I've had mine since day one of US availability, and I love it. I have no problem carrying it in my pants pocket. even when I do public speaking or teaching. the flip case is a hassle for me so I do not use it. I got a nice tpu case and a heavy duty hybrid case at Amazon for around the house.
I never experience lag except when I turn the unit on after a complete shut down, and that is understandable in that things are still loading up. I also use Go Launcher Ex and have a handful of themes to switch between. I researched all the best launchers, and liked Go Launcher best. I always use live wallpapers -- no problem or lag with any of them, and they never look better than on a Note with 1280 X 800 SuperAmoled.
With widget locker I can even load up the start screen with a handful of useful features without even unlocking the phone -- Camera, flashlight, weather widget, silence, calendar. Totally sweet. Apple fanboys are stuck in the past and think they have something good. It's sad.
Coming from Apple, I am amazed at how powerful, versatile, and usable this device is. Every program is so much more visible and beautiful, and you can customize home screens to provide quick access to information, and control everything with minimal key strokes and widgets. No one helped me with Android. I just did some research on sites like this one, and watched a bunch of You Tubes on everything. I highly recommend doing so.
Someone said you can't do WIFi calls. That's nonsense. Of course you can do WiFi calls, and they do not count on your minutes. And why complain about poor reception in your home, put in WiFi.
The Galaxy Note Rules.