I’m a Huge fan of the Samsung Note 2 so I was interested to see the differences between that and this Note 8. I really love having an S pen. AT least for me it makes preforming certain actions way more natural and easy. I know it’s not for everyone but I like having the option. It comes with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, a quad-core processor, a MiniSD slot accessed from the left side of the device. Unfortunately you can’t install apps on your Mini-SD memory card. a normal USB cable and AC power plug. Plus the documentation. The s Pen has the same AirView features as all the other Samsung Notes.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Naturally the most obvious difference between the Note 2 and Note 8 is the larger size with an 8-inch display. While the Note 2 was cleverly called a “phablet“, the Note 8 really IS a tablet. There’s lots of similarities. As you can see from the screen grab this Note 8 has the multi-window feature, but unlike the Note 2 I can use the S pen to activate the Menu and Back buttons. Yippy!
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
It’s got an improved Clipboard. I do love it. But how do I distinguish one clip from another? I mean if you have five links they can all look the same. I do like that you can “lock” a clip (as seen in the screen grab below). And I also like that it’s easy to delete/edit any clip by selecting it.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Multi window looks fabulous on this Samsung Note 8.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Samsung WatchON App
The Samsung Note 8 has IR so it’s perfect for use as a remote control for your TV. As soon as you start up the App it shows help screens to set up the TV Remote.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
The NOTE 8 must be paired with your TV and your Cable box.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Select provider from list:
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Select TV from list and pair. I found I had to get Very close to turn on and off the TV SET using the Note 8 during the set up. And by close I mean about four inches.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Select the cable box brand and pair. Once again I had to get within a few inches of the cable box to turn it on and off as part of the pairing process.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Voile. TV GUILD is ready for preferences and searching. As I used this to find shows and films the size of the Note 8 was comfortable to use. Unlike trying to do this using a smaller phone this was a good size to easily see the details. I’d like to point out that Once I had paired the Note 8 to all the necessary devices to watch TV I could hold the Note 8 at a comfortable distance – like several feet. Why I needed to get Up Close and Personal to Pair I’m not sure, but at least I didn’t have to hover close by any more. Whew!
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Tap on a film (or TV show) to get the Film info which includes more info about the Actors and similar types of films.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Reminder for when the show comes on is added to your calendar and notifications pop up like an other Event notification.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Did a search for one TV show (“Bones“) and the list of all program times and channels comes up in a list.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
View all my HD channels
The orange Star means it’s a “Favorite”
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
View all my favorite programs and channels. You make a program Favorite by tapping the Star by the program
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Access Remote features by tapping on the icon that looks like a little Remote (upper right of screen) and the Remote GUI slides out.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
I only have a regular HDTV but for those people with a TV that connects to WiFi you can link it up to the Note 8 by tapping the “TV” icon next to the Remote icon.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Skype
Yes my friend’s laptop camera is horrible. The Note 8 camera is fine. The Audio is really clear and good with headphones on.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Skype call with chat open.
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
The Camera
The Note 8 comes with a a 5-megapixel camera. So you aren’t going to get the same kind of wowy powy photos as the S3, Note2, or S4, but in the right light it still can get quite good. I was in a grocery store and took a picture of some strange fruit. In this case the picture came out perfectly. I put the White Balance at Florescent
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
However, if there’s strong light you can get blown out areas in your pictures. It’s not horrible but I know other Samsung devices can handle this situation just a bit better.
Like this:
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| From SAMSUNG Note 8 – GT-N5110 |
Over all It’s a lovely device, for all your note taking needs. It’s very responsive: Not just the S pen but watching videos on the Note 8 is smooth and lovely.
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