When I was looking around for a new device, I decided to hold off until this Samsung Galaxy Note came to AT&T sometime early next year. It's basically a really big Galaxy S2 with a 5.3" screen and includes a stylus (obviously the screen works fine without the stylus as well).




Engadget Review: http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/28/samsung-galaxy-note-review/&sa=U&ei=W2LWTp39I4boggfJoKGzAQ&ved=0CBsQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFVFlv1NnxFDb8sNQkdcWH_thDVdw

My old Samsung Captivate is still working fine (and XDA is still developing for it) so I'm not in a rush for an upgrade, but this looks like it might fill a nice technology gap, at least for me. I don't like the idea of having to carry a tablet around with me everywhere, but it would be nice to have something a little bigger for different meetings with work or in other organizations I'm in.

What are your thoughts on something this big?

11/30/2011 12:05:40 PM

while I love my DX, which is comparatively big to other phones, something this large would be quite annoying to carry - won't fit in many pockets, too big for a holster, etc.

not to mention, i'm not sure this is really a good tablet substitute. it's too big for a phone, yet too small for a tablet.

11/30/2011 12:34:42 PM

Go with the GalaxyTab 7" instead of this.

11/30/2011 12:52:48 PM

Two things regarding the Galaxy Tab option:
1) This *can* fit in pockets, or at least that is what most of the reviews I've seen have said. I'm not sure the same can be said for a 7" Galaxy Tab.
2) This is still a cellphone.

Ultimately, I'm going to need to just try it out and see how I like messing with it before I commit to a purchase. I'm interested in your experiences with the DX, wdprice3. I read and article about the "big smart phone wars" and the DX was mentioned. Isn't it a 4.7" screen? Does it have some of the stylus/gesture recognition stuff that this thing has?

11/30/2011 1:01:38 PM

So return of the Handspring/Springboard then.

11/30/2011 1:09:42 PM

I thought by DX he meand Droid X, which is just 4.3 (average size for smartphones today)

11/30/2011 1:10:51 PM

^Yeah, I read it wrong. He said DX and for some reason I thought XL (Sensation XL), which is HTC's large-screened phone.

^^So you're solution for wanting a large-screened smartphone to act like a more portable tablet running android is to get an out-dated peice of technology. Just checking.

[Edited on November 30, 2011 at 1:43 PM. Reason : .]

11/30/2011 1:38:36 PM

You must be new here.

No of course not, I'm simply implying that it seems tacky to simply enlarge a device and give it a stylus to do something that it should not. A phone is a phone, a tablet is the appropriate device for taking notes with a stylus. It's exactly like slapping a Springboard Cell module to a tablet-like Handspring/Palm device in the 90's. It's dumb.

11/30/2011 1:53:56 PM

My argument would be that I said the exact same thing when they came out with the tablet.

'If you want a smartphone, get a smartphone. If you want a netbook, get a netbook. What the Hell is this "iPad" thing suppose to be useful for?'

I definitely recall not being the only one to have this thought when tablets first went mainstream. You may say it makes no sense, but that's because you don't see the utility in it. I see something of this size, functionality and think "one box, two uses". It's fit-for-function for what I need.

(Don't take this as me saying "I asked for your opinion, now you're dumb"... I appreciate the feedback and just want to make sure that the beef you have with the device is exactly what I think it is which coincidentally sounds exactly like some people's beef with the original tablets.)

11/30/2011 2:02:28 PM

I said the same thing as well, but the iPad defeated all logic because of it's platform, it's ability to be used for business applications (not for productivity but for POS, Signup/Marketing, and Design applications), and it's gaming appeal for kids. (Kids are asking for the iPad2 as a gaming system for Christmas this year). It's not because it's a blend of a smartphone and a netbook, it's simply that the netbooks could not be used for gaming, smartphone too small, and the iPad was easier to use than the netbook.... this is why the iPad is 90% of the tablet market.

All the tablets we're seeing now are a knee-jerk reflex to seeing the iPad's success. So I'm just guessing here, but unless Apple is coming out with an Apple iNote 4S smartphone... this form-factor won't last long. Also let's be fair, there was never really a netbook revolution, hardly anyone owned them. The tablet market is simply replacing the netbook market with easier-to-use devices that people actually WANT to use.

But alas, they have 7", 8.9" & 11" tablets out there, so who know's maybe people are suckers and think they need the extra 0.65" over the Galaxy Nexus (4.65") screen. Most consumers are idiots and will buy anything because they don't know any better. Ooo look, a shiny stylus comes with it!

[Edited on November 30, 2011 at 2:16 PM. Reason : .]

11/30/2011 2:11:28 PM

Due to my job, I own damn near every tablet out right now and never use any of them. Then again, most of my computing needs are software development and network administration, but I just don't get the appeal of them. I'm on the laptop mostly or on the smartphone if I want something light and quick.

Tablets = meh. I see where the niche is filled for digital signage and other aspects, but for end users, it's not too great.

Would be good to hand out during airline flights though...

11/30/2011 2:31:21 PM

^^I disagree with your assessment that the stylus is a gimmick simply because writing with a "pen", to me, is significantly easier than writing with my finger, especially if I am using an app for writing notes during a meeting. Usually I say "fuck it" and just get my legal pad out.

Still, I get your point, I just don't think the data backs it up. From another discussion where someone claimed netbooks were completely dead and there wasn't really a market from them, I responded with this...

Quote :

"Big manufacturers are still producing new netbooks. Just as I said in my previous post, the increasing producting of lower-priced tablets will make netbooks unprofitable. But for now, they are doing very, very well. Sales of Netbooks: 2008: 14.6 million units <http://news.softpedia.com/news/14-6-Million-Netbooks-Sold-in-2008-According-to-Report-103555.shtml> 2009: 22 million units <http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/2009/05/05/apple-dismisses-netbooks-as-junk-netbook-to-reach-22-million-units-sold-in-2009/> 2010: 36 million units <http://www.myce.com/news/netbooks-to-top-36-million-units-sold-in-2010-32953/> 2011: 45.6 million units <http://www.ditii.com/2010/05/07/45-6-million-netbooks-will-be-sold-in-2011-idc/>"

I think I am more in line with afripino's line of thinking which is "why would I use a tablet as a 'mini computer' when I could just use... you know... a laptop computer?" For my computing, I need something with more capability than a tablet. That being said, there is a time and a place where it would be nice having something 'like' a tablet, but I don't want to walk around with one every time I'm running out of the house. The Galaxy Note seems to fill that gap.

And FWIW, I'm not on Verizon so unless the "rumors" turn into reality and we get the Nexus on AT&T, that's not really an option. Otherwise, I like that device for a lot of reasons.

12/1/2011 12:29:01 AM