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TECHNOLOGY Wednesday 6 september 2017

Samsung Note 8 gives its stylus some style - for a price

By ANICK JESDANUN S8 phones this past spring.
AP Technology Writer This includes an “infinity dis-
NEW YORK (AP) — A stylus play,” in which the 6.3-inch
might seem, well, out of screen runs up to the edge,
style in the tap-and-type giving the phone more dis-
world of smartphones. Yet play without feeling much
it’s what sets Samsung’s bigger. The fingerprint sen-
Note phones apart from sor is on the back, as with
the competition. the S8, though it’s now far-
That’s significant as Apple ther from the camera lens-
prepares to launch what’s es to reduce smudge.
expected to be a super- And yes, that’s lenses. The
premium phone next week, Note 8 has a second lens
one that will match many on the back, with twice
of the features in the new the magnification, match-
Note 8 phone . Though not ing Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus.
its pen. This permits software tricks
I was skeptical at first, but that blur out the back-
the stylus grew on me. ground , though conditions
Still, the Note 8 isn’t go- have to be just right. I find
ing to be for everyone. the second lens more use-
Most people will be fine ful for zoom.
with Samsung’s S8 phones WAITING FOR APPLE
for a few hundred dollars This Aug. 16, 2017, file photo shows a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and accompanying stylus on Apple is expected to an-
less. The Note 8 is more for display in New York. nounce new iPhones next
“power users” — those who Associated Press week, including an anni-
use their phones a lot more reminder while walking, or Google Translate service dollar is getting weaker, but versary edition that, ac-
than the average consum- cross items off your shop- the feature’s based on usu- it’s not that bad. cording to published re-
er. The Note 8 starts selling ping list at the store. It feels ally has auto-detection. DIGITAL DOODLING ports, will include a similar
in the U.S. next week for like real writing, without any The translation feature also You can now handwrite edge-less display, as well
$930 to $960, depending noticeable lag. And writing converts currency and units text messages, instead of as a color-boosting screen
on the carrier. a quick thought doesn’t of measurements. That’s just typing them. Messages technology called OLED,
BATTERY ISSUES feel as rude as opening an useful in figuring out that a are sent as animated GIF something Samsung has
What’s top on people’s app and typing while with 23-kilogram baggage limit files, so your friends can see long used. Apple users will
minds probably isn’t the friends. Unlike past Note means 50.71 pounds. your exact strokes, even if probably want to stick with
pen, but the phone’s bat- models, this one lets you But it repeatedly failed to they don’t have a Note 8. that and avoid having to
tery, given last year’s Note scroll down to write more pick up measurements in Those who already pepper buy new apps for Android.
7 recall following a string than a single screen worth centimeters. And it didn’t messages with emojis and Current Note users, though,
of spontaneous fires. Sam- of notes. But I had to retype pick up on a common Eu- other embellishments might may want the Note 8, as
sung has stepped up its my notes anyway, including ropean convention of us- like it. Apple isn’t likely to include
safety tests this year. Time impressions I jotted down ing a comma where the CAMERA AND MORE a stylus. And because of
will tell how well they work. for this review. Samsung’s decimal point usually goes, Beyond the stylus, the Note the Note 7 recall, the cur-
Samsung reduced bat- character-recognition soft- so 4.20 euros became 420 8 mostly matches features rent Note models are get-
tery capacity by 6 percent ware couldn’t make out euros, or about $500. The introduced in Samsung’s ting old.q
to make room for vari- my chicken-scratch hand-
ous safety measures. But writing. For instance, “end
there’s still plenty of juice. up typing” got transcribed Tech firm to pay $3.5M in settle-
The phone still had two- as “inn up yping.”
thirds of its charge left after TRAVELING ABROAD ment over preloaded software
four hours of Netflix. Tasks Past Note phones trans-
such as email, Facebook lated words you hovered TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A firm, based in Morrisville, reasonable way for them to
and note-taking won’t be over with the stylus. The technology company North Carolina, sold devic- opt out of it or to disable or
as draining. Note 8 extends that to full will pay $3.5 million and es with preloaded software remove it. “This conduct is
GREAT FOR NOTE-TAKING ... sentences, though it’s on change how it sells laptop that made users’ sensitive even more serious because
TO A POINT you to figure out that you computers as part of a set- personal information vul- the software compromised
A screen-off memo fea- have to tap the “T’’ icon tlement reached with fed- nerable to hackers. online security protections
ture lets you use the stylus to switch modes. And you eral officials and 32 states. Under the settlement, that consumers rely on,”
to take notes without hav- need to specify the lan- The agreement with Leno- Lenovo will now obtain acting Federal Trade Com-
ing to unlock the phone. guage you’re translating vo announced Tuesday consumers’ consent to use mission chair Maureen Ohl-
You can jot down a quick from, even though the settles allegations that the the software and provide a hausen said.q