Trying to Decide #2

lynnpudas

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Wish they'd quit coming out with new phones. It makes the decision process sooooo hard. At any rate, I am currently the unproud owner of an HTC Inspire. Loved it when I first got it but now, almost 2 years later, it is draggy (I develop a new gray hair or two every time I open an app), battery life isn't there and I just need a new phone. I'm not a heavy phone user and to be honest, I probably use my phone more as a pda then a phone. I'm kind of paranoid about battery life. I was hit by a tornado a few years ago and as crappy as the phone I had was, it had great battery life! I now live in the awareness that my smartphone could be my only contact with the world outside (since I was trapped in the house). I'm not a rooter/unrooter/hacker. The most I do is install a new os over a current os (i.e. I have go launcher on my inspire cause sense ain't all that much fun :)) I'm also a grammy and the ole eyes aren't all the good so a nice size screen would be a good thing.
So all that being said, I am trying to decide between the original Galaxy Note (love the idea of huge screen and S pen), the new galaxy note 2 (isn't newer always better?) Samsung Galaxy S 3 or the HTC One X. I really, deep down would like the Note 2 but it is so expensive. I could get the original note but I'm worried that with smartphones/updates, new OSs etc. the original galaxy note won't make it til I'm due for another upgrade. The reviews on the S3 are excellent and the screen, though not as big as the note, is a pretty good size and perhaps bigger than my inspire. I guess I really need to compare. I've used HTC so am pretty familiar with the OS and so the learning curve might not be so large but to be honest, I'm tired of htc and I really like the home buttons.
So any opinions??? I'm also going to post this under the galaxy note so if you see it again, don't think you are seing double. :
 

J HighNote

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Wish they'd quit coming out with new phones. It makes the decision process sooooo hard. At any rate, I am currently the unproud owner of an HTC Inspire. Loved it when I first got it but now, almost 2 years later, it is draggy (I develop a new gray hair or two every time I open an app), battery life isn't there and I just need a new phone. I'm not a heavy phone user and to be honest, I probably use my phone more as a pda then a phone. I'm kind of paranoid about battery life. I was hit by a tornado a few years ago and as crappy as the phone I had was, it had great battery life! I now live in the awareness that my smartphone could be my only contact with the world outside (since I was trapped in the house). I'm not a rooter/unrooter/hacker. The most I do is install a new os over a current os (i.e. I have go launcher on my inspire cause sense ain't all that much fun :)) I'm also a grammy and the ole eyes aren't all the good so a nice size screen would be a good thing.
So all that being said, I am trying to decide between the original Galaxy Note (love the idea of huge screen and S pen), the new galaxy note 2 (isn't newer always better?) Samsung Galaxy S 3 or the HTC One X. I really, deep down would like the Note 2 but it is so expensive. I could get the original note but I'm worried that with smartphones/updates, new OSs etc. the original galaxy note won't make it til I'm due for another upgrade. The reviews on the S3 are excellent and the screen, though not as big as the note, is a pretty good size and perhaps bigger than my inspire. I guess I really need to compare. I've used HTC so am pretty familiar with the OS and so the learning curve might not be so large but to be honest, I'm tired of htc and I really like the home buttons.
So any opinions??? I'm also going to post this under the galaxy note so if you see it again, don't think you are seing double. :
Lynn, I can tell you how much I love my original Note and why. Maybe that will help. I'm somewhere over 55 and have wanted a large screen, web surfing, smart phone for years. I've always had a smart phone but never got into apps and things, just really web surfing and as a phone. My phone before the Note was a Tilt, not a touch screen, all this on the Note was brand new. I didn't know a thing about tap tap versus tap hold, etc. Yet, it was laid out to be fairly intuitive and the more I explored the more I loved it! My eyes don't get tired. I can use it as a reader using Kindle and other apps and can read for an hour or so. Also, another feature that works well for us ladies, the Spen is great for tapping the screen keyboard rather than using fingertips and having long fingernails get in the way. I would dearly love a note 2, but not being eligible for an upgrade makes it unlikely for quite a while. Actually, the original notes and some other devices are supposed to get an update by the end of the year that will bring some of the same features of the new note 2. However, I don't think multi tasking with a divided screen is going to be one of them and I doubt it will have the Spen alarm which I want more than anything! But really, the original Note is grand! I love the S Note app and use it for just about everything imaginable. My purse and counter and junk drawer are no longer cluttered with odd printouts-some with scribbles on them and various pieces of paper, I no longer lose shopping lists, or get frustrated at rummaging through a million pieces of paper before finding the one that I need. It's such a breeze to keep all that information on the Note, at hand, easy to find, almost impossible to lose. And wait until you can take pictures, write a short note on them and send them off to someone. A few weeks ago someone asked me for a pen and I couldn't find one in my purse. That would have been unthinkable before the note. I can't imagine ever wanting a different phone, except maybe a Note 2, 3 or 4!
 

lynnpudas

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You confused me. I kept searching for spen and then realized you meant "S" pen. LOL I am really inclined to take a chance on the note 1. It should drop drastically in price nicely in November. And actually, I think that original note and Galaxy s3 are pretty similar in specs. How is your battery life?

Lynn, I can tell you how much I love my original Note and why. Maybe that will help. I'm somewhere over 55 and have wanted a large screen, web surfing, smart phone for years. I've always had a smart phone but never got into apps and things, just really web surfing and as a phone. My phone before the Note was a Tilt, not a touch screen, all this on the Note was brand new. I didn't know a thing about tap tap versus tap hold, etc. Yet, it was laid out to be fairly intuitive and the more I explored the more I loved it! My eyes don't get tired. I can use it as a reader using Kindle and other apps and can read for an hour or so. Also, another feature that works well for us ladies, the Spen is great for tapping the screen keyboard rather than using fingertips and having long fingernails get in the way. I would dearly love a note 2, but not being eligible for an upgrade makes it unlikely for quite a while. Actually, the original notes and some other devices are supposed to get an update by the end of the year that will bring some of the same features of the new note 2. However, I don't think multi tasking with a divided screen is going to be one of them and I doubt it will have the Spen alarm which I want more than anything! But really, the original Note is grand! I love the S Note app and use it for just about everything imaginable. My purse and counter and junk drawer are no longer cluttered with odd printouts-some with scribbles on them and various pieces of paper, I no longer lose shopping lists, or get frustrated at rummaging through a million pieces of paper before finding the one that I need. It's such a breeze to keep all that information on the Note, at hand, easy to find, almost impossible to lose. And wait until you can take pictures, write a short note on them and send them off to someone. A few weeks ago someone asked me for a pen and I couldn't find one in my purse. That would have been unthinkable before the note. I can't imagine ever wanting a different phone, except maybe a Note 2, 3 or 4!
 

Luwoze

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Lynn; As comparing the Note 1 vs. the Note 2, Samsung will change their trousers about twice a year. It's innovation. The Note 2 will be a better model but as all new devices go, premium prices. If you have the time, these do come down. But alas, waiting is perpetual. The note does offer so much more than a regular phone. I rarely use it as such. All my readings, notes, calendar events, and many other things I do on this device. I never use my tablet any more (too big and cumbersome and heavy). The battery life should be better with the Note 2 (3100 mAh vs. 2500 mAh) and better scrolling / web surfing with a quad processor. And the form factor is somewhat better as is 16:9 rather than the 16:10.
P.S. my eyes are old and worn; I couldn't bear the 4" iPhone 5 screen although an Apple guy. Android has given me much more, especially with it's customizations. But do keep in mind Samsung (as others) has it's bugs.
 

J HighNote

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Sorry for the confusion Lynn. I guess I've gotten a bit lazy with the punctuation for properly typing S-pen. Glad you figured it out! As for battery life, reviewers are a better judge than I because I never used previous smart phones as much as I use my note. They seem to think the battery life is fine. There was a time when I started to run down before the end of the day and I bought a Hyperion battery charger that came with two batteries for about 30 dollars. That made it a breeze to carry around a fully charged battery to pop in whenever needed. At some point I realized that apps that I had set to sync all the time were running the battery down. Changed the settings,got a different weather widget and now I don't use the spare batteries unless I forget to charge it overnight. You mentioned tornado and being alone..... I have Hurricane Sandy coming for a three day visit. Having those extra batteries could come in very handy! I had a blizzard last Halloween and was without power for a few days. The Tilt phone didn't last, my Note will. Being able to stay connected to the news and family and friends can make all the difference!
 

lynnpudas

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Stay safe from Sandy. I know hurricanes too. I don't live on a coastal area but when Katrina hit in 2005, it was still a category 3 when it went through my small town. It was awful!!! I've never really been nervous about weather but Katrina made me a lot more cautious but after the tornado hit (it was just shy of an F-5) I'm absolutely paranoid (not to mention terrified) about weather. I had extra batteries for my Inspire but have somehow misplaced them. Since I'm going to upgrade, it isn't worth getting more batteries. I will get the extra batteries and a charger that will charge both a battery and a phone simultaneously for the new phone. I get them off ebay. Tends to be way cheaper than the store. Must say, if your phone lasts a day, that's great and works fine for me. Battery life for an Android is one of it's downfalls but android is so much more fun than other phones. Just gotta be prepared.

Sorry for the confusion Lynn. I guess I've gotten a bit lazy with the punctuation for properly typing S-pen. Glad you figured it out! As for battery life, reviewers are a better judge than I because I never used previous smart phones as much as I use my note. They seem to think the battery life is fine. There was a time when I started to run down before the end of the day and I bought a Hyperion battery charger that came with two batteries for about 30 dollars. That made it a breeze to carry around a fully charged battery to pop in whenever needed. At some point I realized that apps that I had set to sync all the time were running the battery down. Changed the settings,got a different weather widget and now I don't use the spare batteries unless I forget to charge it overnight. You mentioned tornado and being alone..... I have Hurricane Sandy coming for a three day visit. Having those extra batteries could come in very handy! I had a blizzard last Halloween and was without power for a few days. The Tilt phone didn't last, my Note will. Being able to stay connected to the news and family and friends can make all the difference!
 
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lynnpudas

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LOL, I have never understood the fascination with the iphone. My daughter was an iphone girl but she finally switched over to android and I doubt she'll switch back. To me, apple has gotten stubborn. Their customers keep saying bigger screen, bigger screen and they just keep making phones with small screens. Of course, then there's customization. I guess I'm an Android girl. :) I do love the phablet idea though. Really does seem like the best of both worlds.

Lynn; As comparing the Note 1 vs. the Note 2, Samsung will change their trousers about twice a year. It's innovation. The Note 2 will be a better model but as all new devices go, premium prices. If you have the time, these do come down. But alas, waiting is perpetual. The note does offer so much more than a regular phone. I rarely use it as such. All my readings, notes, calendar events, and many other things I do on this device. I never use my tablet any more (too big and cumbersome and heavy). The battery life should be better with the Note 2 (3100 mAh vs. 2500 mAh) and better scrolling / web surfing with a quad processor. And the form factor is somewhat better as is 16:9 rather than the 16:10.
P.S. my eyes are old and worn; I couldn't bear the 4" iPhone 5 screen although an Apple guy. Android has given me much more, especially with it's customizations. But do keep in mind Samsung (as others) has it's bugs.
 

thoots

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So all that being said, I am trying to decide between the original Galaxy Note (love the idea of huge screen and S pen), the new galaxy note 2 (isn't newer always better?) Samsung Galaxy S 3 or the HTC One X. I really, deep down would like the Note 2 but it is so expensive. I could get the original note but I'm worried that with smartphones/updates, new OSs etc. the original galaxy note won't make it til I'm due for another upgrade. The reviews on the S3 are excellent and the screen, though not as big as the note, is a pretty good size and perhaps bigger than my inspire. I guess I really need to compare.

I just got an original Note (AT&T), and it comes with (what I believe is) the same OS as the S3 -- ICS. It's as up-to-date as just about anything you can get, straight out of the box. I sure wouldn't worry about the OS version at all.

I don't think that newer is essentially better. As I see it, the differences between Note 1 and Note 2 go like this:

Note 1 comes with the "wider" 16:10 screen, whereas Note 2 comes with the narrower 16:9 screen. This, with no doubt whatsoever, is THE reason why I opted for the Note 1, rather than waiting for the Note 2. I spent a lot of time with the Note 1 in my local AT&T store, and I really compared it to the S3. All I can tell you is that I absolutely preferred that bigger, wider screen. I want more of a "tablet-like" experience, and the extra width delivers it. I love it!

Note 2 comes with a bigger battery. All I can say is that I've been very happy with my Note 1's battery life. I moved to the Note 1 from a BlackBerry, which is known for its great battery life. (Tiny little postage-stamp-sized screens don't use much battery life.) At any rate, at the end of the day, my Note 1's battery life is very similar to what I got from my BlackBerry -- it's rare to see it go below 50% at the end of the day. Obviously, our usages all vary, but so long as I can get through a day on one charge, I'm happy. And my Note 1 does it with ease. I don't "need" a bigger battery.

Note 2 comes with the new apps, like "touch another phone to share data." Big deal. Whoopee. I just don't care about that kind of stuff -- I will never, ever use it. I just do "normal" type stuff such as e-mail, calendar, contacts, web browsing, and using a few apps. I sure don't need to pay more for some new apps.

And that's it, as far as I can tell. I sure don't see the need to get any of the new stuff, at the cost of more money and a narrower screen. In the meantime, I'm just swimmingly happy with my original Note. I can't recommend it more highly.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your decision!

thoots
 

Goodeye

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Note 2 comes with the new apps, like "touch another phone to share data." Big deal. Whoopee. I just don't care about that kind of stuff -- I will never, ever use it. I just do "normal" type stuff such as e-mail, calendar, contacts, web browsing, and using a few apps. I sure don't need to pay more for some new apps.

Actually you can do that with the Note 1. With the ICS update it enabled the NFC chip. Look for Android Beam in settings.
 

lynnpudas

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Talking about things phones do. On the galaxy 3, the screen will stay on when it detects you are still looking at the screen. Is that a ICS thing, touch whiz 4 thing or specific to the Galaxy 3?

OK, so that's one more reason why you don't need a Note 2. :cool: