So I finally gave in and purchased a new tablet after I drew the conclusion that my old Asus Transformer wouldn’t be in my possession anymore unless I were to pry it from the little hands of my children. I decided to get something a little smaller and a tablet that has a myriad of accessories, unlike my Asus. I was almost convinced that I should get an iPad mini. And then I came to my senses when I realized I’d much rather stay with Android. I decided on the Samsung Galaxy Note with the 8″ screen and I. Am. In. Love.

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One of the things that I love most about the Note tablet is the handwriting feature. With my Asus Transformer, I had to purchase a pretty expensive stylus to actually write and to be able to read what I’ve written. Even then, it still wasn’t true to my actual handwriting. With the Note, I can honestly say that writing is just like traditional writing with pen and paper.

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The screen’s display is also pretty amazing. It has a much brighter and clearer display that my previous tablet and reminds me a lot of the clarity that I get with my HTC Evo. I haven’t set the display on the brightest setting because I know my eyes wouldn’t be able to stand it for an extended period of time. And not to mention, I don’t even think it needs to be that bright. For me, the middle of the road is perfect.

Another cool feature is being able to run and operate applications simultaneously. While there are only a few apps that support this feature, it still is pretty neat to have. Hopefully, there will be an update that will allow more apps to run at the same time.

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There are also three different ways to take a screenshot. Personally, I like the option where I can slide my palm across the screen–either left to right or right to left–to capture the screen. There’s also the option to use the button on the S pen and the classic Power and Home button.

And can I say I how much I just love the Note app collection which includes aNote HD (below) and S Note (above).

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All in all, I am more than satisfied with my purchase. While I did spend about $30 more than I would have if I would have purchased an iPad mini, I don’t regret it one bit. I have nothing against Apple and it’s products but I’m much more interested and drawn to the the customization and style of Android. I’m sure Apple is too since iOS7 looks A LOT like Android and those features that everyone’s raving about, I’ve had them for about 3 years. Although I’d love to have access to the vscocam app. Sigh. I digress..

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I’ve had my reservations about Samsung in the past. As of matter of fact, after the crappy phone that I had about 4 years ago, I swore off everything Samsung. I heard about their improvements and all that, but never thought to revisit their products until recently. I still don’t think I’d purchase any of their phones. I am strictly an HTC girl, but this tablet is honestly nothing short of amazing.

I seriously don’t need anymore electronics, said I.. NEVER.

Do you own a tablet? What kind? What do you like most about your tablet? What new gadget have you purchased lately?

I’m all ears. Let’s get all techy and talk!

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15 Comments
  1. Miya

    September 24, 2013 at 8:18 pm

    Samsung is the deal now. I’ve always liked samsung but now theyre pretty much at the top..I just purchased a samsung galaxy tab 2 for my husbands birthday and he loves it. It’s a little old because there is a galaxy 3 out now but it’s great! I wish I had one.

    -miya
    miyaloves.blogspot.com

    1. Rae

      September 30, 2013 at 9:12 am

      Although I’m still not a fan of their phones, I can definitely appreciate the vast improvements that they’ve made.

  2. Jhan

    September 25, 2013 at 7:54 am

    I read as far as the handwriting feature and was sold! lol. Adding this to my wishlist. 🙂 Also, I’m with you on wanting to try the VSCO app. It looks amazing.

    1. Rae

      September 30, 2013 at 9:12 am

      IKR! I am impatiently waiting for the availability of VSCO on the Android platform.

  3. Kay

    September 26, 2013 at 3:36 pm

    I wanted this for a while. Not the phone because I’m really not impressed with it. But I heard a lot about the Note. Contemplating purchasing as a gift to myself around Christmas. Your photos could make a blind man see. I’m sold.

    1. Rae

      September 30, 2013 at 9:04 am

      A blind man see! LOL!! But if you just go ahead and give me your canon, I’ll be a happy little camper! LOL!

  4. @CAKE

    September 28, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    See, we are the complete opposite! I’ve owned iPads but my son always hijacks them and I’ve never fully used them. I’m now considering an iPad mini as I have been needing to do more on the go, plus I love the sleekness of the mini. I was an iPhone user since 2007 and I just recently switched to a Galaxy and I do love the much larger display. It’s life changing lol. I’ve never been into customizing and heck, I barely talk or text, so I have nothing personal against Android. I continued upgrading to new iPhones because I’m a Mac user and it’s so much more convenient to run my business and keep everything in sync. I still have some adjusting to do but I doubt I’ll get another phone after having this Galaxy. I did briefly own one of the first Samsung tablets a few years ago and I didnt care too much for it back then. The writing feature is certainly intriguing but I can just see my toddler taking over! My other half is the Android geek so I may get him one and “borrow” it. For me, I may go ahead and get the iPad mini, as it’s convenient for me to keep my Mac in sync with it. By the way, just yesterday I was searching the Google Play store looking for the VSCO app. I had no idea it was for iPhones only!

    1. Rae

      September 30, 2013 at 9:08 am

      I definitely understand that whole syncing issue. It was what pretty much nipped the whole thought of actually getting the iPad mini in the bud. I cannot deal with iTunes. And I know there’s a cloud now but I’m so used to just plugging my usb to a computer and being able to access and add things there without using software to complete those tasks.

      I didn’t care for Samsung back in the day either. In fact, I hated them. But I must say, their products have definitely come a long way. I still love HTC.. I will forever love their phones so I don’t think I’d consider getting a Samsung phone. IDK. They’d have to come out with something pretty spectacular to get me to leave HTC. I’ve been with HTC since the 8125! LOL!

  5. Jessica L

    September 29, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    I had the Samsung S2 for 2 years and finally upgraded to the Samsung S4 in June or July. I love it. I was thinking of upgrading to an Iphone 5, but played around with my husband’s and decided it was too simple. But maybe one day I’ll cave in and just try the iphone. I’m very happy with my S4 for now. It has a great camera and is very fast! -Jess L

    1. Rae

      September 30, 2013 at 9:10 am

      I’ve heard some awesome things about the camera on the S4, but I’m still not sold on Samsung phones just yet. I’ve never had a problem with an HTC phone and I don’t see myself trying a new brand unless Samsung makes a phone that changes my mind. so far, it hasn’t. No shade to the Samsung Notes and Galaxy phones. I love their design.

  6. Josie

    September 29, 2013 at 10:22 pm

    Although I am an apple-fan (read: groupie) I must admit that Samsung makes a QUALITY product. The note seems fantastic. Money well spent!

    1. Rae

      September 30, 2013 at 9:11 am

      I really don’t regret my purchase one bit. (:

  7. The Indie

    October 2, 2013 at 9:05 am

    This is definitely motivating me to try out a tablet. I have a laptop but it is beginning to feel a little bulky (as of 4 years ago right after I bought it, it’s felt bulky lol). So a tablet has always been appealing to me. But with the iPad they don’t offer a USB drive so I was like, why would I want that? This Samsung Galaxy Note looks like paradise though. I’m thinking about looking to invest in one in the coming year. Thanks to you, this one has def caught my eye 🙂

    Thanks Carla!

    What are some of your recs with owning a tablet? Is this a good investment for a first time buyer?

    1. Rae

      October 2, 2013 at 11:09 pm

      Personally, I think it is a good investment. I am always on the go. ALWAYS. And in addition to always being on the go, I always have to be “on” according to my job. I have my own personal laptop, my work laptop, and a desktop that I use on the daily. But there is NO way I am carrying all that around, especially when I have to attend class after work. And because Chrome makes it so easy by syncing everything that you do through the browser on any device, my days are much easier to bare.

      I had a larger tablet, 10″ ASUS Transformer, that I loved but I realized it was too big and heavier than I wanted my bag to be once I put it inside. One thing I love about the 7″ Note is that it is so lightweight. I hold it almost all day. It’s so easy to grasp and handle. Plus I love the availability of so many different accessories. The ASUS didn’t have all of that when I first purchased it. All that came afterwards.

      The only thing I miss is the port for a USB. I think that’s available on the larger tablets, but it’s not available on this one. But, that’s why Google Drive is so amazing.

      I’d recommend the Samsung Tab or Note, the Google NEXUS, a Surface tablet by Microsoft or the iPad mini if you like Apple. It was my third choice and I’m totally Android.

  8. Melanie

    October 11, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I say to all my friends and co workers that I’d pay big money for google and apple to merge…BIG money but I know it would never happy and it wouldn’t be healthy for competition either. But while I understand the draw backs to iTunes I have to simply applaud their marketing and business methodology here…they gave you just enough to let you hang yourself but not enough to let you go!

    I simply love the look and feel of all things Apple. I used to work on a PC actually still do then I have to do cross platform checking on both so I got bought a MAC…I really wasn’t sure about it at first but then all of the features it had that at the time the PC didn’t have I simply fell in love with and I never looked back. Of course I don’t like the fleecing of America price tag but I do like never seeing the blue screen of death (though I know they got rid of it now).

    So because i’m a loyal follower and love my mac book pro with all my heart I simply followed their lead with the iphone and ipad and then once you start downloading those apps at 99Cents a pop it’s even harder to through money away and go over to the dark side known as the droid side! LOL But I simply LOVE all things google…my iphone is stupidly synced with google calendar, google mail, and I curse the fact that I can’t use google music/play on my iphone but yet I’m still not ready to and buy an android phone yet.

    The cleanliness of my apple interface just keeps me where I am…my husband and had the galaxy s3 and the same tablet as you and when I look at his interface it just looks so messy…and I know it’s because he can customize it and it looks like that because he wants it too but I just can’t get all those apps being all over the place no way to organize them etc …yes it tweaks at my anal side LOL

    Good lord look how long this comment is I should have made it a post on my own blog I’m truly sorry but you hit the biggest topic that swirls around in my head on a regular basis APPLE VS GOOGLE!

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