Samsung Galaxy Note 2 tips

25 Samsung Galaxy Note 2 tips

To you and me it's a big phone, to wilful language manglers it's a "phablet". Either way, Samsung's 5.5-inch monster Galaxy Note 2stretches the boundaries of mobile gadgets as much as it does the sinews of your mitts.
With its ingenious S Pen stylus and Samsung's pen-driven TouchWiz tweaks to Google's latest Jelly Bean Android software, there's a bunch of features that are particularly useful on the Note 2. Here I'll explore 25 of the most handy ones.
The S Pen


1. Air view
The Note 2's stylus, or S Pen, doesn't need to touch the screen to do something useful -- it can be detected while floating above the display too. This ability is used in various Samsung applications to trigger content previews such as the calendar (S Planner), or for showing video previews by floating above the timeline during playback.
2. Take a screenshot
If you hold the S Pen button down and hold the nib on the screen, a screenshot will be taken on which you can draw annotations before it's saved (see below left).


3. Take clippings
Holding the S Pen's button down and drawing a closed shape around anything saves the enclosed screen contents as an image (see above right). The image can be sent to the clipboard, sent as email or MMS, or saved in the S Note application for later.
4. Avoid losing your S Pen
To make sure you don't leave the S Pen behind, enable the detachment indicator. There is even an alert for when you walk away without the stylus. The latter didn't work during my testing though.

Text input
5. Handwriting input
Enable handwriting by tapping the button to the left of the space bar. The Note 2 is surprisingly good at understanding printed and cursive handwriting. Use the S Pen settings to indicate whether you're left-handed or right-handed.


6. Single-handed input
The keyboard settings have an option for 'One-handed operation', where the portrait keyboard is pushed up to one side of the screen so everything's within reach of your thumb (tiny-handed folk aside). Not only that, but you can choose the portrait keyboard style -- either Qwerty or the traditional alphabet divided across a phone's number keys, as below.


7. Continuous input
A swipeable keyboard comes pre-installed on the Galaxy Note 2, and is enabled via the 'Continuous input' option. You spell out each word by drawing a line from letter to letter. This works in any keyboard style or orientation.

Settings


8. Blocking mode
This mode lets you block calls, notifications, alarms and timers and the LED notification light, either all day or between certain hours. The block mode has an 'Allowed contacts' feature so you can let chosen people bypass your blocking rules. Alternatively, this could be used to block nuisance callers.
9. Adjust colour tone
If you don't like the screen's colour reproduction, go to Settings, Display and then Screen Mode. There you can choose between Dynamic, Standard, Natural or Movie options.
10. Smart rotation
To prevent instances where the screen unintentionally rotates, forcing you to turn it back, there's 'Smart rotation'. This monitors your face and suppresses normal rotation if your face is tilted too.


11. Smart stay
The Galaxy Note 2 can use its front-facing camera to see if your eyes are still looking at the screen. If they are, it will keep the screen active, disregarding the normal time-out.

Home screens and widgets


12. Set up home screens faster with Easy mode
When you set up the Galaxy Note 2 for the first time, Easy mode is offered -- it gives you fewer home screens than Basic mode and is already populated with handy widgets for favourite applications, contacts and settings. Change between Easy and Basic modes any time via the Settings app.
13. Preview and add or remove home screens
Making a pinching gesture on any home screen will zoom out to a preview of all the home screens. From there, you can rearrange or remove home screens by long-pressing and dragging. Add more home screens by tapping the '+'.
14. Page Buddy: context-sensitive extras
The Galaxy Note 2 has added home screens that appear when they're needed and are denoted with corresponding icons in the page indicator row. For instance, when the S Pen is removed, a Pen Buddy page appears with a large widget for Samsung's note-taking application. Similarly, when earphones are connected, a page appears complete with music and video widgets.

Applications
15. S Voice
Tapping the home button twice launches Samsung's take on Apple's voice-operated butler, Siri. Its language interpretation isn't on the same level as Siri, but it can perform more functions such as telling it to "Disable Wi-Fi".


16. S Planner
The standard Calendar application is replaced and improved upon by Samsung's S Planner. Pinch and stretch gestures let you switch between year, month, week and day views. There are S Pen Air View previews of busy days in the month view. Also, it's possible to write on top of your calendar for rough planning and notes.
17. S Note
S Note is the application where you can be productive and creative with the S Pen. This note-taking application lets you save text, vector shapes and even mathematical formulae.



Battery life
18. Power Saving mode
The Power Saving mode can save energy in various ways and you can choose which ones are enacted when you flip the Power Saver switch. The options are CPU power saving, screen power level, background colour (whites in the web browser are given a blue tint), and disabling haptic feedback (vibrations).


19. Manually disable features
The more hardware that's running, the more power is being drained from the Galaxy Note 2's capacious battery. Try disabling 3G data, S Pen Air View sensing, reduce the screen time-out time or switch off Smart rotation and Smart stay.

Miscellaneous
20. Task switcher with added control
You may have seen the Android 4 task switcher with thumbnails of running applications, but the Galaxy Note 2's switcher also provides shortcuts to the application manager and to close all running applications.
21. Take screenshots
The Galaxy Note 2 offers several ways to take screenshots. The basic method is holding Power + Home. As mentioned above, the S Pen can be used for making annotated screenshots. Alternatively, you can enable a right-to-left swiping gesture with your palm to capture the screen.
22. Motion controls
The motion settings allow for lots of gestures such as 'tilt to zoom', 'pan to move [homescreen] icon' and 'Quick glance' to activate the screen by simply reaching for the Galaxy Note 2.


23. Still camera effects
Samsung has customised the standard Android camera application. For example, holding the shutter icon will take a burst of images. Also check the image effects where you'll find a high dynamic range (HDR) mode and various colour effects.


24. Video camera effects
The Galaxy Note 2 video camera has added effects too, including the same colour effects as above. There is also slow and fast-motion video capture, along with digital image stabilisation.
25. Floating video player
While viewing videos, you'll find an icon for Pop Up Play in the bottom-right corner of the screen that will take the video into a movable window on your home screens, so you can look up a website on a browser without having to pause the film. 

Microsoft Updates Skype Client for Windows 8, Android

The Windows 8 app allows users to call Messenger contacts whereas the Android version is now more visually appealing on tablets.

Microsoft was busy on Tuesday, as the company's Skype division released new clients for both Windows 8 and Android. The former release wasn't quite as visually dramatic as the latter, adding a small number of new features while improving the overall video call performance and implementing general bug fixes.

According to the release notes, the new Skype for Windows 8 app will let users call Messenger contacts. The new feature arrives after Microsoft confirmed earlier this month that the Live Messenger service will be retired in 1Q13 after serving loyal users since 1999. Microsoft made the first step towards its retirement in a recent release of Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows which placed Messenger connectivity alongside Facebook's own chat service within the popular blue VoIP client.

"Our goal remains to deliver the best communications experience for everyone, everywhere," said Tony Bates, president of the Skype division at Microsoft. "We want to focus our efforts on making things simpler for our users while continuously improving the overall experience. We will work with you over the next few months to help you transition and offer information and help along the way."

Skype for Windows 8 already had Messenger connectivity prior to this latest update, but now users can actually call their Messenger friends. They can also search for people and groups more easily than before, as the service is now better integrated with the Windows 8 People app alongside LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others.

In addition to the updated Windows 8 client, Microsoft also upgraded the Android client to v3.0. This version has been optimized to scale to a tablet's bigger screen so that Skype feels more native to the larger display rather than appear as a smartphone app blown up to fill the screen.

"From now on you can share the moment, a photo or a smile on the most popular Android tablets including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, the Google Nexus 7, Acer Iconia, Asus Transformer Prime, Motorola Xoom and Sony S," the company said. "And with our redesigned look and feel, Skype looks great no matter what screen size you have - either on a smaller Android phone or the more spacious display of your tablet."

The new Android app also now supports the SILK wideband audio codec which was designed to "capture the richness of human speech." Microsoft said the tech copes well with fluctuating Internet speeds to ensure that the audio is consistent and the best it can offer, even with a shaky connection.

"We're excited about these enhancements which are added to the long list of things you can already do on Skype including video calling, sending and receiving instant messages,sharing pictures, videos and files with anyone on your contact list, and making calls to mobiles and landlines worldwide at the amazingly low Skype rates," Microsoft said.

Windows Phone 7.8 Update Incoming

Due for a release in a matter of weeks or days.

Nokia has mistakenly revealed that Windows Phone 7.8 could be launching in a few weeks, if not days, with the software being released to manufacturers.

A developer seminar in Singapore saw the head of Nokia's Asia Pacific Developer division confirm that the RTM has occurred. He apparently told one of the developers that the public release would come into fruition before 2013, as well as saying that the updated mobile operating system won't be receiving the new Internet Explorer 10 browser as aging hardware can't support it.

It was previously reported that following the release of Windows Phone 8 devices throughout November, Microsoft will launch Windows Phone 7.8 to consumers.

A premature post on Facebook by the Italian Windows Phone division confirmed a number of upgrades will debut with WP 7.8, including a "new Start screen" and services likes Xbox Music and SmartGlass.

"The upgrade to 7.8 will be available for versions 7.0 and 7.5 shortly after the marketing of the devices Windows Phone 8," the now-removed post said. "Among the features there is the new Start screen, the sharing of the calendar using the function Club and access to key services and content Microsoft, including Xbox Music Store library that can be enjoyed by Zune and Xbox SmartGlass."

SkyDrive New Features; Usage Doubled in Last Six Months

Windows Phone 8 and Android app for cloud storage platform updated.

Microsoft claims that the use of its cloud storage service SkyDrive has doubled its usage amount over the past six months. The increase in usage is undoubtedly due to the recent launch of Windows 8-powered devices.

"We're both humbled and excited by this pace of growth. While many of you have told us that you love being able to have everything in one place and access it from anywhere, you've also said that sometimes you want to be more selective with the files you sync to each device," said Microsoft's group manager for SkyDrive Apps Mike Torres. To celebrate its achievement, Microsoft has release several new features and apps for its cloud storage service. "So today, we're releasing an update to our sync apps that includes the ability to select what you sync along with the ability to share files and folders right from the Windows File Explorer."

A selective sync feature allows users to select certain folders to sync to SkyDrive. A right-click option for contextual menus that leads to faster and easier file sharing from the desktop has also been implemented.

Microsoft also released an update to its Windows Phone 8 and Android apps for SkyDrive. The apps now offer file search support, and the ability to shrink photos when they go online. The WP8 app in particular will receive a minor redesign that delivers a cleaner UI.

Android users, meanwhile, are now able to upload all file types from an SD card, in addition to the ability to rename SkyDrive files and folders; they can also create custom sort orders for every view.

Android Takes 90 Percent of Smartphone Market in China

iOS slips due to iPhone's higher price tag.

Android continued to dominate the Chinese smartphone market, with the Google mobile operating system increasing its share during the third quarter.

In the period, Android attributed to 90.1 percent of China's smartphone market, representing an increase from the 83 percent share it had during the second quarter.

According to Beijing-based research firm Analysys International, Apple's iOS settled for a distant second with a 4.2 percent hold, a decrease from the 6 percent share it had in the second quarter. Symbian, meanwhile, saw its market share drop to 2.4 percent.

Apple struggles in China as the iPhone retails for a much higher price than its Android-powered device counterparts. The iPhone's average cost is 3.25 times higher than that of the average Android smartphone sold in the region.

Overseas, Android is also experiencing a stronger grip on the smartphone market, with the platform accounting for 72.4 percent of all smartphones sold during the third quarter.

Microsoft Releases Tweaks, Performance Update For Surface

Microsoft has released a firmware update for the Surface RT tablet that improves the device's performance.

In addition to the launch of Windows 8's first critical security patches, the software firm has issued a system firmware update for Surface RT, as well as Windows RT operating system updates.

The fixes, which are listed under a "cumulative update", includes performance improvements "when you wake the computer and when the computer is asleep, in order to improve battery life". A separate patch also fixes "an issue that may prevent Windows Store Apps from being installed fully."

While initial reviews of Surface mentioned the tablet could be slow at times, reports are suggesting that the update in question improves application launch times. Apps apparently launch around two seconds faster than before.

However, the update seems to failed to address an audio stuttering issue with Surface RT.

Microsoft Offers Upgrade Discount, Get Windows 8 for PKR 1,310 Only

Microsoft recently announced the availability of Windows 8 for its customers in Pakistan and around the world.

Now consumers and businesses worldwide can experience all that Windows 8 has to offer: a beautiful new UI, a wide range of apps with the grand opening of the Windows Store, available on more than 1,000 Windows 8 certified PCs and tablets.

Windows 8 is now available for download to upgrade existing PCs in over 140 markets and 37 languages and at retail locations around the world including Pakistan. Over 250,000 PCs are available at more than 1,000 retail stores, including Hyperstar, Metro, E4U, and Makro.

Get Windows 8 in Pakistan
Option One (for PKR 1,310):

With a special offer, Microsoft is offering all Windows users to upgrade their operating system to Windows 8 for just Rs. 1,310 if they purchased a compatible PC computer/laptop during June 2, 2012, and January 31, 2013 that has windows 7 installed on it.

If so, then you can upgrade your OS to Windows 8 for PKR 1,310 by clicking this link: http://windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-PK

Option Two: (for PKR 3,800)

Those with genuine Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, and didn’t buy computer during up-mentioned duration can upgrade to Windows 8 for USD 40 or PKR 3,800.

This limited duration discount offer can be availed by clicking this link:: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-PK/windows/buy

“With the launch of Windows 8, Microsoft is unveiling a reimagined Windows to the world,” said Sherif Morsi: Windows Business Group Lead, Microsoft North Africa, East Mediterranean and Pakistan. “Whether you want a tablet or a PC, whether you want to consume or create, whether you want to work or play – Windows 8 delivers a personalized experience that fits your unique style and needs.”

Windows 8 will be available in two versions at retail, Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro. And for business customers, Windows 8 Enterprise offers new possibilities in mobile productivity with features like Windows to Go, Direct Access, and Branch Cache, as well as enhanced end-to-end security with features including Bit Locker and App Locker.

Launching at the same time is a new member of the Windows family designed for ARM-based tablets, Windows RT, which will be available pre-installed on new devices. Windows 8 features the new fast and fluid Start screen that gives people one-click access to the apps and content they care most about, the entirely new Internet Explorer 10 that is perfect for touch, and built-in cloud capabilities with SkyDrive.

Samsung Galaxy S III Reaches 30 Million Phones Sold

Samsung has announced that sales for its flagship Galaxy S III smartphone has reached 30 million.

The Android-powered smartphone, which only launched back in May, reached the milestone figure last week, according to an announcement made on Samsung Poland's Twitter account.

Less than two months ago, the device's sales exceeded 20 million units worldwide. Samsung stressed that it expected that figure to reach 30 million before 2013 arrived, so the firm still has two months left to sell a few more million during the holiday season.

The Galaxy S III, which has become one of the best-selling Android devices of all time, considerably contributed to Samsung's record profits of $7.4 billion this year.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II, meanwhile, has shipped over 3 million units worldwide after just a month on sale.

Windows 7 increases Lead over XP in previous month

Windows 7 continues to dominate market with month-over-month growth.

More consumers have adopted to Microsoft's Windows 7 as its market share once again overtakes XP's.

According to web tracker Net Applications, Windows 7 featured a market share of 44.7 percent in October, representing an increase from September's 44 percent. As for Windows XP, the operating system's share decreased from 41.2 percent to 40.7 percent last month.

Although the 11-year-old XP still boasts a considerable share of the OS market, Windows 7 is slowly starting to take over as the dominant operating system, with the latter having finally taken the top spot in August. A year ago, XP's share stood at 48 percent, with Windows 7 having a market share below 35 percent.

The just-released Windows 8, meanwhile, hasn't made a major impact on the market yet. Net Applications said its pre-launch versions delivered a share of 0.41 percent last month, which was 0.3 percent in September. That said, it should be noted that W8's market share was based before its official launch; three days after its release, the new OS sold over 4 million copies.

Ultimately, Windows dominated the OS market with a share of more than 91 percent. Apple's Mac OS holds a 7.1 percent share, while Linux trails behind with just over 1 percent