Recently I took personal leave to get some much needed rest. After getting the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks (with a really awesome nap thrown in for good measure), I went to Vivocity to claim some Groupons from Boost Juice Bar, and more importantly, I managed to play with all the awesome ‘new’ devices I’ve been too busy to check out over the last few months.
Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Note 10.1
My Galaxy S2 is still going strong, but given all the hype surrounding these devices, I wanted to check them out.
The Galaxy S3 is slightly wider than the S2, but it’s still easy to operate with one hand. As a classical guitarist, I maintain fingernails on my right hand (my ‘plucking hand’), so it makes it difficult to operate touch-enabled devices.
I typically use my left hand (my ‘fretting hand’) to operate my phone, so one-handed ease of use is crucial to me. The S3 is noticeably taller than the S2, so reaching the top of the screen was not something I could do.
The screen is quite pretty, but the bluish, cool tint I’ve read about in numerous reviews isn’t that bad in real life. The pentile arrangement wasn’t very noticeable to me either.
The screen is nice, but not as good as the HTC One X; I was blown away the first time I saw it.
Though the camera seemed to take better photos than the S2, it only felt marginally better to me.
I was quite excited to spend some time with the S3’s bigger brother, the Note 2. Surprisingly, I found one-handed operation very possible with this 5.5 inch behemoth.
The Note 2 features a ‘one-handed’ operation setting that pushes smaller versions of the dialer and keyboard to the extreme left or right of the device, making one-handed operation technically possible.
It’s a gorgeous phone, and perhaps it’s because I’m a big guy, but the phone did not feel ridiculously large to me – a criticism I constantly hear in many reviews. It’s an interesting form factor and something I’ll definitely consider when it comes time for me to upgrade my phone.
I also had time to play with the Galaxy Note 10.1. For months, I’ve been toying with the idea of using a tablet to read music, but have been concerned with the smaller size and the inability to write or take notes on the tablet.
On paper, the Note 10.1 sounds like an idea compromise, it’s still about 20% smaller than an A4-sized of paper, but it’s S pen has plenty of potential for quick edits.
But in practice, it’s totally not suitable for my needs. It cannot read .tiff files and the S pen was a bit too clunky to use for on-the-fly editing. Simple edits take 10 times longer than paper and pencil.
That being said, it’s still a nice tablet and the handwriting recognition is surprisingly good.
Sadly, my search for a suitable tablet to read music on continues.
Apple iPad Mini and MacBook Air
After visiting the Samsung Showroom, I went to Challenger to look at some Apple devices and managed to spend some time with the iPad mini. Personally, I dislike the overly simplistic nature of iOS devices, but I’ve always understood their appeal. The build quality of iOS devices are excellent and the iPad Mini is no different.
It may not feature a Retina screen, but it still looks very good. As for the form factor, I don’t agree with Apple’s assertion that you can hold it with one-hand. Well, technically my hand could stretch the width of the device, but it was a rather painful stretch (this coming from a guitarist with moderately large hands)!
What I was more interested in was the MacBook Air. I’ve been thinking about buying one for months. I really liked using Mac OS X. It’s smooth, fluid and Apple bundles OS X with great apps like Contacts, E-mail, Calendar and the like.
The MacBook Air is very well made. The screen is gorgeous and the materials are excellent. They are also very light and portable.
Eventually, I decided to bite the bullet and I ordered a fully upgraded 13 inch MacBook Air from Apple. I’ve always had a high opinion of Apple products and I have found them to be very well made with amazing design and attention to detail.
They also function very well. Whenever I played with an Apple product, it always worked exceptionally well. I can’t say the same for all Microsoft and Android products I’ve tried or bought over the years. I’m the probably the biggest Apple fan that has never owned a single Apple product, till now.
My MacBook Air is scheduled to be delivered to my office later this week. I can’t wait!
