No doubt you have heard of the upcoming HTC One, Galaxy S 4, LG Optimus G Pro and other much-anticipated handsets which are due to hit the smartphone marketplace in the next few months. While all of those smartphones may be runaway hits this year, annually this is a great time for smartphone shoppers for another reason. That is because current best-selling handsets get significant retail price drops so that wireless retailers can sell existing stock ahead of upcoming releases.
That is exactly what occurred when Amazon lowered the price tag on the Sprint Galaxy Note II to $99 on contract. The Galaxy Note II has sold more than 10 million units globally, and the huge display delivers what has become one of the handset’s most popular features. Though this is the first smartphone released by Samsung to run on the Android Jelly Bean operating system out-of-the-box, the split screen Multi-Window feature delivers an experience much like Microsoft’s Windows OS in at least one regard.
The Sprint Galaxy Note II allows you to split your screen into two sections, or windows. Not only does the handset’s powerful quad core processor allow you to simultaneously conduct two totally different operations on those two windows, but interaction is also supported. You can surf the web on one half of your display while e-mailing on the other, and watch a video on the one of the split screens while downloading an app simultaneously in the second window. And Samsung has also upgraded their smart stylus S Pen experience.
First off, they made the S Pen thicker and longer, and it feels more natural in your hand. The Hover feature makes for quicker functionality with fewer clicks, displaying a list of options when you allow the tip of the stylus to hover just above the screen. That integrated handset proximity also allows you to set audible and visual alarms that alert you when your stylus has moved too far from the handset. The Samsung Galaxy Note II hit the Sprint 4G LTE system in late October of last year, and that speedy network in the United States now claims more than 58 major markets.
The display mentioned above runs a large 5.55 inches, and is aligned in what is considered the standard for true HD video viewing, a 16 to 9 aspect ratio. Resolution runs 720 x 1,280 pixels, and talk time is above average at 15.0 hours from a single battery charge. The CPU is a quad core 1.6 GHz ARM Cortex A9 chip, and a quad core graphics processor is also on board. 2.0 GB of RAM system memory joins 16 GB of built-in storage alongside a microSD slot in the handset’s hardware package. Video capture is 1,080P HD resolution thanks to the rear facing 8.0 megapixel camcorder, and a front facing chat cam is also on board.
