Samsung Galaxy Note Thread

[Pliablemoose]

Can't let the SGNexus owners have all the fun

This is my first GSM phone in a couple of years, have been using CDMA for a while now because of work & reception issues.

Anyway, managed to score one for $150, will be breaking the contract and putting it on Straight Talk, unlimited everything for $45/month and using my Republic Wireless phone $19/month unlimited everything, brings my monthly bill down to a reasonable $65/month for 2 lines of service.

I use Google Voice so I can tie the lines together with call forwarding, etc...

So far:

• Love the screen
• processing/gpu speed seems good, this is my first dual core phone
• pen input is meh, never been a stylus fan, and I may as well buy 10 because I'll lose them constantly like I did with the Windows touchscreen phones I've owned in the past
• Not in an AT&T LTE market, so regular 3G speeds, which are reasonable...
• Battery life seems to be about 5 hours of heavy use, not enough air time to really tell yet
  
  
  

 

[hans007]

wow how did you get one for $150

 

[lothar]

Exynos or the Qualcomm Snapdragon version?

 

[Pliablemoose]

ATT version, so Snapdragon

ATT has/had a promotion, 50% off, it's at slickdeals

Just ordered my sim card from Straight Talk, will pay for a year of service & get the monthly cost down to ~$43.

 

[zerocool84]

I played with one in Best Buy today while I was buying my mom a Galaxy S II and holy crap that screen is gorgeous on the Note.

 

[lothar]

ATT version, so Snapdragon

ATT has/had a promotion, 50% off, it's at slickdeals

Just ordered my sim card from Straight Talk, will pay for a year of service & get the monthly cost down to ~$43.

There's not much difference between a year of service and buying 3 months of service four times.

And no...If you decide to leave or they cut you off, you won't get a refund on the 1 year service you paid.

 

[bearxor]

It's very tempting for $150. But every time I think about switching phones a little voice in the back of my head says 'now, you know you won't be happy with a different phone.' and I haven't been able to convince myself otherwise yet.

If the Note shipped with ICS, I think I probably would have done it.

 

[Synomenon]

Would have purchased one as well if it came pre-loaded with ICS. Why are all of these high-end Android phones not coming with ICS pre-installed?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Would have purchased one as well if it came pre-loaded with ICS. Why are all of these high-end Android phones not coming with ICS pre-installed?

Because ICS just came out and it takes time for OEMs to port it o a new device, especially a unique one like the Note.

 

[Deeko]

Way too big.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Way too big.

I agree, but I'm single and the size jokes alone make it worth carrying

 

[AnyMal]

Way too big.

I thought so too until I actually purchased one and spent some time with it. After fondling it for couple of hours I picked up my old phone with 4.3" screen and it felt tiny!

 

[RapidSnail]

Slickdeals has multiple threads on a $150 Note with a new contract or added line. I am currently in a family plan for which my personal line has not upgraded in 3-4 years (I'm still using the iPhone 3G). However, I would love to get my hands on a Note. Since I'm out of contract, would it be possible to cancel my current line and add a new one with a Note? Would I lose my number?

 

[ponyo]

$325 etf fee. $150 plus tax for the phone. New customer activation fee I think $25 or $30. Basically you're paying over $500 for the AT&T Note and the hassle of dealing with AT&T to cancel. I rather import white Note for ~$650 and have unlocked phone with Exynos.

 

[Synomenon]

Slickdeals has multiple threads on a $150 Note with a new contract or added line. I am currently in a family plan for which my personal line has not upgraded in 3-4 years (I'm still using the iPhone 3G). However, I would love to get my hands on a Note. Since I'm out of contract, would it be possible to cancel my current line and add a new one with a Note? Would I lose my number?

If your line on that family plan hasn't been upgraded in 3 to 4 years, you can get the Note with the new-subscriber price. You just have to re-sign a new 2-year contract with your line.

 

[bearxor]

It would be possible to cancel your current line and add a new one of imagine. Yes, you'd lose your number.

Might be worth a call to AT&T CS. Tell them that you're thinking of dropping the line and what the situation is. Maybe they'll knock off $100 or something. Worst they can say is no.

Or just wait like a month. It will be on sale at some point.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

I'd like to mess with one but I know AT&T would nickel and dime me to death. I'm gonna keep this 3GS till its dead. Being out of contract with AT&T is worth much more than any phone they can offer. Dealing with AT&T is like handling a venomous snake. You know it's only a matter of time before they bite you. No thanks. I'll gladly keep my phone and have the freedom to say adios anytime I want.

 

[bearxor]

If your line on that family plan hasn't been upgraded in 3 to 4 years, you can get the Note with the new-subscriber price. You just have to re-sign a new 2-year contract with your line.

But if the deal stipulates a new line only, then an upgrade on an existing line doesn't qualify. Haven't checked the deals out, so don't know.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Honestly, it's too big, and sales won't be that great, it'll be discounted pretty soon. And i suspect many people will return them so there will be lots of refurbished units.

 

[AnyMal]

I'd like to mess with one but I know AT&T would nickel and dime me to death. I'm gonna keep this 3GS till its dead. Being out of contract with AT&T is worth much more than any phone they can offer. Dealing with AT&T is like handling a venomous snake. You know it's only a matter of time before they bite you. No thanks. I'll gladly keep my phone and have the freedom to say adios anytime I want.

Why not say adios right now? Switch to Straight Talk and get all the benefits of being AT&T customer without paying AT&T prices.

 

[ponyo]

Honestly, it's too big, and sales won't be that great, it'll be discounted pretty soon. And i suspect many people will return them so there will be lots of refurbished units.

So it's too big as a phone. What about as a tablet? Too small as useful tablet? Jack of all trades and master of none? I want to check one out in person.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Honestly, it's too big, and sales won't be that great, it'll be discounted pretty soon. And i suspect many people will return them so there will be lots of refurbished units.

Most people don't share your issue with larger phones. Many people were looking forward to the International version of the Note and if the At&t version is a failure it will likely be due to the negative impact Snapdragon has on performance and battery life.

 

[ponyo]

Most people don't share your issue with larger phones. Many people were looking forward to the International version of the Note and if the At&t version is a failure it will likely be due to the negative impact Snapdragon has on performance and battery life.

No, it will be a failure here because it's a niche product. Not because of Snapdragon or LTE. Size is very legitimate concern and issue. Asian females love the pen feature but I don't know how well it will fly here in the US since it's basically a gimic with poor software support.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

No, it will be a failure here because it's a niche product. Not because of Snapdragon or LTE. Size is very legitimate concern and issue. Asian females love the pen feature but I don't know how well it will fly here in the US since it's basically a gimic with poor software support.

How is the software support poor? I would have bought the At&t Note on launch day solely for the S-Pen functionality if the device hadn't be crippled with the Snapdragon SoC.

 

[zerocool84]

How is the software support poor? I would have bought the At&t Note on launch day solely for the S-Pen functionality if the device hadn't be crippled with the Snapdragon SoC.

The average person knows nothing about SoC. And the software will be supported as long as Samsung sees fit. It's not going to be a huge seller. It definitely is a niche product with how large or is and the S-Pen. It just isn't a mass market device.