This makes me want to take notes.

The Samsung Galaxy Note beside a Galaxy S II.

Samsung has done it again. They have announced the most incredible gadget…the Galaxy Note…but they don’t have any plans to offer it in the US. This is even more disappointing than when they released the original Galaxy Tab in the US with the phone function disabled.

I have an iPhone…and love it (writing this post on it).

I have an iPad…and love it (use it for school work).

However, iPhone 5 news does not excite me at all…absolutely no temptation to get one. But when Samsung announced the Galaxy Note, I instantly started drooling.
-Giant, beautiful display
-Snappy, dual core processor
-Maintains the portability of a phone; fits in a pocket or a purse
-incredible note taking features
-includes self storing stylus

Read this post in Gizmag for more information on the Galaxy Note.

or check out this hands on video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1EWXp-ucs

I think this device has great potential as an educational tool, especially for college students.  And, as I’ve read in several posts, just because Samsung doesn’t have plans to launch the Galaxy Note in the US now, that doesn’t mean they won’t decide to at some future date (like closer to the date that my contract expires on my iPhone 4).  Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Update: Replacing my laptop with an iPad 2

I have been 90% satisfied since replacing my netbook with an iPad 2. In fact, if I did not teach math, the iPad would easily meet 100% of my expectations.

The main reason I got an iPad was the instant on feature. A simple task like checking email was a 15 minute ordeal on my netbook. Now it takes less than a minute.

Doing lesson plans on my iPad is so convenient. I use a Numbers spreadsheet to schedule my lessons, then save it in Dropbox.

I also like the simple functionality of Pages as a word processor. The only complaint I have is that there is not a word processor available for iOS (or Android) that has a built-in equation editor. I made a video and posted a description of how I intended to work around this problem, but it is just not practical for a math teacher.

However, in my case, the pros outweigh the cons. I get a lot more use out of my iPad 2 than I did my netbook. I’ll just cross my fingers and hope that some day, someone will make a word processor with a built-in equation editor.