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Hello!
I'm in kind of a bind trying to figure out what to do in regards to replacing my smartphone. Around October 2009, I signed a 3 year contract with Telus and obtained an HTC Touch Pro 2. I loved it until I broke it at SeaWorld in Florida.
In June I took it to Telus for repair (where they give it to a 3rd party repair shop here in Nova Scotia). It's been in for repair since then, I still haven't got it back. The only thing that was broken on it was the digitizer (just the glass behind it). Since I put it in, the LCD had to replaced as well for whatever reason, and now the battery is toast. And the thing quote "isn't booting". Because I had the thing flashed to 6.5, they won't honour the warranty, and continue to take their sweet time in repairing it. Eventually I got fed up and borrowed a spare unlocked BlackBerry Bold 9000 from a friend, which I later just bought off him for next to nothing.
Problem I'm having now is the Bold is way too small, and the tiny keyboard is really starting to cramp my hands and give me hand pain, so I want to get something else that's either got a hardware keyboard oriented sideways (landscape), or has a decently sized touch screen. I'd try to get my TP2 back, but I don't really want to deal with the resistive screen or lack of HSPA support now.
I've been looking at following:
HTC HD2: A friend of mine has had one for about a year now - the Telstra version. I can't seem to find a decently priced one though, most of them are well over 700CAD.
HTC HD7: Same deal as the HD2, it's really expensive, even used.
Samsung Galaxy S: This one looks the most promising, as most of them are around $400 used and even new. After some searching on these boards, I found some information regarding how awful they are... at least with the software. If it's just software issues that are fixable myself by replacing Samsung's crap software, I can deal with that.
BlackBerry Torch: I'd probably exclusively use the touchscreen keyboard due to the hardware one being as awful as the Bold's. I'd rather not bother with another BlackBerry though.
LG Quantum: I've had bad luck with LG products in the past (namely DVD drives eating discs and spitting out shards), and it looks a bit small. Bell never has them to try near me.
If there's a handset that fits what I'm looking for that I didn't think of, let me know. Thanks for any help given!
I Like Galaxy Series
I haven't had any experience with the other phones you mentioned, so my recommendation is completely biased.
I have a Samsung Captivate. I rooted it just yesterday (sick and tired of playing the "oh it'll be just a few more days" and the end of those few days never comes - Rath to AT&T and Samsung for this) and flashed an Android 2.2. ROM. Before this phone, I had a Blackberry Bold 9000, loved that phone....until I got my hands on the Samsung!
Things to watch out for with Samsung - just expect to do your own software updates. Sometimes I've experienced issues with the "Back" button 'sticking' (although that has improved since rooting and flashing 2.2). GPS doesn't work that great until you get 2.2. Battery dies fast - an app called "Juice Defender" (Available on the Market) helps me a lot with that.
Some pros: The screen is fabulous, I love watching YouTube and other various videos online with it. It's easy to connect to any WiFi and automagically knows which WiFi to connect with. It's fast (and faster after 2.2). I LOVE SWYPE (keyboard input method) you can't get that on any phone other than Samsung - it really IS FASTER for texting and e-mailing etc.
So those are my unofficial, biased thoughts. Good luck with your decision.
I vote for Leo as you can have Android running also and soon perhaps WP7
Yes it´s hard to get a Telstra version on a good price, I am looking for one too...
Don't get the Torch, I had one and it was a horrible disappointment. Touchscreen interface is terrible, the device is very cheap feeling, and the OS itself is still miles behind Android and iOS.
If I were you I would do with either a Galaxy S with a custom ROM, or a HD2 with NAND Android. I have used both, currently use Android NAND on the HD2, and love it.
The successor to Samsung’s Galaxy S II has got to be the second most speculated and talked about smartphone over the past couple of months, with Apple devices always taking the top spot, of course. Samsung has some big shoes to fill and after the kind of success they achieved with the S II, there’s a lot of pressure to up the ante once again. Given the kind of trend that we’ve seen post MWC 2012, we can now come to expect the S III to have these features as standard, if it has to qualify as a ‘high-end’ Android in today’s day and age. We know it will have a quad-core Exynos CPU, the screen size will probably be around 4.6 inches and have an HD resolution, the camera will most likely be a 12MP with BSI and so on and so forth. Samsung will never launch their flagship device that’s inferior in specifications to the competition and now that we’ve seen what HTC and LG have in store, we can draw a rough picture of what to expect.
However, impressive hardware alone is not enough to guarantee a successful product. If you’ve been following the rumour mills, then you’ve probably heard of some of the features that could make it to the S III and we really hope that it’s true as it would truly make it an unique phone and possibly the best Android so far.
A non-ugly, waterproof phone
So far, all water resistant phones haven’t exactly been much of a looker, except for perhaps the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active. But even that wasn’t slim, primarily because of the protective coating for the screen and all the ports. Any manufacturer so far had to fall into the same trap, if they wanted to create an ‘all-weather’ cell phone. The S III, however, needn’t go down that same route. Early last month, we heard rumours about the Galaxy S III getting a water-proof treatment and thanks to the folks at Liquipel, Samsung need not compromise on the design. Available currently in the U.S only, Liquipel will water-proof any smartphone you have for a small fee. It works by injecting the phone with a compound that resists any liquid or moisture. They even had a very impressive demo at CES.
Think of all the money or silly contraptions you’ve used to protect your phone in the rainy season. This technology makes rubberised housings and bulky chassis a thing of the past. If Samsung does implement this and we sincerely hope they do, then they will be the first to do so and it will give them a major advantage over the competition.
Feel what you see
We know that the S III will have an HD resolution screen as the bare minimum, but high resolution mobile screens aren’t exactly cutting edge right now. What if you could feel what you see? Senseg have developed a special touchscreen technology that lets you feel the texture of the image on screen. This is achieved by creating a little electrostatic field around the area that simulates a particular type of texture. They call this a ‘Tixel’ charge driver that creates a small force and by modulating the charge, Senseg can simulate different textures.
While this exact technology might or might not make it to the S III, we hope that Samsung do something special with the screen. If not the ‘Feel Screen’, then at least a higher resolution display would be a nice addition. There were passing rumours that the S III may have a 1080p screen, which seems like overkill, but then again, most high-end Android phones are, so i guess it's ok.
Wireless charging
With everything going wireless, why do we still have to put up with charging cables? According to the Wireless Power Consortium, a number of big companies, including Acer, HTC, LG, etc have certified handsets and chargers that use wireless charging.
‘Qi Certified’ products will be able to charge either from a wall charger or from another compatible device, wirelessly, just as long as they are placed in close proximity. Now Samsung’s name may not be on the list of companies that have applied for patents, but the website clearly states that it’s up to the company, if they want their name up there. Now, given how secretive Samsung have been with the S III, it’s no surprise they don’t show up on the list. This is another big advancement in mobile phones and Samsung can add another feather in their cap should they choose to include it.
Lose the plastic body
While the S II was a sturdy and durable phone, it wasn’t any match for HTC’s unibody aluminium Sensation in terms of build quality. One of the reasons they went with plastic was to keep the weight down, which was fine in 2011, but not anymore. With polycarbonate being used in the Lumia 800 and HTC going with space-age material (literally!) for the One S, Samsung have to step up their game. If you haven't already, check out this really cool video of how HTC creates the chassis for the One S.
Alternately, they could use a ceramic casing or even something fashioned out of carbon fibre or kevlar. The trouble with building chassis with materials like these is that the battery would probably be non-removeable. This is not a very big deal and we can certainly live with it just as long as they have a way to hard reset the phone in case it locks up, because I don’t want to wait around for the battery to drain out.
Gesture control?
This one’s not from any of the rumours, but just hit us while coming up with this list. Rather than using the front camera to recognize gestures, which quite frankly is quite ridiculous because, for one, you can’t use it in the dark and two, it has never, ever worked properly; i were thinking of something along the lines of a PS Vita like touchpad at the back of the phone. The entire phone needn't have this, just a small patch on the top and bottom. For instance, if you hold the phone in one hand, you can easily use your index finger to swipe the rear to unlock the phone, or have a two finger gesture to open the camera. Once in landscape mode, your fingers automatically align around the edges, which comes in handy in racing and action games. Now you never need to block the screen with your fingers, which happens a lot in first person shooters.
This way, even if the screen doesn’t have an oleophobic coating (which never really work anyways), it’s not a major issue, since you’ll be using the gesture pad. This would be a very interesting feature, if Samsung implements something of this nature, as you now have a ‘gaming phone’ as well.
While it’s great fun to speculate what upcoming tech products may shape up to be, a side effect is the pang of disappointment when you realize that none of the features that were so greatly hyped are actually true (iPhone 4S anyone?). Recently, live shots of a Samsung GT-I9300 have been doing the rounds, which is expected to launch in mid-May. To us, it’s highly unlikely that it’s the S III, as it appears to be more of an upper-end mid-range smartphone. Also, we don’t know if Samsung will actually call it the S III. While that does seem like the most logical name in the series, they could decide to start a completely new series, altogether. Samsung have managed to keep the phone a secret incredibly well, but now, the wait is getting a bit frustrating. They better have one hell of a phone in hand whenever they launch it or risk losing their huge fan following.
I wish they make touchwiz as functional and good as sense. After a year of owning the sgs2 I found out it's not just the specs that count. I still prefer my desire (w/sense 3.5 of course)
btw, one of the things I do like about the sgs2 is the build quality, it's not cheap that phone is almost indestructable....
edit2: the sgs2 is not plastic, it's made out of magnesium chasis with a plastic shell, magnesium is used by some of the most expesive cars and racing cycles because it is so light and sturdy (and expensive)
I would like to get some opinion from you guys....
I am a startup developing a new kind of mobile device that combines a phone and tablet - putting a 7" screen on a less than 5" phone body. (It is not like the Galaxy Note, where the size is fixed.)
SO when you just want to make calls, check SMS and emails, just use the "phone mode" with a 4"+ screen.
When you want to surf web, watch videos/photos, transform it into a 7"-screen tablet.
Now my question is about the potential market for this device, as it seems that no company is creating a device like this, I am worried if there's no market for it.
a) For those of you carrying two devices (a phone and a tablet), are you feeling a bit inconvenient, annd would you like to have this device?
b) For those of you carrying only a phone, would you like to have a bigger screen, perhaps 7", while retaining the same portability?
c) Would you still buy a 10" tablet after you have this device? (assuming you already have a laptop)
Your help will be very much appreciated!
the first thing that came to mind upon reading this post is the asus padfone.
i do carry the 2 devices (S2 + TF101), and IMO it isn't really a big inconvenience, thus i might not be that interested. Unless it comes with a unique feature / selling point?
cheers.
if the tablet could make calls and i could pair a Bluetooth headset to it, i would get it. maybe it would stop me from texting and driving if it was 10 inch
I see no market for it. Some will buy it for what it is but not enough to make profit or even break even. Try focussing resources on let's say the body of the Droid Razr with an edge to edge screen, custom ROM that gets rid of the touch buttons of the bottom of the device so that can be more room for screen. I would buy something like that.
Or how about a smart-watch that can sync with any tablet to become a secondary display.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium
Didn't they already do this? And if I recall it kinda flopped... Not being negative, but I think people are used to carrying around a bunch of gadgets...
deliriume said:
the first thing that came to mind upon reading this post is the asus padfone.
i do carry the 2 devices (S2 + TF101), and IMO it isn't really a big inconvenience, thus i might not be that interested. Unless it comes with a unique feature / selling point?
cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply.
There are some aspects of Padfone that we don't think it will be a market success:
1. You still need to carry the 10" screen, and it is not as portable as a 4+" phone 2. When the phone is inside tablet, you'll need a headset to receive and make calls
Anyway our product is not in compete with padfone, although we have something in common - to combine devices from different categories. The key difference, besides the size, is that we emphasize on PORTABILITY; while they probably emphasize on versatile performance.
Our device is small and light and easily slip into pocket, yet comes with a beautiful 7" screen.
BTW, we think the combination of devices (our device + laptop/ultrabook) is more reasonable than (Padfone + laptop/ultrabook), because Padfone size is already very similar to laptop, and almost everyone already has a laptop.
STIDRIVER said:
Didn't they already do this? And if I recall it kinda flopped... Not being negative, but I think people are used to carrying around a bunch of gadgets...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your feedback!
Do you mean Sony's Tablet P?
However, since there is a bezel between the two screens, it cannot be seen as a one screen tablet when unfolded. In fact this is one of the main reason why it gets poor reviews and market reactions (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-21/what-was-sony-thinking-with-tablet-p-rich-jaroslovsky.html). The bezel is simply annoying.
Our startup have found a way to remove the bezel.
Yes people now used to carry around many gadgets, because currently we have no choice
I love the idea of the padfone...4 inch phone during the day, 10 inch phone when at home.
If you have something to offer please let me know, as of know i am seriously looking at the padfone to be my next phone.
Sent from my overclocked desire z via tapatalk app
I love the idea of the padfone!
bigboxrate said:
Maybe this one can be a good choice for you if you do not mind using big screen to make telephone calls.
http://www.tinydeal.com/7-pxp7fh-p-39587.html
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Click to collapse
800 mhz and 256 ram, gross...
Sent from my overclocked desire z via tapatalk app
Good Stuff....Thanks
Tablet s Phone
I really dont understand why Tablets dont incorporate phones, I own a Dell Streak Mini 5, (best phone Ive ever owned) also a sony tablet s.
Both brilliant devices but most of the pros are duplicated by one or the other,
Dell streak, android device, good general purpose but screen too small for word processing or watching vids, not to mention the small onscreen keybord.
Tablet s, android device, good for all things android but no phone.
I dont follow the logic that there would be no market for a tablet device with a phone, I carry a phone and I carry a tablet I would far rather only carry one, i.e. the tablet with a phone in it, I use a blue tooth earpiece for all my phone/music/audio books so its not as if Ive got it stuck to my ear all the time, in fact the phone never comes out unless i want to use an app.
So the answer for me is a resounding YES device of that nature.
This is a great idea. Today's smartphones have all this horsepower but what good is it if the tiny screens make it a chore to get anything done. I'm having difficulty imagining how one would go about incorporating an additional big screen on a phone, but if you can do a clean job at it, I believe it will be success. By clean, I mean the screens should be good quality either glass or matte, not some flimsy folding ****.
noobletsausecakebbq said:
This is a great idea. Today's smartphones have all this horsepower but what good is it if the tiny screens make it a chore to get anything done. I'm having difficulty imagining how one would go about incorporating an additional big screen on a phone, but if you can do a clean job at it, I believe it will be success. By clean, I mean the screens should be good quality either glass or matte, not some flimsy folding ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes we are not using folding screens.
I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note exactly for this reason.
The screen is big enough for non-phone usage but small
enough to fit inside a pocket to carry around like you would
carry around a phone. It's already 5.4" so 7" is not that much
larger, you'd better have a real compelling reason for your
device in order to convince people who would otherwise
pick the Note.
Cool Idea
I don't know of your resource base, but have you seen the new translucent material they have demoed for new tablets. That would make your product something that would stand apart. They demoed the material at one of the electronic shows this year.
fetchinson said:
I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note exactly for this reason.
The screen is big enough for non-phone usage but small
enough to fit inside a pocket to carry around like you would
carry around a phone. It's already 5.4" so 7" is not that much
larger, you'd better have a real compelling reason for your
device in order to convince people who would otherwise
pick the Note.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup! Ive had my g2 since the day it came out. The two devices im looking at is the padfone or the galaxy note. Im on tmobile usa so hooping one will get 4G sometime this summer. August is my upgrade month
Sent from my overclocked desire z via tapatalk app
challa3223 said:
I don't know of your resource base, but have you seen the new translucent material they have demoed for new tablets. That would make your product something that would stand apart. They demoed the material at one of the electronic shows this year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, we are using standard touchscreens...
I think you will have a harder time distinguishing yourself from the padfone since it is out now.
I'd be using it on T-Mobile US, which I know would leave me with EDGE, but I'd be getting it for the screen size and the accessories (the keyboard dock notably); I don't do much web-related (like streaming movies) so the web speeds would be fine.
My other choice is the upcoming Galaxy III for T-Mobile, and while it's a great phone, I'd love something with a bigger screen, even if the screen resolution is lower; most of the features of the GS3 don't appeal to me at all.
I've been using a tablet as my phone since Oct 2010 (Using Galaxy Tab 7 Plus now, and before I used the original Galaxy Tab...all with T-Mobile)
I just can't go back to a normal size phone at all. There are 3 main reasons:
1. Battery Life. No longer do I have to charge my phone every night, no longer will my phone die in a single day if I'm using Wifi, 4G, Bluetooth, Full brightness, etc. I've always hated that about smartphones, you have to charge it every night :\
2. Screen size. I love having the huge screen when viewing Texts. The entire left side are contacts in your text history, and the entire right side is the actual text message itself. Having so much real estate on the screen helps, especially when your typing. That big wide keyboard is great, hard to have typos using it. The screen size is also great when viewing contacts, having both sides of the screen serving a purpose is great.
3. Fits perfect in pocket. The #1 thing that people say when they see me with this phone is "How does that fit in your pocket?!", and when they see me easily slide it in my front pocket they are shocked it fits (I'm 5'4, wear skinny jeans, you'd think it wouldn't fit right?).
4. Bluetooth headset. A lot of people ask how do I put such a big thing to my ear... well, I don't. Most of the time I use a bluetooth headset... and when I don't, then yea I'll use it against my ear, no big deal. Just 5 years ago holding a phone the size of an iPhone looked ridiculous. I think It's a matter of time before 7" phones are standard.
Now I'll be honest and go over a few cons about using this as a phone:
1. EDGE. I also use T-Mobile, and EDGE is actually faster than I thought for normal browsing... but not having that 3G or 4G really sucks. Luckily I never have to worry about it when I'm home (Home Wifi), but yea when I'm out and about sometimes I can sure use high speed.
2. Size. Even though it fits in my pocket perfect, it does get a little annoying having to pull my phone out to read a text (But even if this were an iPhone I would get annoyed having to pull my phone out). Luckily, I found a solution to this... Sony SmartWatch.
Sony's SmartWatch works great with this phone, and man it's one of the best purchases I've made. I never have to get my phone out to read a text or see whose calling. Whether I'm in a pool/hot tub, or watching a movie, or in a meeting, or simply in another room, I don't ever have to whip out my phone or find it, i just glance at my wrist. That convenience is worth hundreds to me. It's waterproof (shower/wash dishes), it can find my phone (even when on silent), and it was real easy to setup.
3. Not ICS. Rumor has it it's planned to get ICS soon, but yea it sucks waiting for it. It's not a HUGE deal, like I said these are minor things, just keep them in mind.
4. Resolution. I wish the resolution was better :\ I won't bother going in detail why as it should be self explanatory.
5. Apps/Games/Web. Now I personally don't use any apps, or play games, and hardly browse the internet on this tablet (Use iPad for that), but I know to a lot of people not having ICS/4G can be a problem, to me it's not... but I just needed to mention that as a con.
Well those are the cons, but the pros (Battery) easily outweigh it, hence why I've been using a tablet as a phone since 2010. I'm actually in the process of selling this and getting the PadFone I'm just waiting on my guy in Tawain to ship it...
Feel free to ask me any question about the tablet! I was planning on writing a quick small review, sorry for the novel!
NineT9 said:
I've been using a tablet as my phone since Oct 2010 (Using Galaxy Tab 7 Plus now, and before I used the original Galaxy Tab...all with T-Mobile)
I just can't go back to a normal size phone at all. There are 3 main reasons:
1. Battery Life. No longer do I have to charge my phone every night, no longer will my phone die in a single day if I'm using Wifi, 4G, Bluetooth, Full brightness, etc. I've always hated that about smartphones, you have to charge it every night :\
2. Screen size. I love having the huge screen when viewing Texts. The entire left side are contacts in your text history, and the entire right side is the actual text message itself. Having so much real estate on the screen helps, especially when your typing. That big wide keyboard is great, hard to have typos using it. The screen size is also great when viewing contacts, having both sides of the screen serving a purpose is great.
3. Fits perfect in pocket. The #1 thing that people say when they see me with this phone is "How does that fit in your pocket?!", and when they see me easily slide it in my front pocket they are shocked it fits (I'm 5'4, wear skinny jeans, you'd think it wouldn't fit right?).
4. Bluetooth headset. A lot of people ask how do I put such a big thing to my ear... well, I don't. Most of the time I use a bluetooth headset... and when I don't, then yea I'll use it against my ear, no big deal. Just 5 years ago holding a phone the size of an iPhone looked ridiculous. I think It's a matter of time before 7" phones are standard.
Now I'll be honest and go over a few cons about using this as a phone:
1. EDGE. I also use T-Mobile, and EDGE is actually faster than I thought for normal browsing... but not having that 3G or 4G really sucks. Luckily I never have to worry about it when I'm home (Home Wifi), but yea when I'm out and about sometimes I can sure use high speed.
2. Size. Even though it fits in my pocket perfect, it does get a little annoying having to pull my phone out to read a text (But even if this were an iPhone I would get annoyed having to pull my phone out). Luckily, I found a solution to this... Sony SmartWatch.
Sony's SmartWatch works great with this phone, and man it's one of the best purchases I've made. I never have to get my phone out to read a text or see whose calling. Whether I'm in a pool/hot tub, or watching a movie, or in a meeting, or simply in another room, I don't ever have to whip out my phone or find it, i just glance at my wrist. That convenience is worth hundreds to me. It's waterproof (shower/wash dishes), it can find my phone (even when on silent), and it was real easy to setup.
3. Not ICS. Rumor has it it's planned to get ICS soon, but yea it sucks waiting for it. It's not a HUGE deal, like I said these are minor things, just keep them in mind.
4. Resolution. I wish the resolution was better :\ I won't bother going in detail why as it should be self explanatory.
5. Apps/Games/Web. Now I personally don't use any apps, or play games, and hardly browse the internet on this tablet (Use iPad for that), but I know to a lot of people not having ICS/4G can be a problem, to me it's not... but I just needed to mention that as a con.
Well those are the cons, but the pros (Battery) easily outweigh it, hence why I've been using a tablet as a phone since 2010. I'm actually in the process of selling this and getting the PadFone I'm just waiting on my guy in Tawain to ship it...
Feel free to ask me any question about the tablet! I was planning on writing a quick small review, sorry for the novel!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very detailed response... very nice. As a current user, I have been very pleased to have it as my secondary mobile phone, Secondary since it it is too bulky to carry all the time but the capabilities of the unit really had me very satisfied.
I recently upgraded from the iPhone 5s to the Galaxy Note 3.
This phone is a revelation and I want to try and give some indication why.
I have been using iPhones for many years with a detor to Android every few months (itchy feet!).
Whilst Android is clearly the more technically advanced platform, I always end up dumping the Android phone a few weeks later and returning to the iPhone.
Why ? mainly for two reasons. 10 years ago we used to say that a phone is mainly for phone calls. Internet was a limited and frustrating experience. Today I realise that I only use my phone 5% for calls, the rest is email, general messaging and browsing. The keyboard and user experience therefore become very important.
Apple software engineers really "get" user experience. I don't know how they do it but the keyboard on the iPhone is psychic. My typing is terrible but it manages to mostly get the right keys and if not, do the correct word substitution. It must estimate if you hit between two keys then pick the best letter in the context of the word you were typing or something like that. And then the word lookup is terrific and terribly accurate
Now Android keyboards gave me much worse typing. Not only that, but the word substitution was not automatic (no way of setting it). I could never get used to clicking on the correct word substitution after practically every word. This whole keyboard thing made me feel like chucking every Android phone in the bin after a few weeks (aka to ebay).
Recently, epiphany! I discovered whilst testing an Android phone, that savvy users actually never used the default keyboard (duh!). I found that SwiftKey app was pretty popular, installed it and bing!, now I had 95% of the apple keyboard experience.
That's the thing about Apple, you see it works great out of the box. Android you need to fiddle with it, and for many users they just don't have time or want to do this.
Step in the Note 3.
Ok, now the keyboard is great. I don't know whether it's the latest version of Android or a Samsung developed keyboard but many of the issues have been solved out of the box. One other thing though, due to the size of the screen they have taken the liberty of adding a fifth row of keys, the numeric ones. Genius! You know how frustrating it is when you are typing in passwords or email addresses with a mixture of letters and numbers, always having to flick between numeric and letter keyboards. Now problem solved. For the first time it seems an Android keyboard is better then the Apple one!
The other thing that frustrated me was the speed. Despite having better specs, Android phones have always had the occasional stutter. This can occur anytime, when scrolling, opening an app, etc.
The Note 3 seems 99.9% free of this. Again not sure if this is software development or brute force.
So whilst we are on the subject of brute force let's talk specs. The Note 3 has 3gb of memory, a quad core snap dragon 800 cpu running at approx. 2.3Ghz and a Adreno 300 GPU (yes, thats right, a graphics co-processor). The screen is a full HD 1920x1280 and is an AMOLED with Gorilla glass 3. AMOLED was invented by Samsung and its simply the highest contrast phone screen you can get. IPS screens, as used by the iPhone, have slightly more accurate colours and a slightly brighter maximum brightness, but the contrast on an AMOLED is quite striking. As well as 32gb of internal storage it has a microSD card. I put in a 64gb one so now I have 96gb of storage. Note that with Android you can install apps on the external card if you want, which is very useful.
This spec approaches many full computers!
Completing the specs it has a truly monster 3200MAh battery and a removable stylus built into the body. A stylus you say, back to the Pocket PC ? not quite, this is a whole new technology. For taking notes (aka the phone name) or drawing, its really very good. It also has a switch on it for a pop up menu and other fun.
Lets talk about the elephant in the room, the size. Samsung have been crafty here, the screen size is 5.7", only 0.7" bigger then the S4 but of course a world different from the iPhone 5. Samsung do have phones with bigger screens (e.g. the Mega) but in this bracket have clearly restrained themselves, e.g. compared to say the HTC One Max , Sony Xperia Z Ultra, etc.
This has paid off. The screen is larger and much more comfortable to use then a smaller screen, but due to the extreme thinness, lightweight and minimised bezel of the device, does not feel gigantic in the hand.
Its a personal taste thing and you have to push yourself to even try a device of this size. But the danger you run is that there is no going back. Even 5" screens look pokey, let alone the iPhone 5.
It fits fine in a jean pocket and you get use to it faster then you would think.
The main reason for me trying this in the first place was to attempt to replace both my iPhone 5s and iPad mini, which I take to work every day, with one device. Also cutting the need for two contracts. On a side note I have 4G contracts from EE and vodafone. Again its something you don't think you need, but once you have you can't go back to 3G. The EE network is more mature and has better coverage, I assume Vodafone will come up to the same coverage in time.
Lastly lets talk accessories. Samsung just get this much better then anyone else. There are all sorts of things, from charging backs (so that you can use wireless charging) to docks and headphones. However the key breakthrough is the S-View wallet type cover. This has a window in to allow the phone to show status reports of phone calls and texts as they come in, without having to open the cover. The phone is "cover aware" and formats a small square window to fit this window. It also switches on when you open the flip cover and switches off when you close the flip cover. This is just sheer genius. It sounds simple but it raises the functionality to a whole new level. The final piece of genius is that the cover replaces the back of the phone, so it doesn't add much to the bulk (although it does clverely add a less then 1mm overhand to protect the sides).
Samsung has always made excellent phones, but its no use denying that its basic design has been influenced heavily by the iPhone 3, which it has kept to slavishly.
With the Note 3 Samsung has finally carved its own genuine innovation into the market and created something quite special which is going to permanently change the direction of phone development.
Put it this way, Apple will be responding to this either this or next year, and not the other way round.
Its not surprising that this is one of the world's best selling phones. A busy central London Vodafone shop told me recently that Samsung had long ago overtaken Apple with sales volume, especially the S4, but now the Note 3 is their best seller. No surprises there.