Toshiba Encore 2 Write tablet review: Information capture taken to a new level - andersonmandist95

If you want to capture all the info from a meeting, class or lecture, there's no better tool than Toshiba's Encore 2 Write.

The Encore 2 Write features an active stylus for accurate scribbling, but the wizard is in a unique set of bundled apps: TruNote mimics Microsoft's OneNote but performs very accurate handwriting recognition on the entire documents, TruCapture OCRs images captured using the unit's 5MP camera, and TruRecorder splits audio recordings into timelines for each orator to alleviate.

Price and intent

The $349 10-inch, 1280×800 Encore 2 Write WT10PE-A that I looked at is a light (about 1.25 pounds), Atom Z3735F-based tablet with 2GB of memory and a 64GB eMMC SSD. The rear camera is 5MP and the Webcam 1.2MP. The Wi-Fi is 802.11 a/b/g/n and there's Bluetooth 4.0 connected circuit board. IT's easy to confine, easy along the oculus, and of course, comes with the aforementioned active stylus monikered "TruPen." The TruPen is one of the nicer styluses I've seen, with a crest that protects the nib when it's not in use.

The TruPen makes employment of Wacom's ActiveES, which unlike that troupe's traditional squeeze sensitive tablets, uses the pen to relay location, press and other information. Antimonopoly in case you were wondering "Why non utilization your finger?" You can, but a stylus allows you to equip far much in the same amount of blank space and with considerably less hand movement. And the pressure sensitivity is great for mimicking real drawing tools with apps that subscribe information technology.

The Atom-based Encore 2 Spell integrates a Wacom digitiser.

As Windows tablets are ostensibly line of work oriented, you mightiness require to opt for the Surface-ilk $109 Bluetooth keyboard/case. I indirect request there was a kickstand then I could use the Encore 2 Compose with one of my existing Bluetooth keyboards. Small sigh.

Apps and note-taking

The Encore 2 Write out/Tru-app see as envisioned by Toshiba is that you take notes and scribble using the TruPen within TruNote; charm whiteboards and the like with the photographic camera within TruCapture; and record any verbal discussions or orations with TruRecorder. You then process the notes and images into schoolbook and the audio into individual colloquial duds subsequently the fact. Meetings, lectures, classes… Ne'er miss a thing. Sweet.

However, having lived through the hand recognition wars and disappointments endorse in the day, I was duly skeptical astir TruNote. Well, flog two wire hangers to my head and call ME an antenna—the bad grey-headed days are no longer. I opened a text file created from one of my notes in the bundled TruNote application and  all net thing I scribbled was accurately translated. Zero mistakes. Color in me affected. Scribbling then having your entire document recognized post facto is a far smoother experience that entering info gradual with Windows 8.1 write entering grid.

TruNote accepts stylus stimulant of all kinds and does a bang-up job of deciphering handwriting and saving it equally text edition.

Then again, the OCR of photos in the TruCapture app was scarcely okay. It recognized schoolbook fairly well, but it doesn't recreate documents with images, particularised fonts, etc. as Adobe Acrobat and Nuance's OmniPage attack to do, often succeeding. TruCapture is reclaimable, it's just simply limited in scope. Also, while the television camera is big for taking photos of whiteboards, blackboard, billboards and the similar, it was touchy getting a document page in rive and to get an 8.5 away 11 page alone in underframe. You need to check the lozenge steady, a good foot away. It's not impossible, but not easy.

Toshiba bundles other rattling useful business app—TruRecorder. It's an audio recorder that divvies up audio captures according to who was speechmaking. Theoretically, the time you could save when looking for a specific quote is satisfying. However, the processing wasn't as right as I would've wished in my tests. This was peradventure due to ambient randomness and the two female participants superficial overmuch the corresponding, but they were still mistaken for myself. And no, I don't sound like a girl.

TruRecorder can sort out different speakers in a conversation to make searching audio recordings simpler and quicker.

While I found the note-fetching, image/sound capturing and processing very handy, where I actually had a blare with the Encore 2 Publish was with what styli are traditionally very good at—drawing. You can't really apprise a program such as Microsoft's Fresh Key until you employ an active stylus. I'm none artist, but I managed just about pretty proper drawings past my inferior standards.

Performance

The Encore 2 Write is only a mediocre performer, which is the normal for anything Particle-based with a slow SSD. It functions fine every bit a tab, but there is a slight imprison opening programs so don't expect wonders when it comes to large databases, spreadsheets, video rendering, etc.

PC Mark 8 rated the Encore 2 Write at 1489 in the Work exam and 881 in the Creative test. With 3DMark it was close-grained with Ice Storm Immoderate and its Web-grade nontextual matter, but nothing more taxing. The eMMC SSD scored 97MBps reading and 47MBps committal to writing large files in CrystalDiskMark. That's quite slow, but this is a tablet and PC Mark also measured the run time at approximately 7 hours, 22 minutes. Non bad at all. 1080p flic playback was quite a good as wellspring, but the sound emanating from the speakers was a tad malformed at anything above borderline levels.

Conclusion

With hi-fi stylus input, and the apps Toshiba bundles, the Encore 2 Write clothed to make up a Interahamw more utilitarian tool than I'd due. Until Microsoft adds whole-document handwriting recognition to OneNote instead of just OCR, it should remain the avatar for live information capture.

I heartily recommend it over the regular Encore 2, which is just another Windows tablet, albeit a selfsame affordable one.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/431955/toshiba-encore-2-write-tablet-review-information-capture-taken-to-a-new-level.html

Posted by: andersonmandist95.blogspot.com

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