[Galaxy Note 8.0 (Tablet) General] bbfoto:
^Yeah, I went ahead and put in my preorder for the 16GB 3G + WiFi N5100 from Negri Electronics last week. It was the least expensive site that I could find, and I know that they are a reputable seller. And since they are in Las Vegas shipping is relatively fast to the Los Angeles area. :)

Up until early yesterday the site said that the "Expected Availability" date was April 23rd, but just this morning (Los Angeles time) I checked again, and now it says May 8th. :( Gotta wait a bit longer now and I'm chomping at the bit as it is, LOL. Still, I wish it were closer to just ~$100 (or less) of a premium for the 3G/Phone version instead of the blatant raping that it is.

And we all know that Samsung would sell EXPONENTIALLY more of these if they matched the iPad Mini pricing, and actually released the 32gb versions at the same time as the 16gb base model, and for just $30-$40 more. At least we DO have the option to add microSD cards at a reasonable cost, but really Samsung?...a $100 more for a measly 16gb additional? That's just cwazy. (Yes, I have the same issue with Apple regarding this!) And Samsung makes the RAM memory chips so it's probably something like 50¢ more in actual production cost. :/

Yes. I still ordered one, but it was not an easy (or rational) decision that I made, LOL! It's actually just a bit depressing to contemplate spending so much for their "shiny plastic products", when the competition offer much nicer physical or cosmetic designs and materials (IMO), and at less cost.

I really believe that Samsung creates amazing products, and ergonomically I prefer most of their products over Apple's in that regard. However, they did miss the mark with the speaker and capacitive button placement on the Note 8.0. :( And I don't know what the designers were thinking with the camera protruding so much that the tab rocks from side-to-side when placed on a table, desk, etc. :/ So much for accurate use of the S-pen (the hero feature of this device)!

IMO, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the ONLY Samsung mobile electronics device that I can think of where I feel they came even close to matching the build quality and physical design of their competition. But once again, they priced it way out of the market. :/

And I don't mind the use of plastics one bit if they are used properly like the polycarbonates used in some of the higher-end Nokia and HTC devices. I truly feel that when Samsung gets their build quality up to par that the vast majority of the public will have no problem paying Apple-level prices (or more), and they'll sell a bazillion just like Apple does. But they're demanding premium prices, even over what Apple demands, but for an inferior physical design/build quality (IMHO). Why does Samsung not "get this"?!? People expect a BMW or Mercedes when they pay the price for one, not a Citroen (no offense to any Citroen owners). :p

With the Galaxy S4, if Samsung had just stepped-up the build quality alone (plus the 13mp camera), and nothing more as compared to the GS3, I would have purchased it. But with the same 'ol shiny plastic, its just a "Meh" product to me. :(

Also, I was really hoping that they would have included the hardware FM Radio tuner on the International version of the Note 8.0, just as they did on the Int'l SGS2, SGS3, Note (N7000), and Note 2. Initially, I didn't think that I would use the FM tuner at all, but I've found that I use it quite a bit...saves quite a bit on data as opposed to streaming.

LOL, sorry that I veered so off topic, haha. /END OF RANT

I am very much looking forward to using the new Note 8.0! :)