Probably the most exciting feature of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the reason I opted to stay on Android rather than switch back to iPhone, is the S Pen.
Over the years I've struggled to reconcile living a predominantly digital life with the desire to write by hand. The convenience of always having a phone in my pocket has usually outweighed urge to go analogue. Even when I have managed to build some kind of writing habit it has been short-lived and I have returned to tapping away on my devices.
The S Pen potentially changes that for good.
Part of the problem has been wrestling with analogue tools, carrying a pen and pad then needing something or to lean on in order to write. Having the S Pen housed within the body of the phone means it is always available, pulling out my phone means I'm also grabbing my 'pen'. With the phone being a solid slab of glass it also negates the need to find a solid surface on which to rest.
One of the most frustrating aspects of writing on paper (at least for me) is the need to transcribe it should I want to post it to the blog. Not any more. I was initially concerned that this might still be the case but, as I get to know the new phone better, have established a workflow that streamlines the process.
While I could write full notes in the Samsung Notes app I would then have to convert that to text before copying it to the blog. Instead, using the handwriting functionality built directly into the keyboard means that I can use the S Pen, have it instantly converted to digital text and inserted into a text field on the blog. One simple process.
I use Google's Gboard for typing which does include a handwriting option but it's a generic tool that doesn't really cater for the S Pen. Text looks particularly messy as you write. I have never liked the Samsung keyboard for typing but its handwriting feature is significantly better, albeit with a slightly smaller writing area. As you would expect, it handles the S Pen far more gracefully. Using it does mean that I have to switch keyboards but, with the option enabled to recognise when the pen is out of its slot, the Samsung keyboard goes straight to the handwriting interface. Nice.
Writing with the S Pen may be a bit slower than typing but that's not such a bad thing. It is good to slow down and take your time with what you want to say; it makes you really think about things.
The handwriting recognition isn't perfect, that's partly down to the system (and me getting to grips with it) and partly down to my messy scrawl. This will improve in time as I identify what settings suit me best and get used to writing by hand again. It's been a while.
I see this as a best of both worlds scenario: retaining the convenience of digital whilst returning to an analogue process. I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes me.
By the way, this post was written using the S Pen.
