[General Questions and Answers] MsSassypants:
I commented on AP about the Samsung Mega, I want a tablet with phone functionality, instead of having two devices. The two most common comments about using a tablet as a phone are:

1. "It would look SILLY NEXT TO YOUR EAR!" My response to this, is that I don't use a phone like that and haven't for years. I either use a wired Jlabs headset, or a Plantronics voyager bluetooth headset. Well, I don't hold it up to my ear unless I'm wearing my tinfoil hat, to protect me from all those cancerous cell phone rays. ;)

2. "It won't fit in your pocket!" Ya, well, my phone now doesn't go in my pocket either. It goes either in my handbag or my backpack. So no problem there.

So, with those two problems/questions out of the way, what tablet will work for this task? From what I can find, only two tablets can accomplish that task. Both are available in the UK and I can import them. The two that I've found are the Note 8, and the ASUS Fonepad. Looking at the specs, the Note 8, is the stronger of the two, in almost every way.

I know the Note 8 can be the tablet I'm looking for. But can it be the phone I'm looking for? I'm not so much worried about data, as I am about cellular coverage. I already use my tablet (GT-3110 Galaxy Tab 7 2) mainly at work and at home on WIFI, and I occasionally take calls on my phone (GSM Galaxy Nexus on Straight Talk). I'd like to buy the international version of the Note 8 to use as a phone, but I'm really confused about data vs voice.

From what I understand (and tell me if I'm wrong), but the voice part of your phone is GSM and that runs on the 850MHz and 1900Mhz frequencies in the US. If that's true, I should be able to receive calls on T-mobile/ATT/Straight Talk on the GT-N5100 as it runs on the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz frequencies, correct?

The LTE version, the GT-N5120 runs on GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz as well. Shouldn't I be able to recieve the same call quality from either tablet? Should be able to have the same clear cellular voice calls on ST that I have now on my Galaxy Nexus? If I'm right, it's only the data speeds that would be different?

If I get the same data speeds I get now, with my GN, I'd be happy. I can listen to Google Music, check email and surf just fine on my phone here in Madison. I usually get 3G and sometimes H+ on my GN, but that's usually more than enough data wise. I had a 4G phone on Verizon, and that was great, but it wasn't 35 dollars more a month great. I'm not watching Netflix when I'm on the bus. That's really the only plus I found to having 4G. Anyway, the data signal I'm getting from my ST account (at 45 a month on a T-mobile ST SIM) is more than adequate. But I'm trying to figure out if I'd have the same data signal and I don't want to spend $500 to figure it out. So...as data goes....

my interwebs research has pointed me to the fact that I might be stuck with edge speeds because as far as data goes T-mobile runs its 3G data on the AWS or 1700/2100 MHz frequency, and that is not supported on the Note 8. Correct? It only supports 2G/EDGE speeds because it only has support for the 19000MHz frequency which is what Edge/2G speeds run on unless your area has been refarmed, and according to this crowd sourced map, Madison has not) correct? It looks as if AT&T uses the 850/19000mz frequencies (PCS) for 3G speeds, so I could get 3G speeds on ST with a AT&T micro-sim, correct?

Just trying to figure out how to make this happen, if it's at all possible. Your thoughts?