Samsung KNOX after a few months use

When I got my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in October 2013 one of the things I was most interested in was perhaps not top of everyone's list! It was KNOX and how I might use this to help separate my work and personal life.

We all live in a world of constant connection these days, how many times have you replied to or read an email relating to work on an evening via a smart phone or tablet? I know I have done hundreds maybe thousands or times! At times it is great to save a small task the next day and get a message out to colleagues, clients or even your boss. But I started to realise this kind of behaviour was getting more and more frequent.

My solution was to put my work or corporate emails and tasks on a separate smart phone and leave this turned off in my work bag once I got home. Not an ideal solution as I would rather use one device as my daily driver. Plus on occasion I would like to easily choose to send the odd email or catch up on some work in an evening.

What had been happening was almost everyday I would be picking up messages relating to work and responding in my own time each and every time. This wasn't healthy for my home life and I simply had to remove them from temptation!

KNOX offered up perhaps a solution to my situation from first inspection but has it really helped? Well in short the answer is yes.... a little! It does offer up the ability to place your corporate emails within a secure password protected area. This is also great news for the super paranoid IT geeks who seem to stress and worry about corporate connections via a 'normal' android device. For me this has some negatives and positive. Firstly I can have my social networks, personal email accounts and other apps in a standard android environment. Great news for my evening browsing and break time chatting!

It also allows my corporate emails, contacts and work documents to be placed within the secure KNOX area. So while I am out working I can sign into KNOX mode and keep my attention on work priorities and tasks. Another upside I found was that when I leave my handset within my work bag and scramble up some ladders doing my day job. I know nobody within my work team can be sneaking a peak at my emails or messages through KNOX.

A downside for me and this is how KNOX has been deigned to work its not a fault or bug. Is the ability to copy text, links or phone numbers within KNOX and then paste them within the standard Android environment. You can not copy anything from KNOX and then paste it outside of the KNOX area. This principle also applies to screen shots, it just wont allow them to be taken. I can understand why this has been put in place, to protect your data upon loss or theft of your device. It is a trade off but one I understand and work with! Details about setting up KNOX and the screenshot issue can be seen here.

I like the fact Dropbox can be protected within KNOX again this pleases the IT guys! It also allows files to be shared quickly and easily via emails etc.

You still get notifications that emails have arrived within the standard Android area so the temptation is still there. I know you can set times etc to retrieve emails and help stop things like this but that isn't a solution long term for me due to the shift patterns I work. But the fact you have to input a password to access those emails is kind of a reminder to me that hey this is your time now. Don't worry about site access arrangements for tomorrows work. Do something fun and watch some funny cats on YouTube or something!

The setup I have now is all my corporate emails and files are stored within KNOX, even down to contacts and phone numbers. Its another defence in the event my phone gets stolen or lost but also a mechanism for me to switch off from work.

Plus on the same device I have an area to enjoy all the many wonderful android features away from work keeping those things locked away until work time!

Do I think it is an ideal solution to my particular situation? Not really. But is it helpful and useful? Yes it is!

Those of you lucky enough to be able to switch out of work mode and just pass over those emails or messages without my kind of OCD I salute you. Those of you who don't mind or embrace working 24/7 great stuff. But for those of you like me who would find a barrier to such things useful check out KNOX and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3

More details direct from Samsung can be found here

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Daily Device

In a follow up to my last post and to prove I am not just a Microsoft and windows fan boy I am turning my attention to my Android devices! In particular my Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I have had so many devices over the years it is hard to keep track but I have owned and used all the Galaxy note devices. Each time the new version is released the performance improvements are industry leading and the range of features ever increased. But what of those features and how many do I actually need/use?

My Android History

My android experience started with a HTC device, the desire to be exact. I then went over to the Samsung galaxy note and S2. Ever since I have stuck with Samsung handsets occasionally playing with my wife's Nexus 4/5 and HTC one. The experience considering all the devices are based upon Android is quite different. From a performance perspective my Galaxy Note 3 still seems to be the fastest and more capable device. But all have their unique strong points, the HTC ones speakers and Android overlay are great. While the Nexus devices run raw Android and often have greater compatibility with apps and services, although the cameras on the Nexus line always disappoint me.

Note 3 Focus

I will refocus back on the Note 3 and the main features I make use of. This is not spec listing or a review blog, if you want detailed product information and reviews based purely on all the specs and features then plenty already exist from Engadgget or Techradar and alike. This is purely from a day to day usage point of view and how this device helps keep my work and personal life connected and shared!

Battery Life

The main feature I make use of is quite an important one for most field workers. It is battery life and the note 3 really stands out in this department. The note 2 would just about make a day with a single charge for me but the note 3 manages this with ease. I spend most of my time checking emails, taking in twitter, Internet browsing, G+, Tech blog reading and keep up to date with sports and news apps. The battery easily copes with my daily use, I suspect if I was to watch movies or youtube for extend periods the battery might need more regular topping up.

Screen

On top of the battery I love the screen, both brightness/clarity and size. The screen real estate is brilliant for me and it is still more than comfortable enough to carry in your pocket and use as a general phone. Side by side with many other devices I always prefer my note 3 display, simple.

Knox

I have actively used Knox since it was launched to separate my work and personal life. Keeping my emails and work documents secure and password protected is brilliant, well done Samsung for trying to tackle this modern conundrum of bring your own device policy's. The range of apps within Know is growing and many of the daily work drivers are covered, plus its simple to switch back into personal mode.

Camera

I also take a ton of pictures for my work duties and family events. The note 3 really impresses me with its range of camera settings and the quality of pictures. No it isn't going to replace a DLSR but it is more than adequate for most tasks.

S Pen

I don't make an awful lot of use of Samsungs own applications such as Story book and S health etc. So can't really comment on these, its just not something I use my mobile device for. The S pen is brilliant and it is also compatible with my Microsoft Surface Pro 2 and vice versa which is great. I regularly take screen shots with the pen or use the link to action feature. I don't reach for the pen every time I use the handset but it comes out a few times each day. Screen write is great to overlay comments on pictures I collect in my line of work and the S finder is a great short cut to find those emails and files. Pen window lets me keep up with whatsapp and hangouts from the front screen.

Connection

My note 3 is my daily driver and everything else links through it via my EE LTE connection and dropbox. Once the note 4 comes along it will be retired to one of my children but otherwise is staying firmly in my pocket. Wifi, GPS and Bluetooth work flawlessly and keep me connected out on the road away from my home/office.

Call Quality

One of the features that seems to matter less and less is call quality and the ability to make and receive calls. The note 3 is actually quite good on this front in my experience and it is worth pointing out to those that still like to talk to people or take business calls. I find signal quality and strength is always slightly ahead of my iPhone 5s.

Anyway that is about it from my initial thoughts on my daily use of the Samsung Galaxy note 3. I will look more closely into some of the specific features and apps I like best later on.

Thanks for reading MW