S-Pen Advice

[stringfiend]

Anyone else use the s-pen? I absolutely love it. But I didn't love it until I figured out the optimal way to hold it. In reading a lot of reviews it seems that there are quite a few people who had trouble finding a comfortable way to use the pen as well.

This might not work for everyone but it is so effective that I can't help but think it was what the designers had in mind when they built the s-pen.

As you can see in the pic, turn the pen so that the angled portion is resting against the inside of your hand, which gives the pen stability. Now comes the most important part: Rest the first knuckle of your middle finger firmly against the s-pen button. Now, it might take a bit to get used to pressing the button with your knuckle. But believe me, in no time you will be scurrying about webpages and menus using the s-pen alone to go backwards, home, or to bring up settings. If you get good at this and learn your s-pen gestures you will never have to touch one of the capacitive buttons with your finger.

Anyone else use this grip? Or have you found something else that works well for you?

 

[NeoGrandizer]

I really don't use the pen except for note taking and that's it (for now). I just hold it like a regular pen and write away. I'm currently using Jotter (for Galaxy Note) as it offers 100% palm rejection. So I can rest my palm on the Note naturally while taking notes. No interference and I find my writing to be more accurate. I couldn't really write naturally with S-Memo and sometimes hit the back button with my palm by mistake.

I also have smaller hands than you...

If I need to use the button on the pen, I simply rotate it to my thumb and shift accordingly. Then back to my natural way of holding a pen. This method works fine for me.

I think it's also because I've been using styli for so long that I can get used to gripping them for periods of time without any issues. The S-Pen is actually thicker than the other styli I've worked with. But about the same height. I also had a full sized comfort grip Pen stylus that I've been using for ages on PalmOS and Windows Mobile (and recently on the Note). But I misplaced it somewhere in the house and can't find it. :banghead:

 

[stringfiend]

If I need to use the button on the pen, I simply rotate it to my thumb and shift accordingly. Then back to my natural way of holding a pen. This method works fine for me.

Nice. Funny. I haven't even tried using my thumb for the button. After reading your reply I tried it and it feels pretty good. Might replace my knuckle place if I can stabilize the pen (my hands are too big, if I put my thumb on the button the end of the stylus floats free).

I am interested in trying the full sized pen adaptor for the stylus. The price is a little steep for now though; especially since the tiny s-pen is manageable enough and convenient.

Is the price tag on the Jotter app worth it? I am in love with s memo. I use it almost every day.

Another tip: if your s-pen calibration gets squirrelly, go to settings, display, and gyroscope calibration. This seems to fix it for me. Funny that they wouldn't put this setting under the pen settings.

 

[NeoGrandizer]

I am interested in trying the full sized pen adaptor for the stylus. The price is a little steep for now though; especially since the tiny s-pen is manageable enough and convenient.

Yeah, it's pricey. I'll let you know as I just ordered one. I think it comes with an extra s-pen (which is already costly too). Since it's a wacom pen and not a regular stylus, I guess that's expected.

Is the price tag on the Jotter app worth it? I am in love with s memo. I use it almost every day.

Personally, I think it's worth it. But as you seem comfortable using S-Memo without issues, maybe not so much. Too bad there's no demo for it for you to try first. It's a stupid gamble with the very limited time google has in place to buy and try then refund if you don't like.

Another tip: if your s-pen calibration gets squirrelly, go to settings, display, and gyroscope calibration. This seems to fix it for me. Funny that they wouldn't put this setting under the pen settings.

Thanks for the tip. You would think Samsung would have added a calibration tool for the pen/stylus. I mean, that would make sense, wouldn't it?

Edit:

Nice. Funny. I haven't even tried using my thumb for the button. After reading your reply I tried it and it feels pretty good. Might replace my knuckle place if I can stabilize the pen (my hands are too big, if I put my thumb on the button the end of the stylus floats free).

The thumb placement is temporary (only used to execute the shortcut). Then it's back to the natural way of holding the pen (the thumb is not on the button when I'm in this position). This is the most comfortable for me.

 

[NeoGrandizer]

Just an update...

I got the S-Pen holder. The darn thing wasn't available for sale in Canada (couldn't find a retail outlet) and Amazon.com only ships to U.S. So I had to go through an eBay seller in Korea (cheapest available with free shipping). The S-Pen and holder actually ended up being cheaper than buying a spare S-Pen here.

The S-Pen holder is great. I love it. It makes taking notes or doing anything on the memo much more natural. I'm even able to write 'smaller' and more accurately. The Pen itself is the size of a regular pen, but is 'heavier'. But I like pens that have some heft to it. Only problem is it's not really portable. You can't attach it to the Note and you'll have to carry an extra Pen around in your pocket if you plan to use it.

It's costly due to the bulk cost going towards a spare S-Pen. So yeah, for people only looking for a holder and not a spare S-Pen, they're out of luck. Also if the Holder was sold on its own, I'm pretty sure it would be dirt cheap. My only worry for using the S-Pen is if I constantly slide it in and out of the holster and will eventually lose its grip and make it easier for the pen to fall out and lose. So this is a good compromise for those who are worried about that sort of thing.

stringfiend brought up Papyrus beta as a replacement for the S-Memo app. And it's actually very good. But it doesn't have some features that Jotter does. It's in beta, so it's still a work in progress. I honestly think Papyrus will eventually beat Jotter hands down later down the road if it's continually approved upon.