Note: I wrote this post on my Galaxy Note a few weeks ago and saved it as a draft, then forgot to publish it until now.
I’ve been using my new AT&T Galaxy Note for just over a week, and in this post I’ll highlight my likes and dislikes.
If you’ve read many reviews, you’ve probably noticed that people either love or hate the Galaxy Note. I fall into the LOVE crowd. The first time I saw the huge, beautiful screen combined with the stylus I knew instantly that I wanted one. However, I can understand why some people would not be as infatuated with this phone as I am.
Size
First of all, this phone is huge, yet I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did fit into the front pocket of some of my pants. Now I only wear a fraction of my wardrobe…and it is so worth it! I’ll just have to make sure that when I’m trying on new clothes, I also have to make sure that the phone fits – no problem.
Data Entry
Typing in portrait mode is uncomfortable for me, but landscape mode is perfect. I’m typing this post on the Galaxy Note. The handwriting recognition is nice, but takes practice. The voice recognition is awesome, but if you have an Android phone, you already knew that.
S Memo
I’ve used this app for short notes in brief meetings and classes, but tomorrow I have a 4 hour meeting. I’m looking foreward to puting S Memo - especially the voice recorder – to the test.
Calendar
I never found a calendar app on my iPhone that I liked. I want lots of information visible in the month view and Samsung nailed it. Good job!
Bottom Line
If you’re not sure if you would like this phone, you probably won’t.
If you can’t sleep at night because you’re up reading reviews, then get one, you’ll love it.
I was 100% satisfied with my iPhone 4 until I saw a Galaxy Note last September. The BIG display and self storing stylus gave me a serious case of gadget fever. Then I read that Samsung had no plans to release the Note in the US. That was it. No more gadget fever. I was back to being satisfied with my iPhone 4. Then in December I got ultrabook fever, so I used money I got for Christmas to by a Toshiba z835 (which I’m using to write this post). I felt guilty for spending so much money on myself, and I even wrote in a blog that there would be no more gadgets for a while (I think I said a year).
Then c|net had to go and report that AT&T would be offering the Note this week. Instant GADGET FEVER! Followed by the disappointing news that my contract wasn’t up until June, followed by a call to AT&T to see what the early termination fees would be, followed by rationalizing that this phone is worth the $100 fee on top of the original $300 price tag, followed by ordering a Galaxy Note on Superbowl Sunday, (followed by not liking the Galaxy Note Superbowl ad).
I have a good family. They accept (but don’t understand) my fascination with with gadgets. My husband jokes about me using each new device as a tool to research and shop for my next new gadget. At each unboxing, my oldest daughter reminds me not to throw away any of the packaging…I’ll be needing it shortly when I sell the device on eBay. My youngest daughter feels that I have an unhealthy addiction to gadgets (and lattes). I think addiction is too strong of a word to describe my feelings for gadgets (I am addicted to lattes). I think of my researching and buying/selling gadgets as a hobby.
Maybe when I retire from teaching I can get a job at a place like Best Buy. Then I can get my fill of playing with all the latest and greatest gadgets while at work.
But back to the Galaxy Note. I should get it sometime tomorrow afternoon. Then I have a three day weekend to play with it and get it set-up the way I like it…In the meantime, I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas!
I’ve been using a Toshiba z835 Ultrabook as my primary home computer for over a month now, and I have no complaints. It came with MS Office 2010 Starter, which would have been fine, except I’m a math teacher and the equation editor was disabled on the Starter version. I upgraded to Office 2010 Home and Student. Now my lesson plans are always up to date because I write them in an Excel workbook that I saved in Dropbox. It’s the most convenient setup I’ve ever used.
I’m usually ready for school before my daughter, so thanks to the z835′s quick boot time I can review my lesson plans or check out the news while I wait for her.
I use Chrome as my default browser.
Durability has not been an issue, even though it feels so fragile.
I appreciate the battery life of the z835 since my youngest daughter (9 years old) uses it as much as I do, and she usually closes the screen when she is done and just lets it go to sleep.
Bottom Line: The Toshiba z835 is still my favorite laptop, as well as the best value in the Ultrabook category.
I got a new gadget over Christmas break. This is going to have to be my last gadget…for a while anyway…as in more than a year. I got a Toshiba z835 ultrabook – and I love it. Instead of being a distraction that keeps me from work I need to be doing, it is a beautiful effective tool that makes doing my work fun.
I sold my Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and Blackberry Playbook Prior to getting my new laptop. Samsung’s 1st generation Chrombook was a nice device – felt kind of cheap, but looked nice, worked well, but Google docs was not working to my satisfaction. I would type a test or worksheet and get it formatted the way I wanted, then when I printed it, the formatting was totally different. The 7″ 16 GB Blackberry Playbook is a nice tablet – perfect size, high-end feel, nice OS, but the selection of apps is horrible.
I’ve tried other options, but I keep coming back to a Windows 7 device running Office 2010 and Dropbox. This is the most efficient way for me to create and edit/update lesson plans, grades, and other documents at home and at school.
Toshiba z835 Pros:
boots fast – around 20 seconds
very light – 2.5 lbs
long battery life
back lit keyboard – didn’t know I needed it until I had it
reasonable price – $799
doesn’t get hot
looks nice
Cons:
The extreme light weight of the z835 makes it feel fragile, thought I don’t know how fragile it actually is.
Though the individual specs don’t stand out as super awesome, when considered together, the Toshiba z835 is the best all around Ultrabook for using around the house, or in my case for a teacher. I let my 9 year old daughter borrow mine, but she knows she has to be careful with my gadgets, so I don’t know if it’s sturdy enough to stand up to students use. I did read a user review (I think it was on Best Buy) from a student who claims the z835 travels well in his backpack.
The Bottom Line: I think you get the best bang for your buck with the Toshiba z835.
I got one of the $198 Blackberry Playbooks (16GB) from Walmart – but just barely. I noticed Sunday morning that Walmart was offering the super discounted price – online only. I ordered one, got the super fast shipping, and have been enjoying my new Playbook since Tuesday. However, I noticed Sunday evening that Walmart had sold out of the 16GB models
What I like about the Playbook:
It feels well built; solid and substantial in your hands
The rubberized back is nice
The user interface is easy to learn and practical to use
I’ve been able to find apps that meet most of my needs
Battery life is good
It fits in my bag; I can take it with me everywhere
User reviews at online retailers are mostly positive
These are my concerns about the Playbook:
Professional reviewers are largely critical of the Playbook
Blackberry’s App World has a smaller selection of apps than Apple or Android
No Kindle or Nook apps
One of the most frequent criticisms of the Playbook is the “tiny” and “difficult to depress” power button. However, I think the power button functions just fine. In defense of the reviewers, I did read somewhere that Blackberry was going to raise the power button to make it easier to press. So, I could have gotten a Playbook with a “new and improved” power button.
Another criticism of the Playbook (and other 7″ tablets) is that it is half the size of the iPad. Well, I’ve had an iPad 2, and I thought it was a great device, but the 7″ Playbook is a better fit for me because it’s easier to keep with me at all times.
I like the Blackberry Playbook and think that the bad press it is getting is undeserved. I also think that the bad press has discouraged developers from devoting resources to creating apps for the Playbook. But I’ve only been using a Playbook for 3 days. Let me know what you think.
I was so excited when I heard that Staples was going to be selling Blackberry Playbooks for $199 on Black Friday. I got a little nervous when I found out that the Playbooks were going to be a door buster…translation…my local Staples may only have two in stock on that day. My local Staples is also in a college town, 60 miles from my home. Now I had to worry about how early I should get there Friday morning…would I have to get there hours early and stand in line out in the cold (I hate the cold)…I would need to be the first or second person in line…what if I got there hours early, was the first person in line, then ended up being the only person in line when the doors opened at 6am…oh, what to do!
I’ve been checking prices at all the places that sell Playbooks: Staples, Best Buy, Walmart – as of yesterday, they were all still selling them for $499. Best Buy in Canada was selling them for $199, but they wouldn’t ship – you had to pick it up at the store. Urg! I checked Ebay and the going price for a new Playbook was around $350…and they were all from sellers in Canada…Hmmmm.
Well, this morning I was wanting to know what kind of charger the Playbook came with. I checked Staples website and they didn’t even mention a charger. Then I checked Walmart, and what do you know…they are selling Playbooks for $198 – online only.
I ordered one, along with the convertible case and the fastest possible shipping (shipping cost $33, but it was going to cost at least $20 in gas to go shopping on Black Friday and I should get it by Wednesday).
Now I can look forward to sleeping in on Friday…and when I do get up, I can sit in the comfort of my good ol’ rocking chair with a cup of hot cocoa and my new Playbook.
I updated the Chrome OS on my Samsung Series 5 yesterday. I thought chromebooks were supposed to update automatically when you turn them on, without the fuss and interruption that you associate with updating a Windows machine. However, when I went to the About Chrome OS page in Settings, I saw that there was an update available. I had to manually click a button to begin the update. Since this was the first time I had gone through this process, I didn’t try to open any other pages or do anything else until the update was complete. It took several minutes and reminded me of Windows updating on my school computer. Oh well, no big deal.
When the update was complete, the first thing I notices was the new boot screen. Instead of the black screen with “Chrome” in the center (which I really liked), the new screen is white and any graphics look pale against it.
Once I logged in, I noticed that the app icons on the New Tab page were huge. In the old New Tab page, I could adjust the size of the icons, but I haven’t figured out how to do this since the update.
For the past month, Google Docs has given me the option to use the Classic or the New view. I’ve been using the Classic view since the New view is pale, like the new log-in screen, and difficult to read.
On a brighter note, I like the features of the New Tab page and the new format of the Chrome Web Store.
The Samsung Series 5 Chromebooks come with 100 MB of data per month from Verizon – FREE! This feature played a significant roll in my decision to trade in my netbook and iPad for a chromebook. I’ve tested the Verizon 3G from my house and it worked, but the wifi at home is fast and reliable, so I haven’t had a reason to really use the 3G…until today.
We spent the day at my in-laws, and AT&T’s data coverage there is not good – no 3G, just Edge. My iPhone 4 drags when loading web pages. I fired up the chromebook, disabled the wifi, and enabled 3G. I was impressed! The indicator showed that I only had a bar or two of service, but web pages loaded quickly and Google docs ran smoothly. However, when I loaded a You Tube video, it stuttered a bit. To be honest, though, with only 100 MB/month, I doubt that a person would be watching much video without a wifi connection.
Bottom Line: The free 3G was great for viewing web pages, checking email, and editing documents. I wouldn’t recommend watching video because of the limited amount of data available and the lag.
My husband has been using a dumb phone for years but was recently drawn back into the fold of smartphone users by the Samsung Galaxy SII. He had a love at first sight experience a couple of weeks ago at the AT&T store and within days had an SII of his own. I have an iPhone 4, and I must admit, the extra screen real-estate is nice.
My husband uses the voice input, search and command features a lot. He likes the convenience of sending text messages by voice.
The faster battery consumption of the smartphone vs. the dumb phone startled my husband at first, but with a little power management, like adjusting the screen settings, he was able to get that issue under control.
My husband encountered a more serious problem after installing some games, an app for our local news, and an rss reader. He was burning through data like nobody’s business. He shut down all the apps – still using enormous amounts of data. He uninstalled all the apps – same problem. He went to the store where he bought the phone. At first they said he wasn’t really using that much data, but he showed them that it was showing up on his monthly usage on AT&T’s website. The manager of the store said that my husband’s basic $15, 200MB/mo. data plan was not intended for a smartphone (this is not true; my daughter and I each have an iPhone 4 with the same data plan and we don’t have any problem staying within our limit). Next, my husband called AT&T’s tech support. They agreed that the extreme data usage did not seem normal, but were not able to pinpoint the problem. Next, he called Samsung’s tech support. Basically, it was a waste of an hour and a half of his life. They said that using exorbitant amounts of data while doing nothing was normal!?!?
This morning, my husband reset his phone to it’s factory setting and the problem seems to have been resolved. He knew when he got an Android phone that he was going to have to watch out for malware. I guess one of the free games he installed was malicious. Have you ever had a similar problem?
The bottom line: My husband loves the Galaxy SII, he just has to be more cautious when choosing apps to install.
I enjoy writing lesson plans on my new Chromebook.
What drew me to getting a chromebook was it’s simple design, which led to ease of use. A Chromebook is definitely a niche product. You have to do your research before you buy one, but this is true of any tech purchase these days. Analyze how you use your current device.
I got an iPad 2 to replace my netbook because the netbook was so slow starting up and launching software. If I needed to check the weather or shoot out a quick email before school, I wouldn’t have time because it took so long to fire up the old netbook. After using the iPad 2 for a couple of months, I noticed that I used it for:
1) School-word processing, spreadsheets, email, and online research
2) Blogging & YouTubeing
3) Entertainment-Netflix and surfing the web
The iPad 2 was perfect in every area except it wasn’t practical to type a math assignment in Apple’s word processor-Pages. Again, I like things simple, and Pages is a simple, yet powerful word processor, but it lacks an equation editor for typing math problems. Before purchasing the iPad 2, I did my research and found a way to work around the lack of an equation editor, but when I put it into practice, my workaround just wasn’t practical.
I had looked at Chromebooks briefly before I got the iPad, but chose the iPad because it was more portable. Samsung’s Chromebook is instant on, has a great battery life (8.5 hrs), I can type math tests in Google Docs, and while I’m at it, I can update my calendar, and consult my lesson plans that I keep in a Google spreadsheet. I can email my lesson plans to my principal directly from the spreadsheet, and I don’t have to worry about keeping my school computer synced with my home computer. Everything is on Google Docs-I can access it anywhere.
