The Samsung Galaxy Note - a big phone or small tab

Are you ready for a Phablet, a tone, a Phonelete or some other clever word merge of a cell phone and a tablet?  Having been a fan of the hybrid…from the mountain bike with smooth tires,  peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to my very own Pomeranian Chihuahua, who are we to say that two great things can’t go together to make something awesome??

I must admit that upon initial inspection, of the Samsung Galaxy Note, one of the latest ideas to come the folks at Samsung was a bit awkwardly large, measuring 145 by 89 mm  Not quite a phone, and certainly not my AT&T powered Galaxy LTE, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.  It appeared to be a bit much holding this communication device up to my ear, but it was about then I saw a rerun of Saved By the Bell, and saw Zack’s Gordon Geko phone, and thought “if Zack can pick up Kelly with this, surly, I can surf the web with it and still be cool…”

Getting past the relative physical stature of the Note, the phone is pretty sleek looking, in fact, only 9.7 mm thick, and Samsung made the most of the size, utilizing t majority of its front real estate as a touch screen.

There is also a stylus tucked in the bottom of the phone for guys like me who still struggle to get out a coherent text message without auto correct changing my message into something horribly different right before I send it to a client.  The stylus is pretty nifty, and when you use the “S memo” app, the Note becomes a notebook of sorts.

Getting into the performance, the Note I put through the paces was running the speedy Android 2.3.6, which meant, at least initially, it didn’t get hung up or freeze, which can plague a smart phone user.  The other sticky wicket, when it comes to phones that use more memory, multitask, and simply have a lot going on, is the battery life.  A few weeks into my test drive of the note has provided some very impressive battery life.

I say the last part with the caveat that I don’t use it as my primary phone, which burns through about 4,000 minutes a month, but thus far, when I have needed it for email, GPS, or a picture, it’s been ready to rock.

The apps are pretty standard-- phonebook, calendar, weather prognostication, and of course, I have downloaded every possible version of Angry Birds, which are all handled well by the dual core processor on the Note.  This is where we get back to my comment of “at least initially.”  Although I have shopped around the Play Store, and made the most of several news applications, Tweetdeck, and an alarm clock, I have not loaded the Note to what I would, to quote Duran Duran, “too much information.”  The phone, however, becomes a bit persnickety, freezing on screens, and in some cases requiring me to restart.

Web surfing is pretty solid, although working off the AT&T 4G network can be a bit sluggish at times.  If I were being honest, I might use the word “frustrating” at times.  I hear that the new network, which is close to launch, will change that.  When in Wi-Fi mode, the Note sends and receives data pretty quickly, and connects easily to my various email clients and of course, social media.  I mean, I gotta update my peeps, you know?

Moving on to the other major piece of hardware, the camera, of which the Note has the standard rear unit and self facing lens.  This is where it gets tricky, and I tend to be a pit picky.  I also use an HTC Thunderbolt, and it takes pictures that rival my Cannon Rebel, both in still and video mode.  Having tried other HTC products, various products starting with an “I” and others in between, I have certainly been spoiled by the Thunderbolt.

The Note boasts an 8 megapixel camera, if you know anything about digital pictures, bigger is better when it comes to numbers, right?  Not always...but the Note is right up there with my trusty HTC.  I decided to try it for the first time at night, opting to take pictures of a fireworks show.  Although some were a bit blurry, and the darkness, didn’t help the auto focus to do its job, there were some very awesome images I was able to capture.

If you are a fan of moving pictures, you are in luck.  The Note does produce a great looking video.  Like many phone cameras, the more you zoom, the more it struggles, but overall, it produces a crisp, sharp video.

In more traditional applications, I found the camera works best when you don’t need the flash.  In those instances, the Note focuses quickly, and it snaps off multiple pics with a quickness.  The Note does get hung up a bit, however, when it tries to use the flash, auto focus, stay focused, and take the picture quick enough that you don’t miss what you are trying to capture.

Let’s see, apps, size, camera…what was the other thing…oh yea, it’s also a phone.  Although I spend the majority of my calls on my HTC, the call quality on the Note is solid, and in fact, I have gotten used to its size, even when holding it up to my melon size head.  I have paired Bluetooth, used ear buds, and used the speaker phone, and have been very happy with the call quality and overall sound.  I also like some of the contact shortcuts on the phone.  When you are looking at your address book, a simple index finger over a contact to the left brings to you the texting screen, and to the right initiates a phone call.  Minor time saver?  Yes.  But pretty cool?  You bet!

Quick review:

Pros:

Call quality, shortcuts, stylus, screen size, camera in both non-flash still and video mode

Cons:

4G sluggish, flash still photo mode, processor gets hung up from time to time

In the initial few weeks of my long term test, the AT&T version of the Samsung Note in my hot little hands gets a thumbs up.  The battery life is great, calls are solid, the picture and video is very good, and overall, this consumer likes it.

No phone is perfect, but this little…or big…unit performs very well overall.

TR

Beats By Dre Beatbox

It was 2008 when Monster and Dr. Dre first paired up to launch a set of headphones that had his official stamp of approval, and more importantly to marketers, the name Dr. Dre.  Fast forward a couple of years, and various products, and the partnership proudly offer the Beats By Dre Beatbox.

The Dr. Dre Beatbox

The concept goes beyond a simple docking station for the I-Pod, although if you want to dock your personal music, it comes with just about every configuration that Steve Jobs came up with, and heads into the Bluetooth realm.  There is also a 3.5 MM input for various other smartphones.

The model I took for a test drive, or test listen, came from my friends at At&T, which started carrying the product in March.

Not owning an I-Pod myself…yes, I know, say what you want…I elected to put Beats through the paces via the wireless option.  Understand that I have tried the various wireless options that “broadcast” a signal to a station on my radio that is traditionally skip, so from the start, my bar wasn’t set very high.

I took it out of the box, and gave it a once over inspection.  Very slick.  With the docking station on the top, handles on both sides to tote it around, and man size speakers, which at least appeared to promise some very impressive sound.  In reading some of the press on the Beatbox promised “sound engineering to play the music how the artist intended.”

Although 6 D-cell batteries make it a totally portable sound source, I elected to plug it into the wall.  By holding down the power button for a few moments, it puts it into pairing mode, and with a tap or two on my phone to discover, the two devices were thick as thieves.

I quickly went through my musical playlist, selected a Bon Jovi tune, and stretched her legs a bit.  Quiet, yep…but how would “Lay Your Hand On Me” sound a concert level from the 5.25-inch woofers?  Freekin’ GREAT!

After a song or two, in which Jon and did a duet…me in my living room, him through the Beatbox, I decided to try it with my Samsung tablet.  After the same ease in pairing, I found the same audio response. 

The Beatbox in black

As of late, I have started watching entire runs of shows that may not always catch on primetime.  I fell in love with the Jason Bateman clan Arrested Development, and found myself walking around my house with Liz, Tracy, and Jack on 30 Rock, all through the $8 a month magic of Netflix.  Given this premise, I, of course, wanted to hear the sound of movies and other videos.  The Beatbox didn’t let me down.

Even the included remote control worked with the 4 different Bluetooth paired devices I tried it with, allowing me to turn the volume up and down, skip tracks, and quickly mute the audio.

So with rich sound, both with music and video, the Beats By Dre Beatbox is pretty solid, there are, however, a few thoughts I would love to offer the good Doctor for future versions.

First, the remote.  I understand that it would be hard to have a universal remote for all potential uses, and sources, however, perhaps one, since there is such a lean toward the I products, might be a link to play lists from the remote.

Also, understanding that in some cases, size matters, and to deliver the sound it does, there are certain physical requirements, taking a cue from other docking stations, perhaps a clock, or other useful cross gadgets might increase the overall usefulness of the box.

Let’s also take a moment and talk about the price.  I understand Dre has to eat, but with a price of $399, it will truly be a product for the enthusiastic music aficionado.

The bottom line: The Beats By Dre Beatbox is a solid docking station, delivering rich full sound with music or video, while remaining fully portable through battery power.  According to the AT&T website, it comes in white and black models, and includes all the various fittings for the I products.

TR

Here are some of the specs thanks to our friends at C-Net:

Speakers:

2x right/left channel speaker - 2 way
Right/left channel speaker: 1x Bass driver 5.25 in
Right/left channel speaker: 1x Tweeter driver 2 in


Connections:
1x Audio line-in 3.5mm

MP3 Player Compatibility:
iPod with video
IPod classic
IPod nano

iPod touch

iPhone