After two months with a Note 8...

[SteveJUAE]

The problem with my work account is that it doesn't not support a lot of basic features like calendar or contacts. It's simply a mailbox. At work, we all have Outlook set up to retrieve e-mails from the mailbox, but contacts and calendars are local to Outlook and do not sync with the e-mail server. The nice thing about iCloud for Windows is that it syncs with Outlook on your local computer, not through the mail server. This means that the contacts and calendars sync along with the e-mails.

I tried Microsoft Launcher/Outlook for Android, and as expected, I get the error that calendars and contacts are not supported with my mail account.

I have found a temporary solution:
I created a new Gmail account for work and set up POP3 importing for e-mails for my work e-mail. I've set this Google account up on my Note8.
Luckily, my contacts do not change very often. I've exported from Outlook to CSV and imported into the Google account I set up. This this syncs with my Note8. I plan on doing this once in a while - probably monthly.
I did find a solution for the calendar - CalendarSync+. As its name suggests, it syncs my outlook calendars with my Google Account automatically. It's a little annoying but gets the job done.

Maybe someone else has a better solution?

Have you tried having 2 MS accounts your work one and a private one and synch between them ? it may just be your IT policy restricting calendar and appointments etc but worth a try. Just google it there is plenty of guides on this

 

[USAFA2008]

Plus the S9 will have the same 3D facial scanning technology as the iPhone, and etc.

I am glad that I am not in a rush to buy a new phone.

 

[MarkB786]

Now after almost five months with my Note 8 and Galaxy Tab S3, could not be happier with the switch. Both are still fast, great screens, and love the pens. Use them all the time. I cannot see myself returning to Apple any time soon. When I get on my wife's SE, it just feels suffocating and boring. Samsung's menus are also more natural intuitive, so going back to her iPhone is a clumsy, frustrating experience. I am officially converted from being an Apple fan boy to a Samsung fan boy (at least until the day Samsung drops the ball and loses their innovative mojo).

 

[convergent]

And now after almost five months with my Note 8 and Galaxy Tab S3. Could not be happier with the switch. Both are still fast, great screens, and love the pens. Use them all the time. I cannot see myself returning to Apple any time soon. Win I get on my wife's SE, it just feels to suffocating and boring. Samsung's menus are also more natural intuitive, so going back to her iPhone is a clumsy, frustrating experience. I am officially converted from being an Apple fan boy to a Samsung fan boy until the day Samsung drops the ball and loses their innovative mojo.

Right there with you... but I'm not going to consider myself a fan boy of anything again. Companies change, particularly in tech. I'm going to buy from the company that is producing things that meet my needs best.

 

[Tsepz]

And now after almost five months with my Note 8 and Galaxy Tab S3. Could not be happier with the switch. Both are still fast, great screens, and love the pens. Use them all the time. I cannot see myself returning to Apple any time soon. Win I get on my wife's SE, it just feels to suffocating and boring. Samsung's menus are also more natural intuitive, so going back to her iPhone is a clumsy, frustrating experience. I am officially converted from being an Apple fan boy to a Samsung fan boy until the day Samsung drops the ball and loses their innovative mojo.

iOS was once the benchmark for UI consistency and fluidity, but as each update has come I must say it has indeed become incredibly clumsy and just plain cluttered, there are settings hidden in places that make absolutely no sense at all, it is just all over the place. I also hate the inconsistencies around an apps Settings, some of which are found in the iOS Settings Menu while others in the Apps own Settings menu in the app, like WTF?!?

And then there's this complete lack of option to control data usage effectively, uggh! It tends to be really painful dealing with it.

I now get the same sick feeling when dealing with parts of iOS as I did when trying to find something in older Windows versions.

 

[Macalicious2011]

iOS was once the benchmark for UI consistency and fluidity, but as each update has come I must say it has indeed become incredibly clumsy and just plain cluttered, there are settings hidden in places that make absolutely no sense at all, it is just all over the place.

Switch off or on location tracking is an absolute pain on iOS compared with on Android. Secondly I don't understand why bluetooth comes on automatically after restarting the device.

While I do prefer Android phones I couldn't get myself to buy a Tab 3 over an iPad Pro.

 

[Deeds500]

Now after almost five months with my Note 8 and Galaxy Tab S3, could not be happier with the switch. Both are still fast, great screens, and love the pens. Use them all the time. I cannot see myself returning to Apple any time soon. When I get on my wife's SE, it just feels suffocating and boring. Samsung's menus are also more natural intuitive, so going back to her iPhone is a clumsy, frustrating experience. I am officially converted from being an Apple fan boy to a Samsung fan boy (at least until the day Samsung drops the ball and loses their innovative mojo).

I am interested in the Note 8. Have been since I played with one in the store just before Xmas. Incredible device. Only reason I did not get it was because of the positioning of the FPS. So I am waiting to see what happens this year with the Note 9 and the iPhone XI.

I am back and forth, I can't make up my mind what to do. I see your quotes and other people raving about the Note 8 and it gives me assurance about the Note, but then I get texts from my mate and I am unsure again. My mate was fed up with the iPhone and got the Note 8. After a few days he texted me and said he's missing ios, which worries me because I so want to jump into a Note 9 later this year.

I agree with you, ios is as boring as bat crap. But one thing you have give ios credit for, everything is so simple to use, except IMO, the music app, which I find a bit cluttery. But just moving around the os (I'm using a 6 Plus) is so simple and so smooth. Double click the home button and flick apps away, flick pics away in the gallery, iMessage, it's all so easy and convenient to use. I think CONVENIENCE is the operative word. I'm worried it won't be that easy and not as convenient with a Note 8 because of the 3 virtual buttons at the bottom and because it's, well, android.

How do you find moving around the Note 8? On par with ios? Easier? Harder? Also, how do you find the app selection on the Google Play Store? I've been told it's not great, a lot of cheap n nasty stuff.

 

[MarkB786]

I am interested in the Note 8. Have been since I played with one in the store just before Xmas. Incredible device. Only reason I did not get it was because of the positioning of the FPS. So I am waiting to see what happens this year with the Note 9 and the iPhone XI.

I am back and forth, I can't make up my mind what to do. I see your quotes and other people raving about the Note 8 and it gives me assurance about the Note, but then I get texts from my mate and I am unsure again. My mate was fed up with the iPhone and got the Note 8. After a few days he texted me and said he's missing ios, which worries me because I so want to jump into a Note 9 later this year.

I agree with you, ios is as boring as bat crap. But one thing you have give ios credit for, everything is so simple to use, except IMO, the music app, which I find a bit cluttery. But just moving around the os (I'm using a 6 Plus) is so simple and so smooth. Double click the home button and flick apps away, flick pics away in the gallery, iMessage, it's all so easy and convenient to use. I think CONVENIENCE is the operative word. I'm worried it won't be that easy and not as convenient with a Note 8 because of the 3 virtual buttons at the bottom and because it's, well, android.

How do you find moving around the Note 8? On par with ios? Easier? Harder? Also, how do you find the app selection on the Google Play Store? I've been told it's not great, a lot of cheap n nasty stuff.

Yes, I agree that iOS is more simple to use. But the Note 8 is highly customizable, so you can still make it as simple or complicated as you would like. The general feel is the same as iOS (flicking,m swiping, etc.), except that I find the Note 8 interface to be generally more intuitive, thought out, and useful. As mentioned in my post, when I go back to my wife's iPhone, the limitations of the iOS interface fiustrates me. Too many steps to get to settings and other items. Options are just buried too deep for me, but which is probably fine for someone who just wants iOS to do the thinking for them. The three virtual buttons on the bottom work very well and are repsonsive. They provide easy acess to key functions.

You're right that iMessage is not available, but I am getting along fine without that. I see it as an Apple feature to entrap me in their ecosystem. For Apple, that is what it is really all about. I have placed my phots on Google Photo, which does not force you to buy storage every month and has more user fetaures than APple Photos.

The Note 8 is not for everyone, and there is a learning curve. But I just got so tired of paying for the same old, boring experience year after year with iOS. I feel like I am geting a lot more for my money with the Note.

 

[Deeds500]

Yes, I agree that iOS is more simple to use. But the Note 8 is highly customizable, so you can still make it as simple or complicated as you would like. The general feel is the same as iOS (flicking,m swiping, etc.), except that I find the Note 8 interface to be generally more intuitive, thought out, and useful. As mentioned in my post, when I go back to my wife's iPhone, the limitations of the iOS interface fiustrates me. Too many steps to get to settings and other items. Options are just buried too deep for me, but which is probably fine for someone who just wants iOS to do the thinking for them. The three virtual buttons on the bottom work very well and are repsonsive. They provide easy acess to key functions.

You're right that iMessage is not available, but I am getting along fine without that. I see it as an Apple feature to entrap me in their ecosystem. For Apple, that is what it is really all about. I have placed my phots on Google Photo, which does not force you to buy storage every month and has more user fetaures than APple Photos.

The Note 8 is not for everyone, and there is a learning curve. But I just got so tired of paying for the same old, boring experience year after year with iOS. I feel like I am geting a lot more for my money with the Note.

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. I have written a few OPs about my frustration with the lack of customisation and lack of advancement with ios and got the usual hail down. To me, it's like standing by a pool on a hot day, I want to jump in but the water is cold. I'm hoping once I'm in, I'll be fine after a little bit. Looking forward to see the Note 9 unveil this year, whenever that is.

 

[MarkB786]

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. I have written a few OPs about my frustration with the lack of customisation and lack of advancement with ios and got the usual hail down. To me, it's like standing by a pool on a hot day, I want to jump in but the water is cold. I'm hoping once I'm in, I'll be fine after a little bit. Looking forward to see the Note 9 unveil this year, whenever that is.

Just to confirm my new-found happiness with the Note 8, I took my iPhone 7 to my workout today. I had not clearly remembered how clumsy iOS is until I did this. Seems like every action needs a few swipes and re-swipes. And then I would lose my Bluetooth connection or Podcasts would just stop playing and the app would close completely at random. It was so frustrating. I went out to the car to get my Note 8 and it was just SO much better. Wait for the Note 9 to see what it looks like. You'll also get Oreo Android, which is getting great reviews.

 

[Osaka23]

Just to confirm my new-found happiness with the Note 8, I took my iPhone 7 to my workout today. I had not clearly remembered how clumsy iOS is until I did this. Seems like every action needs a few swipes and re-swipes. And then I would lose my Bluetooth connection or Podcasts would just stop playing and the app would close completely at random. It was so frustrating. I went out to the car to get my Note 8 and it was just SO much better. Wait for the Note 9 to see what it looks like. You'll also get Oreo Android, which is getting great reviews.

I have been using the Note 8 for 3 months. My wife uses the iPhone 8+ . We were googling on our phones. Anyway, she found it on her phone before I did, she then passes her phone to me. After reading the article I automatically tried to pressing the back button on the bottom right without thinking. It's frustrating back button is located on the top left of the screen.

 

[Johns12]

4 months on my Note 8 and am also doing very well with it. My wife has my old IPhone 6. I love the screen and features. Still runs very fast. My only problem is learning how to use the SPen. I have watched some YouTube tutorials and that pen can do so much. I just can't seem to memorize any of it

 

[convergent]

4 months on my Note 8 and am also doing very well with it. My wife has my old IPhone 6. I love the screen and features. Still runs very fast. My only problem is learning how to use the SPen. I have watched some YouTube tutorials and that pen can do so much. I just can't seem to memorize any of it

Really? I find the S-Pen pretty intuitive for most things I've used it for. One thing I did was add OneNote to the apps that pop up when you take out the pen, so I can easily use it to take new OneNote notes.

 

[MarkB786]

I have been using the Note 8 for 3 months. My wife uses the iPhone 8+ . We were googling on our phones. Anyway, she found it on her phone before I did, she then passes her phone to me. After reading the article I automatically tried to pressing the back button on the bottom right without thinking. It's frustrating back button is located on the top left of the screen.

Exactly. Samsung/Android seems to be out=pacing Apple in terms of intuitive user interface. When I moved from Windows to OS X some years ago, I felt the same way about Apple (a better interface). Now, tables are turned and Samsung/Android is the winner IMHO.

 

[Osaka23]

Exactly. Samsung/Android seems to be out=pacing Apple in terms of intuitive user interface. When I moved from Windows to OS X some years ago, I felt the same way about Apple (a better interface). Now, tables are turned and Samsung/Android is the winner IMHO.

Another annoying example of poor user experience. You want to change settings on camera app? No can do! Go to settings and go camera section. Why Apple? Why create unnecessary steps?

 

[MarkB786]

Another annoying example of poor user experience. You want to change settings on camera app? No can do! Go to settings and go camera section. Why Apple? Why create unnecessary steps?

It's like Windows. Apple continues to build on an old concept, so the thing becomes unwieldy and unstable.

 

[chrisnunn77]

Note 8/iPhone X here.. I want iPhone to be my main phone.. I love iMessage but.. the camera.. wow. Telus sent me a replacement but the 2nd one is just as bad. Blurry messy grainy old style pics. I don’t get it. My Note 8 takes insane pics of the northern lights. Every photo so sharp. Can zoom in for miles. My iPhone X pics are embarrassing. I’ve tried everything. I don’t get it.

 

[Osaka23]

It's like Windows. Apple continues to build on an old concept, so the thing becomes unwieldy and unstable.

Apple thinks it's a clean user interface having the camera settings in the settings app but, it doesn't make sense to me.
By the time I have changed the camera settings and gone back to the camera app, I'd missed my photo opportunity.

Don't get me started about transferring photos over to a computer or vice versa!

Nope Samsung are far from perfect but, they are damn close. In terms of design, function, build quality and usability, Samsung are pretty close. So far, I can't fault the Note 8.

 

[jamesrick80]

My note 8 is still smooth as a bell and running nicely...best phone I have ever owned......

 

[1050792]

What's the average SOT that you can get with the Note 8?

 

[jamezr]

What's the average SOT that you can get with the Note 8?

I get about 6.5 hours SOT on moderates use days.....heavy days around 5 and light days around 8.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I get about 6.5 hours SOT on moderates use days.....heavy days around 5 and light days around 8.

That's about the same for me with the brightness setting just below the red marker. Auto brightness is probably an hour more, but I rarely have it on auto brightness.

 

[jamezr]

That's about the same for me with the brightness setting just below the red marker. Auto brightness is probably an hour more, but I rarely have it on auto brightness.

I never use auto brightness. i have the slider at just under half...that plenty bright for me....

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I never use auto brightness. i have the slider at just under half...that plenty bright for me....

I use MacroDroid to set it to auto brightness when battery hits 20%.

 

[Deeds500]

Just to confirm my new-found happiness with the Note 8, I took my iPhone 7 to my workout today. I had not clearly remembered how clumsy iOS is until I did this. Seems like every action needs a few swipes and re-swipes. And then I would lose my Bluetooth connection or Podcasts would just stop playing and the app would close completely at random. It was so frustrating. I went out to the car to get my Note 8 and it was just SO much better. Wait for the Note 9 to see what it looks like. You'll also get Oreo Android, which is getting great reviews.

Genuinely glad to see you loving your Note 8. Gives me so much confidence for the Note 9. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-ios, but I am just so bored with it. If it could do 2/3 the stuff the Note line could do, I'd be content.