What i was hoping for was for somebody to tell me something i didn't know about how it completes something that no other phone has on a daily basis for them. Apart from just being larger.
The whole point of the G-Note is its "being larger." The large 5.3 screen allows, in my opinion, a better viewing experience when reading and responding to email; browsing web pages; reading books using the Kindle or Nook app; playing games; or streaming video via Youtube or Netflix.
In my opinion, you have to actually use the device for a day or so before you can fully actually appreciate the value of the larger screen size. A demo unit in the store doesn't allow the opportunity to engage the device like it requires.
I personally knew I wanted this device, and like you said, I too already knew about the lack of ICS and the placement of the 4touch buttons at the bottom. I still have my account with Sprint before making my final decision, but in order to give the device a true demo in "my world" I needed to buy the device, take it home, kick the tires, and see if it truly provided value for my experience.
I am about 2 weeks in, since I got mine on launch day, and I can tell you that after actually owning the device I cannot imagine using any other phone. The S-Pen technology is amazing in it's own right, and only adds an extra level of features and convenience that no other phone on the market can provide.
Using the S-Pen, I can simply jot down in my own handwriting "Dinner tonight @ 6pm" tap a button and that handwritten note is recognized by the phone and added to my calendar as an appointment. No other phone I am aware of can do this.
I can go into a meeting, which I'm about to do in a few minutes, and instead of carrying a pen, paper, phone, and tablet, I can now just carry the G-Note for everything I need. The other day I took notes during a meeting in my own handwriting and after the meeting uploaded the notes, based on the calendar event, directly to Evernote all within a few seconds. No other phone could do that.
My colleagues were amazed by this, and can't stop asking me "what is that?" When I tell them it's a G-Note they immediately recognize it from the recent commercials and are impressed.
This afternoon I sent my wife a handwritten text message with a hand drawn heart, and she was quite happy. She replied immediately with "WOW!"
These are just a few things that seperate the G-Note for me. But I understand it's not for everybody. No phone or device is. But for me, the large screen, the S-Pen technology, and the fact that I no longer have to carry mulitple devices is going to be enough to convince me to keep this device after the 30 day trial period you get with At&T.