My Next SGNote: Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Alright, for those who followed.this blog, you know that I'm a suckered for Samsung Galaxy Note N7000, aka the original Galaxy Note. In recent years, that is the smartphone that I used for over 18 months until it became too obsolete that everything become unbearably slow to operate.

2013 is probably the slowest year for me in regards of Android smartphones, except for 2 smartphones: Asus Padfone 2 and Sony Xperia Z series.

I must say, those 2 enticed me with their creative solutions that I decided to buy Asus. Unfortunately, that was a decision that I regretted due to hardware flaws and weaknesses.

2014, I went backward and purchase the abdominal Sony Xperia Z Ultra, this 1920x1080-true-HD-6.44"-screen-2.2ghz-quad-core is the current record breaker of thinnest and biggest screen for a phone category.

As an old fan.of SGNote, stylus writing capabilities and features to support it are something that I yearned when using Asus Padrone 2 or my just retired Polytron Quadra HD. Sony creatively put an incredible amount features to their Z series, including their giant Z Ultra. Those features made my SGNote becomes a museum piece.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra exceptional and useful features (that I know of, and I believe I will find more soon enough):

- Reading/Accessing portable hard disk
Z Ultra ability to access portable hard disk makes my life easier. I don't rely on transferring files using flash memory and computer anymore on the go.  However, accessing big capacity (1TB or above) portable HDD is proven to be hardwork for the unit since the limited electricity power Z Ultra has. Connection easily severed and lost power several time. Looks like there is a limit how long Z Ultra can.supply power to the HDD unit.

- Stylus replacement: pencil, pen, or anything made of iron
Did I hear a "Huh?" Well, it is unique. Sony decided that the users of Z Ultra are people who like pens and pencils so forget the stylus and go straight to use pen and pencil as stylus instead.  Brilliant decision with some risks like screen scratches etc. Solution, screen protector.
I also found out that Samsung C-Pen (not the same as SGNote's faithfull S-Pen), which uses metalized rubber, work like they were born for each other on Z Ultra.
With this feature, users can freely use almost anything to write, annotate or sketch on Z Ultra. Why bother buying a stylus then? Well, users will still need stylus since pens and pencils will scratch Z Ultra screen surface in the long run.

- NFC Easy Connection
Whoa, Sony pretty much exploded NFC trends by applying easy connection features that now tons of NFC accessories are now available in the market. Samsung and HTC have NFC features.but they don't really put NFC as part of their main strategic feature.

- Dust and Water Proof
Sony might not be the first, but they certainly the one to  explode water and dust proof smartphones worldwide. I would.say shame on Motorola for not exploring Defy series further. Now, Samsung has noticed the.Zip series success and launch Galaxy S5 with water and dust proof feature.

- Power Management
HTC One was the first high end smartphone that featured this newer unique feature, however HTC limits this features to only One series. Sony produces almost every middle and top range of their products with Sony's stylized Power Management. Of course, HTC in turn quickly add more products with this feature and Lenovo follow suits to flood the market with affordable Android smartphones with Power Management features pre-installed.

- Being a tall unit with almost 2 cm/1 inch space on top and bottom of the screen means Z Ultra is the current best suited Android for gaming and multimedia consumption

What else can I say, last year I.made a mistake on deciding to buy Asus. This year Z Ultra has gone down in price and become my new favorite smartphone.

Of course there are some drawbacks:
- Painfully gigantic size for a.phone
- Flaps here and flaps there mean extra efforts required to access USB and the rest of the connections
- Glass (front and back) means scratches and fingerprint magnet, self explanatory here, Sony people might talk to Apple people a bit too much
- New screen means trip and error, luckily Z Ultra uses the 2nd generation 1920x1080 HD Triluminous Bravia technology so it is superior to the previous ones on Z, but not necessarily better than IPS and Super Amoled

Final words on my first 1 week living with Z Ultra, I fell in love and Z Ultra is definitely my concubine. Please don't tell my wife.

Interlude: Why Does Samsung Galaxy Note Become A 'Cult' Hit?

Okay, most of you who has not use Samsung Galaxy Note must wonder why people like me and others like me chose to use Samsung Galaxy Note?

First of all, let's see what is wrong with Samsung Galaxy Note:

- Not yet a tablet, but a gigantic phone. Some even call it a 'phablet'. It is way too big as a phone and way too small as a tablet. The size is just wrong.

- Stylus? So yester-decade. Why would anybody wants to use a stylus pen while uaing finger is more accessible and you can never lose your finger, under normal circumstances.

- Android = battery hog. It has one.of the biggest battery in smartphones category but with 5.3" screen, 2500MAh barely last a day.


So there, those are the top 3 reasons most people thinls when they see Samsung Galaxy Note (SGNote).

So let's see why I decided to buy SGNote straight from the launching world tour:

1. 5.3" screen is the smallest and acceptable screen for multimedia enjoyment. Good enough to watch movies on leisure time.

2. It has a stylus. That means I have the fastest method of note taking. Just use the S Memo Lite (press.and hold the S Pen button and double tap on the screen) for quick note taking, simple sketching and annotation on pictures/photos/documents.

3. It's an Android. I love the freedom Android system provides.

4. It's a phone. For those who buy phone by contract, you might not consider this as an important point. However, I live in a country where prepaid SIM card is preferable to postpaid (contract based). So it is important for me to have a smartphone or a table that can make calls and SMS to renew Data Package monthly.

5. Notepad replacement. No more motepad or agenda book or diary. For those who thinks SGNote is tablet replacement, I must say It Is Never a Tablet replacement. It is a Notepad replacement, regardless what Samsung said.


Then when I have bought, explored and been using it daily, I have found several more benefits that despite being personal to me, I think you might find it useful:

+ My thumb size vs screen size. Being a + size person, my thumbs are fatter compared to others. With SGNote, due to its screen size, I can type in Portrait mode with less mistypes. By this reason, drawing and writing with my fingers are also less attractive to me.

+ Better cloud integration and data sync. I have upgraded my SGNote to ICS and I found some improvement in cloud data sync and integration. I am not worried that my MicroSD Card broke apart since all my photos are.backed up by Dropbox, my Contacs with Google Contacts, etc.

+ Turn SGNote sideways and have a better web browser for smartphones. In this case the screen size shines.

+ Some will argue tablet is better to browse webs, here's my answer. SGNote is lighter. I had iPad as my first tablet and then the original Samsung Galaxy Tab later. The weight of those tablets became uncomfortable after awhile. SGNote being a giant phone is still light at weight that you still feel comfortable using it over extended.period of time.

+ Helpful at work. I work as a Marketing person. Meaning I work with a lot of graphic materials. The utilization and integration of SGNote and S Pen is excellent to cope with graphic and documents annotation. Additional apps like Soonr Scribbler truly helps a lot.

I don't change gadget a lot. I only buy what I consider useful tools/gadgets. I think Samsung hit the jackpot with SGNote, although it is far from perfect. I do hope Samsung keeps developing the Galaxy Note product line and more creative ways of using a Smartphone that either newer or forgotten.

Feel free.to comment if you don't agree with my opinions and experience in this article. Or if you want to, feel free to add your own experience. Have a good weekend.