Galaxy Tab S 8.4 makes a great ereader

[danskmacabre]

I got a Galaxy Tab S 8.4 as a "Free" item for renewing my Phone and broadband contract here.

It has Android 4.2.2 and supports the "Ultra power saving mode" which shuts down lots of processes and switches to a black and white screen.

It's supposed to give a couple of weeks power based on a couple of hours usage a day.

The problem was that there's only a very limited amount of apps available to Ultra power saving mode, which doesn't include an ereader app.

So I decided to first Root the Tablet and got an app to add your own apps to the apps available in Ultra power saving mode.

That all worked out well and I must say, I'm pretty impressed so far.
Even if I only get a week of power out of it, that's plenty for me.

It's illuminated, which is great for night time reading.
It can be a full on tablet when I want.
And it's a great little Ereader as well with quite a good battery life.

So this may well have replaced my Kobo Glo as my ereader of choice and I've let one of my kids use the Kobo Glo for now whilst I test out the Tablet for a few weeks.

All in all so far battery life is great, the touch sensitivity is fantastic and VERY responsive.

I would add that I got this essentially for free. Well not exactly free, but as part of my Broadband contract renewal but I was going to renew anyway.

I dunno if the price tag is worth it for just an ereader if you have to pay for this, but if you want a great tablet that functions as a really good ereader with a good battery life, I highly recommend this device..

My eink days may well be over... but time will tell.

[burnafterreading]

your Tab S 8.4 is only on 4.2.2??? that seems odd - it's a relatively new device but 4.2.2 is quite old. and Samsung's site specs the OS as 4.4

are you SURE you got the S version?

[danskmacabre]

Oh wait no. It's 4.4.2
I have a few different Android devices. The tab s is 4.4.2

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by burnafterreading

your Tab S 8.4 is only on 4.2.2??? that seems odd - it's a relatively new device but 4.2.2 is quite old. and Samsung's site specs the OS as 4.4

are you SURE you got the S version?

4.2.2 is the last android variant before they mangled the operating system.
That it actually has that is a huge plus.

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by Phogg

4.2.2 is the last android variant before they mangled the operating system.
That it actually has that is a huge plus.

Interesting you should say that.
I didn't like the 4.4.2 launcher on the tab s, so I've since replaced it with apex launcher, which is much nicer.
I use apex launcher on our phones as well.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

It's illuminated, which is great for night time reading.
It can be a full on tablet when I want.
And it's a great little Ereader as well with quite a good battery life.

Little! It's big Now my Fire HD 6 could be called little. IT is a great "little" reader.

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

My eink days may well be over... but time will tell.

I feel that way about my Fire HD 6....except for the back light....I am finding over time that a front light is better. I do have an anti-glare screen protector on the tablet, to cut out that back light glare. I would LOVE a 6" tablet with a matte screen that doesn't cut down on the clarity or resolution.

I am strongly considering getting an "eink tablet" for that reason....the Onyx AfterGlow 2 is high on my list.

[pastanley]

I have the Galaxay tab pro 8.4. Very similar to the S- the S has amoled screen. I was torn between the 2 but decided on the pro as it was $200. 8.4" is the perfect size tablet for me.

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Little! It's big Now my Fire HD 6 could be called little. IT is a great "little" reader.

For me it doesn't feel much bigger than the kobo glo, although I know it is.
Probably as the tab s is so thin and light.

Originally Posted by booklover6;3027115I

feel that way about my Fire HD 6....except for the back light....I am finding over time that a front light is better. I do have an anti-glare screen protector on the tablet, to cut out that back light glare. I would LOVE a 6" tablet with a matte screen that doesn't cut down on the clarity or resolution.

I am strongly considering getting an "eink tablet" for that reason....the Onyx AfterGlow 2 is high on my list.

I would never have bought this tablet, it's really expensive. But seeing as I have one, it's really nice and I'm very impressed.

[booklover6]

Well for that price, I would be in Heaven! I'd love to see an 8" tablet.

[Ricky D'Angelo]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

I got a Galaxy Tab S 8.4 as a "Free" item for renewing my Phone and broadband contract here.

It has Android 4.2.2 and supports the "Ultra power saving mode" which shuts down lots of processes and switches to a black and white screen. . .

Does it have "reading mode" like the Galaxy Note 8.0?

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by Ricky D'Angelo

Does it have "reading mode" like the Galaxy Note 8.0?

Yes. And ultra power saving mode as well

[rgeorg]

I have the 10.5" Tab S and am testing it out as an ereader. I use a Kobo Glo or K3+ lamp for nighttime reading but I'd like to use fewer machines. The Tab S size, even though large, is fine for me. I also like to read comics and magazines and my eyes appreciate the extra screen size.

I can't seem to get the reading settings right though.

What reading app do you use? And with what settings? I had some issues that Moon+ Pro requires a background image, and that spoiled the AMOLED energy advantages of using a black background.

Anyways, rather than explaining what I am currently doing, can you share your reading settings and app name? Oh, my tablet is not rooted and I have Amazon Kindle reader and Moon Reader apps although I wouldn't mind trying something new.

Any help appreciated,

Thanks!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

Yes. And ultra power saving mode as well

My brother was issued a new Galaxy S5 at work. He would rather have his old Motorola flip phone back (nothing personal with Samsung, he just likes a phone to be a phone), but he is impressed with the power saving mode. His S5 is hardly ever out of that mode. He figures it gives almost as much battery life as his old flip phone had.

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

I can't seem to get the reading settings right though.

What reading app do you use? And with what settings? I had some issues that Moon+ Pro requires a background image, and that spoiled the AMOLED energy advantages of using a black background.

Anyways, rather than explaining what I am currently doing, can you share your reading settings and app name? Oh, my tablet is not rooted and I have Amazon Kindle reader and Moon Reader apps although I wouldn't mind trying something new.

Any help appreciated,

Thanks!

The App I eventually settled with was "ub reader"
I found the other apps I used such as Moon reader, cool reader etc didn't perform very well in ultra power saver mode for various reasons.
UB reader is a pretty simple ereader app, but it's rock solid for me and uses the entire screen to display text and it has no background image, just a white background and black text. Very simple looking.

Also, in order to be able to use an app in the limited ultra power saver mode, I had to root the tablet and install an app called "app launcher" which requires root access, so you will need the root access to take advantage of ultra power saver mode.
The App launcher allows you to add and remove apps from the limited 9 apps that are displayed in the ultra power saver app launcher.


I also installed "Uninstaller" which also needs root access and I removed all the unnecessary apps from the tablet.

Still, there is just the power saver and reading mode you can use and you can just set the screen to black and white and try ub reader and see how it goes. But you won't get the battery saving features like Ultra power saving mode has. Using that won't require root access.

[danskmacabre]

Originally Posted by rcentros

My brother was issued a new Galaxy S5 at work. He would rather have his old Motorola flip phone back (nothing personal with Samsung, he just likes a phone to be a phone), but he is impressed with the power saving mode. His S5 is hardly ever out of that mode. He figures it gives almost as much battery life as his old flip phone had.

If your brother doesn't want his S5, he can send it to me.. I still have an old Sony Walkman phone in a box in storage somewhere from the early 2000s he can have if he wants!
It still has a great battery life..