Samsung Galaxy Note Takes Top 'Phablet' Prize (So Far)

Users can easily be forgiven for looking at Samsung's Galaxy Note smartphones and thinking it's a tablet. In fact, the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread handset is being categorized as a "phablet," owing to its 5.3-inch display and accompanying digital pen (stylus) for note taking. At eWEEK, were not particularly enamored of the phablet concept, especially after the tarnish the Dell Streak left on the category name. However, we will absolutely attest that the Galaxy Note is the best of them yet. While we came across several phablets from various vendors at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, the Galaxy Note gets the prize. This high-end smartphone pairs a speedy 1.5GHz dual-core processor with AT&T's 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network. To give folks who may not have the opportunity to go into an AT&T retail store and heft one of these Notes, we show the handset alongside Samsungs Galaxy Nexus handset, which boasts of a 4.65-inch high-definition Super AMOLED (active-matrix organic LED) screen, and also stretches the phone form factor to the outer limits of comfort for some people. Here, we pick apart the Note, which goes on sale Feb. 19 for $299.99 with a contract from AT&T. - ...

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