[devonian]

Hi guys,

As a keen Galaxy tab 7 inch user I have been looking at the Samsung Galaxy Note as a possible upgrade path.

Do we cover that here ?

devonian

[Advertisements]

[Bart Laroc]

Samsung Galaxy Note N7000

User Manual:- http://www.samsung.c...chword=GT-N7000

At Amazon UK:- http://www.amazon.co...21162181&sr=8-1

Review CNET UK:- http://reviews.cnet....eview-50004960/

Specifications GSM Arena:- http://www.gsmarena....y_note-4135.php

Main Differences - Galaxy Note N7000 ( GT-P1000)
Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen 5.3" (TFT capacitive touchscreen 7.0"), 1 GB RAM (512MB), rear camera 8mp (3.25mp) front camera 2mp (1.3mp),
Android OS, v2.3 Gingerbread (Android OS, v2.2 Froyo *upgradable), Stereo FM radio with RDS (none), S Pen stylus (none),
Standard battery, Li-Ion 2500 mAh (Standard battery, Li-Po 4000 mAh),

[devonian]

Great stuff. Bart. Thank you.

My problem is softer, in a way. I am not sure if this is the right machine for me. Will I miss the
7 inch screen ? Will the increased power and functionality be adaquate compensation ? I already carry
my Tab 7 in a shoulder bag and use Bluetooth for calls. Do I need the reduced size ?

OF course, I am the only person who can answer these questions, but I would like to know what other people
think. Other Tab owners must have asked themselves these questions . . . what answers do you get ?

Also, Bart, do we need another section, for the Note as such ?

Thanks

[manofkent]

devonian, on 13 November 2011 - 08:52 PM, said:

Great stuff. Bart. Thank you.

My problem is softer, in a way. I am not sure if this is the right machine for me. Will I miss the
7 inch screen ? Will the increased power and functionality be adaquate compensation ? I already carry
my Tab 7 in a shoulder bag and use Bluetooth for calls. Do I need the reduced size ?

OF course, I am the only person who can answer these questions, but I would like to know what other people
think. Other Tab owners must have asked themselves these questions . . . what answers do you get ?

Also, Bart, do we need another section, for the Note as such ?

Thanks

The note taking features are what interests me - if it's software based could the same app become available for the tab? Would the stylus also work with the tab?

[devonian]

Portability of the note-taking app is quite a technical issue. Can one of the resident
experts comment on that ? Certainly, it will require lots of processing power, and the single-core
CPU on the existing Tab may struggle with that.

I am most concerned with possible upgrade paths: how can my existing, very-nice-but-a-bit-slow Tab be swopped
for a faster, more expandable model. Should it be the Note (5 inch), the Tab 7.0 and/or 7.7 inch models
or something else entirely, like the HTC Flyer. Or maybe I should just learn to live with what I have got now.

Another factor is regional availability. I use Vodafone in the UK, and they have released the Note,
but not the 7.0 and 7.7 - as far as I can tell. In the USA I gather it is the other way round. There is
a great temptation to jump into what is available here and now (my contract is ready for an upgrade) or would
it be more mature to wait until all three models are available.

Bart has sent me enough material to make the Note look very attractive: my only worry is that the screen will
look small after the 7 inch Tab - particularly as I got the Tab in the first place because it had nice big
letters I could see without glasses.

I would value your uniquely well-informed and expert comments.

[queeg]

manofkent, on 14 November 2011 - 06:16 AM, said:

The note taking features are what interests me - if it's software based could the same app become available for the tab? Would the stylus also work with the tab?

I dont think it will work as the Note has a wacom digitizer layer on the screen which registers the stylus and the pressure being used. You should be able to use a capacitive stylus on the Tab, but you won't get the pressure sensing feature

[manofkent]

queeg, on 14 November 2011 - 04:26 PM, said:

I dont think it will work as the Note has a wacom digitizer layer on the screen which registers the stylus and the pressure being used. You should be able to use a capacitive stylus on the Tab, but you won't get the pressure sensing feature

Oh well - maybe by the time I want to upgrade a 7" will have a digitizer layer.

[queeg]

manofkent, on 15 November 2011 - 06:37 AM, said:

Oh well - maybe by the time I want to upgrade a 7" will have a digitizer layer.

I have just taken delivery of a Galaxy Note today. Sadly, not for me, but for my uncle, but it's mine for a couple of days to "set it up" for him . If you have any questions about it give me a shout and I'll try to answer them for you.

First impressions though - it's fab. The screen has to be seen to be believed, gorgeous. The 1.4GHz duel core also shows itself in the smoothness of operation. I find it a great size for a phone, but I am 6'5" with hands like shovels, so the keyboard is perfect for my fat fingers!

Book reading looks promising too (will try some bed time reading tonight), HD screen text is very clear.

Quick size reference pic for those who are interested. Left to right are ... Galaxy S, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab.

Any questions, please ask

Regards, Derek

Attached File(s)

•  P1000406 compressed.jpg (344.53K)
  Number of downloads: 27

[devonian]

Great stuff, Derek - enjoy it while you can and give us a general review when you have to let it go.

As a Tab user, could you make the switch ? Are the keys too small for thick fingers ?

[hubertly]

Friends,
I am worried about the "Froyo upgradeable" part. Does it mean I have to upgrade to gingerbread by myself? Does it mean I'm going to be left out of Honeycomb in the future? Can anyone please reassure me.

[queeg]

devonian, on 16 November 2011 - 09:49 PM, said:

Great stuff, Derek - enjoy it while you can and give us a general review when you have to let it go.

As a Tab user, could you make the switch ? Are the keys too small for thick fingers ?

Ok, well the Note has been handed over to my uncle, and hes is very pleased with it.

As a Tab user, could I make the switch ? YES, and I've orederd one, and it should be with me tomorrow!

It is a fantastic convergence device, and for me, is pretty much perfect. I will be selling my Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab and this will be my single device.

I would never have bought one of the larger Tabs, as for me they need to be reasonably portable, and the Galaxy Tab was the perfect size Tab for me. I have said on here elsewhere that the new 7.7 would be my next Tab, because of the size and the screen being right for me. TBH, the Note had pretty much passed me buy, thought it looked good but was happy waiting for the 7.7. But after having one for a couple of days to play with it has got under my skin and proved itself to be a good phone for me (key size is better than the Galaxy S for me and my chubby digits) but the big surprise was it's Tab-ability (if thats a word!!). With its higher resolution screen its got pretty much the same screen real estate as the Tab, but is much clearer and the colours obviously much more vivid.

So, it's proved itself to be my "perfect" device - I even love the S Pen (back to my old Windows CE days !!) and allows delicate control of certain things which i have always had difficulty with (moving the cursor to a perticular point in text to add/change something, highlighting text for copy etc) due to my big hands/fingers.

I think Samsung have made a brave decission to produce such a device and I hope it proves popular for them as it is a cracking bit of kit.

Obviously, it's a personal choice for me, but if you are thinking of changing Tab, and you value the smaller sized Tabs, then it's well worth a look at the Note. It might just be the perfect fit !

Derek

[devonian]

Thanks, Derek, for a quick response - and a quick decision. I wish you joy of your new Note . . . and I am going down to the local Carphone Warehouse tomorrow to see if I can get a hands-on with one. Perhaps the moderators will open a new section for it. How about it, guys ?

I want to raise another point about the whole Note/7.0/7.7 upgrade saga, and that is operating system compatibility. I have been reading about the Galaxy Nexus, which runs Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) on hardware very similar to the Note (1.2 GHz, dual core. ICS is supposed to be a worthwhile advance over 3.0, let alone 2.3, and Samsung are promising to release it onto the Galaxy S,after the Nexus.

One might assume, then, that the Note will follow soon afterwards; but I worry. Does the screen drawing facility of the Note - absent from the S and the Nexus - make it more difficult to adapt ICS for the Note.

Does anyone care to speculate ? It seems it is too much to expect that the Samsung geeks read these blogs . . .

[queeg]

devonian, on 17 November 2011 - 06:59 PM, said:

Thanks, Derek, for a quick response - and a quick decision. I wish you joy of your new Note . . . and I am going down to the local Carphone Warehouse tomorrow to see if I can get a hands-on with one. Perhaps the moderators will open a new section for it. How about it, guys ?

I want to raise another point about the whole Note/7.0/7.7 upgrade saga, and that is operating system compatibility. I have been reading about the Galaxy Nexus, which runs Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) on hardware very similar to the Note (1.2 GHz, dual core. ICS is supposed to be a worthwhile advance over 3.0, let alone 2.3, and Samsung are promising to release it onto the Galaxy S,after the Nexus.

One might assume, then, that the Note will follow soon afterwards; but I worry. Does the screen drawing facility of the Note - absent from the S and the Nexus - make it more difficult to adapt ICS for the Note.

Does anyone care to speculate ? It seems it is too much to expect that the Samsung geeks read these blogs . . .

Hi again. I have read somewhere last week that samsung have stated that the Note, Galaxy S II, Tabs 7+, 7.7, 10.1 and 8.9 will be getting ICS. I will try to find the source for you, but you know how trying to find stuff is !!. Don't worry about the stylus as it's a hardware function of the screen - as far as the software is concerned, your using your finger.

I think the Note should get a section on here, after all, it has the same startup jingle as all the other Tabs, so must be a Tab !!!

Ha haaa ! found it

http://www.androidau...axy-s-ii-29957/

regards, Derek

[unseenone]

Great stuff guys. You two commented on my post so here I am putting my 2 cents in. Queeg being your a big guy is great because you touch on something that no one else has, size vs device. I'm a big guy myself so that little bit of info helps out alot. Derek good job with keeping up with what you want and puttng it out there for others to help you out. I love the thought of owning both devices but do I need I hybrid phone or a updated tablet. Queeg any thoughts?

[queeg]

unseenone, on 18 November 2011 - 01:40 AM, said:

Great stuff guys. You two commented on my post so here I am putting my 2 cents in. Queeg being your a big guy is great because you touch on something that no one else has, size vs device. I'm a big guy myself so that little bit of info helps out alot. Derek good job with keeping up with what you want and puttng it out there for others to help you out. I love the thought of owning both devices but do I need I hybrid phone or a updated tablet. Queeg any thoughts?

I am not trying to sell the Note as all things to all men (or woman) but, for me, its struck a good ballance between portability, usability and functionality. Has halfed my data/phone costs and removed that decission of which device to take with me, or indeed carrying both.

I think you have to look at your usage of your Tab and phone and see what fits best for you. I am a moderate user of both although tend to use the Tab a bit more, but it's due to it being easier to use for me. Thats why the Note works for me.

When the 7.7 breaks cover I think it will blow people away with its screen. If you find the current Tab works for you then hang on for the 7.7, you won't be dissapointed.

Just a small tip for anyone looking to buy a Note in the UK. Amazon in germany (.de) are currently selling the Note for about £440, which is over £100 less than Amazon UK. You can use your UK username and password. As its in the EU it has no import duty etc to pay, so you pay the price and get it delivered for 7.99 euros in a couple of days. The warranty is Pan European (was in my uncles) so is good for the UK. Only difference is you have to set the language to English at first powerup and the charger is a 2 pin type, so you need a shaver adapter plug to use it (£1 out of b&q). Big saving over UK price.

Derek

[unseenone]

Queeg I agree with what your saying but I was sold on the note when I first saw it in a IFA review on you tube. The thought of having both devices in one is awesome. Let see how long it's going to take before it gets here to the U.S.

[devonian]

Greetings, fellow Note fanciers. I shall be joining you soon.

Yesterday I went down to Exeter to join the big boys - or I suppose I mean the medium sized boys - and get me a Note. I went first to Vodafone, my service provider, but they were not interested and I went over the road to Carphone Warehouse.

There I saw my first Note, and I was sold. Certainly, it is smaller than the Tab 7, but the screen is just so bright and clear that I had no difficulty reading quite small text. So I spoke to the man and he arranged to change my Vodafone account to a 24 month purchase version in no time at all. Why Vodafone could not, or would not, do this themselves I do not understand. It's a pity I did not see Queeg's post about the German purchase, but the contract is signed now.

Anyway, my Note will be delivered to the store on Monday. In the meantime, I am backing my data up in several places. What do people think about backing up the apps?

I find the release policies of the hardware companies baffling, and frustrating. Why are some Samsung models released in the USA, but not Europe (Tab 7.0, 7,7)- and the other way round for the Note. If I had been able to choose from the full range of available models I might well have chosed differently: but I suppose this is the curse of the early adopter.

[unseenone]

devonian, on 19 November 2011 - 02:25 PM, said:

Greetings, fellow Note fanciers. I shall be joining you soon.

Yesterday I went down to Exeter to join the big boys - or I suppose I mean the medium sized boys - and get me a Note. I went first to Vodafone, my service provider, but they were not interested and I went over the road to Carphone Warehouse.

There I saw my first Note, and I was sold. Certainly, it is smaller than the Tab 7, but the screen is just so bright and clear that I had no difficulty reading quite small text. So I spoke to the man and he arranged to change my Vodafone account to a 24 month purchase version in no time at all. Why Vodafone could not, or would not, do this themselves I do not understand. It's a pity I did not see Queeg's post about the German purchase, but the contract is signed now.

Anyway, my Note will be delivered to the store on Monday. In the meantime, I am backing my data up in several places. What do people think about backing up the apps?

I find the release policies of the hardware companies baffling, and frustrating. Why are some Samsung models released in the USA, but not Europe (Tab 7.0, 7,7)- and the other way round for the Note. If I had been able to choose from the full range of available models I might well have chosed differently: but I suppose this is the curse of the early adopter.

Congrats on being able to get a note, I have to wait a see if it's going to show its little pretty face here in they states. I'm also waiting on the 7 plus and 7.7. I agree if I had all three to choose from the outcome might be different. Keep is posted on your note.

[queeg]

devonian, on 19 November 2011 - 02:25 PM, said:

Greetings, fellow Note fanciers. I shall be joining you soon.

Yesterday I went down to Exeter to join the big boys - or I suppose I mean the medium sized boys - and get me a Note. I went first to Vodafone, my service provider, but they were not interested and I went over the road to Carphone Warehouse.

There I saw my first Note, and I was sold. Certainly, it is smaller than the Tab 7, but the screen is just so bright and clear that I had no difficulty reading quite small text. So I spoke to the man and he arranged to change my Vodafone account to a 24 month purchase version in no time at all. Why Vodafone could not, or would not, do this themselves I do not understand. It's a pity I did not see Queeg's post about the German purchase, but the contract is signed now.

Anyway, my Note will be delivered to the store on Monday. In the meantime, I am backing my data up in several places. What do people think about backing up the apps?

I find the release policies of the hardware companies baffling, and frustrating. Why are some Samsung models released in the USA, but not Europe (Tab 7.0, 7,7)- and the other way round for the Note. If I had been able to choose from the full range of available models I might well have chosed differently: but I suppose this is the curse of the early adopter.

Wahay ! Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the Note club !

Post up when you get it and I hope you get all your data backed up ok.

I tend to just back up my contacts/callender/files. The apps I like to install fresh from the market (you don't have to pay for them again) as sometimes you can get glitches restoring apps from one device to another.

Hope you have a good weekend and enjoy your new purchase Monday !

Derek

[devonian]

Thanks, Queeg, for the advice, and for the welcome to the Notaries !

Saving data only will be a good opportunity to get shot of all those marginal apps which I used only once and then ignored.

The apps I use most are Contacts, Calendar, browser and email. I see the Note has a good Planner built in and I am can easily replace the others, if need be. I also made good use of GoKeyboard on the Tab 7, and found it excellent; but again, the Note keyboard may be good enough, and voice recognition is also worth investigating.

This is one of the strengths of Android. I know Apple is smart and smooth - my wife and my geeky son love theirs to bits; but they seem to get very little control over which parts of the Operating System you can change. Android gives us more freedom there.

Incidently, I looked up the origin of Notary. It comes through French from the Latin, Notarius - somone who makes marks or notes, and this came to mean a shorthand taker. I think it will make a great name for our user group. What do you Moderators think ?