[Galaxy Note 10.1 General] BarryH_GEG:
Here’s why I decided to get a Note to replace my perfectly fine 32GB UK 3G P7500. Maybe it’ll help others that are on the fence.

- ICS on the original G-Tab made a world of difference in performance. But I also have a Teg3 One X and every time I switched between devices I realized how painfully slow the Teg2 processor in the G-Tab is. With the same CPU/GPU as the SGS3 the Note will fly. And it has an additional GB of RAM for great multitasking.

- I use my tablet mostly for consumption; especially when traveling. Moving files to the G-Tab via MTP is a long and tedious process. All my video is stored on a home server in MKV format, most in 1080P. The files can be 20GB for a feature film. The G-Tab just chokes. Both in getting files on to it and then playing them because of the lack of NEON support in Teg2. I got a 64GB SDXC MicroSD and the Note will most likely support exFAT like the SGS3 so I’ll be able to transfer 4GB+ files to the card on my PC . And between the Exynos Quad CPU and updated Mali GPU playing back 1080P video will be a piece of cake. Problem solved.

- The most obvious reason to buy a Note is for taking handwritten notes. That’s a killer feature for me and worth giving up the HD display to get. Combined with multi-page support being able to clip from a presentation or the browser in putting together notes and communication puts the Note in a whole different league than other tablets. And handwriting-to-text recognition is another huge benefit.

- If you’ve watched the videos, the Note’s s/w is totally different than ICS on the G-Tab I and G-Tab II. It's more a tablet-ized version of the SGS3's. The stock keyboard has been modernized so that it’s more space efficient in full view and offers a floating “mini-view” and even a thumb keyboard. It also inherits a lot of the SGS3 new features like Awake Stay to keep the screen on while you’re looking at it, Pop-up-Play to watch videos in a resizable window while doing other things, and Buddy Share to tag and share photos using face recognition. I’m sure the devs will try to port some of this over to the G-Tab I and II but with their weak processors and 1GB of RAM they’ll never work right. Samsung’s also confirmed JB for the Note. The G-Tab I is now an orphan and if the G-Tab II gets it I’m sure it’ll be nine months like it was for the G-Tab I to get ICS.

- The in-built phone is also a killer feature. My One X has a 1800mAh fixed battery. The Note’s is 7,000mAh. I’ll use it rather than my phone for long conference calls and Skype sessions to save my phone’s battery when I don’t have access to power.

Other neat features

AllShare Cast – AllShare allowed you to play DLNA media “from” another device. AllShare Cast lets you send it “to” another device. Samsung sells an AllShare dongle that plugs in to an HDMI device to receive content via AllShare Cast. I already have an HTC Media Link HD dongle for my phone that will work with the Note too. So in hotels I can play content directly from the Note to the in-room TV. It’ll also be great for business presentations.

aptX support – The Note has BT 4.0 and apt.X support. If none of you have listened to audio over aptX it’s incredibly impressive. I have the HTC Car Adapter which is aptX so I can output audio to my home receiver via its 3.5mm jack. I also have a coupler that lets it act as a pendent to use my standard 3.5mm headphones. The sound output via aptX is better than the in-built 3.5mm h/w jack.

Advanced S-Pen – Pushing the button on the S-Pen allows it to be used as a screen navigation device. It also solves a problem that’s driven me crazy using Android browsers. It pops-up sub-menus when you mouse over them allowing you to make selections rather than taking you to a whole new web page.

So everyone has different needs but all that I outlined is what made me ditch the G-Tab I that I was perfectly happy with. Good luck deciding.