Everyone thinks it’s so cool that I get to test devices. The uncool part is giving them back. It’s also hard to have your hands on the newest, latest phones, and then go back to the phone you’re locked into until your contract is up.
So what’s this latest tease that I’ve been temped with? The Samsung Galaxy Note II. I have to admit, I was really starting to look again for a new phone to replace my daily carry. I glanced at this phone, but really had my heart set on another Samsung phone – The S4. The problem is that it’s not out yet, and my phone was dying a slow death. I spoke to my friends at Wireless Zone, and they offered me an S3 got get me by until the S4 comes out. When I went to the store to pick up my phone, owner Chris Jourdan was there. Chris, who converted me to #TeamAndroid years ago, always carried 2 phones – an Android and an iphone. You can do that when you’re in the business. I was very surprised to find that Mr. 2 phones himself was now completely team Android where his phone was concerned. What was this amazing phone that converted him? The Samsung Galaxy Note II – I just had to try it myself.
It’s so big:
Here the Samsung Galaxy Note II dwarfs the iphone.
Thanks to the great people at Verizon, I was sent one of these to test drive. First thoughts out of the box, and first thing out of everyone’s mouth when they see it. “Wow that is a huge phone!” With its 5.5 inch screen, it’s huge. It’s clear, crisp screen makes photo and video viewing easy, and it makes reading e-mails and books really handy. It’s not so handy to get in your pockets, however.
The body:
The body of this phone is slick. I’m not sure if it’s just the sleekness, but maybe the shape of this phone made it very prone to falling off the desk or counter. I caught it most of the time, the rest of the time it was on carpet, but I very often thought that if this phone is a keeper, it’s gotta go in an Otterbox for sure. (Thinking back, Chris didn’t have his in a case and I really wondered how he coped with this problem. Then I remembered he has the Phone Surgeons at his disposal. He can just replace the screen if it breaks.) So, if you get one, be sure to case it up.
Functionality:
This phone comes with and “Easy Mode” but for the average standard smart phone user, its normal operations were very functional. I learned it as I went along, and very rarely did I find the need to look at the user’s guide. (This is in the form of an app that was very easy to navigate and understand.) As I only had it for a few weeks, I was still finding new things that made me seriously consider this as my next phone. With so many neat features to discover and utilize, I could see myself being very comfortable and happy with this as my next phone.
Bringing Sexy Back:
Oh, I mean stylus back. Yeah, I wasn’t so quick with the stylus. I wasn’t sure about how I would like it. I found it difficult to get out of its sleek holster. As a woman with nails, I would have thought it easier. But if it was easier, maybe it would be falling out? I found that over time, I got use to it. By default (which is customizable) if the pen is out, and you go to a place that requires text input, it defaults to the write to text mode. (this is also customizable.) This is where you hand write the letters and it converts them to text. As my continued reliance on digital input has grown, so has my penmanship suffered. This made it difficult for me to use this feature. It is a great idea for those who are more accustomed to putting pen to paper, and a way to get them to transition to digital. I have many clients that would benefit from this feature to get them out of their paper notes habit. It’s not just a stylus, it has sensors and integrates with many applications using hovering and the ‘S Pen Button’ (reminds me of a mouse button.)
S Notes:
This is where the Samsung Galaxy Note II and its stylus shine. For the traditional note taker, this is a dream. It has standard text features, but the write to text feature is really nice for note taking in meetings. I especially liked the shape match feature. This allows you to roughly draw a shape, like a circle. It then converts it to a nice neat shape. The S note program was full of amazing features that offer beautiful or just downright fun notes.
Dual Screen Operation:
This is one of my favorite things about this phone! You can “work and play at the same time, or just work faster.” This is the feature that really has me wanting this phone and I suspect one of the key features that moved Chris from two phones to one. (Now that I no longer have a phone with this feature, I have really noticed how often I think, “Oh, wish I had that other phone!”)
Camera:
Just wow. The clarity and image quality are stunning. And the camera is packed full of features. This video does a great job of explaining the additional features. Even if you choose not to get his phone and you’re taking a group photo, let the person with the Note II take the photos.
http://youtu.be/77M5GhUdzyQ
This phone is so jam packed with features, I felt like I barely got to know it. If you are considering a new phone, don’t let the complexity and amount of features scare you. Samsung has a very easy manual that comes as an app, you can access right from your device. It also has some great videos to follow along and really see what they mean when they’re explaining things.
http://youtu.be/77M5GhUdzyQ
Bottom line – I would be totally happy to have this as my daily phone.
(And I’m not easy to please.)