[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note II] SMARTPHONEPC:
So I finally checked out a Note2 in person at a T-Mobile store on Saturday & liked what I saw even if it doesn't have all the features that would have made it a more instant buy for me including the split-screen-multitasking- multi-view, screen recorder function, video maker app & higher capacities than 16GB (~10.9GB internal on this one). For the bezel I would have preferred black & the rest could be grey or white. The contrasting of the AT&T One X's black core bezel is nice.

I did notice the less alluring plasticky Samsung feel of it but will 99% likely put a case on it anyway & followed this video that did make it seem quicker The screen did not look so huge to me as it was noticeably narrower than the original Note1 & I seemed to be able to use it with one hand without issues except when using the S-pen obviously but it was in one of those central vise gripper holders sadly so I couldn't properly test it & pocketability yet. The central vise gripper holder did make the handset look larger & I admit I'm still curious to see the 5" 1080p HTC handset coming to Verizon soon but I think I prefer the versatility of the Note2's S-Pen functionality & large removable battery.

I liked the ability to change the screen mode to more natural etc & the speaker was thankfully strong but Note 3 should still go for stereo higher fidelity speakers & a brighter perhaps even full 1080p screen. The screen on the Note2 seemed just bright enough at max brightness but I did not get a chance to test it under sunny conditions. The camera & camcorder seemed great but not quite as amazing as the HTC OneX although the software features go a long way. I do hope a future update would be able to bring audio to slow motion video at 1080p however.

I installed Flash easily but did not seem to get the 1080p options on the desktop version of youtube.com & didn't have the time to look into it further there so while the "HQ" Iron Man 3 HD trailer looked good-my own 1080p video capture was noticeably sharper. My non 720p EVO does HQ, so shouldn't the Note2 play better HD youtube than "HQ"?

When I started using-drilling the Note2 at full brightness-full volume etc the battery was ~33% & I was able to shut it down in ~ 2 hours, doesn't that sound low?

I was also quite surprised by T-Mobile prices because according to online articles I wasn't expecting such a compelling case for T-Mobile but the HSPA+ speeds on the speedtest app were consistently impressive at over 20 Mbps down & ~ 2 Mbps up (although this store's location had excellent coverage compared to where I would use it most ~ 5 miles away with significantly more spotty map coverage (Verizon has best coverage here) with individual T-Mobile value plans starting at $50/mo (for 500whenevermin-unlimited text-unlimited plus data with 2GB high speed data-to unlimited everything for $20 more/mo. The Note2 was priced there at $250 + $20/mo for 20 months to pay off its $650 pricetag. Since currently the vast majority of the time I seem to have fast Wi-Fi access & I don't need more than 500 whenever min I think I should get by on that $50/mo plan & if I notice higher usage could go up to other plans depending on data & hotspot needs. I'm still evaluating the AT&T & Verizon plans but I don't see why I should put up with slow Sprint any longer when T-Mobile is flexible & fast but my use case coverage remains to be tested.. Thoughts on T-Mobile vs other carriers or my rambling comments above;)?

Time for more storm-prep here in NY metro area.. :eek: