[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Brad387:
I originally purchased the Galaxy Note around 1.5 months ago on a £27 GBP per month 24-month contract from 3 (including 500 minutes, 5000 texts and unlimited data) with the purpose of it saving me the costs of two devices. So far, it has proved more than capable as serving as both a tablet and phone, but I want to try and extend that. After spending a few ill days using solely the Note, I've found I'm able to complete almost all my regular PC tasks that I would carry out on my laptop on my Note instead.

Thanks to Polaris Office, which comes pre-installed on the phone, I can even do the majority of my school homework on my device with reminders set on S Memo and S Planner. S Note helps me organise recipes for my passion for cooking, whilst Nova launcher allows me to have several slots on my dock bar coupled with a default ICS look for a tablet-like experience. The sites which I visit frequently, such as YouTube and Facebook, all have adequate enough apps and Thumb Keyboard makes typing on the Note (be it landscape or portrait) a breeze. So, fading out my laptop usage seems like the natural thing to do in my mind.

However, before I am able to do that I have a few things I need to sort out first and I have taken the liberty to write them out below with the hope that someone hear can help me with one or more of these issues I face.

Firstly, the Galaxy Note only delivers around 4/5 hours of screen time, which isn't awful but an improvement is always welcome. So, I am looking for a larger battery, but I still need to fit my phone into a case so I don't want one which increases the size of my device. Any recommendations that aren't ridiculously priced as I don't have an awful lot of money with £27 out of £40 allowance going towards this phone?

Next, I am looking for a case for my Note which both protects the back of the device and the camera, which I have heard to be prone to scratches, plus the screen. So, a flip-case seems most appropriate. I love the styling of the Zenus one found here, but it is rather expensive. So, does anyone know of some cheaper alternatives with a similar styling? I want one with a kickstand so I can view movies from my bedside cabinet or set it up to play some games using a gaming pad.

Unfortunately, as with every device, severely heavy usage does mean you have to charge at least once a day. Unfortunately, the charger which came with my phone does not reach from a mains plug to a chair in my living room or bedroom. So, could anyone recommend a longer wire approximately four metres in length for a decent price?

I also have a few questions regarding the software of the Galaxy Note. My phone suffers from the brick-bug thanks to accepting an upgrade before checking online, which was in hindsight a little foolish, and also the deep sleep bug. The brick bug should, hopefully, receive a fix from Samsung. But, if this comes in the form of an update, will it not wipe data and trigger the bug or shall this update be safe? As for the deep sleep bug, what can I do to try to trigger my phone into deep sleep? I already get around 15 hours of light use on my phone, which is still better than any other smartphone I have (admittedly just an old HTC Desire and Samsung Wave), but as I said all improvements are welcome. Any ideas?

OnLive allows you to pull of full HD gaming with the likes of Homefront available on the service to play on your mobile. I want to know how connecting the "Universal Wireless Controller" works? Is it compatible with ICS?

Finally, I am looking for some app recommendations. Open to all suggestions.

EDIT 1: I am also looking for a 32GB Micro-SD/SD card (whichever one the Galaxy Note takes) for the cheapest price available. I have heard of some 64GB cards working too, but unless they are for a reasonable price I am uninterested. Any suggestions for a cheap card for storing some media on? I am also looking for PC software to rip my DVDs to place them onto my SD card. I have loads of television show box-sets that have 20 minute long episodes just perfect for a bus trip, for example.

EDIT 2: So, upon some reading, I've heard lots of people saying how a screen protector is a must. I certainly didn't think so, but I trust the people on here to not steer me wrong. The issue I have with many screen protectors is that they add a weird texture for touching and also are absolutely a nightmare to get on. Anyone know of a screen protector which doesn't impair the comfort of touching and using the S-Pen on the screen?