Samsung Galaxy Note

“Like it or not, there is nothing else like the Samsung Galaxy Note I717 on the U.S. market at the moment. The Korean giant deserves a lot of credit for carving a new niche in a market, which is seriously saturated with all sorts of smartphones and tablets.We love the screen of the device and its speedy LTE network. The S Pen can be surprisingly handy and entertaining as well. The rest of the device's functionality is unsurprisingly good.The lack of the Exynos chipset from the global version cannot be left unnoticed. The AT&T Galaxy Note simply does not have the raw power of the original. It offers you LTE instead and, we believe, that the trade-off will still be in your favor.If you are the type of person, who lugs around a smartphone and a tablet simultaneously, the Galaxy Note might just be the phone for you. The I717 gives you the opportunity to save a lot of space by having a device, which (almost) does it all.If you are simply looking for a smartphone, the best advice we can give you is to go to an AT&T store, and try out the device yourself. It is the best way to find out whether it will be comfortable enough, as any other opinion will be quite subjective - there is simply nothing like it.Or maybe there is one. If you are an AT&T customer, and live in an area with no LTE coverage, it is worth considering the Galaxy Note N7000. It is faster, looks different than all other U.S. only Samsung smartphones, and will offer you the same excellent functionality. Keep in mind however, that you will have to go with an unlocked device, which will set you back considerably more than the $299.99 contract price of the I717. Regarding the N7000, we are quite sure Samsung won't mind if you choose it over the I717.”

“This may be out of many people's comfort zone. Way out. The Samsung Galaxy Note believes in bigger is better. In many ways it is. The WXGA Super AMOLED is more than any smartphone can offer and the powerful Exynos adds brains to beauty.Far from perfect at this point, the S Pen certainly adds value to the package. So does the extended battery life (for an Android smartphone, at least) and the latest version of the TouchWiz UI.Of course, many of you are probably asking yourselves if the Galaxy Note could fully replace a tablet. The Note is a full-time smartphone that wants you to leave your tablet at home. The 5.3 display makes a big difference, compared to handsets, but it's not nearly as comfortable for watching video as a 10 tablet.”

“Samsung says it makes a phone for everyone. In that way, it's the anti-Apple. Apple makes one phone for as many people as possible, Samsung makes a nearly infinite number of phones for different tastes.I know the Galaxy Note isn't for me, and I have trouble figuring out who I'd recommend it to. But make note: this phablet works just fine. In terms of our lab tests, all systems are go. It's a four-star implementation of a two-star idea. The Galaxy Note works well, I just don't think the world needs the Galaxy Note.If you're looking for a small tablet, get an Amazon Kindle Fire ($199, 4 stars) or hold out for the upcoming Asus Eee Pad Memo, which will deliver a truly powerful Android tablet experience for $249 this spring. If you're a note-taker and sketcher who wants to turn your scribblings digital, I'd recommend combining a LiveScribe Echo smartpen with a paper Mini Journal ($12.95) and a smartphone with broader appeal, whether it's an Apple iPhone 4S ($199, 4 stars) or Samsung's own Galaxy S II Skyrocket ($249, 4.5 stars). That package offers a better note-taking arrangement for a wider variety of hands than the gargantuan Galaxy Note.”

“As somebody who is reluctant to hop on the tablet train, the Galaxy Note’s size is ideal to me. I like being able to whip the Note out to jot down ideas, and I love being able to doodle during a meeting or while riding the bus. To me, this is a perfectly sized tablet. But a perfectly sized phone? I’m not so sure. I wish Samsung sold a Wi-Fi-only, carrier-free version in addition to the subsidized AT&T version with LTE. I see it more as a secondary device--something I take to work, but not out to dinner or to the beach. Overall, the Galaxy Note works well with the S Pen, and I am excited to see more pen-supported apps. Right now, the selection feels a bit limited.”