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Featured On:
http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/another-sleek-windows-phone-7-prototype
http://www.1800pocketpc.com/2010/08/12/windows-phone-7-by-paperclips-fan-made-concept.html
http://www.techit.in/windows-phone-7-chrome-edition-concept/
Windows Phone 7 is shaping up to be my future platform for development but that doesn't mean I think it's perfect. Many people believe that METRO UI is too flat and while I disagree, it would be nice to have some more variety out there. With this concept, I shaped a more Chrome version of METRO UI featuring gradients, shadows, etc. This is a concept only as I have not contacted, nor heard from any manufacturers. If I decide to contact anyone, most likely ASUS, LG, or Toshiba, I will let everyone know. Name for this concept is Chrome HD for its HD resolution, camera, and HDMI output. Black version update coming later today.
Chrome HD by PAP3RCLIPS, on Flickr
Black Version (30 Second alteration.)
Black WP7 by PAP3RCLIPS, on Flickr
FAQ:
Q: What is the frame made out of?
A: Most of the phone would be made out of brushed metal.
Q: What is that blue shining light?
A: That is a notification light.
Q: What is that metal strap on the back of the phone?
A: A Kickstand
Q: What is the black hole on the back of the device?
A: Another microphone for noise cancellation.
Q: What are the holes on the bottom of the device?
A: HDMI and mini USB.
Q: What is the button near the bottom on the right side of the device?
A: That is a camera button.
Q: What was your inspiration for this concept?
A: A combination of the new Asus Windows Phone, the Nexus One, Zune HD, and the iPhone 4. Camera is based on some found in the Nokia N series.
Q: Are those physical and capacitive buttons?
A: No, the glyphs are there for indications of what each button above it does. Styling was based off of Zune HD and Xperia X10's buttons.
Q: What's with the unnecessarily high resolution?
A: It's pretty much just to match the iPhone Retina display. I was under the impression that you could go beyond the minimum hardware requirements with anything.
Q: Where is the power button?
A: On the left side above the volume buttons.
Thanks for this!
It looks really nice
Done quite well.
I like that your changes are more subtle than the other design we have seen here.
Somptuous!
Finally someone who understand WP7 philosophy!
Excellent work paperclips, your device is really somptuous.
This looks like an iPhone-esque clone with WP7 on it to me... meh.
paperclips said:
Kind of got inspired with the Sense 3 render to do my own. This is actually my first try at a phone render since I'm mostly just a designer for web and advertisements but I think it came out pretty decent. This is not only a hardware concept, but a WP7 OS redesign. Check out the "would be" specs under the original concept.
Windows Phone by PAP3RCLIPS, on Flickr
Black Version (30 Second alteration.)
Black WP7 by PAP3RCLIPS, on Flickr
FAQ:
Q: What is the frame made out of?
A: Most of the phone would be made out of brushed metal.
Q: What is that blue shining light?
A: That is a notification light.
Q: What is that metal strap on the back of the phone?
A: A Kickstand
Q: What is the black hole on the back of the device?
A: Another microphone for noise cancellation.
Q: What are the holes on the bottom of the device?
A: HDMI and mini USB.
Q: What is the button near the bottom on the right side of the device?
A: That is a camera button.
Q: What was your inspiration for this concept?
A: A combination of the new Asus Windows Phone, the Nexus One, Zune HD, and the iPhone 4. Camera is based on some found in the Nokia N series.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay I know its a concept and such, however I would like to critique your work if i may not too many points but just a few observations I saw whilst looking at the design.
1) You used capacitive buttons (not a problem most, lots of phones have them however you will also find most people prefer real buttons as opposed to the capacitive type. (though you did leave a bezel /dead point where it would be harder to accidently touch the capacitive buttons)
2) The screen on the device is edge to edge, though this looks fantastic you will find it is very hard to a) implement this in real life; screens needs a small 'perimeter', b) as the phone is small and sleek most peoples 'man hands' would dwarf the phone (not a problem) but becomes a problem when your holding the phone and also activating elements on the capacitive touch screen with your abductor pollicis bravis muscle, hence why on most phone you will see normally a 1mm perimeter around the phone screen.
3) for the same reason the camera button needs to be a few mm higher too, if you grip it tightly you will also be activating the camera, remember this is a WP7, where the camera can be activated even in standby.
4) I dont understand the reason why you have taken the speaker so high up on the bezel, in your design your have the screen, then your have a small space where the LED is and then you have the bezel, other than a space constraint why would you take the speaker so high up? it should be in line with the LED.
5) the volume buttons also i believe are a bit small, think how small your phone is and then compare this to your buttons; they are minuscule and need to be larger. Last thing you want to be doing whilst on a call is looking for buttons for volume control
Anyways there are a few more gripes but otherwise its a fantastic design and cant imagine the effort it must have took to produce it, well done!
irdawood said:
cant imagine the effort it must have took to produce it, well done!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which brings me to the question that bugs me: why do people do these things?
Thanks for your advice, I'll try to answer theses qualms for the most part and implement them while I'm at home.
1. Yah, I thought about that. I'm still thinking of what kind of buttons would look nice enough to not ruin the design.
2. This was purely for aesthetics as you noticed. I'll add a strip of metal to the side when I'm home later.
3. Will work on this.
4. Speaker alignment is something I got off my Droid incredible. I might change up the margins a bit later.
5. True, this will be an easy fix when I get home.
I'll include a few more minor updates on the concept later today. Thanks for the advice.
irdawood said:
Okay I know its a concept and such, however I would like to critique your work if i may not too many points but just a few observations I saw whilst looking at the design.
1) You used capacitive buttons (not a problem most, lots of phones have them however you will also find most people prefer real buttons as opposed to the capacitive type. (though you did leave a bezel /dead point where it would be harder to accidently touch the capacitive buttons)
2) The screen on the device is edge to edge, though this looks fantastic you will find it is very hard to a) implement this in real life; screens needs a small 'perimeter', b) as the phone is small and sleek most peoples 'man hands' would dwarf the phone (not a problem) but becomes a problem when your holding the phone and also activating elements on the capacitive touch screen with your abductor pollicis bravis muscle, hence why on most phone you will see normally a 1mm perimeter around the phone screen.
3) for the same reason the camera button needs to be a few mm higher too, if you grip it tightly you will also be activating the camera, remember this is a WP7, where the camera can be activated even in standby.
4) I dont understand the reason why you have taken the speaker so high up on the bezel, in your design your have the screen, then your have a small space where the LED is and then you have the bezel, other than a space constraint why would you take the speaker so high up? it should be in line with the LED.
5) the volume buttons also i believe are a bit small, think how small your phone is and then compare this to your buttons; they are minuscule and need to be larger. Last thing you want to be doing whilst on a call is looking for buttons for volume control
Anyways there are a few more gripes but otherwise its a fantastic design and cant imagine the effort it must have took to produce it, well done!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? I thought of all my inspirations, that was the one it looked the least like.
Iridox said:
This looks like an iPhone-esque clone with WP7 on it to me... meh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do it for the same reason I do most of my art. Which is to get my ideas down on paper/computer. I always wanted to design hardware and thought I might as well give it a shot while I'm off.
vangrieg said:
Which brings me to the question that bugs me: why do people do these things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updated with physical buttons, smaller top, bigger volume buttons, repositioned camera button, new flash image, and increased the width.
Looks sexy, I would buy it
I didn't see the first one but I'm sure it looked almost as nice.
nicc51591 said:
Looks sexy, I would buy it
I didn't see the first one but I'm sure it looked almost as nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a link if you want to see it: http://pap3rclips.deviantart.com/#/d2w11za
paperclips said:
Title changed. This is named Chrome because Metro UI is supposed to be "chromeless", whereas this isn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see a major difference in this area. As far as I understand, "chromeless" is when you don't try to present controls as entities separate from the rest of the content. An ultimate example of this would be a hyperlink on a web page, where a control element is only slightly different from the surrounding text (different color, underlining), as opposed to a button, which may be drawn to imitate a real physical button, which would be chrome.
WP7 isn't all chromeless, by the way, and it would really be useful, I think, if somebody tried to create some controls such as buttons, which would fit the design paradigm of WP7 in not trying to be pseudo-real, but be better than just a 3px border around text with variable width...
Overall, I don't see how your design contradicts Metro principles at all. They don't use gradients, true, but these don't create chrome and quite fit into the "authentically digital" doctrine.
vangrieg said:
I don't see a major difference in this area. As far as I understand, "chromeless" is when you don't try to present controls as entities separate from the rest of the content. An ultimate example of this would be a hyperlink on a web page, where a control element is only slightly different from the surrounding text (different color, underlining), as opposed to a button, which may be drawn to imitate a real physical button, which would be chrome.
WP7 isn't all chromeless, by the way, and it would really be useful, I think, if somebody tried to create some controls such as buttons, which would fit the design paradigm of WP7 in not trying to be pseudo-real, but be better than just a 3px border around text with variable width...
Overall, I don't see how your design contradicts Metro principles at all. They don't use gradients, true, but these don't create chrome and quite fit into the "authentically digital" doctrine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chrome such as in the use of drop shadows on the tiles. I can't illustrate more because I'm pretty lazy right now. Basically, the main thing I would change is have artificial textures and shadows throughout the interface. Not a drastic change, but doesn't really fit the all digital philosophy. If you see it as not contradicting metro than that's a plus.
This looks really nice, this Chrome Metro.
Changes completely the feel from these flat, bad colours squares
to something more classy and nice.
Interesting if something like that will be available.
Best concept ive seen for wp7, im really digging the white tiles...Great job
Definitely the best concept posted here so far that I've seen, very clean!
OS-wise I saw nothing original in the previous version 'cause for me it was just the default black/blue Metro-look with some gradiant but now I must say I'm really impressed with the new improved design.
The phone itself looks very solid and modern and it fits your B&W Metro UI extremely well. Of course there are some things that could be improved but hey - it's just a concept and since you're more of an advertisement designer you really made a great job. Microsoft and HTC should really see this. It's not as over-the-top as my Sense 3 and a bit of gradiant here and there really makes Metro look a lot better. If you could only add your own wallpaper I would even consider buying this device (and believe me that's a huge complement).
You should send it to HTC. Shubert's still in development so HTC may be interested in your concept.
Very nice, I like the tile work. The black text on light tile is even more readable than their white text on colored. I like the subtle use of shadowing on the tile as well. It really stands out while maintaining the simple yet elegant look.
The phone design itself looks nice...but one thing that I could see coming up is that the size of the capacitive buttons look rather small. I'm generally not a fan of capacitive buttons anyway, but that's a personal issue and not a functional one.
It looks pretty cool.
Having dark text on the light tiles looks awesome, though unfortunately that's impossible: Dark background -> light text on the tiles.
You made pocketnow
http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/another-sleek-windows-phone-7-prototype
I thought I would create this post for others who might be considering moving to the Note 2.
I was previously using an Evo 4G. It was a decent phone after it was rooted, but battery life was still poor. After a lot of research and back-and-forth, I made the plunge and upgraded to the Note 2.
Here are my observations after having been using the Note 2 now for a week:
1. The size factor goes away quickly.
I was prepared to have a hard time adjusting to the size of the Note 2. The screen is larger than my entire Evo 4G! But after using it for a day, I was used to it and really liking it. Like I have read in so many other posts, I don't think I could ever go back to a small phone again. The size is really great.2. TouchWiz takes some getting used to.
TouchWiz is the layer Samsung puts on top of Android, like HTC uses Sense. Before blowing away my stock rom on the Evo, I had been using Sense, and thought it was decent. Then I upgraded my rom on the Evo to a Jellybean AOSP rom, and really liked that much better.
TouchWiz is similar to the AOSP, with some peculiarities that take some getting used to, but over all I think it is superior to HTC's Sense. I don't know how much of it is the software and how much of it is a beast of a phone, but there is very, very little lag or stutter ever on the Note 2. It's just a joy to use.
The homescreen clock, however, is atrocious and was quickly replaced. I'm currently running WPClock 2 live wallpaper and like it much better, but still not quite what I'm looking for.3. The camera is amazing
For either stills or video, for a phone camera this takes truly awesome photos. It's not up to the level of my Canon T2i, but for something that slides into my pocket, it comes pretty darn close. A whole 'nuther level from where the Evo 4G was. Not even in the same league. And the burst mode - just hold the button and it rattles off 6-frames-per-second. Again, not prosumer level, but for a phone it's pretty sweet.4. Speaker phone is great
I have found myself actually using the speaker phone, and the people I'm talking to can't believe that they are on speaker.5. Did I mention the screen is gorgeous?
Every time this past week I have needed to use the phone, it's made me smile. It's just a joy to look at. I know others will talk ppi and resolution and AMOLED etc, but from a sheer usability standpoint the display is just lovely. Bright, crisp, vibrant. It is just that good.There are other things I'm sure I'll think of once I close this post.
But if you are looking for a new phone and are considering the Note 2, stop it and go get one. I don't regret it for a minute.
Great observations. I'm shocked you didn't mention the battery life though!
Here are some tips and app suggestions for you:
S-Pen Toolbox - this lets you customise an app menu when you pull out the S-Pen
SwipePad + recent apps add-on - the best multi-tasking-app launching - app swithching program available
My script calculator - maths with pen and paper -sort of
Smart Screen Off - excellent if you have a flip cover or wallet style case
Now some tips:
The S-Pen is not only for taking notes, retouching photos and being artistic! It is veryeuseful when web browsing. The hover function works like "mouse over". It interacts with pull down menus on many web pages and enlarges thumnails!! Not many people know that!
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
If you don't have a case, get one. If you want a screen protector avoid the syrupy soft plastic ones. They do not look very nice -fter a few days with the S-Pen. I use cheap hard plastic ones that you can pick up for between $5-$10 for two. I change these every two months or so.
Enjoy you Note
Great post! (both of you, actually).
I concur with #1, absolutely. I think thats the biggest "hesitation" for most folk. And after a few days of using it, it didn't feel ridiculously big, as I feared, or others had mentioned. Weirdly, I think it looks smaller with a case on it. *shrug*
And yes, for once, I have a battery that I NEVER have to worry about.
Dmwitz said:
Great observations. I'm shocked you didn't mention the battery life though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I'm still exploring the battery life. I was a little surprised that I didn't experience the kind of battery life that others reported, and am experimenting with the reasons. Map was eating my battery, which I couldn't figure out because GPS radio was turned off, and I had not used the map app. Turns out it is actually Google Services through map and it automatically tracks your location, so now that I have turned that off, my battery is lasting longer.
Dmwitz said:
Here are some tips and app suggestions for you:
S-Pen Toolbox - this lets you customise an app menu when you pull out the S-Pen
SwipePad + recent apps add-on - the best multi-tasking-app launching - app swithching program available
My script calculator - maths with pen and paper -sort of
Smart Screen Off - excellent if you have a flip cover or wallet style case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great recommendations! Thanks!
Dmwitz said:
Now some tips:
The S-Pen is not only for taking notes, retouching photos and being artistic! It is veryeuseful when web browsing. The hover function works like "mouse over". It interacts with pull down menus on many web pages and enlarges thumnails!! Not many people know that!
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
If you don't have a case, get one. If you want a screen protector avoid the syrupy soft plastic ones. They do not look very nice -fter a few days with the S-Pen. I use cheap hard plastic ones that you can pick up for between $5-$10 for two. I change these every two months or so.
Enjoy you Note
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just picked up a flip cover from Samsung, so will be really interested to see how well Smart Screen Off app works with it. I have also ordered the Sena case leather pouch.
As for screen protectors, I prefer to not use one. I know some are worried about scratching their screen. I think like this. In my generation, (grew up in the 70's) a lot of grandparents put plastic set covers on the seats of their cars. They were cheap looking, uncomfortable, and squeeky. But the people who bought their car used had awesome seats! I would rather enjoy the screen as designed instead of covering it up. Just me.
Dmwitz said:
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing he didn't mention (and I agree with just about all of those suggestions) is Vignette. It is the only camera app I use, for actually taking pics. Its GUI isn't all happy-pretty-insta-filter-dumbed-down, but it hands-down takes some of the best pics I have ever seen on a phone.
Sorry!
kingdazy said:
One thing he didn't mention (and I agree about all of those suggestions) is Vignette. It is the only camera app I use, for actually taking pics. Its GUI isn't all happy-pretty-insta-filter-dumbed-down, but it hands-down takes some of the best pics I have ever seen on a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vignette was the first photo-filter-camera app I bought!! And I use it alot for the Illford black and white which is really incredible.
I have over 30 camera and retouching apps installed as I write so forgive me for missing that one.
Now after checking how many I have installed I need to mention:
Aviary - the best sharpness filter I have found and also allows you to rotate images for hand to get the horizon…well horizontal
Pixlr -
Paintersque
Little Photo
connman said:
I thought I would create this post for others who might be considering moving to the Note 2.
I was previously using an Evo 4G. It was a decent phone after it was rooted, but battery life was still poor. After a lot of research and back-and-forth, I made the plunge and upgraded to the Note 2.
Here are my observations after having been using the Note 2 now for a week:
1. The size factor goes away quickly.
I was prepared to have a hard time adjusting to the size of the Note 2. The screen is larger than my entire Evo 4G! But after using it for a day, I was used to it and really liking it. Like I have read in so many other posts, I don't think I could ever go back to a small phone again. The size is really great.2. TouchWiz takes some getting used to.
TouchWiz is the layer Samsung puts on top of Android, like HTC uses Sense. Before blowing away my stock rom on the Evo, I had been using Sense, and thought it was decent. Then I upgraded my rom on the Evo to a Jellybean AOSP rom, and really liked that much better.
TouchWiz is similar to the AOSP, with some peculiarities that take some getting used to, but over all I think it is superior to HTC's Sense. I don't know how much of it is the software and how much of it is a beast of a phone, but there is very, very little lag or stutter ever on the Note 2. It's just a joy to use.
The homescreen clock, however, is atrocious and was quickly replaced. I'm currently running WPClock 2 live wallpaper and like it much better, but still not quite what I'm looking for.3. The camera is amazing
For either stills or video, for a phone camera this takes truly awesome photos. It's not up to the level of my Canon T2i, but for something that slides into my pocket, it comes pretty darn close. A whole 'nuther level from where the Evo 4G was. Not even in the same league. And the burst mode - just hold the button and it rattles off 6-frames-per-second. Again, not prosumer level, but for a phone it's pretty sweet.4. Speaker phone is great
I have found myself actually using the speaker phone, and the people I'm talking to can't believe that they are on speaker.5. Did I mention the screen is gorgeous?
Every time this past week I have needed to use the phone, it's made me smile. It's just a joy to look at. I know others will talk ppi and resolution and AMOLED etc, but from a sheer usability standpoint the display is just lovely. Bright, crisp, vibrant. It is just that good.There are other things I'm sure I'll think of once I close this post.
But if you are looking for a new phone and are considering the Note 2, stop it and go get one. I don't regret it for a minute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great summary of first impressions. Very to the point. I came over from an evo 3d and I can say that even tough I liked sense I have grown to like touchwiz even more. The biggest plus of course is the battery life. Although I don't get the same life as some on here say they get I can use my phone from 7am till about 5pm on regular days. On my 3d I could barely make it to 12pm. All I can imagine is how great the note 3 will be or even this one once we get more updates.
Sent from my Amazing Galaxy Note 2!
This device is a amazing Peace of Technology.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
I agree as of about 3 hours ago
It truly is incredible. I mean coming from the epic touch I knew I was getting an awesome upgrade but until you have it in your hands and are using it you really have no idea how good it's going to be.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
This device is amazing. I had gotten the iphone 5 three days ago and took it back today and exchanged it for the Note 2. Soo glad I did that. This screen is amazing....dont know what I was thinking picking the iPhone 5 over this AMAZING device.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
llfloyd79 said:
This device is amazing. I had gotten the iphone 5 three days ago and took it back today and exchanged it for the Note 2. Soo glad I did that. This screen is amazing....dont know what I was thinking picking the iPhone 5 over this AMAZING device.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know what you were thinking either but at least you came to your senses lol. Welcome home!
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
Thanks lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Note II
Impressions - Update
I'm now 2 weeks into my Note 2 upgrade, so thought I would give some additional observations.
Battery life is simply amazing.
After a couple of charge cycles, battery life with moderate usage easily lasts all day without giving it a thought. Depending on usage, might last 2 days. 2. Days. Incredible.The screen continues to "wow" me.
The size is fantastic. Years ago, I was the proud user of the very first PDA called "Newton." It was by Apple and was way ahead of it's time and had a very large screen. Over time PDA screens became smaller, and phones followed that trend. Finally, there is again a screen big enough to actually use for more than making calls without me having to take my glasses to see the tiny display.
Also, the color and resolution are just incredible. I still smile each time I go to answer a call or text.Camera continue to impress
Like I mentioned earlier, it's not fair to compare the camera on the phone to a stand-alone prosumer model, but for a phone I think it is about the best I have ever used. Controls are simple, autofocus is fast, color reproduction is accurate, and resolution is very nice.I'm still not using the S-pen often, but think that is just getting used to having it available.
Overall, the only thing that I would change is I wish I could have upgraded sooner. There is no comparison from where I was with an Evo 4G. I'm a Mac guy, and enjoy the ease of use the Mac OS offers. With that said, Android on this device has the feel Apple has built its reputation on. It's fast, beautiful, ease-of-use (while not totally a function of the phone) is tremendous, TouchWiz interface is perfect for this device, and over all it's just a joy to use.
Truly great design doesn't hinder usage, it makes it intuitive and easy to do complicated things. That's Android, TouchWiz and this device.
Agree with most of what's been said here, I've moved to Note 2 from an old Nokia, MUCH smaller, and now I've got used to making sure it's secure when I'm working, I have to admit to liking it a LOT.
The screen and camera are both excellent, and once I've got used to turning off things that are not needed, the battery life is OK.
there are a few app and android issues, it would be nice to be able to do things like have sounds selectable by time of day, so the alarm can be left active, but ringing and other notifications can be turned off, and I've just posted a Q re being able to run more than one Text to Speech app concurrently.
The only thing I'd change on the hardware side is the position of the On/Off switch, it's altogether too easy to catch it when holding the phone, especially if it's fitted with the flip cover, which mine is.
I've also found an "interesting" issue, but not investigated it yet, when running off a 2.1 A capable 12 V charger unit in the car, with GPS active and other apps in background, the charger appears to be unable to keep the battery charged, so over a longer journey, the battery is being significantly discharged. That may be down to a poor charger cable, but without an app to show battery current, I have no way to know if it's the phone that's eating power, or the lead that's not allowing full charge current to flow.
Have to admit, having resisted the move to a smartphone for some time, now I've bitten the bullet, I am very pleased indeed with the Note 2, and I'm still only just discovering what the thing is really capable of.
Irish Steve said:
Agree with most of what's been said here, I've moved to Note 2 from an old Nokia, MUCH smaller, and now I've got used to making sure it's secure when I'm working, I have to admit to liking it a LOT.
The screen and camera are both excellent, and once I've got used to turning off things that are not needed, the battery life is OK.
there are a few app and android issues, it would be nice to be able to do things like have sounds selectable by time of day, so the alarm can be left active, but ringing and other notifications can be turned off, and I've just posted a...
Have to admit, having resisted the move to a smartphone for some time, now I've bitten the bullet, I am very pleased indeed with the Note 2, and I'm still only just discovering what the thing is really capable of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boy, for your first smartphone, you've set the bar high. I'd be curious to see how your opinions change re: size and function over the next three years.
As far as your "time of day, and sounds" issue, you might want to look into an app called "Tasker", Very Powerful application, you might find it's daunting at first to wrap your head around, but it's exactly what you're looking for.
Sent from my calculator watch.
kingdazy said:
Boy, for your first smartphone, you've set the bar high. I'd be curious to see how your opinions change re: size and function over the next three years.
As far as your "time of day, and sounds" issue, you might want to look into an app called "Tasker", Very Powerful application, you might find it's daunting at first to wrap your head around, but it's exactly what you're looking for.
Sent from my calculator watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the one redeeming feature for me is over 40 years working with one sort or another of computer, so the learning curve isn't so steep. Tasker will indeed be worth reading up on, as it may well be the answer for some of the things I'm looking for, certainly on some of the sounds on or off issues.
have to admit, it's making me think seriously about the longer term upgrades that I will be doing, the old concept of a desktop or a laptop are starting to look very different in the light of the capabilities of the Note, and I have to say I like being able to look at "full size" web sites with the Note, as there is just so much real estate on the screen, and despite being the wrong side of 60, I can still (just about) read it without going looking for reading glasses, which does help, though some fonts are getting challenging.
I am also wondering about the viability of using Android on a PC or desktop, there are certain aspects of the way it works that appeal a lot more than Windows right now, but that might be me being biased
Thanks for the pointer, that's the good thing about fora like this, the knowledge gets spread around and helps everyone
Cheers
Steve
Loved reading this thread! I'm a very happy LTEvo user, but my wife's E4GT is starting to show its age (she's very rough on devices). I bought a Note 2 via Ebay a couple of days ago. The plan right now is for her to get my LTEvo and I get the note. I'm compelled by the pen. As a long time WinMo user, the only feature I miss from those days was the ability to take quick notes and drawings. I tried capacitive pens, but they generally suck for writing notes as even the finest resolution is still way too large and they're a separate item easy to forget/lose. Can't wait to start playing!
jph8tr said:
Loved reading this thread! I'm a very happy LTEvo user, but my wife's E4GT is starting to show its age (she's very rough on devices). I bought a Note 2 via Ebay a couple of days ago. The plan right now is for her to get my LTEvo and I get the note. I'm compelled by the pen. As a long time WinMo user, the only feature I miss from those days was the ability to take quick notes and drawings. I tried capacitive pens, but they generally suck for writing notes as even the finest resolution is still way too large and they're a separate item easy to forget/lose. Can't wait to start playing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're gonna love the device. It's incredible. I don't use the pen a whole lot but one awesome feature is you can have it set so when you pull it out a notepad pops up. Which is great if you're on a call and need to jot something down in a hurry. No need to look for a pen and paper anymore!
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
I agree on all points, this phone really is the pinnacle of smart phones right now. Not a big fan of TWiz myself but there are some incredible ROMs on this site. I have soft bricked mine quite a few times and have been through probably 90% of the ROMs on this site with mine and it is just so easy to get it working again.
Are they bright or dim? I remember my first Note 3 had brighter touch keys than the one I'm currently using. This kind of bothers me but I don't want to make any decisions just yet because the Note 3's are very inconsistent and I don't want another with more problems and find out all Note 3 have dim buttons. :silly:
Edit: Pictures added. This 5mp camera on my LG-v909 does no justice haha but as you can see its very low. The touch keys are brighter in the photos but IRL they look very dark and washed out.
lm that guy said:
Are they bright or dim? I remember my first Note 3 had brighter touch keys than the one I'm currently using. This kind of bothers me but I don't want to make any decisions just yet because the Note 3's are very inconsistent and I don't want another with more problems and find out all Note 3 have dim buttons. :silly:
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Can you possibly post a pic so we can see what you are talking about? Never known keys to have lighting issues
dragonstalker said:
Can you possibly post a pic so we can see what you are talking about? Never known keys to have lighting issues
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Click to collapse
Hey, sorry for the delay, pictures added
lm that guy said:
Hey, sorry for the delay, pictures added
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Click to collapse
Looks pretty much normal to me. I'm no lighting expert, but looks the same as mine giving it's pics and not side by side.
Not sure how you would be able to rate this without having two phones side by side to know for sure unless it was a drastic difference.
I can't see anything wrong with the images you posted, look normal to me.
It looks normal to me to. I sort of feel like other Galaxy devices were brighter. The note looks good either way though.
Also, if they were brighter they would probably be more annoying/noticeable. I think I remember looking down at them on the Note II a lot more.
The white is really bright, the black is dimmer. Its the same on all of them in my experience.
aooga said:
The white is really bright, the black is dimmer. Its the same on all of them in my experience.
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Click to collapse
I tend to agree with this. My GSII was black, and they weren't that bright, but my Note 3 is white, and they are so bright it makes the screen look dim when they are on even with the screen brightness at 50%. Forget at night. They blind me! LOL
I disabled them on my white Note 3 as they shine bright and bleed quite a bit.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
CalcProgrammer1 said:
I disabled them on my white Note 3 as they shine bright and bleed quite a bit.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes. I forgot to mention that. Bad bleeding. The whole area around them light up.
bobbyphoenix said:
Ah yes. I forgot to mention that. Bad bleeding. The whole area around them light up.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, they do bleed.
I just started a thread about the issue I'm having with mine: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=50144333
I might just turn the lights off, very bright. Should be an option to dim them.
My black Note3 is just fine. My old white SGS3, though, bled a bit in pitch black darkness, but it didn't really care because it was so subtle and not worth complaining about (SOME people actually returned their phones over it *hah*).
Anyway, I really wish the Note4 would ditch capacitive buttons, then how bright they are is a non-issue. I want my next phablet to have onscreen nav buttons, like the direction LG and Moto are going.
zmore said:
Anyway, I really wish the Note4 would ditch capacitive buttons, then how bright they are is a non-issue. I want my next phablet to have onscreen nav buttons, like the direction LG and Moto are going.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but why not get the phone that has the features you want like above mentioned LG or Moto? I want hardware buttons so I have full use of the screen and that's part of the reason I picked Note 3 over other phablets and unless there is no bezel at all, I would be disappointed if part of the screen was wasted for things that could be off screen. If LG and Moto are trying to save few cents on hardware buttons, among other things, that's fine, but that's part of the reason I won't buy them.
Going back to the topic, as far as I can tell from the pictures it looks fine, similar in brightness to the screen icons, probably that's how I would want them, but honestly isn't it a little nit picking? I would never return the phone for such a minor thing since by now I don't even look at it no more, I know by heart where it is and yep there is a chance new phone could have some other problems, like crooked button for example. I'm sure there is a setting where it could be adjusted, especially if it's true that black Note 3 has lower setting than white, but not in user accessible menu.
Maybe developers could figure it out?
pete4k said:
I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but why not get the phone that has the features you want like above mentioned LG or Moto? I want hardware buttons so I have full use of the screen and that's part of the reason I picked Note 3....
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Click to collapse
Because Samsung still features a removable battery and microSDXC slot. That's really the main reason I've stuck with 'em.
(And software nav buttons really take up almost no space (and even less when configurable in the ROM); zero in immersive mode. I'd rather have the phone physically shrink w/o h/w buttons.)
zmore said:
Because Samsung still features a removable battery and microSDXC slot. That's really the main reason I've stuck with 'em.
(And software nav buttons really take up almost no space (and even less when configurable in the ROM); zero in immersive mode. I'd rather have the phone physically shrink w/o h/w buttons.)
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Click to collapse
You say almost no space but in reality it takes up .2" of screen. So a Moto X goes from 4.7" to 4.5". A Note 3 would go from 5.7" to 5.5" which is the same as the Note 2, effectively erasing the size difference between the 2 phones.
I personally don't want on screen nav buttons. If I'm buying a 5.7" screen I want to use 5.7". I understand some people may have other preferences, but the screen is the #1 feature of a phone, you look at and touch it 100% of the time.
I don't even know how on screen system buttons work, since I never had one, but if they permanently cut off 0.2 inch off screen , NO WAY. This would mess up everything: all the 16:9 1080p movies are then 1020p with border all around or are they no longer proper 16:9 ratio? Is the edge of the movie just cut off, or is every single frame rescaled to fit smaller area? And why would I ever want to have this, to admire huge empty bezel? Or to have more fingerprints and smudges on my screen
And yes exactly, all those companies cut out SD card slot, removable battery and hardware buttons most likely to save few pennies. So Samsung has my money.
I turn soft key lights OFF!
I cannot possibly forget that menu is one side and back is on the other. The fact that I'm reading about this "bleeding" being an issue is manna from Heaven. I don't understand why anybody would keep them on! Not to mention night use.
pete4k said:
I don't even know how on screen system buttons work, since I never had one, but if they permanently cut off 0.2 inch off screen , NO WAY. This would mess up everything: all the 16:9 1080p movies are then 1020p with border all around or are they no longer proper 16:9 ratio? Is the edge of the movie just cut off, or is every single frame rescaled to fit smaller area? And why would I ever want to have this, to admire huge empty bezel? Or to have more fingerprints and smudges on my screen
And yes exactly, all those companies cut out SD card slot, removable battery and hardware buttons most likely to save few pennies. So Samsung has my money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No the Nav Buttons disappear when playing a movie. But when using the phone they are there so they become intrusive in my opinion.
Hi XDA,
I am considering getting the Note 10.1 2014 LTE version. However as a Student this is a very expensive Device to buy and there are some Questions i have to get answers to first before i can justify getting one. I hope some of you can help me find out what i need to get answers too.
I am studying computer science and i want to use it as a full replacement for pen and paper (Is that even realistically possible?). I have had some time with it in the store but some first hand everyday experience would be very much appreciated. I will try to categorize my questions.
Notetaking
Screen Protectors
Do they work with the Stylus and if so how well?
S-Note
In my short time with the device i noticed that S-Note does not support Portrait mode for the "virtual page" im writing on. Is that true and if so are there alternative apps that work with the S-Pen and allow for portrait notetaking?
Speed and Precision
I usually have to write down a LOT of Math stuff. Can you write fast enough on the note 10.1 to write during a lecture? Is it precise enough for small index numbers etc.?
Samsungs Software (and how i can get rid of their butt-ugly touchwiz crap?)
Lags and Stuff
During my shot time with the device i noticed a lot of lag and applications that were just pathetically slow compared to my Nexus 7 first gen with CM (this little Tab with CM is just so fast it's insane. Literally zero lag all around and insane performance even when HEAVILY Multitasking). Have the recent updates fixed this problem (well it's samsung so lets say made it less bad than before)?
Touchwizz
How much of the Touchwizz features i don't need can be deactivated? if deactived do they make it perform better?
Other Apps
Have you noticed any Problems with other Apps that usually work fine?
Custom Rom Stuff
General Support
I know this device is just on the market but comming from Nexus Devices i really don't want to stick with Samsungs Rom. How good/bad has the Rom Support for other Samsung Devices been in the past? What Problems will i face?
Rooting and Knox
WTF is Knox and why do i have to care when i root. I really don't get what that is and why it exists. Maybe someone can enlighten me
This is my Wishlist for a Custom Rom. Will that ever happen?
CyanogenMod/Stock Based Roms that are just as ridiculously fast as my N7
S-Pen Support for Notetaking (with anything other than S-Note)
Multiwindow Support (i suppose that is bound to touchwizz but have there been ROMs that integrated it into Stock-ish Android before?)
Hardware
Battery life
I have to get out of the house at 7 AM and im Back Home around 5-6PM. In this time this device will be used literally the entire time. I have Wireless Access most of the time so i don't have to rely on LTE completly. Can the Battery handle that? Will the Battery be able to handle this 2 years down the road?
Bigger Stylus
Well writing with the small S-Pen is a really ****ty experience. It's just too flimsy. Has anyone tried any Bigger Wacom Pens that work with the Note?
Smart Wake
Does the Note 10 Support waking up from standby like apples smartcover (and my N7)?
Cover
Talking about Smartcovers. How good are Samsungs Covers for the Note 10.1?
I know this is a very very long list and i am totally fine with any answers that just link to a site or something but i really hope that this device can do what it's named after.
Thanks for any answer i really appreciate them!
I'm studying computer science myself and found the tablet to be amazing for taking notes with. I've been using LectureNotes and its extremely flexible to suit whatever your note taking preference is. It does support portrait mode, but I would recommend using it in landscape (you can adjust the page size and just scroll down). As for writing with the s-pen it does get annoying after some time due to the size.
As for using a stylus there is this huge on going thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2484014
In short, no stylus works perfectly for our tablets aside from the s-pen it comes with. Most of the active styluses do "work" but have an offset of a few mm when writing at an angle (if you hold it straight up it aligns perfectly). For myself, I'm using a surface pro pen and compensated the offset on lecturenotes. I can hardly tell the difference at all.
Here is a screenshot of my notes from my algorithm class: http://i.imgur.com/NsPYFia.png
CircleSquare said:
I'm studying computer science myself and found the tablet to be amazing for taking notes with. I've been using LectureNotes and its extremely flexible to suit whatever your note taking preference is. It does support portrait mode, but I would recommend using it in landscape (you can adjust the page size and just scroll down). As for writing with the s-pen it does get annoying after some time due to the size.
As for using a stylus there is this huge on going thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2484014
In short, no stylus works perfectly for our tablets aside from the s-pen it comes with. Most of the active styluses do "work" but have an offset of a few mm when writing at an angle (if you hold it straight up it aligns perfectly). For myself, I'm using a surface pro pen and compensated the offset on lecturenotes. I can hardly tell the difference at all.
Here is a screenshot of my notes from my algorithm class: http://i.imgur.com/NsPYFia.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the Quick Reply. That does look very much like it will suit my needs. Would you say you can use it to completly replace pen and paper?
detrexer said:
Thanks for the Quick Reply. That does look very much like it will suit my needs. Would you say you can use it to completly replace pen and paper?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't used a pen and paper the entire term to take notes! It's actually a lot faster once you get used to it. Copy and pasting helps out a ton when the professor is explaining concepts on the same graph.
Screen Protectors
I don't use them, but have a fellow student that uses one and it seems to work well. Bare in mind it adds some friction if you get a mate screenprotector.
S-Note
Nope never used never tried and just got LectureNotes from the start. I also write in portrait mode. Most fellow students like to write in landscape. I have found that I can write extremely small and read it and don't like to scroll down all the time.
Speed and Precision
Yes it's fast enough. I write in my maths lecture. For me it's faster than paper. I use the plastic tip and there is hardly any friction so the pen moves very fast. Only thing that takes time is when you have to fiddle with menus or stuff like that.
Samsungs Software (and how i can get rid of their butt-ugly touchwiz crap?)
Lags and Stuff
I have had no problems with my device. Even at the beginning I didn't really notice much lag. But there are lots of people that have complained. Once you disable a bunch of touchwiz apps it flies.
Touchwizz
If you disable some touchwiz stuff it will perform a bit faster. I disabled everything but S-Note, Alarms, Action Note and the S-Pen SDK.
Other Apps
Due to the high pixel density some apps that aren't optimized (are badly coded) and perform lots of drawing might not perform as well. But other than that no real issues.
Custom Rom Stuff
General Support
The rom support has been bad. But this is the first device I bought in the launch week so it might pick up.
Rooting and Knox
If you root the know counter will be tripped and you allegedly lose warranty. It seems to be some corporate app allowing you to separate work and company data.
This is my Wishlist for a Custom Rom. Will that ever happen?
S-Pen Support for Notetaking (with anything other than S-Note)
There are native API for styluses as long as the drivers work the native API's should work too
Multiwindow Support (i suppose that is bound to touchwizz but have there been ROMs that integrated it into Stock-ish Android before?)
The multiwindow support on touchwiz is the best I have seen so far.
Hardware
Battery life
My battery lasts about 7 hours with screen on. If you need more battery life get an external battery. They are really cheap, in germany i can get one for 40 bucks with double the capacity as the internal battery.
Bigger Stylus
There seems to be one wacom stylus that works, there is a thread about it. I like the small pen, it's light and I don't get tired when writing with it.
Smart Wake
yes supports the smart wake
Cover
I have an ivso cover i got from amazon.de I'm happy with it
I got the Note about a month ago or so for university. I didn't really plan on replacing paper with that, but no I don't use paper at all anymore. I have found that I can keep stuff organized a lot better in a digital form. If I ever get a sheet of paper I will either run to the scanners scattered around our university and scan it or take a picture and annotate that instead of the actual paper . It really depends on the way of learning if you can "think digitally". A fellow student got the old model and returned it after a week because he found it too distracting. But for me the Note really fits into my way of thinking and doing stuff, but I'm a real techy person, who programs and sees a higher value in having information in a digital form.
To add about knox: If you get squaretrade warranty, someone in another thread said they don't care if you trip it or not and will still honor the warranty.
These are very uplifting answers for me. Heaving two people confirm that you can replace paper with it is almost enough to buy it. I ****ing hate paper... to much clutter...
I very much appreciate all the answers und Grüße aus Aachen an alle
I've replaced paper, not at school, but in office. All note taking in meetings, all "to do" lists are now done on the tablet (I made the conversion a year ago with the original Note 10.1, new one is even better).
detrexer said:
These are very uplifting answers for me. Heaving two people confirm that you can replace paper with it is almost enough to buy it. I ****ing hate paper... to much clutter...
I very much appreciate all the answers und Grüße aus Aachen an alle
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Click to collapse
In my local Media Markt they have it for 500€, easier to return if something happens. Might want to check because only it's roughly the same price as online.
This is the case I have, there is pretty much only one case on amazon.de anyways.
Also look at the colors. I have choosen white because it reminds me of paper. Also the contrast between white on the screen and a black border is too harsh in my opinion.
{Diemex} said:
In my local Media Markt they have it for 500€, easier to return if something happens. Might want to check because only it's roughly the same price as online.
This is the case I have, there is pretty much only one case on amazon.de anyways.
Also look at the colors. I have choosen white because it reminds me of paper. Also the contrast between white on the screen and a black border is too harsh in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same case, it's perfect.
---------- Post added at 01:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 AM ----------
detrexer said:
Thanks for the Quick Reply. That does look very much like it will suit my needs. Would you say you can use it to completly replace pen and paper?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it has completely replaced paper for me. At work I need to draw on photos and diagrams etc to send to people. Before I got the Note, I had to print a photo, draw on it, and scan it back in, then attach it to an email.
Using LectureNotes I can just do everything on the tablet and email straight from it. My work notebook is up to about 300 pages now. LectureNotes enables you to email a single page or selection of pages as a pdf straight from the app.
I still like to have a paper notebook to flick through, so I print out my notebook as I go. Of course if I lose it, I can just print it again, unlike a paper notebook...
LectureNotes is complicated to set up initially, but well worth it - once it's set up right, it's amazingly powerful.
If you want a spare s-pen, you can buy one for the old Note 10.1 and trim the back of the nib slightly. This gets rid of any offset.
I did that, then put it into a pen case to make it like a real pen - photos here: http://flickr.com/gp/jackhenriques/d68460/
if you HAD to pick one Negative about the phone, what would it be?
amongst the list of things i don't like, i must choose the one thing i use every single day, multiple times a day.
the POWER Button.
my previous device (huawei mate 20x), had a taught power button which didn't wiggle around, satisfying click when pressed, and for a bonus, textured and colored.
the Fold: aside from failing to combine the Power button and the Fingerprint Scanner, the power button on the Fold is just like any other Galaxy device: cheap, thin, loose, and mushy to press.
anyone else have something that erks them using the phone daily?
I have problems with the fingerprint reader. I misplace my finger a lot. I miss FaceID it was so much smoother.
I don't use the button. I double tap the screen instead.
The front screen sucks. I can't text, email on it. It's so small. I love My fold, but the front screen kills me!
Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk
It's a tablet on the inside but all my apps act like phone apps and not built for the tablet.
gman901 said:
It's a tablet on the inside but all my apps act like phone apps and not built for the tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Change your dpi / minimal width, then you'll get tablet ui
Thanks, it worked for a lot of my apps except Flipboard. For some reason it keeps acting like a phone app even when I set it to 952 dpi.
skinnytoo2 said:
The front screen sucks. I can't text, email on it. It's so small. I love My fold, but the front screen kills me!
Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here is something almost everyone doesn't think about when wishing for an edge to edge, top to bottom, front display:
how much imbalance it would create on the phone. one handed use would be completely be gone.
- for someone not using a launcher: reaching up top to swipe down notification shade
- whether using standard navigation buttons, or using edge swiping: imagine reaching all the way down just to hit he navigation area
- people who use swipe one handed for text, it actually is perfect ergonomically the way it is now.
- not everyone has big hands
during and even before the Fold presentation almost a year ago, everyone was criticizing the front screen size without thinking about it in depth, and people STILL criticize it in newer videos, made 2 or 3 months ago.
all they see is bezel and think "its 2019/2020, wtf are we doing with huge bezels?!?!?"
i hope samsung doesn't listen to all these brainless people moaning and groaning about screen to body ratio % in their next folding tablet device.
Mr6P said:
Change your dpi / minimal width, then you'll get tablet ui
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What DPI did you set it too?
Jeshter2000 said:
What DPI did you set it too?
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https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-fold/help/tablet-mode-t4040217
see this thread.
good luck!
Jeshter2000 said:
What DPI did you set it too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
850
---------- Post added at 03:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 AM ----------
_sC said:
here is something almost everyone doesn't think about when wishing for an edge to edge, top to bottom, front display:
how much imbalance it would create on the phone. one handed use would be completely be gone.
- for someone not using a launcher: reaching up top to swipe down notification shade
- whether using standard navigation buttons, or using edge swiping: imagine reaching all the way down just to hit he navigation area
- people who use swipe one handed for text, it actually is perfect ergonomically the way it is now.
- not everyone has big hands
during and even before the Fold presentation almost a year ago, everyone was criticizing the front screen size without thinking about it in depth, and people STILL criticize it in newer videos, made 2 or 3 months ago.
all they see is bezel and think "its 2019/2020, wtf are we doing with huge bezels?!?!?"
i hope samsung doesn't listen to all these brainless people moaning and groaning about screen to body ratio % in their next folding tablet device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the front screen doesn't have to be all the front, but it definitely needs to be wider. It's just to narrow to write fast and without issues. It works, but it's cumbersome. I mostly swipe or dictate because typing is too annoying ?
To your main question, one thing I hate about the Fold:
There are some things which could be better, like the fingerprint reader integrated into the power button, no notch, S-Pen support, wider front screen, glass screen, IP ratings, faster charging (like Note10+) and much much more... but there's just 1 thing which really annoys me: the selfie cameras. They're all ****ty. Even compared to S7 until Note10+ it's just ****. The can't focus on something you tap. All Samsung flagships can do it. It's so ****ty I don't take any selfies anymore. Even using GCam doesn't change anything because it's a hardware thing. To be honest, they could have added the Note10 selfie cam on the small front and no other cameras. They could also remove the notch since the cameras are very bad ?