Galaxy Note II - 7/10 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Oct

[Updated] Verizon, Why Did You Stick Your Crappy Logo On The Galaxy Note II's Home Button?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Note II, News, Verizon Wireless

Back at the beginning of September, we got our first glimpse of the Note II on Verizon... and it had a branded home button. Initial thoughts after seeing this were unanimously along the lines of "eww" and "omg why." We all hoped it was some stupid thing they tried while the device was in testing.

It wasn't.

Samsung just released some press shots of the Verizon Note II variant, complete with the absurd home button branding. Dear God, why? It's atrocious.

^{One of these things does not belong.}

As if throwing the logo on the front of the device wasn't enough, Big Red is so arrogant that it felt the need to stamp a huge "Verizon 4G LTE" logo on the back, too!

Oct

Samsung Galaxy Note II Review - Samsung Finally Finds Their Killer App

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Galaxy Note II, Reviews, Samsung

Last Updated: October 29th, 2012

I panned the Note 10.1 in my review. It was subtitled "An Embarrassing, Lazy, Arrogant Money Grab" and, for my conclusion, I took a picture of it in a trashcan. I did not like it. It had erratic performance, a squishy, creaky back, and a bunch of gimmicky features that didn't work. Now, I've got a Note II!

I'm happy to report the Note II is not as crappy as its bigger brother. It's much more solidly built in comparison, really fast, and god help me, some of the TouchWiz features are actually good. They greatly improved the split screen app feature of the Note 10.1, and I think Samsung has finally found their huge, differentiating software feature that they've been searching for.

Oct

[Video] Samsung Releases Official Promo Video For Galaxy Note II, Reminds You It Has Features

Posted by David Ruddock in Galaxy Note II, News, Samsung, Videos

Did you know the Samsung Galaxy Note II does things? Well, Samsung's here to remind you of that with a brand-new video. Here it is.

So, have you imagined enough yet?

As a reminder, the Note II is coming. On T-Mobile, today. On AT&T, November 9th. On Sprint, tomorrow. And on Verizon... at some point.

YouTube

Oct

T-Mobile's Galaxy Note II Official Today For A Wallet-Emptying $370, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 Available 'In The Coming Weeks'

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, News, T-Mobile

Today's the day, T-Mobile folks: the Galaxy Note II can be yours for the low, low price of... $370. OK, so maybe that's not low at all. If you want to get it cheaper, Wirefly's your best bet. Still, if you prefer to walk in to a T-Mo store and walk out with a brand new behemoth in your pocket, you can do that - you'll just have to pay extra.

T-Mobile also announced today an upcoming addition to its tablet collection: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. The Tab 2 10.1 (I still hate that name) packs a 1.5GHz dual-core chip, along with a solitary gig of RAM, and Android 4.0.

Oct

[Deal Alert] Samsung Galaxy Note II (T-Mobile) Goes Live At Wirefly.com For $279.99 On Contract

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Deals, Galaxy Note II, News, T-Mobile

Samsung's latest flagship – the Galaxy Note II – which we've so far only seen on video and in international markets, is finally (officially) headed to States-side carriers, with AT&T beginning pre-orders and Sprint and T-Mobile officially launching the device today.

In addition to official carrier launches (and the opening of pre-orders), though, Wirefly.com has opened up orders for the Galaxy Note II's T-Mobile variant, listing the flagship phablet at $279.99 for new or upgrading contracts. This beats T-Mobile's $369.99 price by a weighty $90.00, and it's worth noting that Wirefly is throwing in free shipping.

Oct

AT&T's Galaxy Note II Will Be Available For Pre-Order Beginning October 25, In Stores On November 9 For $300

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Galaxy Note II, News

We've been patiently waiting for US carriers to start announcing the availability of their respective Galaxy Note II variants. While Sprint was the first to step up to the plate, AT&T has now committed to something that you can pencil in on your calendar: pre-orders begin on October 25th, with November 9th as the confirmed launch date.

Much like the other variants that we already know about, AT&T's Note II will hit the wallet fairly hard at $300, which is of course the subsidized price and requires a two-year agreement. All version of the Note II share the same beastly specs, so if you need a reminder of what three-hundred bucks will get you, this should whet your appetite:

5.5" 1280x720 Super AMOLED display
1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor
2GB RAM
16/32/64GB storage, microSD Card slot
8MP Rear shooter
1.9MP Front camera
4G LTE
S Pen
80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4 mm, 180 g
3100mAh battery
Android 4.1

Signups start in two days at AT&T's Note II landing page - get your checkbook ready.

Oct

[Weekend Poll] Pick A Phablet Edition: HTC DLX, Samsung Galaxy Note II, Or LG Optimus Vu II?

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in DLX, Galaxy Note II, Optimus Vu II, Polls

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Are You Content With Your Phone's Stock Battery Life?

Complain as some people might, smartphones are getting bigger and bigger. Nothing exemplifies that fact more than phablets like the HTC DLX (or other variants, such as the J Butterfly), Samsung Galaxy Note II, and LG Optimus Vu II. Packing 5"+ displays, powerful CPUs, and 2GB of RAM, these phones aren't for your grandmother.

^{Left to right: HTC J Butterfly (Japanese variant of the purported DLX), Samsung Galaxy Note II, and LG Optimus Vu II.}

Oct

Samsung Releases Unity Extension SDK For Galaxy Note S Pen Game Integration

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in Galaxy Note (GT-N7000), Galaxy Note II, News

Device-specific hardware tends to get overlooked by the third-party development community, but the S Pen from Samsung's Note phones might be the exception. There are a lot of Note users out there and it has a stylus that's actually worth using. Samsung is now offering game developers a way to better utilize that feature with the Unity Extension SDK, which can be downloaded from Samsung's developer site.

In case you're not aware, Unity is a 3D game engine that's used by a number of popular titles. The new SDK will allow developers to accept input from the S Pen. The SDK provides devs with access to SCanvasView in their games.

Oct

Sprint's Galaxy Note II With LTE Will Launch On October 25th For $300, Offers Rebate To Get Your Arm And Leg Back

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Galaxy Note II, News, Sprint

Last Updated: October 25th, 2012

For the first time, Samsung's largest flagship line will be landing on Sprint with the Galaxy Note II. During the initial launch, though, you better know you want it as this device will come with a whopping $300 price tag with a new two year contract. This isn't unheard of for some major devices, but it still ranks as one of the most expensive handsets you can buy.

The Note II will be launching with Android 4.1.1, LTE, and the same Exynos processor as the international version. As we know, devices that use the Exynos 4 processor require a discrete LTE chip outside the SoC itself which can add thickness to a phone.

Oct

[Update: More Carriers] Canadian Galaxy Note II Will Launch On Mobilicity On October 30th, Get $50 Off If You Pre-Order Now

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Deals, Galaxy Note II, News

Residents of the great white north have a special treat coming up soon. The Galaxy Note II is coming to Mobilicity the day before Halloween. If you know you're going to want it on day one, though, you can sign up for a pre-order right now and get $50 off. Unfortunately, the ad doesn't specify just what price you'll get $50 off of.

One tipster sent in an email that he received after placing his order. The email seemed to have an additional stipulation that you must be one of the first 1,000 people to purchase and activate your phone. If there are more than 1,000 pre-orders, it's unclear if everyone will receive the $50 credit.