It is time to take another look at Samsung Galaxy Note 4 but I am not going to bore you with physical specs. For that read this post or this one. When Samsung came up with the Galaxy Note series many people doubted what they were doing but four years down the line, it is clear that phablet is the future of the productivity when comes to mobile computing. Of all the phone series by Samsung, Galaxy Note is unique in many ways and it is one that Samsung can claim to have predominantly pioneered. My experience with Note 4 in the last few weeks has left me thinking about how suited the phone is for the Kenyan market. Like who should own it and why.
Note 4 as a Business Tool
People use laptop to do all the productivity work ranging from simple email to complex mathematics calculations on excel worksheet. The reason why all that is possible is because, one is able to manipulate the applications on the computer to carry out whichever task one set out to do. The same had not been possible with the mobile phone due to the small screen size until Samsung came up with Note series. Yes BlackBerry has always been known as the business phone but the security was the main selling point and not productivity. Nothing define Note 4 suitability as a business tool than S Pen and S Note. Here is what my colleague Winfred Kuria had to say about it when it was launched:
One has the option of either using fountain or calligraphy pen mode. The S Pen also introduces a more user-friendly Air Command functionalities along with other intuitive features such as Action Memo, Screen Write, Image Clip and Smart Select that allows users to create and collect content with ease. The new Smart Select feature enables consumers to easily piece together content from different origins and share it with ease.
Further, the GALAXY Note 4 provides users with a choice of multiple, seamless note-taking methods integrated with Samsung's S Note application that allows everyday tasks to get done faster and more easily. In addition to typing and writing, the innovative Photo Note feature allows users to take a picture of their notes on a paper or a classroom board and then quickly and easily convert to an S Note.
Note 4 is good for techies and business people who value productivity
Note 4 as a Writing Tool
Many journalist still run around with note books and pens to take notes during events. That is on top of cameras and other tools that help them do their work. With Note 4 S Pen, you don't need to carry pens and note books around. And as already mentioned above the primary function of the S Pen is typing and writing.
If you a journalist in Kenya, you may need to think about getting this phone…
Note 4 as a Learning Tool
One of the promise made by Jubilee Government before they came to power, was to provide all class one kids with laptops. A promise that has not been delivered anyway but that is a story for another day and probably another forum. One of the biggest concerns for many at the time with the Jubilee government plan was the security of the kids carrying laptops and the laptops. The way Kenyan school system is, kids leave home in the morning head to school and in most cases unaccompanied by any adult. With high cases of people being robbed when carrying phones or laptops within main streets, definitely you would fear for those kids walking around with the laptops. The other option was to leave the laptops in schools, but still, most schools do not have safe places to store the laptops. On top of that the weight of the laptop could be a problem to some of the kids who start schooling at very young age. And this where Note 4 could safely replace laptops for kids in schools. It is perfect for this…easy to carry around, allows kids to write and type. On the security front, teachers could easily find a place to keep them for those kids who fear being mugged on the way to or from the school.
Note 4 as an Entertainment Tool
Due it its large screen size, watching a movie on or series on Note 4 is not such a bad idea as I came to find out. A few days ago when I was doing those long travel to upcountry I managed to watch Brooklyn Nine Nine full series on Note 4. And it is as good as one would want it to be. Still on entertainment, you remember Airtel Trace Music Stars? Where contestants can win simply by recording their song on the phone call, with an option to rehearse on a phone karaoke that scores the performance…. I did try it out and although I am horrible singer the recording on Note 4 was very good.
Note 4 as a Storage and Archiving Tool
For you to go on watching movies and series you need space to store them on the phone. But on a more serious note you can use the phone as Archiving tool for the documents and media files you need for future use. With more storage spaces being made available on the new generation of smartphones…it is time to mourn the death of flash disks and other external hard drives
Note 4 as a Tool for Photographers
I am still learning my photography trade and one day I hope I will graduate from armature stage to something close to professional. Still at this stage, taking pictures with Note 4 is just fun.
Here is my struggle with it indoors
and here is when i tried it outside
