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http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/samsung-galaxy-note-att/

Preorder starts Feb 5th, available the 19th. They are promising delivery by the 17th if you order by the 15th. Huge phone but I'm finding it tempting....

It really is a great phone, best I've used so far. Once you start watching videos and browsing the web, you will really appreciate the bigger screen and resolution. The S-Pen is great fun as well.

I wish they hadn't replaced the Exynos with the Qualcomm in a way but it's pretty much a draw for me. I don't have LTE in my area and won't ever notice the difference in performance for what I would do. It boils down to battery life. I'm curious to see if the At&T version fares better than the International version with that. From videos I've watched, the screen is awesome.

ICS?

I'm wondering if it will ship with ICS also. I would expect a quick update if not but it would be nice out of the box.

Based on the latest rumour/guess that ICS would be out for the Galaxy S2/Note in March, it is unlikely AT&T's Note will come with ICS.

It's Samsung and AT&T, so I wouldn't get your hopes up about getting Android 4.0 anytime soon. Captivate owners are still waiting for an official 2.3 update.

A question: is it the phone makers or the cell network providers (e.g. AT&T or Verizon) that make it hard to upgrade the Android OS to ICS?

riviera74 wrote:

A question: is it the phone makers or the cell network providers (e.g. AT&T or Verizon) that make it hard to upgrade the Android OS to ICS?

Both help for it. Here's how the cycle goes: Google releases a new version of Android to phone makers => phone makers customize it, add specific features and release it to the public and the operators => the operators customize it (mostly by removing features they don't want their users to have, like tethering, the ability to install non-market apps etc.) => the operators release it to their users. But, for the most part, the operators are the ones causing big delays in OS updates to their phones.

rado992 wrote:

riviera74 wrote:

A question: is it the phone makers or the cell network providers (e.g. AT&T or Verizon) that make it hard to upgrade the Android OS to ICS?

Both help for it. Here's how the cycle goes: Google releases a new version of Android to phone makers => phone makers customize it, add specific features and release it to the public and the operators => the operators customize it (mostly by removing features they don't want their users to have, like tethering, the ability to install non-market apps etc.) => the operators release it to their users. But, for the most part, the operators are the ones causing big delays in OS updates to their phones.

Is that why it seems that AT&T and Verizon would rather have you buy a new phone instead: just money?

before you buy a phone, 1) make sure that a bootloader exploit has been found (if not, give it two weeks and someone will fine one), 2) install cyanogen mod, 3)????, 4)Profit

Probably won't buy a Android phone unless it has ICS on it already. Samsung takes about 12 months to update their Android phones (using Galaxy S GB as an example).

Mr. Bamboo Head wrote:

before you buy a phone, 1) make sure that a bootloader exploit has been found (if not, give it two weeks and someone will fine one), 2) install cyanogen mod, 3)????, 4)Profit

3) Reflash it because it's unstable and saving settings.
4) Once it's stable install the Google Apps so you can get access to the market to get ROM Manager back.
5) Find the package that supports your cell modem, and use ROM manager to install it.
6) Customize!
7) Profit.

At least that was my experience with my Captivate. Well sort of, 5) was install MIUI.

I'm wondering why the Galaxy Note comes installed with Android v2.3.6 (gingerbread) whereas Android v4.0.3 (ice cream) would be the better choice.

thegleek wrote:

I'm wondering why the Galaxy Note comes installed with Android v2.3.6 (gingerbread) whereas Android v4.0.3 (ice cream) would be the better choice.

The Note was out for quite a while outside the US and they are equipped with Gingerbread, long before ICS is ready. Samsung is still finalizing their ICS release for the GSII and the Note with similar hardware should get it a bit later than GSII (I would imagine the pen stuff may take a while to validate on the new OS). For carriers like AT&T, it will be even later since they need to make sure their customizations work after they get Samsung's stock release.

I considered it but waiting on some in-depth reviews. I live in an HSPA+ only area and have read the LTE modem is always on. If that's true I have some doubts about battery life. I'm rocking a prepaid talk n text only phone at the moment because I got tired of the horrid battery life of the EVO I had. Sure, it would go most of the day on a charge as long as i barely used it. Why pay that much a month for something to look at though. My office is on the fringe of Sprint signal though and I think that contributed.

Edit: Before someone asks why I never owned an iPhone - AT&T only recently got HSPA+ in this area. It was 2G only before 6 months ago. While I admire the iPhones battery life and retina display, it doesn't make up for the small 3.5" screen and locked down experience. 4" screen, some customization options and lose the "quality" glass on the back that breaks easy and we will see.

Nice, I want to order one.

ModernPrimitive wrote:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/samsung-galaxy-note-att/galaxy-note-case/

Preorder starts Feb 5th, available the 19th. They are promising delivery by the 17th if you order by the 15th. Huge phone but I'm finding it tempting....