Review: #Samsung Note/Tab Pro and Accessories

I purchased my Verizon version of the Samsung Note Pro the first week it became available last year. I bought the Zagg keyboard with my new tablet at a discount with our family Verizon account. I purchased the Samsung portfolio cover about a week later from Verizon with the same discount. Recently I purchased the Logitech portfolio keyboard for the tablet from Best Buy, but returned it after using it for a couple of weeks. Now let me tell you my why's.

I used a Motorola Xoom on Verizon for over 2 years, but never used it to it's potential mainly because the company that I was working for had not embraced digital document signing. I purchased a Samsung Note 2014 WiFi version from Best Buy, but was not happy with it because it had a menu button instead of the app switching button. I found that it was beneficial to have a tablet with a data plan so I did not have to abuse the battery of my phone by using it as a mobile hotspot. Therefore it was a no brainer to take back my Note to Best Buy when I found out that the Samsung Note Pro was available on Verizon Wireless. I guess if I knew about it earlier, I probably would not have purchased the Note 2014.

My only reservations with purchasing the Verizon Wireless version of the Samsung Note Pro was the fact that Verizon is notorious for delaying the Android updates to their devices. For example, my Motorola Xoom did not get updated to Jellybean until almost a year after my father's WiFi version did. This was not a concern for me with the Note Pro because you purchase a device for what it can do and not what it has the potential to become. I might wait a year before I see Lollipop on the Note Pro, but my tablet is not hurting for speed and is very smooth.

REVIEW: ZAGG COVER FIT KEYBOARD
Smooth also comes to mind when I think about my Zagg Cover Fit keyboard for my Samsung Note Pro. I have taken my Zagg keyboard with my tablet most places I go and use my tablet like a laptop. The battery last forever and I typically charge it because I figure it is due, but never know but I have never found it not to work. I have used it to hold my tablet up when giving presentations for clients. Instead of having the on screen keyboard getting in the way, I have used this Zagg keyboard with clients for filling out applications then then signing them with the S Pen.

There are a couple of manageable downsides to the Zagg Cover Fit keyboard. The first is more of a reminder to turn your screen off before you snap it on as a cover. And the 2nd manageable downside is related to the first in that when you snap the cover on, the keyboard screen is still on unless you turn it off. The keyboard will time out in a bit, but is quickly activated with a button pushed. There is not enough cushion between the keyboard and the screen to avoid buttons being pressed against the screen. When that happens, your screen will come on and your tablet battery will drain faster than the keyboard. The best avoidance is to turn off the keyboard with the switch when you are going to close it to the tablet, but make sure you turn off the screen before closing it to save the most battery power. 

The last downside is one that took 9 months to find out and it is related to holding the tablet upright. Recently the keyboard has separated from the cover and would not longer hold the tablet upright. When speaking to a Samsung representative at Best Buy it was explained to me that it was a known issue and is why they don't carry that keyboard at Best Buy any longer. He also advised me to contact Zagg for a replacement. I applied Crazy Glue about 5 times to the edge of the keyboard that was separated before using the keyboard again and it appears to work fine. I don't know how long it will hold up, but I did contact Zagg and they are sending me a replacement Cover Fit Keyboard for free as long as I return my existing one within 60 days. I am happy with Zagg's customer service.

REVIEW: SAMSUNG PORTFOLIO BOOK COVER

You might wonder why would I need to purchase a Samsung Portfolio Cover. I purchased it because sometimes I would like to use my tablet quickly and don't need the keyboard and especially don't want the hassle of unsnapping it from the Cover Fit Keyboard. This is especially true when visiting different businesses when I am working. The best feature of the portfolio cover is that when you flip the cover over the screen, the screen goes off and when you flip the cover off, the screen turns on. Unfortunately this portfolio cover does not always keep the tablet standing up.

A big downside is when you want to use the back camera to take a picture, you have to hold the cover up because it doesn't have a hole in it for the back camera. If you plan on using your tablet for taking a bunch of pictures, you probably won't like this book cover. Neither the Zagg Cover Fit Keyboard or the Samsung Portfolio Cover provide complete protection for your tablet and leave the back of the tablet exposed when carrying it around. Unfortunately I have dropped my tablets with each cover on accident. I had to hold the power button to force the tablet off and then back on again, but no substantial damage was done to the table and the screen is still perfect.

REVIEW:  LOGITECH PORTFOLIO KEYBOARD COVER

I purchased the Logitech Portfolio keyboard from Best Buy shortly after my Zagg keyboard separated from it's cover. The Logitech Portfolio Keyboard did what the other 2 didn't by protecting the back of the tablet. There is a cost with that protection in the added weight. This cover made my tablet thicker than my Toshiba 2 in 1 laptop. Not only was I unhappy with the added weight and size, I was frustrated that when I closed it, the screen would stay on. The keyboard is a little more responsive than the Zagg keyboard, but the buttons would also turn the screen on when it is closed. 

The Logitech Portfolio Keyboard Cover has a magnetic connection when you close it. The magnets are great so that your tablet doesn't become exposed if you drop it (I didn't drop it), but the magnets are a little too strong because many times my tablet would come loose from the clips holding it when opening it. The extra protection might make this Logitech accessory desirable for some, but I decided that it was not better for me than the Zagg Cover Fit keyboard and was not as easy to carry around than the Samsung Portfolio Book Cover. I ended up returning it to Best Buy after a couple of weeks as I mentioned earlier.

REVIEW:  SAMSUNG NOTE PRO, VERIZON VERSION
This won't be a complete review as I will tell you that this tablet is awesome. This tablet has all of the improvement of the Samsung Note 2014, but also replaced the munu button for the app switching button as it was a theme for all Samsung devices that were released in 2014. The improvements include better side speakers and the S Pen is near the top right corner rather than the bottom like on the first Samsung Note tablet. The magazine layout integration with Flipboard, Calendar, Email and Hancom Office is a great improvement also.

Unfortunately the magazine tiles associated with Flipboard don't update automatically. I also have found that when you have the display brightness in the auto mode, the tablet goes to the darkest setting so I manually adjust the brightness. I guess I have not searched for a fix for this.

My last complaint with this tablet does not play well with Chromecast. Well Chromecast works great, but if you touch the notification bar, you will get a system error that won't go away unless you turn off Chromecast. This is near impossible because within 2 seconds of hitting "OK" you will get the same pop up error. You can not do anything else without hitting "OK." Therefore you have to be quick to be able to disconnect Chromecast within hitting "OK."

What's worse than that is if you try to mirror cast your screen to Chromecast, many times your tablet will freeze completely and you will have to hold down the power button for about 15 seconds to turn off your tablet and then turn it back on. If you don't use your tablet to Chromecast, you will probably never have a problem. If you do like to use Chromecast, make sure you don't touch the notification bar and you will be good. 

As long as you know the issues with Chromecast and the brightness, you will love this tablet. It is fast and you can do great stuff with it. I hope this article helps someone with their tablet and accessory choices.