[Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) General] marxses:
I got this Tablet yesterday, which happens to be my first ever tablet but I've been a long time user and tweaker of the original note N7000. I just read and learn mostly hence my lowly post count!

I've spent about 8 hours with it so far and for the first 6 or so hours I was thinking that the only way to get this thing to function without navigation of the tablet feeling so clumsy was rooting it so I use could tools like the nav bar, gestures, & custom (root function) tasker shortcuts etc etc.

With Knox I'm not overly keen on rooting this device so soon but compared to my other note the tablet was barely functional and the only other option was to take it back.

Then I found one new app and realised that some apps I'd been using on my phone that I thought required root didn't and my Tablet was transformed into something I can enjoy using without needing to root.

Before buying I read lots of reviews, as you do, with a lot of reviewers having wildly different experiences with the same device. It seems that when reviewing these kind of devices the reviewers only review the hardware and software provided with that device. With Android there are so many ways/apps that can help tailor the experience you end up having with any given device, so apart from the biased tools maybe that's why we get such polarised opinions on different devices.

If there's a point to that spiel it would be don't too much weight on other people's opinions. Apart from the physical characteristics and obvious faults of any given device, this is android, with the bit of imagination and patience you can most likely get a lot more out of your device than first thought......so

My thoughts?

Straight out of the box? Paper weight!

It might just be because I'm not used to the size but accessing just about anything, mostly the hardware keys is an absolute chore..... especially when your hands start cramping up after holding it for a while. If switching between apps regularly you are constantly having to manoeuvre hand positions to get to the keys. As for TouchWiz/UX? Dam it's ugly!!

After disabling a heap of apps and installing amongst others but most importantly, All In One Gestures, LUX, Rotation Control, Quick Search, Boat Browser and Nova Prime with SMPL white theme.

Love it!

PROS:

Very fast, no lag

Heaps of RAM, can have heaps of tabs open in Boat without redraws. On my other note you only needed 2 or 3 Tabs open and previous Tabs will redraw, much more than that and I started losing priority apps!

Screen is crisp!

The notes defining tool the Spen is better than ever, I'm actually finding it very useful for basic navigation of the OS. Using that Gesture app & with the length of the pen my hands don't have to travel far to activate the hot spots (Gestures).

The Spen is also far more accurate that my original note, writing and photo touching are a breeze.

Great battery life as far as I'm concerned but I've only got my phone to compare it too.

Cons:

It does get heavy after long use but that would be standard for a tablet of this size.

Viewing angles aren't that great for me. I don't have to be on much of an angle and some parts of the screen seem to get washed out / cloudy. I think I noticed it more under artificial lighting so will have a closer look at that.

Can't find a way to simulate the menu key so I can add it to my gestures.

I'll probably end up rooting as there are a few root features I miss but for now I'm happy. I use it for both productivity (work, remote desktop) and media consumption and I don't think there is another tablet out there that can serve both purposes so well.

M.