General Consultant Discussion

Finally biting the bullet and getting a new phone (yes, unlike Wayne I only have one :) ). I think I've narrowed the search down to the Samsung Note II and the Motorola Razr Maxx HD. Any feedback? Anything that I should look at instead? It's going to happen in the next couple of weeks...appreciate your feedback.

It depends on what your objectives are. I wanted a smaller tablet with integrated phone and good access to the web. I've had the original Samsung Note since it came out and I love it, meeting my objectives - more screen real estate, better battery life, websites and videos are more accessible and you can actually see them clearly. It is a tablet that does not take up much space. And it's a phone, but you want to have an earpiece, since it looks strange with the device up to your ear. I really am not aware of the other options, so cannot comment on them.

Yes, I planned for a bluetooth headset John, it did seem to demand such a device. I have a Droid X and it's really dragging. I liked to multitasking element of the Note II very much. Was worried about battery life though. Good to know that's not a big problem. Was considering getting a backup battery. Do you think that's a worthwhile expense?

I have a backup battery I always carry with me, but have never used it, since I will plug it in if convenient during the day, which is what I always did with my previous phones. The difference has been that if I don't recharge it, it's not as big a deal.

@DebThomas - I'm plannnig to replace my Droid with a Motorola Razr Maxx HD - Here is how Consumers Reports compare the two models.

Thanks @MichaelMcDonald . It is as I suspected they are very similar phones functionally. Note's cameras are a little better and the Maxx is a bit better phone and portability. I think the Note is taking the higher ground for me only because of the mult-tasking aspect. I don't think I'll be disappointed no matter which one I choose, but given the technical expertise in the group, thought I'd better see if there were any major downfalls before spending all this money.

I've heard so much about the Note II, interesting to see the lower marks on its phoning and portability. Beyond battery life, Isn't that what a mobile phone is suppose to be? My wife won't carry a smart phone for usability reasons and insists on her rubberized shock proof Motorola which will be hard to replace. I'm thinking of rubberbanding a dumb phone to a NOTE II for her.

but the difference is minimal and how many times when you've been on a call have you wanted to open a couple of files (say a browser and evernote) simultaneously? The Note can...these are no longer just phones.

Note 2

Yes, I'll open a browser in mid-tweet to make sure I'm correct, so @RobertWood doesn't have to correct me.

Apparently my reputation precedes me.

Apparently...

On another note...what bluetooth headset is everyone sporting these days? Trying to decide if the Jawbone Era is really worth the $130 or if another would do the job as well.

My partner just got one and I played with it. It's basically a large galaxy S, which I like alot more than Motorola's functionality and the fact that you can replace the battery. he gets great battery life and makes it through the day. For me the one killer, and the reason I like the Galaxy S, is you can't use it one handed...you know, like when you drive LOL

On a related note, (no pun intended :) , realize the Note 2 only has the same 720p resolution as the Galaxy S and I think the Motorola HD. The Galaxy S4 which is being announced next week (but you probably can't buy it until may/june), will likely have 1080p. The Note 3 will probably have 1080p. With the note 2, its great if you don't have awesome eyesight, but you won't actually get more content than a 4.7"" S3. Note 3 probably won't be out until August or so if history is any indicator.

@DebThomas What carrier? If ATT and/or T-Mobile you can pickup the Nexus 4 for $349 (NO contract) and using http://www.straighttalksim.com for $45/mo. Both my kids are on StraightTalk. It's a prepaid service and you can select either ATT or T-Mobile as the back end carrier. Larger screens seem like they're the wave of the future.

Another observation - and this is definitely a YMMV (your mileage may vary). I dropped both my unlimited data plans in favor of a shared data plan on both Verizon and ATT. My reasoning: - Unless you're regularly watching video via 3G/4G - you shouldn't be coming close to going over any type of limit (I rarely went over 1 GB) - The shared plans on Verizon and ATT allow you to use your phone as a WIFI hotspot for NO extra charge. Yes, the data is all charged to your account but as someone who does not use that much data I find it VERY handy to be able to sometimes use my phone as a hotspot without having to pay $20-$30 extra per month for a separate plan. - The shared data plans also offer unlimited phone/text With my ATT plan the cost was really close to the same as my shared data (4 GB) which is about $110/mo + fees. - LTE speeds on Verizon and ATT are now well over the speed of my home Internet (again YMMV for those who are blessed with fiber). Using these phones as a wifi hotspot is now very reliable and fast. Definitely a plus if you bring your laptop to a customer site. - Most of the ""unlimited"" plans have some type of soft cap in place where they have the right to throttle you somewhere in the 5 GB range. This doesn't always happen but don't fool yourself into thinking that unlimited means unlimited. There are lots of gotchas which mean you are probably not going to be tethering your unlimited plan phone from home and using 20 GB streaming HULU.

Do realize if you like 4g LTE and your carrier has a strong network...(Not sprint), the Nexus 4 doesn't support it..

@WayneSchulz - have you run into any of the problems with Straight Talk mentioned in this article? http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414418,00.asp

@PhilMcIntosh I've not run into any issues though I've told both kids to be aware of data use. They are on WiFi most of the time. If they were to watch streaming movies over cellular- 3G then I would expect problems at some point. Also I forgot to mention that StraightTalk is only a 3G/4G provider - last I checked you would not get LTE access.

So @DebThomas did you get the Note 2 and how do you like it. I just saw one and now I am thinking of getting that one instead of the IPhone 5.