Related
Not bought this tablet yet as only the 16gb is currently available in the UK and I'm after the 32gb.
My question is with regards to the S Pen accuracy and responsiveness on this tablet. From the videos I've seen online, the S Pen looks both accurate and responsive. When I tried it out in the shop (Samsung store at Westfield Centre, Stratford), I was pleased with the results. So much so that I've already gone out and bought the S Pen with eraser despite not having a tablet to use it on.
I've been reading every review I can get my hands on, but most just seem to compare the tablet to a standard capacitive screen tablet and almost dismiss the S Pen and functionality that it brings to the table.
One review that seemed to cover the S Pen in detail said it was good but didnt match the feel and responsiveness of the Surface Pro. Has anyone had any issue with using there Note 8.0 for drawing? If the answer is yes (although I suspect there is no issue, only that the reviewer was being particularly picky...), is it only with the pen that comes with the tablet or are all wacom compatible pens slightly unresponsive on this tablet? The exact complaint is to do with lag and palm regection...
- cant post link as I am a new member. it was on AnandTech
If there is lag, then my guess is that its OS or processor related (although the 1.6GHz Samsung Exynos 4412 is no slouch), may be rooting it, replacing the kernal and overclocking it would help. I wouldnt want to replace the ROM as I think alot of the functionality of touchwiz sounds useful.
I cant afford the surface pro plus its larger than I would like. I'm just looking for some confidence that I'm investing in the right device for my intended use (portable sketching, inking and colouring of images using either sketchbook pro or layerpaint). Any other functionality on top of that is a bonus (I do enjoy a bit of gaming).
Sorry for the long post. It's my first and I wanted to be clear with my question and expectations from this tablet.
Ben
hertsjoatmon said:
Sorry for the long post. It's my first and I wanted to be clear with my question and expectations from this tablet.
Ben
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S-Pen is leaps and bounds better than any non-Wacom solution, you already know this but it should be stated regardless. As far as accuracy, it is pretty much the crispest experience available right now. The Win8 tablets have the same digitizer specs, and no increases in sensitivity. The extra real estate on an 11.6" tablet vs. an 8" tablet is about the only benefit the Surface has over any of the Note series. I own a Note 1, Note 2, Note 8.0 and a Fujitsu Tablet PC (previously the most accurate Wacom device in my quiver.) and the Note 8 is far and above the most accurate and sensitivity is excellent. I think most of the reviews are playing with S-Note and assuming that's as good as it gets, but the S-Note app is geared toward writing, and when you use Photoshop Touch, the sensitivity REALLY shines. I can draw fine hairs and detail with ease.
Hope this helps you!
It's accurate and responsive. A fabulous little sketching tablet paired with Sketchbook Pro for tablets.
The calibration of the point to nib is better than I have achieved on my Surface Pro.
Also, you shouldn't compare a Surface Pro to the Note 8.0. They aren't in the same class of machine or tablet.
cmunho said:
Also, you shouldn't compare a Surface Pro to the Note 8.0. They aren't in the same class of machine or tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I get a little extra clarification on this point? What I'm after is a portable tablet that I can use for sketching. I dont care what OS or manufacturer it is. I just want something I can chuck in my backpack and take out and draw on when im away from home. To me, my only options are Samsung Note 10, 8.0 or surface pro. I dont know anything else that is appropriate which is why I have classed them together. Different OS, but similar format and both use Wacom Digitizer tech.
I'm going to have to get it on credit as my funds are tight at the moment so dont want to break the bank. What should i be comparing the Notes to for portable drawing use?
Thanks for you reply
robyr said:
The Win8 tablets have the same digitizer specs, and no increases in sensitivity. The extra real estate on an 11.6" tablet vs. an 8" tablet is about the only benefit the Surface has over any of the Note series.
I think most of the reviews are playing with S-Note and assuming that's as good as it gets, but the S-Note app is geared toward writing, and when you use Photoshop Touch, the sensitivity REALLY shines. I can draw fine hairs and detail with ease.
Hope this helps you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That does help. Thanks!
I hadnt realised the Surface was 11 inches. I thought it was 10". I've only seen them in adverts to be fair and once I saw the price of the pro, had no interest in reasearching it further.
That could be it... I used S-Note for about a minute in the store before deciding to move on to a dedicated drawing programme. Heard complaints about photoshop touch from other forums that are focused around digital art. Thats what lead me to the decision to use Sketchbook Pro (which i already have on my ASUS TF101 but dont use as its horrible on a touch screen) or LayerPaint (which seems to be the most praised but I have no experience with personally).
The trouble I have found with most reviews to date is that they are geared towards general users. I consider this a specialist device which is why im looking for specific feed back on those uses. It will replace my note pad, sketchbook and current tablet.
cmunho said:
The calibration of the point to nib is better than I have achieved on my Surface Pro. QUOTE]
I'm assuming you can adjust this. My girlfriend has the original note phone, but I wasnt particularlly impressed with its accuracy. I tried the *#0*# trick (or what ever the code is) to get you into calibration mode, but it only seemed to help a little bit. the point on the screen seemed to be perminantly offset from where i was pointing the tip. This was very frustrating, Id get used to it in one orientation, then turn the phone 90 degrees and completely miss the point i was trying to draw next.
I've also read the trick about taking the button of the S Pens so that you can fine tune the pressure sensitivitiy by adjusting the potentiometer closest to the tip (turn clockwise to decrease, anti clockwise to increase sensitivity).
So it seems like there is room to manuvor to adjust the experience to my prefference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not much of an artist, but I do love to doodle and I've found that doing so on the Note 8 is as close to doing it on paper as I've ever seen on a computing device (outside of an actual Wacom tablet, that is). The bigger part for me, however, is the ability to take hand written notes. For this, the accuracy is nearly perfect and its ability to ignore my palm while writing justified the extra cost over a standard tablet.
Why this part is glossed over in most reviews of the device is beyond me. Unless there's another device on the market in at a reasonably similar price point, the head lines may as well read "Galaxy Note 8 is sill not an iPad Mini".
hertsjoatmon said:
Can I get a little extra clarification on this point? What I'm after is a portable tablet that I can use for sketching. I dont care what OS or manufacturer it is. I just want something I can chuck in my backpack and take out and draw on when im away from home. To me, my only options are Samsung Note 10, 8.0 or surface pro. I dont know anything else that is appropriate which is why I have classed them together. Different OS, but similar format and both use Wacom Digitizer tech.
I'm going to have to get it on credit as my funds are tight at the moment so dont want to break the bank. What should i be comparing the Notes to for portable drawing use?
Thanks for you reply
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note 8 is better suited to this. Surface Pro is a full computer in Tablet form factor. But if you just want to sketch, buying a $3 sketchbook is much cheaper since you said you have to buy on credit. Never good to go into debt for things that get outdated so quickly.
hertsjoatmon said:
That does help. Thanks!
I hadnt realised the Surface was 11 inches. I thought it was 10". I've only seen them in adverts to be fair and once I saw the price of the pro, had no interest in reasearching it further.
That could be it... I used S-Note for about a minute in the store before deciding to move on to a dedicated drawing programme. Heard complaints about photoshop touch from other forums that are focused around digital art. Thats what lead me to the decision to use Sketchbook Pro (which i already have on my ASUS TF101 but dont use as its horrible on a touch screen) or LayerPaint (which seems to be the most praised but I have no experience with personally).
The trouble I have found with most reviews to date is that they are geared towards general users. I consider this a specialist device which is why im looking for specific feed back on those uses. It will replace my note pad, sketchbook and current tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LayerPaint is good, but I think Sketchbook Pro is better. The tools are more pencil like and geared toward sketching. I find LayerPaint more difficult to use. But I've also used Sketchbook Pro for a couple years (on iPad, then PC and now on PC and Android). Another app I really enjoy is called Infinite Painter. Good tool, nice developer that I like supporting.
hertsjoatmon said:
cmunho said:
The calibration of the point to nib is better than I have achieved on my Surface Pro. QUOTE]
I'm assuming you can adjust this. My girlfriend has the original note phone, but I wasnt particularlly impressed with its accuracy. I tried the *#0*# trick (or what ever the code is) to get you into calibration mode, but it only seemed to help a little bit. the point on the screen seemed to be perminantly offset from where i was pointing the tip. This was very frustrating, Id get used to it in one orientation, then turn the phone 90 degrees and completely miss the point i was trying to draw next.
I've also read the trick about taking the button of the S Pens so that you can fine tune the pressure sensitivitiy by adjusting the potentiometer closest to the tip (turn clockwise to decrease, anti clockwise to increase sensitivity).
So it seems like there is room to manuvor to adjust the experience to my prefference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note 1 should not be used to judge modern SPen devices. It had a gimped 256-stage digitizer and very low thresholds. It is in no way comparable to the current gen, amd was generally only good for writing.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
robyr said:
hertsjoatmon said:
The Note 1 should not be used to judge modern SPen devices. It had a gimped 256-stage digitizer and very low thresholds. It is in no way comparable to the current gen, amd was generally only good for writing.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, I had an Original Note and it was pretty poor in comparison to what's in the Note II or Note 8.0. Samsung has done a really good job with this device. I think it's a little expensive, but it's exactly what I've been looking for in a tablet for about a year. I think I've tried 5-6 tablets since I started the quest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cmunho said:
robyr said:
Agreed, I had an Original Note and it was pretty poor in comparison to what's in the Note II or Note 8.0. Samsung has done a really good job with this device. I think it's a little expensive, but it's exactly what I've been looking for in a tablet for about a year. I think I've tried 5-6 tablets since I started the quest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. Taking it all on board (including the part about may be not getting one due to money issues) I think I'm definitely on board and want this. I can get 16 months interest free. Paying it back £50 a month is acheivable for me.
The reason I want to move on from pen and paper is the bulk/ storage of said medium and the ability to ink and colour my images for other use. I like the idea of doing short comics. Being able to work on the cells both home and away is a big attraction. In addition I dont like the size and weight of my 10 inch tablet as it means I have to carry a larger bag than is otherwise necessary.
Being able to reduce my 10 inch tab, not pad and sketchbook to just one device that is smaller than all of those individually is huge for me. I also carry a camera with me everywhere (NEX 5N). I think this device would be ideal for me to review and cull any missed shots while out and about. I'm looking at RawDroid for that purpose and using a class 10 MicroSD card with my Camera.
Not decided to wait for the 3G version or not. My phone is a Blackberry Curve 9360. I am able to use that as a wireless mobile hotspot. I dont think my service provider charges me extra for it, but it is an extra step in setting it up when needed. I think reading through what I just wrote, I'm ok with the WIFI only version. How long until the 32GB is available? :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does anyone has some recommendations of bluetooth headset? Wanna it. Please help.
Hermosa said:
Does anyone has some recommendations of bluetooth headset? Wanna it. Please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
been using Nokia BH 503, very good and reliable so far
xdafo said:
Do you have requirements about the price and specs? I don't know exactly what you prefer, but there're many choices for you.:victory: Hope you can find the one you like.:laugh:
Thanx. I will choose one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jicco said:
been using Nokia BH 503, very good and reliable so far
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you please give more details?
I reviewed a TON of headsets, including a lot of wireless one here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2192333
I think the best value you can get at this point is with LG Tone+ HBS-730 (reviewed found in the index page above, or directly: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2226437). Right now its on amazon for $49.
Too many options
vectron said:
I reviewed a TON of headsets, including a lot of wireless one here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2192333
I think the best value you can get at this point is with LG Tone+ HBS-730 (reviewed found in the index page above, or directly: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2226437). Right now its on amazon for $49.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for all the reviews. Another wireless you gave a stellar review to was the Backbeat Go 2. Which do you like better, the Backbeats or the LGs?
weertske said:
Thank you for all the reviews. Another wireless you gave a stellar review to was the Backbeat Go 2. Which do you like better, the Backbeats or the LGs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BBG2 hands down are my favorite wireless because of the superior sound quality and rechargeable storage pouch. But they are good for exercising, biking, active life style and by itself battery is only 4.5hr vs LG's 15hr. For a long term use where you want to take headphones out, HBS730 is more comfortable because you have that necklace around you (although some might not like it). 730 sound quality was not that great, but they are more practical for long term use like in in the office, or around the house, etc. For exercising and if you want total sound isolation without nothing dangling around your neck - BBG2 is good. In my opinion, those two are in different categories, depending on what is your priority of use.
vectron said:
BBG2 hands down are my favorite wireless because of the superior sound quality and rechargeable storage pouch. But they are good for exercising, biking, active life style and by itself battery is only 4.5hr vs LG's 15hr. For a long term use where you want to take headphones out, HBS730 is more comfortable because you have that necklace around you (although some might not like it). 730 sound quality was not that great, but they are more practical for long term use like in in the office, or around the house, etc. For exercising and if you want total sound isolation without nothing dangling around your neck - BBG2 is good. In my opinion, those two are in different categories, depending on what is your priority of use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the guidance. My main use will be for exercise. The charging pouch really puts the price up to another level ($83)!
I just wanna handsets for music. and calls when driving
Hermosa said:
I just wanna handsets for music. and calls when driving
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For $20 this one I reviewed is nice: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2624781
Hermosa said:
Does anyone has some recommendations of bluetooth headset? Wanna it. Please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx, the design is nice.
Well I don't have a very satisfactory experience with blue tooth headset...:crying:
Shoaib1247 said:
Well I don't have a very satisfactory experience with blue tooth headset...:crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, my two headsets are broken. Both of them are almostly used 2 month. And now I just wanna buy a durable one.
Hermosa said:
I just wanna handsets for music. and calls when driving
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GOOD TRY.
Xiao Joy said:
GOOD TRY.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any recommendation?
Hermosa said:
Any recommendation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are asking a question from a SPAMMER who works for Onite and posts about his company's batteries all over XDA. Look into his 29 posts from the last year. He does a little bit of trolling to increase his post count, and the rest are spams to buy Onite battery. Just report his post/reply so that admins will delete his account. This is your thread, don't let them post garbage in here.
vectron said:
You are asking a question from a SPAMMER who works for Onite and posts about his company's batteries all over XDA. Look into his 29 posts from the last year. He does a little bit of trolling to increase his post count, and the rest are spams to buy Onite battery. Just report his post/reply so that admins will delete his account. This is your thread, don't let them post garbage in here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woo. Thanx for reminding.:good:
i recommend MW1 sony
amazing bluetooth headshet for android
Sennheiser make good bluetooth headset.
Plantronics ml-18. Very good quality and pretty cheap
Sent from my CUBOT ONE using Tapatalk
This is a cool gaming mouse that can definitely enhance your gaming!
In the box, you get the wired mouse itself, the driver disc, a carrying case (for the weights), and an instruction manual.
First Impressions: Wow, this is really nice! The moment you hold it in your hand, you know you’ve made the right decision by going with Sentey. I needed to first pop the driver disc into my computer and run through the setup so that I could use the mouse. After I went through that, I plugged in the mouse and was ready to go. It also installed a customization program to heavily customize the mouse with different profiles. You can adjust the CPI speed on-the-fly with the button on the mouse above the middle light. There are four different speeds: no light (really slow), red (medium), yellow (fast), and green (really fast). The buttons on the side are forward and backward. The cable is made of a braided wire, which feels pretty durable. Overall, the mouse feels like it has a nice, solid build. I can’t wait to try it out through my everyday use!
After using this for a while, I can definitely say that this is a great mouse! The main thing I love about it is the customizability and the ability to change the CPI speed on-the-fly! That can prove to be very useful in many games, especially in FPS. Even for everyday use, this mouse is great! Being able to customize every inch of the mouse is awesome! I can customize everything, from the main click to the side buttons. You can also adjust the weight of the mouse to your liking! This truly is a great product! It is comfortable, useful, and excels in its job. My only complaint about the product isn’t even about the actual product. It is about the accessory that comes with the product. One accessory is a storage case for the nine weights. I had to pry the case open with a knife before I could get it open! Before this, I thought I could twist the top off, but I ended up scraping off the paint. This was a bad experience for me, but since this wasn’t the actual product (which is perfect), I decided to not let it affect my rating. However, be warned that the case’s paint can easily come off and it is very hard to open. Definitely not something that I will be using very often. In the pictures I have posted, you can see the scraped off paint and how it looks now. Aside from this one conflict, this product is great. I do not think it is fair to say the product is bad just because of a faulty accessory, but that is definitely something that people need to know about.
I would recommend this mouse to anyone looking for an affordable mouse that will excel in terms of their expectations.
Overall, this is a great product that I would highly recommend (just stay away from the case for the weights).
I was provided a unit for testing purposes and I promised to provide a completely honest and fair review.
Unfortunately, I cannot post the link to this product on Amazon because posting commercial links is forbidden, but you can find it on Amazon by searching for the product's name that is in the title of this thread. Thanks!
Periodically looking at Amazon reviews, which are raving for the most part. Best watch ever created, no problems etc. Given all the problems being bought up here, I have to wonder, are these reviews for real? I had the same experience with some IP security cameras I bought.. all these rave reviews about how great they were, easy to install and set up... No one mentioning the complications and issues of port forwarding needed to access cameras remotely. They were not even close to being easy to set up, even the tech support had trouble getting them set up via remote access. (I actually ended up figuring it out myself after they gave up and said the advanced tech support would call me.) That experience left me wondering if these review are actually legit...
Are they Verified?
swngdncr said:
Periodically looking at Amazon reviews, which are raving for the most part. Best watch ever created, no problems etc. Given all the problems being bought up here, I have to wonder, are these reviews for real? I had the same experience with some IP security cameras I bought.. all these rave reviews about how great they were, easy to install and set up... No one mentioning the complications and issues of port forwarding needed to access cameras remotely. They were not even close to being easy to set up, even the tech support had trouble getting them set up via remote access. (I actually ended up figuring it out myself after they gave up and said the advanced tech support would call me.) That experience left me wondering if these review are actually legit...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look for Amazon Verified Purchase. Also, not every one is as tech savvy or as picky as many of the folks here. This is a fine looking watch and functions well as such.
The reddish brown tint is a little annoyance that I would not of even noticed if it was not mentioned here and even after it was it took me a while to make out what they were talking about. I don't think the HRM on any of the devices I have owned is even 75% accurate most of the time and this is not what I would call a sport watch. The black one looks a little more sporty but who wants a metal band on a sport watch?
Most of the time, people that are happy with something will rarely come here unless they are a total tech head. For example, over a million Samsung 6 edge phones were sold and take a look at the forum total for that device and you get the idea that maybe five percent of the people that buy these things ever learns about the device.
So if all you read and believe comes from XDA then you will pass on a lot of devices that actually work well under normal use. Consider the source, I'm keeping my watch because it is a great looking watch and does what I need it to do. It comes with a year warranty so if there is a problem that becomes unbearable, I will exercise that right. Go to you tube and watch the reviews of the watch there and also the V.S. comparisons. You'll find that most of them are positive and everyone agrees that this is the nicest watch they own for style, usability, and functionality. It's whatever your personal experience is and your unique preference that is going to make you love or hate this device.
Well put.
I'm happy with my watch even though it has the red tint. I figure this thing only needs to last maybe two years before it looks like a dinosaur. I don't have all of the problems. I would give it four stars. Five if they fix the red tint and the twist to wake algorithm.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I have kind of stopped coming here because my experience with the watch has been great. The watch looks great, the screen is great and i have gotten multiple compliments on it. It just doesn't match at all the feedback I get from some users here.
My only complaint would be the low vibration strength. I hear the vibration more than feel it. Most times that isn't a problem, but it can be when I'm wearing headphones. I'm trying to figure out if it's a big enough problem to go in a different direction.
Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk
What @vvveith is saying is mostly true - consider the source. Amazon reaches a very large audience and there's no way to know what level of experience those reviewers are comparing against. But since @swngdncr posted the question here on XDA, you'll get a more scrutinous answer. There are basically two kinds of people who visit XDA: 1. Those with an extreme technical knowledge and expertise and 2. Those who want to chat with/collaborate with/get the opinion of #1. That is the kind of community we have here and it's AWESOME.
A very large percentage of what is posted on these boards have little to no relevance to a very large percentage of the general population. But for those of us who are like-minded, we relish the exchange here. Personally, for me, I feel a little let down by Huawei - not because AUO shipped them a batch of defective displays (issues like these are commonplace for early adopters) but because they refuse to acknowledge the issue or even really communicate with their customers. They have engineered insulation in the form of a 3rd party support staff who runs the US call center and forums and cannot speak "officially" on behalf of Huawei but there is no way to contact Huawei directly.
They are a huge player overseas and with a $400 watch, I expect top quality. Like others have mentioned, other watches use similar technology (LG) and do not have these issues. Considering this is their first major entry into the US market, my view of them is now tarnished and I am concerned around support and quality of the upcoming 6P which previously had no doubt in my mind that it would be my next phone.
Good points from everyone. Yes, Amazon is going to have a much broader audience, but in general, it seems to me that the market for Smart Watches is stronger in those who lean to the techi side of things. I've got a couple of decades on most of the people here, and certainly in my social circle, there are very few, almost none in fact that are interested in SW, and those who are, it's the Apple Watch. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, but I would expect that the market for this watch is going to be more heavily weighted to people with technical inclinations that are less likely to accept the kinds of defects that are being reported here. It would be interesting to know what the return rates at Amazon, Google and BB are, and whether the return rate reflects the reviews. Doesn't seem like Huawei is taking a book from how Fitbit is handling their QC issues with the Surge and the Charge, I've now got two replacement Surges, one because of condensation under the screen, the second because the strap is failing. Fitbit is handing out replacements like candy at Halloween... the didn't even ask for pictures on the strap, or that I return the defective product. They do not want to get a bad rap.
I am certainly in the number 2 group of XDA participants Wyld describes... I have technical inclinations, but didn't grow up with tech.. I was an adult by the time PC's started coming into peoples homes. But I come here to learn and get the most out of my devices. I rooted and installed a custom ROM on my Asus Transformer Prime, all with the help of the wonderful people here on XDA who seem very willing to help out people like myself. I also love the tolerance here... seems that most are very respectful of others opinions... that is refreshing. -cjr-
wy1d said:
What @vvveith is saying is mostly true - consider the source. Amazon reaches a very large audience and there's no way to know what level of experience those reviewers are comparing against. But since @swngdncr posted the question here on XDA, you'll get a more scrutinous answer. There are basically two kinds of people who visit XDA: 1. Those with an extreme technical knowledge and expertise and 2. Those who want to chat with/collaborate with/get the opinion of #1. That is the kind of community we have here and it's AWESOME.
A very large percentage of what is posted on these boards have little to no relevance to a very large percentage of the general population. But for those of us who are like-minded, we relish the exchange here. Personally, for me, I feel a little let down by Huawei - not because AUO shipped them a batch of defective displays (issues like these are commonplace for early adopters) but because they refuse to acknowledge the issue or even really communicate with their customers. They have engineered insulation in the form of a 3rd party support staff who runs the US call center and forums and cannot speak "officially" on behalf of Huawei but there is no way to contact Huawei directly.
They are a huge player overseas and with a $400 watch, I expect top quality. Like others have mentioned, other watches use similar technology (LG) and do not have these issues. Considering this is their first major entry into the US market, my view of them is now tarnished and I am concerned around support and quality of the upcoming 6P which previously had no doubt in my mind that it would be my next phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the app vibration notifier
I agree with most of what you guys said. Despite the problems it's a great watch. Just one thing for now that I am actually missing: the qi charging. Today the watch had terrible battery life and I had a qi enabled battery pack on my bag, but the watch charger at home... That fact alone made me consider exchange the HW for the new 360.
I just got mine last night. It's the black case with the black metal band. I ordered one of the "used" ones from Amazon Warehouse, and as far as I can tell it's perfect. I think the only issue was that its box had been scuffed up a bit, which is why they weren't selling it as new. Seems silly to me, but it was over $100 off MSRP, so whatever. Anyway, so far so good: no issues with red tint, charger connection, flickering screen, etc. It's funny, because after reading all the stuff here, I was mentally prepared to ship it right back to Amazon, assuming it would have numerous flaws. But it's really just a great-looking watch!
One of the main reasons for ordering LeMax2 was the availability of this VR kit.
Came just before vacations so I only had a day so far to play with it.
First off, only cardboard type functionality is supported without special drivers/software. Since I'm running CM, that software is not there: Evidently that's only available on LeTV's own app store, and that seems unavailable even with a Chinese RIM (installed 18S for a short test) unless you chance to have a Chinese phone number to register.
Also missing is support for the pass-through USB port, which mostly seems intended for headphone use. I managed using a Bluetooth headset.
So what actually works?
Well, as I said, it's a better cardboard VR by default, except that I also had to emulate the button using a Bluetooth mouse.
That gives you already quite a bit of functionality, 3D movies for starters. In terms of real VR experience I guess I'll stick to my Oculus devices, but for movies on a plane, I guess there is nothing cooler at the moment, even if the backside may be suboptimal against a headrest.
On the other hand, no VR kit is as easy to put on and off as this, especially when you wear glasses.
I saved so much on the phone, I don't mind not getting any more on this kit. But if somehow LeTV/LeEco were to make LeVR support available on the Google play store, I certainly wouldn't mind!
Lag seems quite tolerable, but there is considerable drift. From the LeTV Web site I got the impression, that that should not be the case, but most likely only with LeTV's own software, in cardboard mode drift may be unavoidable.
Again not an issue in the 'personal movie theater', which I consider the main use case until hardware has grown another two orders of magnitude on a mobile power budget.
Where did you buy it?
whymoo said:
Where did you buy it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
spemall.com, they even have the small LeMax2 model in Grey as well as pink.
abufrejoval said:
spemall.com, they even have the small LeMax2 model in Grey as well as pink.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please check your pm abufrejoval. How did you get this headset to work with other VR app beside the stock vr one?
Cardboard just works out of the box
xterminater07 said:
Please check your pm abufrejoval. How did you get this headset to work with other VR app beside the stock vr one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the Google Cardboard project is just bits of cardboard, two fresnel lenses and evidently some kind of "hammer", which translates an external button into a touch on the screen, the only physical interaction supported by cardboard (I use the blutooth mouse for that: I bought and tried the new Microsoft Xbox controller, which supports Blutooth, but none of the Cardboard games seem Controller enabled: Pity!)
So all I did was just to install and launch cardboard applications from the Google Play store: They can't verify if you actually have cardboard "hardware" or some other kind of lenses.
Now, I'm using Cyanogenmod which doesn't contain the VR stub application which the Indian and Chinese ROMs seem to contain. And perhaps that stub application is causing trouble in your case, because it launches whenever you connect the device.
If you don't want to switch to CM, you can simply remove the app from the phone if it's rooted and you have some kind of app-remover or Titanium Backup. Then it won't launch the stub (which evidently isn't useful outside China or without a LeEco app store) and you can use the Cardboard apps without interference. Perhaps you can also just switch away from it, I haven't really tried extensively because my son wanted his phone and I'm not going to try on my "production" phone (swapping a production ROM forth and back with full backups simply takes a while).
Phyiscally and logically LeVR Pro1 seems largely a copy of Samsung Gear VR, even if it's not a downright clone. As far as I can tell its touchpad and back-button duplicate the same thing on Samsung. But without a proper driver it's dead and with a CM ROM at least there is absolutely no reaction if you insert the phone into the headset nor will the external USB-C connector have any use, which is a real pity.
There is a good chance that won't ever change, unless LeEco were to publish driver sources for the LeVR Pro1, which I sincerely doubt. I've also tried installing the VR Setup application on top of the CM ROM (I won't run no EUI ROM for "production"), but it just crashes. Evidently it is deeply intertwined with the Chinese LeEcosystem, for which I have absolutely no interest (while LeEco has absolutely no interest in supporting users which are outside it: I believe they sell their phones below manufacturing price).
While LeEco is trying to enter the North American market, it seems to draw its baseline at the LeEco Max Pro3, which doesn't have the 2560x1440 screen (and is more expensive). They may be launching another VR headset soon, potentially with another phone which is DayDream compliant.
LeEco doesn't seem to believe in backward compatibility or long term support.
Well nor does anyone else, evidently, they only charge for it and that at least LeEco did not.
Essentially we have a super cool Cardboard and I'm happy enough with that, since I have two Oculus Rifts (DK2 and CV1) to ease the pain (actually I also have a DK1 but that's a museum piece now). It allows me to watch movies on a virtual big screen and some of the Cardboard apps are great to impress friends.
Unfortunately there is little chance it Le Max2 or LeVR Pro1 will be good enough for the new Google Day Dream base requirements, so it's basically obsolete already. Should LeEco, CM or some XDA-Developer make it Day Dram compatible anyway (without certification), I'd be happy, but I don't know if Google Day Dream will be such a great success. The fact that essentially all of today's smartphone population is already disqualified may not sit too well with potential VR enthusiasts. And at €1000 for a smart phone which isn't really any faster than the €230 LeEco Le Max 2 in base configuration, a Google Pixel XL may simply be too much of an entry price for Android VR.
Google is doing its best to kill Android while they are grasping to replace the Internet and free choice.
abufrejoval said:
spemall.com, they even have the small LeMax2 model in Grey as well as pink.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
abufrejoval said:
Well the Google Cardboard project is just bits of cardboard, two fresnel lenses and evidently some kind of "hammer", which translates an external button into a touch on the screen, the only physical interaction supported by cardboard (I use the blutooth mouse for that: I bought and tried the new Microsoft Xbox controller, which supports Blutooth, but none of the Cardboard games seem Controller enabled: Pity!)
So all I did was just to install and launch cardboard applications from the Google Play store: They can't verify if you actually have cardboard "hardware" or some other kind of lenses.
Now, I'm using Cyanogenmod which doesn't contain the VR stub application which the Indian and Chinese ROMs seem to contain. And perhaps that stub application is causing trouble in your case, because it launches whenever you connect the device.
If you don't want to switch to CM, you can simply remove the app from the phone if it's rooted and you have some kind of app-remover or Titanium Backup. Then it won't launch the stub (which evidently isn't useful outside China or without a LeEco app store) and you can use the Cardboard apps without interference. Perhaps you can also just switch away from it, I haven't really tried extensively because my son wanted his phone and I'm not going to try on my "production" phone (swapping a production ROM forth and back with full backups simply takes a while).
Phyiscally and logically LeVR Pro1 seems largely a copy of Samsung Gear VR, even if it's not a downright clone. As far as I can tell its touchpad and back-button duplicate the same thing on Samsung. But without a proper driver it's dead and with a CM ROM at least there is absolutely no reaction if you insert the phone into the headset nor will the external USB-C connector have any use, which is a real pity.
There is a good chance that won't ever change, unless LeEco were to publish driver sources for the LeVR Pro1, which I sincerely doubt. I've also tried installing the VR Setup application on top of the CM ROM (I won't run no EUI ROM for "production"), but it just crashes. Evidently it is deeply intertwined with the Chinese LeEcosystem, for which I have absolutely no interest (while LeEco has absolutely no interest in supporting users which are outside it: I believe they sell their phones below manufacturing price).
While LeEco is trying to enter the North American market, it seems to draw its baseline at the LeEco Max Pro3, which doesn't have the 2560x1440 screen (and is more expensive). They may be launching another VR headset soon, potentially with another phone which is DayDream compliant.
LeEco doesn't seem to believe in backward compatibility or long term support.
Well nor does anyone else, evidently, they only charge for it and that at least LeEco did not.
Essentially we have a super cool Cardboard and I'm happy enough with that, since I have two Oculus Rifts (DK2 and CV1) to ease the pain (actually I also have a DK1 but that's a museum piece now). It allows me to watch movies on a virtual big screen and some of the Cardboard apps are great to impress friends.
Unfortunately there is little chance it Le Max2 or LeVR Pro1 will be good enough for the new Google Day Dream base requirements, so it's basically obsolete already. Should LeEco, CM or some XDA-Developer make it Day Dram compatible anyway (without certification), I'd be happy, but I don't know if Google Day Dream will be such a great success. The fact that essentially all of today's smartphone population is already disqualified may not sit too well with potential VR enthusiasts. And at €1000 for a smart phone which isn't really any faster than the €230 LeEco Le Max 2 in base configuration, a Google Pixel XL may simply be too much of an entry price for Android VR.
Google is doing its best to kill Android while they are grasping to replace the Internet and free choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the great reply! I will use titanium backup to try to freeze that VR app. Also the cardboard app from google is limited as well, I don't see many contents from that app. You mentioned you installed the vr app, is it the same one as vr.letv.com? Supposedly that app should work for this headset but I don't have the instruction that came in the box. If you have that pamphlete, do you mind scaning it and uploading it through google drive or mega for me? Did you have clear resolution of your phone? The VR looks like it's 480p instead of what we're seeing 2K on the lemax 2 screen. I hated it, and I wonder if there's a way to fix it?
xterminater07 said:
Thank you for the great reply! I will use titanium backup to try to freeze that VR app. Also the cardboard app from google is limited as well, I don't see many contents from that app. You mentioned you installed the vr app, is it the same one as vr.letv.com? Supposedly that app should work for this headset but I don't have the instruction that came in the box. If you have that pamphlete, do you mind scaning it and uploading it through google drive or mega for me? Did you have clear resolution of your phone? The VR looks like it's 480p instead of what we're seeing 2K on the lemax 2 screen. I hated it, and I wonder if there's a way to fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome!
Well the pamphlet is all in Chinese and if you can understand and read that, there is quite a bit more material on the net than information in the pamphlet. It just tells you how to insert the phone into it and that the external USB-C connector is for your headphones (and not for charging).
Google translate helped me understand that much and I tossed it into the trash because there was nothing else beyond that.
I've watched some Chinese videos on YouTube for clues and inspiration (real-time translation still missing there), but my guess is that even within the LeTV ecosystem there isn't actually a lot of content or apps.
Actually there is a video of the LeVR Pro1 presentation on YouTube, which I find quite instructive:
Evidently LeTV's CEO Jia Yueting gave out a couple of devices to some of the most famous actors from his soaps and then instructed them to appear awed and enthusiastic at the great introduction event in spring this year.
I don't think they were such good actors after all, because my impression is that they saw nothing and totally faked it (too bad I can't find the video on YouTube for now). We may be chasing shadows...
Resolution: Cardboard content, whether it's the demos or some of the games (my personal favorite is Bandit Six), will render with the native resolution of the screen. The headset only contains lenses, the resolution comes from the device and it's 2560x1440 (minus the invisible areas) for both eyes together. It certainly looks better than the Samsung Note 3 display inside my Oculus DK2.
The iMax like video demos you get via the "Within" app for example, are recorded with a resolution far below what Le Max 2 can deliver, but there the resolution is determined by the source and the encoding, nothing Le Max 2 can do about it. They are still very impressive so I can only recommend you trying them, both for the visual stimuli (Cuban dance) and the emotional impact (Syrian refugees).
Screen refresh may not be 90Hz, the LCD not as good as Amoled but honestly I can't tell. I was quite surprised at the quality and the lack of lag for both games and iMax type videos. Perhaps I just don't move my head just as rapidly any more these days, the weight of Le Max 2 is also somewhat higher than the Oculus headsets.
There is an app called "Google Cardboard" on the Play Store. It contains a couple of demos inside but it also opens some kind of a "sub-store" containing Google selected demos and applications which can actually be purchased.
I installed most of those and purchased some of the games.
Generally if you enter "Cardboard" into the Play Store, you'll find Cardboard compatible apps (and lots of garbage).
What might be interesting to explore is some of the apps which seem to fake a Samsung Gear VR device to the Play Store and the apps themselves.
I haven't done that myself yet, but that would open up a couple more games, at least if they support mouse or controller inputs and don't depend on the Samsung touch panel in the Gear headset.
Again this isn't long term as Google seems happy to totally ignore what Samsung has done and make DayDream incompatible with everything existing today.
Requiring Vulkan API support for Nougat certification is a clear indication on how much Google cares about the installed base.
If I had any say, resources or influence, I'd make Le Max 2 and the LeVR Pro1 into some kind of a hybrid Steam Link box and MiraCast receiver.
The panel is excellent, the gyros on the phone are great the video decoding power and WiFi hardware are top notch. So using both the Max2 and VR Pro1 to project semi or fully spherical content generated on a very powerful gaming PC wirelessly onto this combo would be technically feasible with latencies acceptible to quite a lot of centent, if not to LoL world championship participants.
Well we can dream, I guess...
abufrejoval said:
You're welcome!
Well the pamphlet is all in Chinese and if you can understand and read that, there is quite a bit more material on the net than information in the pamphlet. It just tells you how to insert the phone into it and that the external USB-C connector is for your headphones (and not for charging).
Google translate helped me understand that much and I tossed it into the trash because there was nothing else beyond that.
I've watched some Chinese videos on YouTube for clues and inspiration (real-time translation still missing there), but my guess is that even within the LeTV ecosystem there isn't actually a lot of content or apps.
Actually there is a video of the LeVR Pro1 presentation on YouTube, which I find quite instructive:
Evidently LeTV's CEO Jia Yueting gave out a couple of devices to some of the most famous actors from his soaps and then instructed them to appear awed and enthusiastic at the great introduction event in spring this year.
I don't think they were such good actors after all, because my impression is that they saw nothing and totally faked it (too bad I can't find the video on YouTube for now). We may be chasing shadows...
Resolution: Cardboard content, whether it's the demos or some of the games (my personal favorite is Bandit Six), will render with the native resolution of the screen. The headset only contains lenses, the resolution comes from the device and it's 2560x1440 (minus the invisible areas) for both eyes together. It certainly looks better than the Samsung Note 3 display inside my Oculus DK2.
The iMax like video demos you get via the "Within" app for example, are recorded with a resolution far below what Le Max 2 can deliver, but there the resolution is determined by the source and the encoding, nothing Le Max 2 can do about it. They are still very impressive so I can only recommend you trying them, both for the visual stimuli (Cuban dance) and the emotional impact (Syrian refugees).
Screen refresh may not be 90Hz, the LCD not as good as Amoled but honestly I can't tell. I was quite surprised at the quality and the lack of lag for both games and iMax type videos. Perhaps I just don't move my head just as rapidly any more these days, the weight of Le Max 2 is also somewhat higher than the Oculus headsets.
There is an app called "Google Cardboard" on the Play Store. It contains a couple of demos inside but it also opens some kind of a "sub-store" containing Google selected demos and applications which can actually be purchased.
I installed most of those and purchased some of the games.
Generally if you enter "Cardboard" into the Play Store, you'll find Cardboard compatible apps (and lots of garbage).
What might be interesting to explore is some of the apps which seem to fake a Samsung Gear VR device to the Play Store and the apps themselves.
I haven't done that myself yet, but that would open up a couple more games, at least if they support mouse or controller inputs and don't depend on the Samsung touch panel in the Gear headset.
Again this isn't long term as Google seems happy to totally ignore what Samsung has done and make DayDream incompatible with everything existing today.
Requiring Vulkan API support for Nougat certification is a clear indication on how much Google cares about the installed base.
If I had any say, resources or influence, I'd make Le Max 2 and the LeVR Pro1 into some kind of a hybrid Steam Link box and MiraCast receiver.
The panel is excellent, the gyros on the phone are great the video decoding power and WiFi hardware are top notch. So using both the Max2 and VR Pro1 to project semi or fully spherical content generated on a very powerful gaming PC wirelessly onto this combo would be technically feasible with latencies acceptible to quite a lot of centent, if not to LoL world championship participants.
Well we can dream, I guess...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will switch to cyanogen once the cm14.1 is released, if it's ever releasing. For now, EUI will not let me go to any other VR contents beside the stock ones. I do like the stock ones now because it just got updated to a whole lot more contents. But to me it is still looking like 480p instead of 1080p or even 2k contents. The only way for me to ever find true 2k is by doing youtube vr but I can't access youtube vr because youtube app is not part of the stock letv vr launcher The full screen view is super super big, it makes my head hurt because it's too close to us. The theatre mode is nice but the background screws it. I wish there's a feedback function for us to tell LeEco to push full screen mode back a little so it's perfectly within one's view. They should also change the dumb background so it doesn't look like we're in a cave of some sort.
I am really interesed in getting this le vr pro 1 however I haven't found it on any website as much as I haven't tried, could you please let me know where you found it?
---------- Post added at 06:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:00 AM ----------
Ohh I have found it, but do you think is a great deal? The cost is about the $80 and what do you think about the new leeco's explorer VR that is coming? Would it work with the le max 2?
edwarddd said:
I am really interesed in getting this le vr pro 1 however I haven't found it on any website as much as I haven't tried, could you please let me know where you found it?
---------- Post added at 06:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:00 AM ----------
Ohh I have found it, but do you think is a great deal? The cost is about the $80 and what do you think about the new leeco's explorer VR that is coming? Would it work with the le max 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Explore VR is the same as the vr pro 1! Good price bc in china its about $60. I will post tutorial on how to use this VR PROPERLY soon.
It depends on what you look for
edwarddd said:
I am really interesed in getting this le vr pro 1 however I haven't found it on any website as much as I haven't tried, could you please let me know where you found it?
---------- Post added at 06:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:00 AM ----------
Ohh I have found it, but do you think is a great deal? The cost is about the $80 and what do you think about the new leeco's explorer VR that is coming? Would it work with the le max 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear the VRExplorer is nothing but a rebrand of LeVR Pro1. If that's the case it definitely works with Le Max 2, because that's what I use.
For my old eyes (>50) high resolution screens better be big!
It's really kind of crazy but Le Max 2 packs more pixels into 5,7" than any of my desktop screens: Magnifying glasses are the only way I'll ever be able to take advantage of all that pixel-estate!
So here is what I did yesterday: I laid down on my bed, put some nice Bluetooth headphones on my ears (Sennheiser MM100), downloaded a movie and some soap episodes on Le Max, slid it into LeVR and put that on my head.
Then I launched "VU Cinema VR 3D Video Player", selected a normal cinema (not the i-max), launched the videos and 'locked the screen': That screen locking fixes video just in front of you, independent of your position, which means I can just watch those movies on a 'really big screen' lying down. Without the locking you'd be looking at the cinema's roof.
It's the most comfortable screen viewing experience you can get without mounting a really, really big screen at your ceiling and you can continue to watch on your back, both sides and perhaps even on your belly.
LeVR is extremely easy to put on and take off and no hassle with the cables. If you should fall asleep, you won't choke or hurt yourself.
Now when it comes to real VR content that is stuff *generated* at native resolution and using your head and body movement as real-time inputs, there are natural limits to the compute power of the mobile platform: It's quite fine for many things, but when it comes to eye candy, my Oculus does better.
For me the decision was simple: Even with LeVR added on top, Le Max 2 was cheaper than any competing device, so LeVR basically came for free.
It's been uphill ever since!
What a awesome response! You did encourage me to buy the le VR pro , I really want to get it, Since I have never tried the "virtual reality" and since I do not have TV, (I know it is rare but I don't have one jajaja) so I am really exited about this, I am still looking, on where I can purchase it, where have you bought it? And at what price?
Please send me a pm if possible!
spemall.com
edwarddd said:
What a awesome response! You did encourage me to buy the le VR pro , I really want to get it, Since I have never tried the "virtual reality" and since I do not have TV, (I know it is rare but I don't have one jajaja) so I am really exited about this, I am still looking, on where I can purchase it, where have you bought it? And at what price?
Please send me a pm if possible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it from spemall.com (https://www.spemall.com/LETV-LeVR-Pro-1-Helmet-3D-Head-Mounted-Glasses_g.html).
My impression is that spemall.com is somewhat lacking in techincal knowledge (but honest in their financial dealings), which may actually explain why they are perhaps the only ones selling to the West: The 'intended use case' is currently not supported outside China so more 'professional' shops simply won't offer LeVR.
The 'secondary' use case (luxury Google Cardboard) is not well known, but perhaps good enough for many of us.
But you should in fact be able to use any (€10-20) Google Cardboard 'hardware' with your LeMax with perhaps similar fidelity in terms of viewing or interaction quality: In terms of functionality that's all you get at the moment.
I simply enjoy the fact that it looks very cool, is easy to put on and remove even with my glasses and will survive some of the beatings it's likely to get around here.
And I can't stress enough that the entry level LeMax (4GBRAM/32GB Flash) is just a crazy cheap $240 so LeVR Pro1 is essentially for free compared to the competition.
LeVR Pro1 also works (mostly) with OnePlus 5
I've had various problems with my Le Max 2, camera autofocus on Nougat doesn't work with my 6/64 GB device (but works fine with three 4/32 GB others in the extended family) and the touch buttons started to have severe ghost touches, which made the device unusable (it naturally works just fine as I am writing this...), so I got myself a OnePlus 5 with 8/128GB to soothe the pain... and out of curiosity, I inserted that into the LeVR Pro1, to see if it would work...
I am extremely pleased to report that it does work.... mostly. First of all, because the OnePlus is a bit smaller, it fits into the headset with the protective cover mounted, which is a great bonus all on its own: Removing even the simple silicon covers (hard covers are so much worse!) always carries a certain risk of dropping the phone just when it's least protected and I have had so many encounters with Murphy, I really appreciate when he's out of my face for once. The OnePlus is only 1080p, so you'll get a little less resolution, but with movies IMHO that doesn't really matter all that much: You'll also get AMOLED, which is supposed to refresh faster, but again when your primary use case is the mobile "big screen movie theatre", perhaps you won't care, at least, when he video is catching your attention.
"Partial" mostly refers to the fact, that the touch field on the side of LeVR works, but "back" button doesn't, which can be a bit of a bother, if your application requires it. Also any "higher precision" gyro inside the headset (if that actually exists), may not actually be used, but the interal gyros of the OnePlus are pretty good, even if they may eventually get out of sync with your real orientation, depending on the apps. Missing generic support for blue tooth game controllers, such as the ones from Microsoft, is really had to excuse several major releases after the first tentative support for gaming controllers: Shame, Google!
I didn't test very deeply, because for me the headset is mostly about virtual big screen video, not about VR games: Neither the 820 nor the 835 have the power of a GTX 1080ti with a dozen of 4 GHZ cores to support it, but a VR streaming over WLAN should really be possible technically. But Nvidia, Oculus/Facebook and Qualcomm would want to own that on both ends, before they ever make it happen: Greedy, moneysuckers they are!