Samsung Galaxy Note 2

[woodyear99]

Happy with the battery life so far. Screen on for over 2 hours (last charge almost 13 hours ago/wifi 4G on) and this is my battery level.



Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

[TriniXaeno]

You using a PowerMaster 500 cranking amps battery in that Galaxy Note or what? You have the space for it.



lol

all kicks aside, that is impressive.

very impressive

[MessiaaH]

Personally i never see the appeal for otterbox cases, they big, ugly, and clunky. boxwave ftw, slim, light, sexy, and it works for protecting your device. And i does use a waist case, so never had cause to put phone in pocket. Not that id be walking around sporting a note on my waist lolol.

[woodyear99]

Never felt comfortable with waist cases, feels like it is free advertising for bandits.

Otterbox cases offer some crazy protection but I prefer something that isn't as bulky. I've had a few drops with the boxwave Note 1 case and fortunately no damage.

[MessiaaH]

yea my phone went rollin down steps with boxwave and not a scratch, also, d waist case i use is the vertical ones, so when i in Dodgey areas, or traveling through airports etc, i juss attach it to my pocket. So i clip it onto my pocket on d inside. And it dont have no flap, so i can still slide my phone out relatively easy, and protected from bandits, but usually on d move going around during d day, waist works fine for me.

Most of d times my phone is spent in a car kit, or sat on a desk somewhere. So i good either way.

[rassmatic]

Seeing the S3 getting some Note only features soon.   

[woodyear99]

Multi window is decent. I turned off smart rotation/stay to conserve battery though.

[Arcmanov]

Actually Rage, that's a custom ROM with Note 2 features built in.  No one knows when Samsung will push the official JB 4.1.2 to the S3.

..but thanks to XDA we never have to wait. 

I'm using that very same ROM (Omega v33.2) on my S3 now, as CheckROM seems to be stuck in the past.  The only thing that doesn't work so great is the new camera, so I disabled it, but the JB/ICS default camera is still there, so no biggie.  The new gallery is a definite plus.




SwiftKeyed from my Samsung Galaxy S3 with Tapatalk 2

[rassmatic]

Actually Rage, that's a custom ROM with Note 2 features built in.  No one knows when Samsung will push the official JB 4.1.2 to the S3.

No, it's actually a leaked version of the official firmware to be released, supposedly sometime this month. The one in the video may be the Omega ROM, but the official release will come with those features.

http://www.sammobile.com/2012/11/15/i9300xxelk4-%E2%80%93-galaxy-s-iii-android-4-1-2-jelly-bean-leaked-firmware/

And here's a video of the official firmware in action...

[Arcmanov]

Ahhh...I stand corrected then.  Good stuff.

At least Samsung speeding up their update cycles.

[rassmatic]

Yeah. Still too bad they're only on 4.1.2. Mightn't see 4.2 till February or March next year. Oh well.

This update's gonna make things harder for me, as the first thing I was going to do once I get my phone is flash CyanogenMod. But multi-window is a feature I could picture myself using.

[woodyear99]

Have yall tried Google Voice Typing? It is pretty accurate, been using it with Whatsapp since messages tend to be shorter.

[Arcmanov]

As promised...here's my Note 2 OtterBox pics...








See?  Doesn't add THAT much bulk.



This is what I used before I got the OtterBox...





It's cheap...and looks OK, but the protection is nowhere NEAR what the OtterBox offers.  I ent playin dat nah.


TW, if you want it, I could let go of the Cimo case for a 'small money'. 

[TriniXaeno]

Interesting....as a new Note II owner (and a previous form factor critic), I must admit.....it is hands down the best and most powerful mobile device I have ever had the pleasure of using.

The battery life is a huge bonus. Used to be moving from charger to charger with the nexus.....always looking for next hit, like an electricity junkie.

No more. Easily making it through the day with battery life to spare.

That cimo case doesn't seem to add much bulk, judging from the pics.

Hadn't planned to get a case due to the size but now I'll reconsider.

rest it on meh chest it

There is a caveat I wanted to mention....this maybe related to all Samsung phones though and not just the Note II.

Namely, the SNS service. For some reason...Samsung wants you to login to Facebook through their service and in so doing, they gain access to all of your personal information.

You can disable the service but the average joe will be oblivious to this fact and unwittingly hand over all of their facebook data to Samsung.

It is implemented in a very coy fashion. Sneaky.....and I don't like sneaky.

[Spazosaurus]

Take Arc old case. It might not fully protect against falls but it will certainly keep your device free from scratches and wear of everyday use, thus maintaining its resale value.

[TriniXaeno]

I don't plan to sell any of my phones to be honest. Got enough friends and family for a hand-me-down marathon lol

But yes, I'll take the cimo case all the same. Seems slim enough and could never have too much protection.

[rassmatic]

I have a black Cimo S-Line Case for my S3 and love it. Like yuh forget ur the one who brought it in for me Wyatt lol. Not much in terms of protection, but it looks really nice and it adds very little bulk to the phone.

Didn't really see the need for anything more. Not a fan of clear cases, but the one Arc offers is still really good.

[MessiaaH]

Just a tip:

I usually use Boxwave cases, they tend to come out much later than cimo and the like. Cimo is like my gunta case until boxwave release them own. I dislike the otterbox design , i find it too bulky, when i see men iphone in otterbox cases i does shudder, cuase it makes d iphone big like any other phone.

Right now i using a cimo case on my 920 and d thing done start to get discolored, perfect example of poor quality.

I check boxwave last night and i see they get my 920 case in stock.
I went with this bad boy:



Just made a check for the Note 2 and found a nice variety of cases and designs to go with:

Boxwave cases add very little bulk, most of d S designs out there as used by cimo was stolen from boxwave.
And boxwave cases though low profile, offers enough protection to let my phone roll down steps without a scratch. My HTC HD2 and Samsung Focus can both attest to that. Lumia 920 eh take that kinda fall yet doh, but it's bound to happen.

The addition of the built in kickstand for the 920 much appreciated, and with a device as big as the Note 2, a kickstand going to come in rel handy for media consumption. Check it out

http://www.boxwave.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2-cases-and-covers/bwdcd/zmkk-t/



Edit:

Amazon resells everything boxwave, so u can search and order there as well.
Boxwave screen protectors are the only ones i use also, the Crystal Clear protectors, them thing does be almost invisible, and protection and quality for the win. Every other screenprotector brand i try was rubbish.

[TriniXaeno]

lol, yeah boy rage. I think just like you on the case.....as little bulk as possible.

@ Messiaah. I like the idea of a kick stand....but not the bulk that comes with it. When my 64gb SD card arrives and the phone is loaded with media, may be willing to overlook the bulk for media consumption convenience. Good point to raise.

Left to me, I'd leave the thing naked...because it is already so big....but with Arc hitting me the cimo on the cheap, can't hurt to try it out.

The stock phone is definitely slippery, so getting some more grip would be welcome.

[MessiaaH]

The day u drop yuh phone and it have a big dent in it, is d day ud wish you had a case on it lol.

I does want to keep my phone in prestine condition for re-sale oui. Seeing that i swap out phones every year, protection important for me. But try it out, the gel cases does add hardly any bulk, and gives d phone a better grip too, feels better in the hand. The gains far outweigh the very little bulk that would be added.