Anyone have a Galaxy Note?

A good friend of mine who's not me owned a Note for about three weeks. These are the things he told me about what he liked and what he hated:

Liked:
-The screen was big and clear.
-He was pleasant surprised by the battery life.
-Putting a custom ROM on it pretty easy

Disliked:
-It was too big. It fit in his pocket, but it was uncomfortable to sit down with in his pocket.
-He's a big guy, 6' 7" big, and he couldn't operate it single handedly.
-Having been an iPhone user previously, he was very unimpressed with the uses for the stylus. Everything that was touted as better with a stylus was stuff he found just as easy with his finger on the iPhone. He was also really paranoid about losing it.
-As big as it was, he felt like it should have been a device that could be his only travel device, but it wasn't big enough to be a good experience for doing any kind of work on for extended periods of time, and he consistantly felt like he should have brought his laptop or iPad.

I had a Galaxy Note.

I was looking for an inbetween device for my iPhone and iPad so I thought the note would be perfect.
Truthfully I only kept it for about 3 weeks, and here's why:

-When I was out and about it was simply too big to use as a phone and any other tasks could be done just as easily on my iPhone.
- When I was inside I always reached for my iPad first rendering it obsolete in my house too.

I did like the stylus and the screen but as I stated it was just too big and I preferred to stick with either my iPhone or iPad. Although I am now rocking a Galaxy S3 which I love. Perfect screen size for me

BuckeyeMac said:

Thanks for the replies...The size issue is really the only thing that I am concerned with

I don't have any other Apple products other than my iPhone, and I'm on my iPhone for I'd say about 6 hours a day. I'm just looking for something that is easier to use to browse the web and make my daily life easier.

Anyone else have any insight?

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Would you consider an iPad?

I know it's MUCH bigger than the Note but it's a completely different product for different purposes. When I want to quickly look for something on the internet I always grab my iPad first, before my phone. I couldn't live without it now.

And with iCloud everything syncs so seemlessly; photos, bookmarks, contacts.

BuckeyeMac said:

Thanks for the replies...The size issue is really the only thing that I am concerned with

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For a phone, I think its really too big. Not to sound sexist, but I think there's a difference between woman owners and men owners. Most men don't walk around with a purse, that being the case, where do you put the phone when you're not using it. If it fits in pockets, its not comfortable as noted by the other poster.

I think people run hot and cold on the stylus, some like it, others not so much.

Personally, I'd go for a 7" tablet (come on apple lets have an iPad mini). I think the 7" tablet is a better product doing one thing well. The note is a product trying to do two different things but not succeeding because of comprises.

I've played around with the note and it's not as huge as most people are alluding to. At least for me it wasn't. I'm 6 foot 4 with rather large man size hands so that probably explains it. I can easily navigate with it one handed and the large screen is absolutely brilliant.

IMO anything less than a 5" screen is too small. Only reason I didn't pull the trigger on the note is because I dislike samsung - Android devices. I'll wait on HTC to come out with a 5" or better.

I had a S2, Note & now the S3 i9300. I really miss my Note & loved the screen real estate on that sucker. It's a great all in one device. If you are considering the Note, I would wait for Note 2 with 5.5" quad core & a bit faster than the Int S3 i9300

Here's an alpha build of Jelly Bean for ATT Note i717

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1686320

check out Note's XDA forums for more info & other alpha JB builds.

BuckeyeMac said:

Yeah I saw they've been working on a JB unofficial release. Pretty cool. But I'm not sure I would root anytime soon. I'd rather get the official release. I just jailbroke my 3GS about 1.5 months ago LOL!!

How was the battery life with the Note? I see some good reviews about it on YouTube.

If I get a note, I'd go with the 1st one. Once they announce the note 2 it will drop in price.

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You should get a days worth of battery life, I've never had any issues. True, the original Note will be very affordable when the Note 2 comes out. Check out XDA marketplace when it does. XDA MP is a good site for Android, iOS & other OS devices & you can find good deals.

I love my Galaxy Note. I find it's the perfect size to balance wanting something relatively inconspicuous (like a phone) but big enough for a reasonable browsing/app experience (like a tablet).

It's small enough that I don't feel too weird walking around with it as my shopping list in the grocery store. I can still discreetly check messages in public or at a function. Even though I usually hold with one hand and tap the screen with the other, it can still be held in one hand like a phone. (Even my, 5"2 frame hands.) And there are some apps that I can mostly use one-handed (sometimes stretching my thumb a bit).

It's large enough for browsing, reading and note taking without being so large that you can't cradle it in your hand. It's large enough that it's satisfying to use (browse, twitter etc.) while on the couch, watching tv. My laptop is often nearby, but it doesn't feel like a sacrifice to pull out the Note instead of the Air.

My husband and I each have one, and we are both very pleased with it. Between the 11" MBA and Galaxy Note, I have no need for any kind of tablet and don't have to carry an in-between device in addition to a phone.

I don't have a case for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm worried about adding bulk. Secondly, I use the camera a lot (maybe more than anything else on the phone?) since we travel a lot and I've gotten in the habit of chronicling most daily events.

At first I thought it would be cool to have one of those wallet-like cases with room for a couple of credit cards, bills etc. But I can just see things flying everywhere when I whip out my phone and try to take a picture. At the very least, I don't want a flap with important things dangling while I use the camera. Even just the flap itself from one of the simpler cases I imagine would be annoying.

It's held up fine so far (had it since Feb) just naked, and I don't baby my gadgets. So at this point, I'm tempted not to bother. The only thing I have considered is a sleeve, since it does get tossed in my purse, sometimes in a compartment with other things. So, the extra bulk wouldn't matter since I'm not trying to pocket it. But I honestly haven't bothered.

BuckeyeMac said:

Thanks Sarah!

I think I'm going to pick up a note tonight after work. After watching more videos, I'm pretty much sold on the Note.

Anyone have a case on it? Does it add much bulk/make it harder to get out of your pocket?

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I would say hold off a bit! Galaxy note 2 is coming out soon. Im waiting on that with the new iphone.

BuckeyeMac said:

The only thing that is holding me back is Siri. I need sOmething that is as well integrated that her.

To be able to be working, not press a button and just say "Siri" and then ask my question or have her set up a note or reminder without taking my hands off the work keyboard is huge for me.

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Please just root it and install JB! I have JB on my S2 and oh my! Google Search is so much more faster!

aziatiklover said:

I would say hold off a bit! Galaxy note 2 is coming out soon. Im waiting on that with the new iphone.

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True, if I were looking to buy now, I'd wait for Note 2. Either because the first note should be cheaper or to get the new one.

The camera is very good on the Note, but rumours are swirling that it might get an upgrade to as much as a 13 megapixel camera (from the current 8). The 10.1 " Galaxy Note is rumoured to be announced this month with 2GB ram and a very good processor, so the Note 2 might have significantly better specs, and will ship with JB. (I'm not sure whether Note 1 will officially get JB, but I'm assuming it will eventually if the Note 2 has it. We got ICS officially 2 months ago, which was not bad considering many phones still don't even have it.)

BuckeyeMac said:

Can you launch google search without touching the phone? How about can it set up notes that will remind you when you get to a certain location? Not trying to put it down, I'm curious because I don't know the answers lol

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I dont think so. But I don't think that you can do such thing on the iPhone either.

iPhone 4S or Galaxy Note

This thread is exactly what I was looking for.. I'm currently deployed overseas (military) on a remote outpost, and am seriously considering buying an unlocked pre-owned int'l version of the Galaxy Note online, so I can use out here. A few of the local nationals we work with have iPhone 4 or 4S, probably direct from China, and they shaved off the standard MTN/Roshan SIM cards to the micro size, and are able to set it up for data, MMS, and voice. In a country that's basically 4th World! What really gets my interest on the Galaxy Note is the good press I've heard on the stylus, as I take a lot of notes here... but only for inside the wire jobs; will never take it out on patrols/missions.
With the GSM on the int'l Galaxy Note I plan on buying, I can set it up the same way, w/o having to shave it down since it takes standard SIM card (unlike the 4th gen GSM iPhones), and even use during a short time we'll likely spend in Germany on the way back to the States. And stateside, I was looking at buying a SIM and using STRAIGHT TALK, since it's fully compatible, and only $45 a month unlimited voice, data, etc. without contract (prepaid). Anyone also using Straight Talk?

If I decide to go Android instead of the next iPhone. The Note 2 would be top on my list as long as I can slip it in & out my front pocket with ease.