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Samsung Galaxy Note

February 14, 2012 by · Comments Off on Samsung Galaxy Note 

Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung’s newest smartphone, the Galaxy Note launches in Canada today with Rogers, Bell and Telus, and its big 5.3-inch screen and S-Pen stylus are the most noticeable features, making it sometimes hard to distinguish what the device is supposed to be.

Perhaps, it’s not surprising that the Note looks like a phone-tablet hybrid at first glance. The Note’s screen is huge compared to other smartphones, most notably the iPhone. And it’s just 1.7-inches smaller than 7-inch tablets, making it only moderately smaller.

The screen sports a resolution of 1280 x 800, so viewing HD content is easy enough, and browsing the Web makes just about everything easier to read with that much real estate. But the existence of the overgrown display is the only reason Samsung would even consider attempting to make the stylus ‘cool’ again.

Remember the stylus – that pen-like accessory from back in the day that was required to tap icons and menus on Palm Pilots and Pocket PCs? Well, Samsung’s S-Pen is a more modern take on that old idea. Jotting down notes on the Note is actually better than you might think.

Hold down the grey button on the S-Pen, press it on the screen for a full second, and it takes a screenshot of whatever is displayed. From there, you can write on it and share it via e-mail or multimedia messaging.

While Samsung may tout the S-Pen as the Note’s most alluring feature, like with the recent Super Bowl commercial, it’s really the screen that is the biggest draw. It’s the make or break on whether a consumer would actually consider buying it or not. Of course, holding it to your ear and looking in the mirror might conjure up images of holding a brick phone like Zack Morris of Saved By the Bell fame.

But the screen is gorgeous, and with the Note getting an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, it’s going to be supported in the near-term. And it’s that same screen that pushes the device to straddling the line between a smartphone and tab-let. It also helps that the device is LTE-enabled for the fastest browsing, streaming and download speeds.

The Galaxy Note is available starting today from Telus, Bell and Rogers for $199.99 on a three-year contract or $779.99 with no term.

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