*Steve Makris is a technology expert who does a weekly Tech Talk segment during Edmonton’s Sunday Morning News. You can watch the segment above.
There is one unique smartphone no one can match, not even Apple’s newest iPhones.
If the pen is mightier than all, then Samsung’s fourth generation GALAXY Note 4 with stylus S Pen is a winner in more ways than one.
Sporting a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED 2550 x 1440 spotless screen and finely tapered metal edges, the tablet wannabe Note 4 has efficiency and smarts throughout.
Available to Canadians beginning Oct. 24, the Note 4 is pricey. So unless you don’t intend to use the S Pen, and already have a larger tablet, you could spend your money on a smaller phone.
But if you like the closest thing to hand-written Post-it notes on your main screen as reminders, want to take up sketching, or like the idea of making handwritten annotations on documents or pictures, the Note 4 is for you. It has doubled the pressure sensitivity to 2,048 levels so writing is responsive, as is accurately selecting items like a mouse.
With Action Memo, taking notes in meetings is similar to a pocket notebook on steroids. In addition to typing and writing, the innovative Snap Note feature allows you to take a picture of notes on a paper or a whiteboard, and then quickly and easily convert them to an S Note.
“We remain the industry leader in this category,” said Paul Brannen, executive vice president, Mobile Solutions, Samsung Canada. “The enhanced S Pen allows Canadians to add more of themselves to their mobile experience.”
Indeed. The dual window feature lets you display and work with two apps at the same time; and with the more detailed screen and more accurate S Pen, you simply do more in less time. The S Pen Air Command starts many writing and capturing functions by hovering the slim 4-inch stylus over the screen while keeping its button pressed.
The previous popular Note 3 was a tough act to follow, but Samsung got more S Pen functionality by making it a fast grabber of web text and graphics by simply swiping it across those elements on screen.
The cameras have improved too. The now larger 16 megapixel rear-facing camera has an optical image stabilizer for keeping moving objects sharp, especially when shooting at slow flashless shutter speeds. But when shooting in the darkest of dark scenes, the Note 4 disappoints. It quickly loses its otherwise high quality photos much like previous models. Hey, I was a newspaper photographer in my past life. I’m fussy.
The 3.7 megapixel front-facing camera with fast f1.9 aperture offers a default wide, 90-degree shooting angle, which can be extended up to a 120-degree wide angle photo with a sweep, after the photo is taken. It’s not as instant as a one-click selfie, but your photos will show a lot more background.
There are also big improvements in power usage with a quick partial charge up in the first 30 minutes. Note 4 Ultra Power Saving Mode helps to maximize battery life. Even at 10 per cent charge, you can still receive calls and texts for up to 24 hours. Nice.
The device has multiple microphones for better noise cancellation when speaking in loud environments, which work well. The built-in voice recorder offers eight different directional voice tags and a selective playback capability that allows users to isolate and listen to specific voices in a group conversation. It has three GB RAM, 32 GB memory with a micro SD slot for up to 64 GB more and the battery is removable too. It’s currently the most powerful smartphone sporting a 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor APQ8084 + MDM9225M QUALcomm. The AC WiFi and industry fast Bluetooth 4 will keep the Note 4 sufficiently current for new users.
The device also has an improved fingerprint scanner which secures personal data. It has a UV sensor, IR remote control and top of the class looks, which make for an attractive do-it-all package.
The Note 4 will be available in Charcoal Black and Frost White through major Canadian carriers and retailers starting on Oct. 24. The prices are not known yet but U.S. carriers are starting with a $300 for a two-year plan. You get what you pay for.
Local company wins high tech contract in New York
I just got back from New York where I was checking out Edmonton-based Nektar Data System’s impressive roll out of its Histree application. It’s a smart and efficient way of keeping track of New York City Park’s popular MillionTreesNYC program.
The multi-facetted program aims to have a million trees planted throughout the five New York boroughs on public land and private properties, including back yards.
Histree handles the data of each tree, based on its GPS location, to be shared and monitored from consumer mobile devices. For example, scheduled watering and health monitoring for each tree is readily available for city and contract tree care givers when they click the red dot on an iPhone or soon, Android device.
Nektar president and CEO Art Maat said the new application is unique worldwide.
“Histree can help large and small cities manage their assets with popular mobile devices from anywhere.”
There are plans to offer a social-based app so users of the ongoing free tree distribution program in New York can share their experience with friends.
New York has signed a one-year deal with Nektar for 25,000 trees with plans to expand the Histree service for an additional 25,000 per year for ten years.
During my recent walkabout in New York I could see all the new tree plantings on my iPad, zero in on one tree and get directions on Google Maps. I walked up to one tree, scanned its QR code on its aluminum tag, and was invited to help care for it and feel somehow connected with one small tree amid the millions in New York.
Or anywhere else for that matter.
For more information go to www.nektardata.com and www.milliontreesnyc.org
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