Samsung Galaxy Note: 5.3", 1200x800 SuperAMOLED, S-PEN stylus, 2500mAh attery... *phew*

Mikoyan said:
Can anyone confirm how they are finding the note in terms of portability/usability, do you find it ok to call people and find the ease of use fine?

I am due for an upgrade, but everyone is saying zomg it wont fit into your pocket, you mad braah, etc? :p
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The phone generally fits in my jeans and trouser pockets ok. I have 1 particular pair of jeans that are quite well fitted (not tight) and i can definitely notice this big 'slab' inside my pockets when i'm walking, similarly when sitting down. I think 'notice' is the key word there, i wouldn't say it bothers me. If i'm in a sat down i tend to take it out of my pocket and put it on the table for comfort but it's not really an issue if i can't do that. Again think 'notice' rather than 'bother'.

One thing i do find a problem, let's describe it as more than a mild annoyance, is not being able to take the phone out of my pocket and answer it 1 handed without fear of dropping it on the floor. Especially when wearing gloves. It can be done yes, but am i prepared to risk holding this £450 gadget without a firm grip? No.

Edited for clarity\ I think when buying the phone i forgot how many very short calls i make e.g. "Do we need milk?" type calls. It's a real pain not being able to do this comfortably, 1 handed, whilst walking along (talking out of pocket, unlocking, dialling contact. Actually holding the phone beside my head is fine).

Don't get me wrong, I love the phone but the ease of use does suffer because of the size.
 
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Grrrrr said:
The phone generally fits in my jeans and trouser pockets ok. I have 1 particular pair of jeans that are quite well fitted (not tight) and i can definitely notice this big 'slab' inside my pockets when i'm walking, similarly when sitting down. I think 'notice' is the key word there, i wouldn't say it bothers me. If i'm in a sat down i tend to take it out of my pocket and put it on the table for comfort but it's not really an issue if i can't do that. Again think 'notice' rather than 'bother'.

One thing i do find a problem, let's describe it as more than a mild annoyance, is not being able to take the phone out of my pocket and answer it 1 handed without fear of dropping it on the floor. Especially when wearing gloves. It can be done yes, but am i prepared to risk holding this £450 gadget without a firm grip? No.

I think when buying the phone i forgot how many very short calls i make e.g. "Do we need milk?" type calls. It's a real pain not being able to do this comfortably whilst walking along.

Don't get me wrong, I love the phone but the ease of use does suffer because of the size.
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Just out fo interest, does transferring it to a jacket pocket solve this, as you have more room for your hand to manipulate it?
 
It would help a lot yes.

When taking out of jeans pockets i tend to slide it out from the top using a finger and thumb, to then rotate it into the palm of my for a solid grip is the main point of concern. I can do it but I never feel like I have a 100% grip during that transition. It feels like a small bump from a pedestrian could knock it to the floor. (I'm writing this from the point of view of being on a pavement outside, at home things are a lot more comfortable)

If the phone was in a jacket pocket you would hold the phone with a solid grip to start with, before talking it out of your pocket, so wouldn't be a problem. (I think)

Once it's actually in the hand, for example reading the screen or holding to your head for a call, the size isn't an issue in terms of getting a good grip. It does become an issue when you need to use the screen, when you reach across the screen with your thumb to dial a number or write a text for example, it goes back into that same not quite 100% feeling.
 
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garyfl said:
ive been using an app called lcd density, soo good! you need root for it to work, you can shrink the ppi doing so makes things smaller and crisper on the screen and you can see so much more on the screen, its a must have app imo.
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I'm using this on the Galaxy Nexus and its amazing, so much more real estate. Must be on another level on such a big screen like the Note.

Does it not cause resizing issues with Touchwiz?
 
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smokedog said:
I'm using this on the Galaxy Nexus and its amazing, so much more real estate. Much on another level on such a big screen like the Note.

Does it not cause resizing issues with Touchwiz?
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I don't use many Samsung apps but the S-Memo app for example looks a mess after changing the DPI. That can be fixed with a mod from xda though.

Swiftkey keyboard is a little too small as well now.

Certainly the improvement far outweighs the downside from my day and half's usage like this though.
 
nightrider1470 said:
Am I right in thinking that 1920x1080 res would just be stupid for a phone?

Wondering thats where the next upgrade might be in 2 years time

:)
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Yes it would be stupid! :p

From watching 720p videos on the note I seriously don't think your eye would benefit from any more detail and you can view most websites full screen in portrait mode and read the text.

RGB stripe at 720p (or rather 800p for the note) would probably be the next step up.
 
I've been using one of these quite extensively today.

It's a lovely, lovely bit of kit. As I originally suspected though, you really need to be at a desk or in a car the majority of the time you use the phone to benefit from it.

It is offensively large. :(

Still, if that doesn't bother you, you're lucky! ;)
 
I just bought one after deliberating over the sgs2, nexus and note. I was leaning towards the nexus as it is a more usable shape for a phone. But in the end I felt there was nothing new or exciting with it compared to the note. The note is something new, different and exciting and if I find it too cumbersome then I can always sell it and get one of the new gen phones mid 2012.

It is indeed large and I may end up buying a cheap payg phone for nights I'm out drinking. But for browsing, texting, emailing, reading and videos on my daily train commute, this looks the ideal convergence device for my use. It just seems to have so much useful functionality.
 
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Hades said:
I just bought one after deliberating over the sgs2, nexus and note. I was leaning towards the nexus as it is a more usable shape for a phone. But in the end I felt there was nothing new or exciting with it compared to the note. The note is something new, different and exciting and if I find it too cumbersome then I can always sell it and get one of the new gen phones mid 2012.

It is indeed large and I may end up buying a cheap payg phone for nights I'm out drinking. But for browsing, texting, emailing, reading and videos on my daily train commute, this looks the ideal convergence device for my use. It just seems to have so much useful functionality.
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And how do you find browsing... are you needing to do much zooming in? How is it when you change text sizes etc? :)
 
Right, I've started using it and the browsing is fantastic. The size of the keypad and the screen means it is very usable as a browsing device. So far though the textflow and keyboard layout is not as good as my old HTC Desire. But maybe i just need to get used to it.

I am zooming in a little on text pages but only a little.

As mention above, though, it is certainly too large for someone who uses a phone a lot. However if your main use is media consumption and communication then this is a great device.
 
I installed lcd density last night and have been running it set to 240 which translates to a resolution of 1706 x 1066 according to the app. Any lower then 240 and text becomes too small for me personally, but this is a must have app for the Note, it is awesome!!

i1zib8.jpg

a17c0.jpg


You guys using lcd density, can you still connect your Note to your TV via the MHL cable?

Grrrrr said:
I don't use many Samsung apps but the S-Memo app for example looks a mess after changing the DPI. That can be fixed with a mod from xda though.
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I just downloaded the SMemo240.apk file from xda forums for density 240. In the most simple terms (:o) can you explain what I am meant to do from here? The instructions on xda make no sense to me, am I meant to delete cache, color, image, sound, switcher from the SMemo folder on the phone because thats all I see there? I am most probably doing something daft.
 
e36Adz said:
I just downloaded the SMemo240.apk file from xda forums for density 240. In the most simple terms (:o) can you explain what I am meant to do from here? The instructions on xda make no sense to me, am I meant to delete cache, color, image, sound, switcher from the SMemo folder on the phone because thats all I see there? I am most probably doing something daft.
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I can explain it but i should probably point out that i've not managed to get it to work myself!

You will need ES File Explorer or Root Explorer or similar.

  1. In ES File Explorer enable access to root areas (including write access) in the settings. In case you weren't aware this is effectively what 'rooting' your phone is; allowing read and write access to system parts of your phone's memory.
  2. In ES file explorer go to favourites > Phone
  3. Then System > Apps
  4. Here you will find the existing SMemo.apk file. Copy this somewhere on your SD Card as a backup and then delete it. (You can move the backup back if things go wrong)
  5. Rename the SMemo240.apk file you downloaded to SMemo.apk and copy it in place of the file you deleted
  6. And that's pretty much it, but like i said i've not managed to get it to work. I still see the funky lines in SMemo.
 
Cheers mate, exactly the sort of instructions I was after. Followed everything you said down to the letter and SMemo is now working fine. :)

Those who have changed the screen density, does your Note still connect to TV via MHL cable???
 
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