First posted 3-15-12:
Like much in the history of human affairs, technical advancement does not generally happen in a smooth progression. It moves in fits and starts, and smart-phone technology has been on a tear for the last few years.
Palm was the first true smart-phone with a library of independent apps, but it was the iPhone that first found broad acceptance of the general public. Apple seems to have a way with tech fashion, even if they aren't always the first to market. Or the best.
The next major fit of development was the Android family. Motorola Droid offered the first significant competition to the iPhone. HTC improved performance and over this last year, Samsung has come to lead Android technology with its large displays, yet light weight.
We now have the Samsung Galaxy Note as its latest example, but is it too cool or simply too big? I'll start with a comparison of my Droid which is what I know best. The Samsung Note has:
100% more screen area.
50% taller
67% wider
250% more pixels
255% faster clock
80% more battery
60% more pixels in its camera
Plus a front camera
4G surfing and movies
4 times the RAM
16 times the ROM
Effective pen interface
So what's not to like? Well, it is 8 grams heavier but that's too small to notice. The Samsung Note also has no hard keyboard, but surprisingly, the screen is so large, I'm faster (and more accurate) on its soft keyboard than the Droid hard keyboard. The Samsung Note is better in every way than the standard Droid and even better in most ways than the latest iPhone. End of story? Not quite.
Surprisingly, the Note's best feature (the screen) is also the critic's biggest complaint, which is what this post is really about. The Note is being panned as a "phablet" because of its large screen. The logic is, it's too big to hold up to your face, and yet too small to compete as a tablet. Here's an example review:
By: Jonathan S. Geller - Feb 13th, 2012 at 03:45PM
"The Galaxy Note essentially has everything you’d want in a smartphone: a great dual-core processor, a solid camera, a beautiful display and good build quality, and it runs on ATT’s new 4G LTE network that delivers incredibly fast download speeds. Plus the battery seems actually decent so far, which is a triumph for modern smart-phones.
Throw all of that right out the window.
The phone is too big. You will look stupid talking on it, people will laugh at you, and you’ll be unhappy if you buy it. I really can’t get around this, unfortunately, because Samsung pushed things way too far this time."
And it wasn't just Jonathan. Here's what Zach at BGR had to say:
Samsung Galaxy Note review: The smartphone that ‘Samsunged’ Samsung
By: Zach Epstein | Feb 22nd, 2012 at 12:01PM
"Holding this beast to your face while on a phone call in public will result in awkward stares. Not “maybe” or “might,” but “will.” It just looks silly."
One more - PC World's review:
"For most, the Note will be too big for a phone, but too small for a tablet. Rather, it’s an awkward in-between device, and will only appeal to a niche consumer base. "
I'm here to tell you, PC World and all the rest are dead WRONG. The Note will NOT be limited to a niche. It has hit the sweet spot in size and will become the new standard in smart-phone technology. Here's why.
As some of you may know, I've been a geek since before the word was widely used. I've been interested in computers since the smallest ones filled up a room, which was long before they became personal. It was much later that the first thing that could be considered personal technology was introduced, and it was a calculator.
If you think the lines are long for gadgets now, you should have been around in 1972 when HP introduced the original HP35 calculator. It sold for $395 which was over $2000 in today dollars, but you couldn't buy it at any price (no eBay back then). After placing only two magazine ads, the original HP35 calculator was back-ordered for more than six months.
This backlog was because the HP35 was SUCH a major advancement in technology, it is hard to imagine even in today's new gadget world. The closest competition to the HP35 calculator sat on a desk, weighed 25 pounds and cost more than $10,000 (or $50,000 in today dollars).
In contrast, the HP35 was designed to fit into William Hewlett's shirt pocket, which is the key to the issue at hand.
Even though back-ordered from their own distribution, I discovered from a friend at HP that I could buy their calculator at HP headquarters. This outlet was for employees, but he said they weren't checking IDs. I immediately flew my plane to Palo Alto, walked up to the front counter and bought two (an extra one for my cousin).
It's been that way my whole life. I watch a given technology then buy the latest and greatest when it's introduced; not because it's a fashion, but because it's significantly better in some technical way. I bought the very first Palm Pilot the day it was released. I generally hold off upgrading until there is a significant advancement. At their introduction I bought the first color Palm phone (also from Samsung), then the Palm Treo and Palm Centro in turn as they were significant advancements.
Just over two years ago I ended a long-term relationship with Palm and bought the original Droid on the day of its introduction. I considered the iPhone but the first version wouldn't even copy, cut and paste text, which I can't live without. Android has been amazing though there are still things the old Palm did that the Droid can not yet touch. But that's another blog post.
So why am I leaving the Droid behind so quickly? The usual reasons - significant advancements in technology which are listed above, but most importantly because of the size of the screen. All of that visual real estate is wonderful. For years now I've known the original HP-35 hit a sweet spot in physical size and weight. It was as big as possible without being too big to fit in a shirt pocket.
As it turns out the Samsung Note is almost the same size and weight as that original HP-35. I've been carrying the Note in my shirt pocket the last few weeks and it feels just like the HP35 I carried from years ago. So according to the reviewers, the only problem is how silly we look if we hold it up to our head, which is my second point - a true geek is like the
Honey Badger - he doesn't give a shit.
And that's how I know I'm an authentic geek: I don't understand why it looks weird to hold a Samsung Note up to your head. Why does it matter? It's what it DOES that counts. I for one believe it's the ultimate geek-cred to side with function over fashion. And who's says Bill Hewlett wouldn't have looked cool talking on his new calculator if only there had been a cell tower around.
Who wants to bet the next iPhone is not bigger?
And that in three years the Samsung Note will be the standard size for a phone?
And then it will be cool.
Email your wager.
03-28-12
Samsung ships five million Galaxy Notes in just five months
04-05-12
Samsung's Galaxy Note is a freak hit
06-01-12 Too early to say I told you so?
06--20-13
Time to note a problem with the Note - both the power and volume buttons are in the worst possible locations. I had noticed this with other phones but hope for some reason it would be different with the Samsung, but alas... no. The problem is, these buttons are in exactly the place where you are most likely to hold the phone, which means they are constantly and inadvertently activated. It is a classic physical overloading fail. And Power should be slightly recessed, so it doesn't bump on, whatever it's location. Droid did this well.
Interesting survey about size:
10-14-13 Upgraded to the Samsung Note 3 as it's brighter, lighter, faster with longer battery life and better camera. Also, the power button is no longer directly across from the volume buttons so both are inadvertently hit less often. I'm not crazy about the hard Home button which also powers up when not asked for, but I'll reserve judgment until I get a few more miles. Overall the device is a delight because of display, performance, and battery. More later.
02-12-14 Four months use and this is the best mobile device I've ever owned, mostly because of display quality, speed, and battery life. And the apps keep getting better.
09-24-14
Ultimate Vindication
11-01-14 Upgraded to Samsung Note 4 with faster charging and better battery life. This is the best portable computer I've ever owned.
08-22-16 I bought the Samsung Note 7 today. Once again, this is a brighter and higher resolution screen. Wait a minute. That was an understatement. It's amazing how each generation of these Samsung displays is brighter than the last. Holding these two phones next to each other with displays on maximum, the difference is like night and day. But how bright of a display do we really need? Brighter. Here's why. When you get into your forties and your close vision begins to go, you notice you can either hold the content further away, or you can increase the light level. Contrast is as important as (or more so) resolution or screen size. It allows you to see more detail on a given screen. It increases visual bandwidth. The new Note has the best display I've ever seen. Again.
Battery tech is also much improved (apparently, to the point of failure 09-22-16). And with wireless charging a standard feature, it charges faster, easier and lasts longer. Another plus for the Note 7.
Physically, the device is also narrower and just a bit lighter, both improvements.
On the downside, I don't like the curved edges. Already I've had a condition where the "1" key on Hacker's Keyboard would not activate because the touch sensitive layer does not wrap around the corner where the majority of the key was. But then if it did, you'd be activating functions when only holding the device, which would be a major problem. Also, when dragging, the effect of dragging stops as you approach the edge and your finger prematurely leaves the surface as the surface drops away. The result is that you can't drag something up to the edge. You are stopped a character short of the margin. The rounded edge is annoying and seems to have little practical value.
What exactly is the point of a curved edge? You do get to see a message arrive when the phone is face down, but does this relatively rare case make up for the UI failures? Hardly. Is this a case of fashion over function? Is Samsung looking for a physical branding device? If so, they should first make sure it does not impair the operation of the phone. In any case, the curved screen does not work for me. Give me a flat screen any day (with a little bezel to hold on to so I'm not activating features inadvertently).
Now for the surface. The glass back is slick looking but also quite literally slick. It's like holding a bar of soap. Do they want these things dropped so they can sell you another one? I added egrip phone strips which helps a lot, but why should I have to geek up such a premium device? Everything except the screen should be a high friction surface. The glass back is another design fail.
On the plus side, the camera operation is much improved. As for quality, I'll let you know when I get time to work with some of the images.
Adding the Samsung Gear VR is a blast, but much lower resolution than I expected. Perhaps that is the cost of fast and smooth response. Or do they spread those pixels over such a wide field of view that our fovea only gets a relatively low res?
Notwithstanding the battery issues, the Note 7 is two steps forward, one back, but that's still a net improvement.
(09-22-16 - As everyone knows by now, the Note 7 was a major failure. Guess I'll have to wait for the Note 8. Or something else.)
05-31-17 - What was radical in 2012 is now mainstream:
Smartphone screens find their size sweet spot
02-10-21 Final vindication: when I first wrote this blog post in 2012, a 5.3" screen was considered freakishly large. Now anything that small is considered too small to use:
Next, I predict we'll get flexible 10" phones that wrap around your arm most of the time, but spring out flat when being used. You read it here first - 02-10-21
