Purchase questions?

[MasTeR.LeGenD]

I am in the market to buy a note. I noticed that some pictures online show it with a att logo up top while others show the samsung logo up top no att branding. Is this a difference in phones? Also I have been a Iphone user since the 2g and am just bored with the interface already! So I want an open system but have been reading that people hate touch wiz. Is this something I want to get off the phone or does the note not come with touch wiz? Whats the difference if I dont have it on the phone???
Thanks

 

[GMJeff]

There are two models of the Note. One is a US version sold by at&t, and the other is an international model sold in the rest of the world. I believe the canadian model is the same as the at&t model also, just without the at&t logo on the device. Any easy way to tell is the large button on the front of the device instead of the four capacitive buttons.

Android in itself is not an entirely open system out of the box. You are still limited to the Google Play store or Amazon App store for mainstream apps. If you want to download apps from other sources, you have to root the device, which is essentially unlocking the device to allow more customizations than stock.

TouchWiz is Samsung's Android interface. All companies install a interface of sorts to allow for customizing the OS to the end user's liking. The only devices that have the pure Google experience are the Nexus devices. The Nexus devices are essentially setup the way Google wants them to be, with little or no customizations.

I have used Samsung Android devices for a few years now and I don't mind TouchWiz at all. Some people just abhore it. Why, your guess is as good as mine. They will hate TouchWiz, but love Sense (HTC interface), or hate them both and love the non interface Nexus devices.

The final decision is up to you. Use what you like, not what other people tell you is bad or good. Your best bet is to go to a retail carrier store or a BestBuy/Radio Shack/major electronics store in your area that sells phones and play with the active display models to get a minor feel for the devices.

The real problem is going to be when you get the device home and use it day to day. That is when you will really get a solid feel for the device. You can always return it, but restocking fees can be a bummer. So the more you can play with a device before purchase the better.

There is always the ability to flash new ROMs on Androids also, but that is a longer story for another day.

 

[DAS]

I am in the market to buy a note. I noticed that some pictures online show it with a att logo up top while others show the samsung logo up top no att branding. Is this a difference in phones? Also I have been a Iphone user since the 2g and am just bored with the interface already! So I want an open system but have been reading that people hate touch wiz. Is this something I want to get off the phone or does the note not come with touch wiz? Whats the difference if I dont have it on the phone???
Thanks

The Note is a different type of device than any other on the market. The size of the screen alone makes it so much more than a phone, and many users quickly finds themselves using it as a true all-in-one (phone & tablet) device.

My advice would be to go to your local at&t store (or retailer of your choice) and pick up the Note, take it home, and use it as your everyday device. This in my opinion is the only way you will be able to determine if the Note fits into YOUR lifestyle. Yes, you will be charged a restocking fee if you decide to return it (I don't think you will), but it's a small price to pay when you consider the purchase of such a personal piece of electronics that you'll likely have for two years or more.

Touchwiz is one of those things that people seem to either love or hate. I personally find no problem with it, and believe that it makes the user experience much more enjoyable. Samsung, along with other Android device makers add these overlays to the pure Google experience in many instances to help the consumer distinguish one manufacture from another.

With Android there are so many options to customize your device to your liking that by the time you finish with the Note it can look nothing like the device you left the store with. I have made no changes to mine other than homescreen and placement of the apps because I liked the out-of-box experience (Touchwiz included).

 

[randall2580]

TouchWiz is a launcher. As the others said it seems to engender a love or hate relationship. If you don't like it after a while there are alternatives. The GNote comes with Gingerbread and there are quite a few other launchers (I liked Go Launcher) you can add to your phone, maybe Google them and check out what makes them different from TouchWiz. You don't need to root to change the Launcher, and if you like you can have a few different launchers installed on your phone and change as the mood strikes you.

In my mind it's one of the ways Android is personal and I love that.