Is the Galaxy Note a hit or a miss?

I'm starring at the shopping cart on AT&T for the Note... I need to be either talked out of not leaving Shittyprint or reassured (preferably objectively) that AT&T won't be just as worthless... :sigh:

daddybigas said:

B. Root, modify, tinker with my Note to have a kick a$$ phone.

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For most of us Android users who have been around since the G1, and HTC Magic days; this is exactly what I love about Android. I can modify, or change what I want to make my device better.

Don't like the launcher? or how it looks? Use a third party launcher, change, and customize anything you want.

Don't like any of the stock apps? including the dialer, and messaging apps. You can change those too.

Stock keyboard doesn't have enough features? The Market has everything from Swype, Swiftkey, and even T9 keyboards.

Battery life getting you down? Root the phone, flash a custom rom, and undervolt the kernel. Alternatively, you can buy an extended battery, or a spare and switch it out when you're running low on power.

You can virtually change anything on your device, and that's exactly what I love about it. It's your phone, you choose what features you want it to have. I love the fact that most Android devices don't come with everything preinstalled. You can decide what apps you use most, or decide for yourself on how you want the device to work. Most of the time stock apps will suffice, but since Android is about having the freedom of doing what you want, the most rich, feature filled apps aren't going to come preinstalled on the device. Something that may be considered bloat to you, might be something that I absolutely need to have.

Android phones are definitely for people who love to tinker, and customize things.

I just thought I would add that I would still recommend an iPhone to an older person, unless they have trouble reading smaller print. iPhones are great for people that are unfamiliar with technology. Most of them need features that are obvious to them, most people aren't like us geeks. Some people need to be guided through the process, and we all know that besides (4.0 ICS, which is much more user friendly from using it on my Nexus S.) Android can be very complicated. It's definitely not the right OS for everyone, get what you need and be happy with it.

B2L said:

For most of us Android users who have been around since the G1, and HTC Magic days; this is exactly what I love about Android. I can modify, or change what I want to make my device better.

Don't like the launcher? or how it looks? Use a third party launcher, change, and customize anything you want......

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Can't a jailbroken iPhone do these things? I mean, they have a huge app store compared to android, right?
Sorry for my lack of knowledge, I've never used an iPhone; this friend of mine says that a jailbroken iPhone is just like an android, that you can do whatever you want. Well, I don't believe him, but I don't know how to argue with him either.

thameera said:

Can't a jailbroken iPhone do these things? I mean, they have a huge app store compared to android, right?
Sorry for my lack of knowledge, I've never used an iPhone; this friend of mine says that a jailbroken iPhone is just like an android, that you can do whatever you want. Well, I don't believe him, but I don't know how to argue with him either.

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Yes..and no. It would not be possible to say that iPhone can do everything that Android does just as well, nor would it be possible to say that Android can do everything the iPhone does as well. And I have both Android devices, iPhones, and iPods.

I can, and do, a lot of iPhone customization with a jailbreak. The main difference I find is that iPhone is not built to support home screen widgets native. So to get something close to that you really have to use a pretty extreme modification and I find them flaky. Widgets are one of my favorite parts of Android. If you like home screen widgets you will miss them on the iPhone.

The above does not apply to lock screen mods and widgets. You can do pretty much whatever you want there. My iPhone lock screen is really useful. I assume the same is possible with Android too, of course.

As far as the app store is concerned, yes the iPhone app store is large. And it is much better quality. The content is better (but it is of course heavily policed with is not always a good thing) and the installation and updates are more reliable than I find on my Android devices. BUT...the jailbroken app store (Cydia) kinda sucks. It is functional most of the time...but that is about all.

thameera said:

Can't a jailbroken iPhone do these things? I mean, they have a huge app store compared to android, right?
Sorry for my lack of knowledge, I've never used an iPhone; this friend of mine says that a jailbroken iPhone is just like an android, that you can do whatever you want. Well, I don't believe him, but I don't know how to argue with him either.

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Here are a few things, although some of the things in this article are no longer true. (I know jailbroken iPhones can have some widgets, well I saw a weather widget on my friends jailbroken 4S.)

Top 10 Awesome Android Features that the iPhone Doesn't Have

I have been using my Galaxy Note since 25th Dec 2011. 2 Months on & I still can't get enough of it. Suffered faint heart attacks when I dropped it twice. It did not give up on me & I fell in love with it even more.

Technically with this device there are endless possibilities. If anyone wants to use a Keyboard just get a microUSB to USB (Female type connector) cable. Cost me 2$ in India. Using this cable you can even connect a mouse or a pen drive or even an externally powered Hard disk (right up to 1TB).

This device is not meant for ordinary use. Certainly no regrets in this Purchase.

gSunShine said:

Using this cable you can even connect a mouse or a pen drive or even an externally powered Hard disk (right up to 1TB).

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Can it detect unpowered external hard disks of 1TB? I had read reports that it doesn't have sufficient voltage to detect unpowered ext disks and can only detect USB sticks.

gSunShine said:

I have been using my Galaxy Note since 25th Dec 2011. 2 Months on & I still can't get enough of it. Suffered faint heart attacks when I dropped it twice. It did not give up on me & I fell in love with it even more.

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i dropped mine last week, lucky it suffer only minor scratch on the side of the phone. I was heartbroken for a day (bought it only 2 weeks, replacing my Galaxy SL). I must say Note was fantastic, the S-Pen, versatile control... I can't imagine how it will look like when i update it to ICS. I chose this phone over PlayStation Vita, and I never regretted it.

Well, mine's in the mail today. I think if they hit the right market, it will do well. such as people that have to work out of their pockets and need access to information and communication, and documentation. As a nurse carrying a laptop isn't realistic. and the use of cell phones on the units is frowned upon. Having a larger screen, an the ability to carry 30# of reference books, algorithms, programs etc i expect to be a godsend. it would allow docs to place orders electronically, (and legibly) from the bedside, without looking like they are ignoring the patients (like a laptop or tablet might). I think medical personell would be a viable market. emt's getting documentable orders via text...Having a hi res cam handy to send images directly to a remote specialist...

francton said:

Can it detect unpowered external hard disks of 1TB? I had read reports that it doesn't have sufficient voltage to detect unpowered ext disks and can only detect USB sticks.

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That's correct. It doesn't supply sufficient voltage to power up an external Hard disk. I guess it can power up to 64 gb pen drives only. To test the compatibility I connected an old Nokia E63 in mass storage mode to my Galaxy Note & it was able to access the E63 as a mass storage device & transferred data successfully.

wolf9653 said:

Well, mine's in the mail today. I think if they hit the right market, it will do well. such as people that have to work out of their pockets and need access to information and communication, and documentation. As a nurse carrying a laptop isn't realistic. and the use of cell phones on the units is frowned upon. Having a larger screen, an the ability to carry 30# of reference books, algorithms, programs etc i expect to be a godsend. it would allow docs to place orders electronically, (and legibly) from the bedside, without looking like they are ignoring the patients (like a laptop or tablet might). I think medical personell would be a viable market. emt's getting documentable orders via text...Having a hi res cam handy to send images directly to a remote specialist...

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Electronic devices for medical applications have to be certified by the Medical authorities. There is always the danger of harmful bacteria or virus being spread through contact with patients. There are special portable medical devices available in the market for nurses & doctors. Check out Advantech Medical computing for Medical Tablets & Infotainment booths.

gSunShine said:

Using this cable you can even connect a mouse or a pen drive or even an externally powered Hard disk (right up to 1TB).

Click to expand...

OMFG I hate you. I have to have this even more now!

It's a hit.

I wasn't too sure if I liked the phone the first few days when I received it. Completely due to the size (came from an Evo, which is big too for a phone) but it's been about a week now and just like when I got my evo and went "Damn, that's way too big" it's grown on me and feels like a normal phone now.

People definitely comment on it, but when I'm out on the town and someone wants to pop up a funny youtube video everyone looks to me.

Web viewing is wonderful on it, and damn 4g LTE is so fast.

Edit: Of course, I just saw that Asus Padfone and am drooling again.

I'm still getting used to having it in my hand(s). It's taking some getting used to for typing in general and for using in landscape, but I'm willing to put in the time cause it's so badass.

I've had my note for a couple of weeks now. I now use my tiny tiny HTC sensation as my work phone ( replaces the WP7 Samsung I was using before). I absolutely love it. It has a few little bugs ( such as adding imap email after an MS Exchange account is practically impossible). I love the form factor but I have dropped it a couple of times. I invested in an aluminium back and also a desk charger. I'd like to see replacement backs rather than just form over ones. I use the SWYPE key board and this works really well. Took a bit of getting used to after HTC Sense and I prefer the browser on the HTC. The standard one doesnt seem to allow zoom and rejustify so much. Opera works fine though. Its not competing with my iPad 2 but we'll wait and see what ICS looks like.