The best of both worlds

TECHNOLOGY is a wonderful thing – but sometimes it really is difficult to keep up with the changes. In quite a short space of time, as a human race we have moved from big and bulky desktop computers to laptops.
Then, we saw the transition from laptop to the tablet and indeed the smart-phone.
Samsung then took it to the next level with the N7000 Samsung Galaxy Note. This piece of hardware really is the best of both worlds as it gives you the power and flexibility of a tablet with the power of a Super Amoled screen mobile phone.
We unboxed the very pretty N7000 Samsung Galaxy note and here is what we found:
The handset sits very tidily into the box and has the usual laminate plastic front and back to protect the phone casing. Underneath the handset you will find the very powerful Samsung 3.7VLi-ion battery and quick start guide for the phone together with snazzy white Samsung earphones and quick charging unit.
The sim card and battery go into the phone very easily, put the back on the phone and turn it on. You are good to go.

What is so “super” about their Super Amoled screen?
Ok, so the first thing you notice as the powers-up is the screen. It is beautiful in every single way.
The screen is 5.3” Super HD (high definition) Amoled screen, bearing a whopping 1280 x 800 pixels of unmatched beauty. In lay-man’s terms what this means is that you are effectively holding a screen which surpasses anything else. Think of a normal household light-bulb – uses a lot of power right?
Now think of an energy saving lightbulb – brighter, cleaner, sharper and more importantly saves you money. That is in effect your Super Amoled screen.
Apart from the visually awesome colours that will light up your life, what makes the Super Amoled screen so “super” is that when playing video, viewing images and data there is virtually zero blurring. Combine this with the fact that when even using in direct sunlight your images remain calm and clear.  We actually tested this, as I was initially sceptical. We went to the end of the jetty at the Yacht Club during the midday sun, shining directly above us and turned the phone on. Amazingly, Samsung put their money where their mouth is. The SuperAmoled does exactly what is says it does and gives you perfect imaging under even the harshest conditions!
Okay so after the first test passed, it was now time to test Samsungs claim of an extended battery life. I turned the phone on, left it on standby for most of the time and used it for a maximum of 1hr a day to surf the net and make a few calls. I was thinking, yeh right I will have to charge this bad-boy soon I am sure.
Nope, I was wrong! It was actually just under 39hours before the battery started to blink red as a warning that the battery was soon to run out. That Super HD Amoled screen really does the trick. Samsung are clearly proud of their little invention which is only available on Samsung products and so they should be too!

What is “outside” of the phone?
So we started to play around with the phone and on first sight it looks like a normal touch screen SMART phone Very simple and minimalistic – really classy actually.
It’s actually got two cameras which is really cool – a front camera lens and a rear camera lens. So no more taking any of those self portrait pictures which just captures half of your head! It’s got a lovely sharp 8megapixel camera too, which means that your pictures will always be clear and crisp – especially on that gorgeous screen!
Other than that, there is a nicely central positioned home-key, the power and volume buttons and that’s about it…. or was it?

The Samsung S-Pen
This was when we found the Samsung S pen. What a joy!  At the bottom of the handset tucked very neatly into the shell of the handset is the unique Samsung s-pen.
This we found is a great little gimmick and allows you to do some pretty neat stuff on your new toy. The pen has no batteries, and works like an absolute dream, allowing you to draw sketches, add colours, draw charts and manage work related stuff really well.
Samsung even built in some great little applications so that you can get the most out of your new toy!

What’s inside?
This is of course where the magic really happens.
The machine has a 1.4Ghz Dual Core arm processor. What this means is that imagine you have 2 computers running together side by side onto one screen. That’s right – you have twice the speed. It is in essence – two internal computers working as one, basically making everything twice as quick! Nice…
Also, the machine is powered by Android technology. This is the operating system for the handset, kind of like in the same way that computers use Microsoft Windows to operate.
Android technology is maintained by Google and therefore the sheer number of applications that you can download for your handset is literally endless. Since the Note went on sale I have seen people of all ages using it and it’s applications, from kids downloading the latest games, to graphic designers and architects downloading the latest design tools.
Needless to say this tidy little device is Wi-fi certified with a built in GPS and the video display, thanks to that sweet Amoled screen, is 100% HD (high definition) making it some of the crispest video that we have ever seen on a mobile device.
So will this replace the laptop? Probably not. I personally still like to use the old fashioned keyboard if I am writing a particularly long document, but it’s definatley going to give the tablets a run for their money, because with that 5.3” powerhouse that you can hold in your hand, slip into your top pocket and take with you on the move we don’t really think you can get sweeter!
Look out for next weeks’ edition from T Mobile for our next “no-frills” review of the latest PNG tech to hit the streets.