Slates are sexy, and we consider these devices the killer of desktops and laptops. Although these devices also come with an aim as bigger displays, high-resolution & extra power from the battery make these devices better-suited for some chores. That’s the reason why many individuals are not only spellbound by these devices but also end-up requiring one. What is not so great is the necessity to carry take 2 gizmos every time, particularly when one of these devices will not snug into any sensible pocket.
Here’s come the Samsung Galaxy Note, and this device desires to compress the high-resolution display & battery-longevity of a slate into a packet which is still pocketable. Many consumers will sure like to purchase the idea of a bigger Samsung Galaxy S2, however we are not sure about the idea of a compressed tablet.
Design and build quality:
Samsung has decided to be simple this time, and we don’t blame them as they would be more busy developing a 5-inch tablet. We liked the patterned back which also exists on the Galaxy S2, however with a handset this size there isn’t much the texture of the battery cover to augment the level of grip. Designing of such mammoth-sized handsets require a mature and practical approach, and here the South Korean mobile major seems to be taking this approach very seriously. The heft of this handset is also a big issue, especially when you are on long calls and the only solution to this trouble is a Bluetooth headset.
The sleekness of this marvelous handset is great, although we are concerned about the screen size rather than the slimness. The 5’’ screen covers most of the front, and here it is evident that a revolution is needed in the smartphone market in terms of designing of this handset. The standard cover is also made from plastic, and is prone to scratches the very first time you make it lie on its back. You can also add a flip cover, however the flip cover that we used came out to be of inferior quality and make Samsung Galaxy Note look shabby after few days.
We also disliked the positioning of volume keys, and moving them a few centimeters would have solved the problem. Also, the two-handed approach is always needed while using this gizmo, and tablet-users won’t find it difficult to adapt but we can’t say the same for the smartphone users.
Camera:
In terms of snapping capabilities, the 8 MP camera is great, although we still wish that Android manufacturers would have adopted the simpler snapper of iphones but the camera here has copied many attributes from the digital cameras. We have never expected much from a mobile phone, and here it only does the job. Impressively, the processing speed is also fast and reminds us that this is a smartphone and not a feature-phone. When the images are displayed on a super AMOELD screen, they are bound to be great, however it does not mean that we are underestimating the power of the snapper of Galaxy Note.
The camcorder facilities has full high-definition capabilities, however the recorder is quite smooth but a tad sluggish many times. A 2 MP front-viewing camera is present, so all you self-obsessed individuals out there this is an exciting opportunity to click some snaps of yourselves, however the main purpose should be to make video calls, which is a standard feature these days.
User interface:
The WXGA resolution can accommodate more stuffs on the display, and here it gives us a different new look. A somewhat dissimilar lay out for the lockscreen quite surprised us, although the mechanism is still unchanged – users have to swipe in their favorite direction. The two obvious wallpapers, on the other hand, failed to surprise us but some unique widgets augmented our curiosity. The numbered-dots which recognize the home screen panes work as a scroll bar as well. Pressing & holding on the dots allows users to roll sideways via the resized-images of the accessible home screen panes in one short, so users don’t have to do numerous swipes. Gesture controls have been around for a very long time but even now simple controlling features like turn-to-mute seems fascinating to us, and here also a plethora of these are present. However, we don’t want to lie to you, we used only turn-to-mute many times, and remaining features were seldom used by us.
S-Pen:
The S Pen is possibly the most striking alteration to the user-interface that this device fetches. We are aware of the fact several users are doubtful about operating a stylus on a capacitive touchscreen, however there is a cause why this styli deserves a mention.
The S Pen is a passive-device, as this stylus doesn’t need any battery, however it still provides a little additional functionality due to the key that’s incorporated into this tiny stick. Users can easily utilize this stick to replace their finger obviously, and that is not the issue here. For beginners, if users hold the button & grip the stylus over a screen of this device’s user interface, S Pen will create a screenshot & direct to the edit-mode, hence users can pen-down notes on the screenshot.
Conclusion:
This device is certainly out of the comfort-zones of many individuals in the mobile phone market, and this device was largely unchallenged in its category as no other device was present in this section. At the moment, the LG Optimus Vu tries to provide more fuel to the speculation that 5-inch hybrid devices are here to stay, and surprisingly this time also a manufacturer from the South Korea is bringing such a huge device. The home-grown rivalry could be a reason or LG and other makers are seeing this niche as a big opportunity. Samsung Galaxy Note had inspired a new category, and may be retailers will soon be forced to add a new category to their catalog, “phablet’’ which is the hybrid of tablet and smartphones.
