Gadgetory

so the same thing always happens when a new device launches the media gets review units ahead of the official launch and we get to use them while we write our review then the press embargo lifts every outlet posts their reviews and videos at the same time writers and commenters go back and forth and it's a huge frenzy of opinion and buzz for about a day and then it all goes away I'm sure there's some follow-up coverage but after that initial blast almost no one revisits the device to see how well it's aged because we're all on to the next big thing already so let's do something about it let's take another look at a tablet that's fallen off the back of the buzz bandwagon I'm Michael Fisher this is PocketNow this is the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 and this is episode 23 of after the buzz it came we saw it went that's how it felt to track the launch of the Galaxy Note 8.0 which we first got hands-on time with at MWC in Barcelona before giving it the full review treatment here in the States but then the no tape just kind of dropped off our radar not until Samsung informed us that they had review units of the American version did our ears prick up again and we took delivery on our demo device here a little while ago this is the AT&T version so there's no earpiece up top this no date is strictly a tablet let's see how several weeks of use have changed our perception of one of Samsung's more portable stylus packing tablets many folks fixate on the notates similarity to samsung's new Galaxy s4 smartphone but the more we use it the more we're convinced it more resembles the s3 yes that may be splitting hairs but it's true if you look closely enough the note 8 is much more plasticky with far fewer concessions to style than devices from Samsung's 2013 lineup paired with the almost retro styling of super wide radius corners and this inexplicable camera bulge around the back the note 8 almost looks like a prop from a 1950s sci-fi movie the super wide bezels and glossy plastic haven't aged too well alongside newer sleeker tablet like the new Nexus 7 and even Samsung's own Galaxy Tab 3.0 but on the whole the hardware is comfortable it's a portable reasonably attractive device to carry around but so long as you're not planning on putting it in any pockets still it was tough to get around the low resolution display when the Note 8 launched and the competition certainly hasn't led up since then now the note eights pixel density does beat out that of Apple's iPad Mini which isn't having any trouble selling like hotcakes so odds are if you're any kind of normal person this display will suit you just fine it's a panel that pops with vibrant color and if the greyish blacks and slightly pixelated text edges don't bother you you'll be good to go but it's only gonna get more antic ated looking as the competition keeps launching higher res tablets so just bear that in mind somewhat more irritating samsung's insistence on maintaining a physical home button and a protruding one at that the note 8 is plenty portable and fits nicely in a backpack but you'll want to be sure to turn it off first because otherwise the constant accidental pressing of the home button will activate s voice which by the way is still just as terrible as ever or if you've disabled s voice like you should have the constant presses of the button will drain your battery anyway by constantly lighting up the screen we don't see the need for a physical home button on any tablet in 2013 but a protruding one is just plain dumb the thing that will counter all that for a certain kind of customer is the thing that makes a note a note the S Pen Stylus that hides away down in the corner the S pen's functionality runs the gamut from the utterly useless to the truly indispensable all of which we've covered extensively before what's nice though is that you can pretty easily ignore the useless stuff focusing on the nice additions like quick s note memos or absent-minded sketches or even the really simple stuff like airView scrolling with the s-pen it's these little details that sneak up on you the stuff you start to miss when you're using other tablets and it's these little touches which continue to make the Note 8 much more enjoyable to use then standard tablet but remember that's just the s-pen we're talking about the software is another story samsung's touchwiz third-party UI was originally conceived as a way to make early versions of android more user-friendly and more capable through added features well the added features are certainly here but the user friendliness isn't not that the note 8 software is difficult to use necessarily but given the leaps and bounds stock Android UI has taken in recent times it's hard to say that TouchWiz with its pastel palette clumsy borders and poor use of space is our favorite environment to be in the number row across the top of the keyboard is nice but it's Auto correction is not you'll want to replace it with another keyboard we've also run into occasional problems with miss targeted screen taps in some applications though that seems to have cleared up after some software updates but unless you're in a modern kind of mood and you want to get elbow-deep and androids underpinnings TouchWiz is a necessary evil if you want some of Samsung's enhancements to the tablet experience it's required to use the s-pen at all and it's also the reason the note 8 offers multi screen multitasking this takes some getting used to and it's not a streamlined as we think it could be but being able to browse the web and carry on a conversation in hangouts or watch a YouTube video while also browsing your Twitter feed all without hitting the home button is still pretty cool tablet screens are big for a reason and Samsung has this aspect covered fairly well using the note 8 on AT&T HSPA network over the course of a month has reaffirmed the value of a data connection on a tablet for us it's very nice not to have to worry about being in range of a Wi-Fi hotspot when you want to browse on a bigger screen than your smartphone though we might feel differently if we were stuck paying the bill for it also the hit on the battery life that comes with that cellular radio is definitely substantial you'll want to turn it off when not in use the note 8 has LTE capability but our demo account was only provisioned for 3G still our tablet past data over the 3G connection as well as any other device even allowing for some video calling over Google Hangouts in the middle of the f noon the front camera does just fine for video calls given the proper lighting in the rear camera despite its pronounced hump is just a 5-megapixel affair and it produces results that are also okay in the right lighting but say it with us you shouldn't really rely on your tablet to take good pictures of anything but documents and business cards a note tablet has ever really blown us away in terms of audio but we expect this to be an area of focus for manufacturers going forward the note 8 should hold its own for a while just based on sheer amplitude it's pretty loud but it is somewhat tinny as with many devices the story of the Galaxy Note 8.0 continues to be one of compromise the added functionality of the s-pen and the expanded feature said join with the device's portability to make it a solid buy for those looking for a little more from their tablet but the low res screen and clunky TouchWiz interface offset those gains a little bit and those pills are even tougher to swallow given the note eighths price at 379 for the Wi-Fi version and 399 on contract for AT&T S 4G variant this is not a cheap buy particularly with the AT&T version you better hope you get timely software support over its lifetime considering we're still running Android 4.1.2 on our demo unit that's not exactly a safe bet still the note 8 has aged fairly well given all it brings to the table if you're just looking for a generic mid-sized Android tablet this isn't it you can find that for much cheaper elsewhere but if you think you're going to get use out of its S Pen suite of enhancements or you like the special features like the IR transmitter or multi screen multitasking the note 8 continues to offer a lot of bang so long as you're willing to spend the bucks folks if you want to see our full review of the Galaxy Note 8.0 it's been up at pocketnow.com for months go check that out we've also got a comparison video comparing the Note 8.0 to the Galaxy Tab 38.0 that's up at pocket now as well and here on our YouTube channel page but before you go anywhere we do ask that you please toss us a like if you enjoyed the video leave a comment down below if you have some feedback if you bought the Galaxy Note 8.0 and you would like to let us know how that's been or if you're considering buying it please let us know your thoughts down there and of course follow us on social media until next time this has been michael fisher with PocketNow thank you very much for watching and we'll see you very soon