In My Opinion (IMO by KNH)...Reviewing my Samsung Note II

Got the Samsung Note II this past week and love it. My fingers are large so I'm loving the on-screen touch keyboard. Since I do a lot with graphics & photos, my fave specs are 1080p video res which is as good as a pro camera. How many megapixels the camera has is not as important, since other factors like type of zoom, etc are more important to photo quality. But then again this is not supposed to be a pro camera. The screen is large enough that I can clearly watch Netflix & Hulu TV shows & movies with my son in HD. Not everyone will be comfortable with a screen this large (5.5 in) but for me, it's like having a phone & mini-tablet, so I'm scratching plans for buying an iPad or Droid tablet. More specs below. 

Network

3G: HSPA+21Mbps(HSDPA 21Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps)4G LTE: 100Mbps / 50Mbps

Processor

1.6 GHz quad-core processor

OS

Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Display

140.9 mm (5.5") HD Super AMOLED (1,280 x 720)

Dimension

80.5 x 151.1 x 9.4 mm, 182.5g

Battery

Standard battery, Li-ion 3,100mAh

Memory

16/32/64GB User memory + 2GB (RAM)microSD slot (up to 64GB)

S Pen Optimized Features

S Pen Experience- S Note, S Planner, Email with hand-writing integration- S Pen Keeper- Quick Command, Easy Clip, Photo Note, Paper Artist- Shape Match, Formula Match

1 Step tasking / Multitasking features

Air ViewPopup Note, Popup VideoPage Buddy / Tag Buddy / Word Buddy

Connectivity / Sharing Features

Bluetooth® v 4.0 (Apt-X Codec support) LEUSB 2.0 HostWiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Wi-Fi HT40Wi-Fi DirectNFCS BeamSamsung AllShare Play & ControlSamsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display)- Mirroring & ExtentionSamsung AllShare Framework

Other

Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve PanelSamsung Kies /Samsung Kies AirSamsung ChatOn mobile communication serviceSmart Stay, Direct claa, Screen Recorder,Quick GlanceSamsung ChatOn mobile communication serviceSamsung S Suggest

Camera

Main (Rear) : 8 Megapixel Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash, BSISub (Front) : 1.9 Megapixel VT Camera, BSIBest Photo, Best Face, Low light shot

Video

Codec: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8Format: 3GP(MP4), WMV(ASF), AVI, FLV, MKV, WebMFull HD(1080p) Playback & Recording

Audio

Codec: MP3, OGG, WMA, AAC, ACC+, eAAC+, AMR(NB,WB), MIDI, WAV, AC-3, FlacMusic Player with SoundAlive3.5mm Ear Jack

Content / Services

Samsung AppsSamsung Hub- Game Hub- Media Hub (US only)- Learning Hub / Music Hub / Video Hub※ The availability of each Samsung Hubs may differ by country

Sensor

Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer

GPS

A-GPSGlonass

Enterprise Solutions

On Device Encryption (H/W)Microsoft Exchange ActiveSyncVPN(F5, Cisco, Juniper)MDM(Sybase Afaria, MobileIron, SOTI, Airwatch)CCXVMware MVP*Some specifications may vary by country

In My Opinion (IMO by KNH)...Father's Day aka "No Ties & Socks"

So Father's Day is Sunday and unfortunately I've observed that many ladies really are not very good at picking gifts that the men in their lives will actually enjoy and appreciate (fathers, sons, husbands, boyfriends, etc). Now we men are expected to be creative, thoughtful & plan ahead when getting YOU gifts for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Anniversary, Birthday & Christmas. So..step up this year please on behalf of all good men everywhere. (And yes, I'm talking about the good Father's who deserve it, not the deadbeats who are nowhere around or the Dads who come home from work, head straight to the recliner/TV & don't interact to their children or have any idea what son/daughter did that day.)

DON'TS:

First things first. The DON'TS comprise a very short list. Don't buy us the cliche gifts of a random tie or a pair of socks, unless we are a man that has so much that we have specifically asked for this, OR we really do need diabetic socks, or we are going camping & we need military grade socks that will protect our feet from hypothermia. You get where I'm going. As for ties, they can be a very lazy "I can't think of anything else to buy you, but you're a man, so hope you like this pink & blue tie" gesture. Ladies think of how overjoyed you would be if we bought you a pair of nylons for your birthday. Now if you do buy a tie, make sure it is a silk tie with matching puff (handkerchief) that will match our favorite shirt/suit set. Silk ties are classy and last forever. Otherwise don't bother. Oh and you you can keep your $5 "#1 Dad" mug. Unless our child made it for us, it doesn't matter. We already have steins & mugs.

DO'S:

Now here are some sites you can peruse that will give you great ideas on what to buy for your man. Go to membership sites like NoMoreRack.com, Amazon.com, Living Social etc.

Jawbone Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker, This is one of the coolest gadgets out right now & your man will love it! It's a wireless speaker that allows you to play music from your phone/computer/device in the kitchen, bathroom, on vacation, outside while barbequing etc & is like walking around with a virtual party!

Jawbone Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Shaving Supplies: We can never find enough razors for a decent price. Razor cartridges may easily run us $16-32 for 4-16, so if you ever find us a large supply of razors or one really great travel razor that is say, waterproof/won't rust, etc. that's a big deal since we shave every day. (Well...I don't, but your man probably does).

A Good Watch: A classic, but understated watch can be functional & eye-catching at the same time. The man can wear this to special events, interviews, and a good watch (as opposed to the $10 variety) is a sign of good taste & maturity. Professional male colleagues judge a man not by his phone but by his watch, so help your man out! Check out this cool watch by Invicta from NoMoreRack.com. Amazon.com also has a line of beautiful Invicta watches for about the same price.

Bluetooth headset: Who doesn't want one of these right?

Jim Beam Tailgating Stool: For the man who loves to grill while watching football with the family and the fellas.

Kindle Fire HD Tablet (or comparable Droid or iPad): Why yes, Dad would love to watch his favorite movies & read the Wall Street Journal on a wireless device, duh.

DEWALT DCD760KL 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Cordless Compact Lithium-Ion Drill/Driver Kit: So you nag your man to death to put up artwork, curtain rods, drill this, drill that? How's he gonna do that without a cordless drill which is pretty much the holy grail of do-it-yourselfers everywhere?

GIFT CARDS: Gift cards are one of the most underrated, but fantastic gifts you can give anyone! Let's say after all these awesome suggestions, you still don't have a clue...or have to work a nurses' shift this weekend! Pick a value of the gift you would have given HIM ($25/50/100 etc), and let the man take that VISA gift card to wherever he wants, and he will be able to pick EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS for Father's Day...which is the point right? We only get one day a year. Let's make it memorable!!!

THAT ONE THING!: Every guy has one item that they like to collect, wear, keep, etc, and treasure anything of similar value. Find out what that one thing is by talking to his Mom or brother/best friend. For me, one of my items is a Fedora/Dressy Hat. I have a collection of very nice Fedoras & Kangols that I have bought or been gifted over the years, and it's nice to know that someone knows enough about my likes to get me one of these.

FINAL WORD: Now one obvious point is that Dad's Day is only 2 days away & you're not going to be able to order any of these items in time for them to arrive on Sunday, especially if next day delivery is unavailable or cost prohibitive. That's ok, you can still order the item, cook the Mr. his favorite meal or take him out to a fun dinner/lunch spot (Lee Roy Selmons, Red Lobster, Thai Palace, etc) and show him a picture of his gift that will arrive in a couple days. He'll be happy b/c he's eating, and he knows you didn't forget, the gift is just delayed. I'd be cool with knowing my flat screen TV is arriving tomorrow instead of today :) You could also use this list of items (which is not comprehensive by any means) and walk Mr. So-and-So into International Plaza-Tampa, University Mall, the Perry Ellis Outlet in Tampa, and let him select the gadgets/clothing/shoes that he wants.

List in progress... Also, ladies & gentlemen, feel free to add to the list by posting comments and/or links below.