come to like Google Plus and LinkedIn better. Don't get me wrong, I'm using G+, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to promote this blog new articles. However, G+ is the one I open/access the most. LinkedIn being the second.

Let me know, guys. Thank you in advance.

posted from Bloggeroid

Interlude: How to Organize SGNote Home Screen and Apps Tray

Warning: For some of you, this article maybe too subjective on my personal comment. Thing of it as an input or advise, if you will.

I write this article because I saw my friend's SGNote Home Screens and Apps Tray are so cluttered and, my apology, messy. Regardless of the size of SGNote screen, random and cluttered screen(s) will make your life less emjoyable and SGNote won't fumction properly to your liking. It will be difficult to access an app anything since you need to find since, you will not remember where it is. I must admit Google has provided Search, but it is not a smart way to get organize. So I will explain how to use Folders on your Home Screen and Apps Tray. I believe most of you will find it very useful and even helpful later on.

First thing first, Folders are not new to ICS. In fact it is a feature in Gingerbread and Honeycomb. Since Foldering Apps is useful to get organize, this feature will stay.

For those who are iPad fans, yes Android copied this features from iOS. Then again, iOS copied Android Notification curtain, so :P.

Okay, let's go to what matters, how to use Folders the smartway. I will split the article imto 2 parts: Home Screen and Apps Tray. The way you make a Folder is different on those 2 areas. Before we start, there are preparation to be made:

1. Decide how you want to Organize your Folders.
For example, I organize all Work related Apps in a Folder called Office, all my games and multimedia apps (songs and video players) are in Entertainment Folder, etc.

2. How many Folders you want to make?
Less Folders doesn't mean it will be easier to find anything too since you still need to scroll down to find Apps you want to use. Use any numbers of Folders you think will make your life easier.


HOME SCREEN FOLDER

On your Home Screen, there are 3 things you can put on it: widgets, folders and apps shortcuts. So you need additional preparation on how you want your SGNote to function on each Home Screen.

Widgets are active apps running in front of Android system that always provide you with information or quick access on specific functions. Take a note that Widgets are active, so it will drain battery and sometimes Data Plan.

Shortcuts are similar to links. It's passive and only becomes active when you access it.

Folders are, well, I guess I can call it a box where you can put several Shortcuts together in accordance on how you want to organize things.

Rule:
- You cannot put Widgets into a Folder.
- You can drag and drop Shortcuts and Folders any where on the Home Screen for convinience.


How to make a new Folder:

- On your Home Screen, which ever one, Touch Menu softkey (on bottom left outside of the screen) and a pop up menu will appear. Select 'Add'.



- A new menu will appear and shows several options. Choose Folder.



- Several Folders options will appear to identify what kind folder you want to make. Xhoose the empty one.



- Name the new folder as you planned.



Now, you are ready. All you need to do is to move (touch, hold and drag) you apps shortcuta into the Folder you have just made. Repeat the process for more Folders, like Games, Tools, Utilities, Web Shortcuts, Contacts Shortcut, etc.


APPS TRAY FOLDER

Now, let's see how you can make Folder(s) in your App Tray.

Similar to making folders on Home Screen, do plan ahead. Decide how you want to categorize your apps. How ever the rule is a bit different. In Apps Tray, the Folder gets created first then you change the name later, so you can always play around with more combinations.

Let's start:
● Go into your App Tray. Touch the Menu soft button on the bottom left side below the screen. Choose Edit.



● The App Tray screen will change to Edit Mode. Note that there are 2 semi transparent boxes on left and right bottom of the screen. The left one says Add Folder.



● Now, drag and drop your apps accordingly to the first planned category. Repeat the process until you think it is enough. Note: Once the Folder created, you could always add more apps or move them in and out from the folder or even move to another folder.



● Once ready to create the new Folder, Press Back soft button on the bottom right below the screen. A popup window will appear and ask you whether you want to add a new Folder. Choose Yes.



● Now you will have a new Folder named Folder 1.



● Let's change the new Folder's name. All you have to do is open the new Folder. Touch and hold on the title bar of the Folder 1 window.



● A window will appear for naming the new folder. Just type in the new category that you have planned.



● Now you have a new Folder. Just drop and drag apps directly into that folder according to the intended category. Repeat the process to make more folders.


I'm not a perfectionist, but more of a practical person. By categorizing you apps and shortcuts into these folders, you will be able to acceas the easily and quickly without the needs to browse through pages of screens back and forth. Make your smartphone experience helpful to you life and enjoy it. Cheers!

posted from Bloggeroid

Blogger by Google: Mobile App for Publishing Your Article to Blogspot

Here is the official Google App for Blogger: named Blogger. This one is also simple and light, so you don't need to worry about the app weighing down your SGNote.
It also has the ability to add images. Save your draft locally and access your blog(s).
Both have the same problems, they both don't link the app to Social Network which I hope they will soon.
In term of adding images, I like Bloggeroid better since I can move the location of the image to the my preferred location during the writing of the article.
However, it is all up to you, the users. They both simple and light weight. You can publish your almost Anywhere, almost any place, but don't blog and drive.

Bloggeroid: A Simple Tool Add Articles to Your Blogspot via SGNote

Probably you already know that there are several Blogger apps in the Play Store Market. I just want to share mine. I use Bloggeroid. I find it simpler and let hassle.


I doesn't have the most complete features, but I think what matters are:
- it can update the article correctly,
- backup your draft to SD card so I can finish it later,
- add pictures or photos to my article,
- I can utilize the large screen of my SGNote,
- and it must be simple to use.



If you, like me, prefer Blogger app that simple, light weight, and easy to use, try Bloggeroid.

Enjoy!!!

posted from Bloggeroid

Interlude: Enjoying EuroCup 2012

As we all know, Euro Cup 2012 is currently playing. The world is cheering and watching. In Asia, we stay up late just to watch oour favorite players battle it out in the prestigious game. Of course, for those in USA, football, or soccer, is a foreign game but gaining popularity thanks to David Beckham.

Anyhow, SGNote is a very useful gadget to enjoy Euro2012. You will find several apps that enable you to watch closely the games. And if you are willing, pay a subscription and you wikl be able to stream the game in real time. Just go to Google Play Store and search for Euro 2012, choose the apps you like best and download it.


Also, you can also stream the game via the stock browser if you know the link to the tv channels that relay the live game.

Of course, it is preferable if you use high speed wifi rather than lower speed 3G.

Just for a note, mist iPad and iPhone cannot stream live games well due to limited 3G connectivity.

Enjoy the game and play fair.

Interlude: Why Does Samsung Galaxy Note Become A 'Cult' Hit?

Okay, most of you who has not use Samsung Galaxy Note must wonder why people like me and others like me chose to use Samsung Galaxy Note?

First of all, let's see what is wrong with Samsung Galaxy Note:

- Not yet a tablet, but a gigantic phone. Some even call it a 'phablet'. It is way too big as a phone and way too small as a tablet. The size is just wrong.

- Stylus? So yester-decade. Why would anybody wants to use a stylus pen while uaing finger is more accessible and you can never lose your finger, under normal circumstances.

- Android = battery hog. It has one.of the biggest battery in smartphones category but with 5.3" screen, 2500MAh barely last a day.


So there, those are the top 3 reasons most people thinls when they see Samsung Galaxy Note (SGNote).

So let's see why I decided to buy SGNote straight from the launching world tour:

1. 5.3" screen is the smallest and acceptable screen for multimedia enjoyment. Good enough to watch movies on leisure time.

2. It has a stylus. That means I have the fastest method of note taking. Just use the S Memo Lite (press.and hold the S Pen button and double tap on the screen) for quick note taking, simple sketching and annotation on pictures/photos/documents.

3. It's an Android. I love the freedom Android system provides.

4. It's a phone. For those who buy phone by contract, you might not consider this as an important point. However, I live in a country where prepaid SIM card is preferable to postpaid (contract based). So it is important for me to have a smartphone or a table that can make calls and SMS to renew Data Package monthly.

5. Notepad replacement. No more motepad or agenda book or diary. For those who thinks SGNote is tablet replacement, I must say It Is Never a Tablet replacement. It is a Notepad replacement, regardless what Samsung said.


Then when I have bought, explored and been using it daily, I have found several more benefits that despite being personal to me, I think you might find it useful:

+ My thumb size vs screen size. Being a + size person, my thumbs are fatter compared to others. With SGNote, due to its screen size, I can type in Portrait mode with less mistypes. By this reason, drawing and writing with my fingers are also less attractive to me.

+ Better cloud integration and data sync. I have upgraded my SGNote to ICS and I found some improvement in cloud data sync and integration. I am not worried that my MicroSD Card broke apart since all my photos are.backed up by Dropbox, my Contacs with Google Contacts, etc.

+ Turn SGNote sideways and have a better web browser for smartphones. In this case the screen size shines.

+ Some will argue tablet is better to browse webs, here's my answer. SGNote is lighter. I had iPad as my first tablet and then the original Samsung Galaxy Tab later. The weight of those tablets became uncomfortable after awhile. SGNote being a giant phone is still light at weight that you still feel comfortable using it over extended.period of time.

+ Helpful at work. I work as a Marketing person. Meaning I work with a lot of graphic materials. The utilization and integration of SGNote and S Pen is excellent to cope with graphic and documents annotation. Additional apps like Soonr Scribbler truly helps a lot.

I don't change gadget a lot. I only buy what I consider useful tools/gadgets. I think Samsung hit the jackpot with SGNote, although it is far from perfect. I do hope Samsung keeps developing the Galaxy Note product line and more creative ways of using a Smartphone that either newer or forgotten.

Feel free.to comment if you don't agree with my opinions and experience in this article. Or if you want to, feel free to add your own experience. Have a good weekend.

SGNote ICS Updates: S Note

Okay, this one update is a bit confusing at first since I mistaken it for just an upgrade of S Memo. Apparently, Samsung gives their Galaxy Note users easier access for creativity in business as well as fun.



As you can see, the first screen pretty much describe how S Note provides easy access with templates for your creativity. There are some help guides that you can read for introduction.

In the provided template folder, you will find 7 templates that you can use immediately. You can access it by click/touching the '+' sign on the top right corner of the S Note.



So let's see those templates closer.

The most useful template I use is Meeting Note template because I have too mmny meetings.



You can use 3 methods of input, which are very easy to use:
- typing on soft keyboard on screen
- write using S Pen and keep it as image note



- and the third method is handwriting recognition, basically this method SGNote will recognize your handwriting and convert it to typed letter.



So the handwritten word 'What' will be saved as the typed word 'What'.


Then there is Note and Idea Note. This one is basically an enhancement of S Memo. In Idea Note you will be able to use explore the shapes and formula recognition with the handwriting recognition features.



In this template you can make anything.


Then Magazine template. As you can see, this one is more on the web-based magazine format. You can add video and pictures along in here.




If you travel a lot, you will appreciate the Travel Note template. You can get more than just photos, you can add your own comments and experience.




For those who likea to cook, Recipe template is a handy one.



And you will appreciate to keep your diary in more colorful format with Diary template.





So S Note is an app where you can express your own creativity without limitation. The provided templates are only an exercise to give you an idea how far you can go.

Be creative and be expressive.

SGNote ICS Updates: The Premium Pack

Okay, some of us got ICS updates on our SGNote but ended up with SNote as new app along with SMemo updates like me.

I would like to tell you how to get the other lost apps: My Story.

You need Samsung Account to be activated so if you have not activated it, please do.

All you have to do is to get it in Samsung Apps.



Sear for My Story, and you will be able to download it for free.

What My Story is for actually it is almost similar to MMS but in a SGNote style. You will have templates you can use immediately and you can also start something from scratch and send them to your contact in multimedia style.



It only works between My Story apps for the multimedia function as far as I know. However you can convert it to pdf or jpg format if you wish so.

Enjoy the ICS.