Samsung's big, friendly giant works brilliantly for some tasks, but its huge size means it's unlikely to extend beyond niche appeal

The Samsung Galaxy Note is an unfortunate tweener, satisfying neither phone nor tablet buyers.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is an unfortunate tweener, satisfying neither phone nor tablet buyers.

Right now, the included apps that support pen mode are Polaris Office, S Memo and a game called Crayon Physics. Polaris Office lets you create documents, spreadsheets and slideshow presentations. You can insert drawings or screenshots in a presentation or use the pen to insert text. Crayon Physics is a cute game where you draw objects to get a ball to from point A to point B. This verison of Samsung's TouchWiz interface has a few interesting features including resizable widgets for the homescreen and a revamped calendar app...

With its large display and stylus-like pen, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a refreshing departure from the smartphone pack, but its design won't please everyone. Additionally, not enough apps support the pen right now.

The Note doesn’t quite live up to Samsung’s marketing slogan: “Jack of all trades, master of all”. It’s on the large side for a phone, doesn’t fit into small pockets and usually requires two hands for messaging. However, if you can live with these compromises the Note is a sleek, attractive powerhouse with one of the nicest screens we’ve ever seen, superb battery life and great video recording plus playback. ...

Das Galaxy Note ist ein besonders großes Android-Handy mit schneller CPU.

At the end of the day, those attracted to the Galaxy Note's more extreme dimensions and extra tool will find a familiar Galaxy phone. Should the stylus strike you as gimmicky (as it does me), the rest of the features--from LTE to that larger battery--thankfully give it a solid base to stand on.

The stylus is pretty much how I remember one to be: light, narrow, short, and flimsy. Oh, it takes me back. Unlike those wands of yore, this variation--known as the S-Pen--works with a capacitive rather than resistive screen, so it's responsive to your fingertips as well as the pen tip. ...

There's a touch of the Marmites about the Galaxy Note -- if you love its huge size, there's plenty to admire, with all of Samsung's top-notch tech on board. But if you hate the idea of cramming your pocket with such a massive device, nothing will persuade you to take it on. Maybe consider HTC's Sensation XL?

In the first hands-on of the Galaxy Note, it's a bit unclear where to place this exotic product, or to even recognize what this device wants to be. A small tablet? An oversized smartphone? Or maybe a symbiosis of both device categories? ...

Den Nutzwert eines Smartlets wie dem Samsung Galaxy Note muss jeder Käufer selbst erschließen. Fernab dieser Frage serviert Samsung ein gut ausgestattetes, überaus potentes Android-Gerät.

Und was ist das Samsung Galaxy Note nun? Fisch, Fleisch, Brokkoli? Sitzt es zwischen den Stühlen oder bedient es als eierlegende Wollmilchsau vielerlei Ansprüche? Wie eingangs erwähnt, ist das eine nur höchst subjektiv zu beantwortende Frage: Mir persönlich ist das N7000 schlicht zu groß, um es als vollwertigen Smartphone-Ersatz nutzen zu wollen/können. ..: