I have been toying with the idea of replacing my phone with a Samsung Galaxy Note for a few months. I had actually ordered similar things from China a couple of years ago and found that they were totally unusable. The Galaxy Note is what’s considered a “Phablet” (phone/tablet). I currently have an HTC HD2 that I converted to android a year or so ago. So, I am used to people joking about my large phone. (I actually show them the screen and they end up loving it.)  The HTC screen is 4.3 inches. The Samsung Galaxy Note is 5.3 inches. So, I am just going up an inch.

I did a lot of looking around online, since the price was going to end up being around $700 for the phablet. Ebay was my first choice because of paypal/billmelater, but I wanted to get a drops and spills warranty for such an expensive item and squaretrade no longer does that for an ebay purchase. So, I searched for a while, at&t wanted $650 online, but no unlocked option. I actually found it on walmart’s site, unlocked, for $750 and wrote to them asking why it was $100 more than everywhere else. They wrote back, surprisingly, and said that they try to be competitive, but they were sure of the price.

I gave up on getting the Galaxy Note and tried a Blu Studio 5.3, from a seller on ebay. Two days after using the phone, a red line showed up in the display. I considered that a sign and returned it. Even though the price was a third of the Galaxy Note, the quality was not good. The seller was excellent, btw, about taking the item back and giving me a refund. What I weighed out was a third of the price and having to replace it at some point within a year would not be cool. So, that kicked me back into keeping an eye on the Galaxy Note.

While strolling through the Note listings the other day, I found that walmart had actually taken the price down $100 and immediately placed it in my cart! Looks like someone paid attention to my email! I checked out quickly and waited for my shipment to arrive.

While waiting, I looked around for a case. These are hard to find in this country right now. I don’t want the one that attaches to the back, as I read that it can easily come off and the battery falls out. I don’t want the ones with the buttoning flap out to the side, so I did some heavy searching on ebay for the exact cover I am looking for. I found it, it’s called MFIT, and it is a book-type cover without a buttoning flap and latches with a magnet. PERFECT! Only problem is, it’s $50 and it comes from Korea and they state it will be a month before it gets here. As I type this, I have decided to go ahead and order it and try to find something cheap in the meantime.

UPDATE:

I got the phone, bought the drops and spills warranty as well. I got the case as well. I have been using it now for a couple of weeks and absolutely love it. The first reaction I get from people is “That’s HUGE!”, then they want to see it. I even had a waiter so interested in it, he spilled things. Once I show them the included video, the web browser, and the PEN feature, they want one. Until they learn the price. 🙂