Like Apple Maps and Notes before it, I've finally found an app that performs the functions of my iPhone's phone app better than Apple's native offering. For the past few weeks I've been playing with Contrast's Contact Center, and based on my usage I don't think I'll be going back any time soon.

Launching today, Contact Center acts like speed dial built for the way we communicate with others on smartphones today. You're given a set of customizable tiles that can be edited to show common functions, like calling, texting, or sending GIFs, or to show your favorite contacts. I'm not one to use a bunch of different apps for messaging or talking on the phone, so I decided to use the space to show the six or so people I frequently communicate with outside of work — family, the roommates, and my significant other.

instead of opening the phone app, going to the recent calls tab, and scrolling to find the person I want to chat with, they're right there as soon as I open the app. If my sister (an avid user of Pinterest and Tumblr) sends me a GIF of a French Bulldog puppy jumping into its owner's arms, I don't have to rush off to a web browser to go find something to send in response, as the app has a GIF-search function powered by Giphy. I can simply pick one, choose my sister from contacts, and it's sent over through iMessage.

There are ads in the app by default, but their placement at the bottom of the screen isn't too obtrusive. Unless you're the kind of person who jumps from text to voice toFaceTime and back, you can fill up the app's home screen with functions and favorite contacts without putting any near the ad where you might accidentally press it. If you absolutely can't stand them, there's always the option to get rid of ads for a few bucks with an in-app purchase.

If anything, I'm surprised that this wasn't already an app. Before using Contact Center I was a big fan of Contrast's Launch Center Pro, an app that uses a similar interface to let you quickly jump to common tasks, like tweeting the last photo you took or posting a selfie to Facebook. I've always felt that Launch Center perhaps offers too many features for most people to “get it,” while Contact Center offers very clear advantages for a very specific group of use cases: you need to contact someone, and you need to do it quickly.

You can see Contact Center in action in the video below:

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/28/contact-center-has-changed-the-way-i-use-my-iphone/

Apple has set Sept. 9 as the date for a big announcement.

What will the company unveil?

"Wish we could say more," reads an invitation sent to media members on Thursday.

Multiple reports over the past few months have suggested that Apple plans to roll out two versions of an iPhone 6 this year, with screens that are 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, when measured diagonally.

Is bigger really better for Apple?

That would be a massive leap from the iPhone 5S and 5C's 4-inch screens and an apparent move to battle competitors like Samsung and HTC who have been making bigger phones for years.

But the "say more" tease prompted immediate speculation that new phones might not be all that's on the agenda. The safest bet is that a long-anticipated "iWatch" smartwatch will be introduced as well.

Apple was granted a patent for a smartwatch in July and reports have suggested now is the time for its debut. The device, which will compete with existing offerings from Samsung and other top competitors, is expected to have a heavy focus on health and fitness apps.

The Apple event will be at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts, a 2,400-seat venue in the company's hometown of Cupertino, California.

Apple has traditionally rolled out new iPhones in the fall, in advance of the winter holiday season.

If your update went wrong then you may well find that your iPhone is stuck on a blank boot screen or on the Apple logo and it won’t start up properly. You’re going to want to connect to iTunes and try DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) mode.

Potential solution:

1. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button to turn your iPhone off.
2. Open iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone.
3. Hold down the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button together for ten seconds, and then release the Sleep/Wake button.
4. Continue to hold down the Home button until you see a pop-up on iTunes stating that “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before it can be used with iTunes.”
5. Your iPhone screen should be blank, if you see a logo or message on it then you are not in DFU mode.
6. Select your iPhone in the left hand column of iTunes and select Summary then Restore.
7. You may need to install the iOS 7 update again.

I don't take responsibility if anything goes wrong

If you’ve run into problems with making or receiving calls after updating to iOS 7 then you are not alone. You might find that people are trying to call you, but your iPhone is not ringing, or perhaps you are unable to make a call. Some people report calls apparently connecting, but the line seems to be dead and they can’t hear the other person. Assuming you’re not just in a dead spot (try making the call from another location), there are a few things you can try.

Potential solutions:

• Go to Settings and toggle Airplane Mode on for five seconds and then turn it off again.
• Make sure that Do Not Disturb in Settings is not turned on.
• Go to Settings > Phone and make sure Call Forwarding is not turned on.
• Go to Settings > Phone and check under Blocked.
• Make sure you have the latest carrier update by going to Settings > General > About. If there’s something available then you should be prompted to download it (make sure you’re connected the Wi-Fi and your mobile network).
• Make sure there isn’t another iOS update by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
• Try removing the SIM card, make sure it’s clean and replace it carefully.
• Try resetting your network settings via Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
• Go to Settings > Cellular and try toggling Enable LTE and/or Enable 3G.
• Contact your carrier and make sure there’s no problem on network

If everything fails try to Factory reset

I don't take responsibility if anything goes wrong during the process!(chill it won't )

Every new operating system has its issues and Apple’s iOS 7 is certainly 

Every  new operating system has its issues and Apple’s iOS 7 is certainly no exception. We’ve seen a multitude of bug reports rolling in and, while many people have updated successfully, there’s no shortage of people encountering glitches or even major problems.  now it’s time to review some common iOS 7 problems and, where possible, identify solutions. We’ll refer to the iPhone throughout the article, but the majority of the problems and fixes will apply to the iPad and iPod Touch as well.

A bug that seems to have cropped up for a lot of people, particularly on the iPad, but also various iPhone models is a random crash from the home screen which soft reboots the device and brings up a screen with the Apple logo. The background color matches the device, so a white iPhone will have a white boot up screen with a black Apple and vice versa. There’s some suggestion that this is linked to the battery, but it’s not clear.

Workarounds:

• Press and hold the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo to restart your device.
• Try DFU mode, explained below under the Glitch: Stuck on Apple logo.
• Backup and factory reset your iPhone.

Potential solution:

• Apple has acknowledged this issue, Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told Mashable “We have a fix in an upcoming software update for a bug that can occasionally cause a home 

Inputs from digital trends

1 / 4

Ever get an iMessage on your iPhone from someone you know that contains smiley or frowny faces, or even pictures of animals or cars, flowers or dancers, space ships or iPhones, and wonder how they did it? In the old days it was emoticons. Now it's emoji. EveryiPhone and iPad has the ability to send and receive them. All you have to do is turn them on!

• How to enable emoji on your iPhone oriPad
• How to use emoji on your iPhone oriPad

How to enable emoji on iPhone and iPad

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap on General.

Scroll down and tap on Keyboard.

On the next screen tap on Keyboards.

Choose Add New Keyboard...

All the keyboards are in alphabetical order. Scroll down to E and tap on Emoji.

How to access and use emoji on iPhone and iPad

Launch any app that uses the keyboard. In this example, I'm going to use the Messages app.

Go to compose a message or type in any field as you normally would.

When the keyboard pops up, tap on the Globe key which is to the right of the number toggle in the lower left hand corner.

You can now explore all the different sections and choose the emoji you'd like to send. Once you're done picking your emoji, just tap the Globe key again to get back to the regular keyboard.

That's all there is to it! Emoji will work in any app that supports keyboard input. Just keep in mind that for the most part, only people using iPhones, iPads, or Macs can see your emoji.

Inputs from -IMore

,

The wait is over Apple finally releases its much anticipated updated to its IOS...yes folks IOS 7 is here and I am pretty excited about it,I had some fears about it but all have been quashed by Apple! So what was new,innovative about it .This is the Apple I Loved which truly came back to its former glory from the Death of YOU KNOW WHO-

1-new user interface 

It's redesigned but still holds the old charm apple hit the right note with futuristic flat design with vibrant colours,multitasking,control centre which gives you multitasking pane, music controls ,brightness,basic  WIFI,Bluetooth on/off buttons with one touch.

New notification area which is elegant and better divided and gives more information and yes you can access it from the home screen .the control panel too can be accessed from the home screen 

2 Airdrop

 Who needs NFC when you have airdrop,Apple new photo sharing detects your friends in the area and allows tap share of photos without any bump or touch with the actual phone , you can also send photos to multiple friends who are near you...Some Star Trek stuff over there "

3 IRadio

 Apple released its Free music streaming service which only is available in USA for the time being and I am pretty excited about it !

4 Music App

  The new Music app looks clean,elegant and intuitive to use.Full marks over here apple!  People will love the new Cover flow which takes advantage of the retina display.

5 Photos app

 There were quite some new additions over here ... It follows the new UI structure which occupies every inch of your phone intuitively.The photos are neatly arranged according to location and has a new view which helps in proper distribution of photos,no more confusion over here.Lastly You can share videos via ICloud and now it has something called a "Shared PhotoStream" which allows people to add photos in a shared album.

6 Siri

   I am happy that Siri is redesigned which leaves its robotic voice and paves in way for a new humanly voice and you have a choice of a Male or a Female voice.it has better integration with Twitter,Wikipedia and other services . The UI is changed for Good

7 IDrive

 This is a cool feature which gives IOS hands free usage on your car Entertainment System .Good job Apple.dont forget to watch the video about this feature.

8 FaceTime Audio

 High quality audio only FaceTime To save You Some Data

9 safari

Good god it was Updates Chrome was starting to take lead over here.the new Safari is refined,has better tabs and is more faster

 

Apple showed the world what it is capable and we definitely saw it Today that Apple is Still the King of The Tech World and Yess Apple you are right!

"CAN'T INNOVATE MY ASS"

Gallery

Six iOS apps you need right now
by Jason Parker November 26, 2012
If you're going to be buying (or receiving) a new iOS device over the holidays, you're going to want to grab the hottest apps to see what the App Store has to offer. But with close to 750,000 apps available, it can be a bit daunting to figure out which ones to choose.

To get you started, I put together a list of apps that include both all-time hits and up-and-coming new software. Each of these is available for iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, and give you a sampling of what your new iOS device can do.



This post was updated on December 19, 2012, to include Google Maps and Evernote.

PhotoToaster
There are a ton of photo-editing apps in the App Store with some made for social networks such as Instagram, and others that offer more features for tweaking your images. But in a sea of photo-editing apps, PhotoToaster is a great place to start.

PhotoToaster has long been a favorite of mine with easy-to-use basic editing tools, tons of effects you can preview by tapping your finger, and other handy tools to enhance parts of your images for the best look possible. When you're finished tweaking your photo, you can save it, e-mail it, send it via text message or to one of many social networking sites, and even make it into a physical post card.

Evernote
This app for iOS is just one part of an excellent, access-from-anywhere note-taking system that syncs your notes, images, and more so you have access to them no matter what device you're on.

The latest version of the app has a completely redesigned user interface, with better access to all your notebooks, tags, and places so you can find exactly what you want quickly.

If you've ever experienced not having the latest version of your notes, or just want an excellent way to transfer info between devices, Evernote is an excellent free app.

Angry Birds Star Wars
Angry Birds is easily the most popular game of all time on iOS devices and -- once you play this cute and addictive sequel -- you'll immediately see why. The simple concept of flinging birds into structures and causing the most damage possible is easy to understand and enjoy whether you're 8 years old or 80.

While an Angry Birds game might be an obvious choice for a list like this one, Angry Birds Star Wars really impressed me beyond what I thought it could using more than just a "Star Wars" backdrop. New "Star Wars"-themed bird types, music from the movies, and intricately designed levels make this game an excellent choice, even without the popular gaming franchise that came before it.

Netflix
Like the Angry Birds games, Netflix has been available for a long time, but it's simply way too good to pass up on a new iOS device.

While you only get the limited streaming library from Netflix, having instant access to TV shows, movies, documentaries, and more on your iOS device is amazingly useful. Whether you're out and about, on a trip, or just want to catch a quick episode of your favorite show, Netflix streams are high definition and smooth for an enjoyable viewing experience.

Google Maps
Google Maps is finally back. With a complete redesign, intuitive controls, and turn-by-turn directions with voice, it is our choice as the best navigation app for iPhone.

Whether you want to find an address, get driving directions, or do a local search for restaurants, Google Maps lives up to its legacy. Searching for an establishment gives you all the pertinent info on one screen (such as address and phone number) and lists out user reviews so you can see what other people are saying with only a few swipes. Along with great search tools, smart interface elements (such as swiping sideways to see more results) make for a great way to browse through restaurants and other businesses.

If you liked the version of Google Maps found on the iPhone up until iOS 6, you will love this latest version, with several more features and an elegant new interface.

FIFA Soccer 13
Coming from a long line of console soccer games, FIFA Soccer has seen a number of improvements over the years to make it the best in the genre. But this "football" game is not just good -- it might be the best all-around sports game for iOS ever.

Not only can you play as any of 500 fully licensed teams, with more than 15,000 players, across 30 leagues, the gameplay is silky smooth as you try to make a play for the goal. New skill moves in this latest version are much easier to pull off as you fight your way through difficult defenses in tournaments, championships, and other game modes. If you like soccer or really any team sports, this game is a must download.

Earlier this week, Apple released a small software update for iPhones.

The update fixed an issue with iPhones that were experiencing a poor Wi-Fi connection. While the Wi-Fi issue may have been solved, AppleInsider is reporting that some users are claiming the update has made their battery life worse.

Battery life has always been a huge complaint for iPhone users, but users are claiming substantial battery drain after this update.

You can read the full thread of complaints on Apple's official support forums.

Have you been experiencing poorer battery life after you updated to iOS 6.0.2? Let us know in the comments.

Despite missing Wall Street Journal expectations for two successive quarters, Apple managed to acquire profits of $41.9 billion throughout the last four quarters.

According to figures deriving from Statista, that figure represents $7 billion more than the combined net profit of Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Yahoo and eBay. It was previously revealed that the iPhone by itself managed to generate more revenue than all of Microsoft.

Apple's profits is double the combined $19.4 billion generated by computing firms Intel, IBM, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, HP and Dell. Consequently, the iPhone and iPad creator is twice as profitable as the entire PC industry.

Statista, which gained its statistics from official company filings, compared Apple with key smartphone and tablet rivals, but the Cupertino company is still the clear winner.

Samsung has seen its profits increase ten-fold during the past twelve months, but when it's combined with RIM, HTC, and Nokia, the total equates to just over a quarter of Apple's yearly earnings -- $12.8 billion.

Apple's total sales for 2012 has thus far equaled $156.5 billion, while its cash pile has reached $121.25 billion. It's currently the richest company on the planet.

Apple just announced iMacs are coming out Friday, November 30.

Apple revealed resdesigned, super thin iMacs in October. There were rumors that Apple was having trouble manufacturing the computers and it might not be able to make them this year.

Apparently that's not the case!

Still, Apple is going to only have one month of iMac sales for the quarter, and we expect tight supplies.

Apple says the 21.5-inch model is ready in November, with the 27-inch model coming in December.

A television set made by Apple—just the mention of it is enough to send an Apple fan into a drooling delirium.

Apple currently makes a box you connect to your existing TV. But people want the real thing, not a set-top box—and there are persistent reports that Apple may be working on one. If those are true, the current estimates are we'll see it available to consumers no sooner than November 2013.

That means there's no shortage of speculation about what it will look like and how it will work.

It's easy to picture the hardware, based on Apple's iPads and flat-screen iMacs. But what about the software?

Over at The Verge, a user named Knowledge has laid out his wishlist for the Apple TV by designing a hypothetical interface for it.

Obviously you have to have a good TV guide

"Subscriptions" would make it easy to find your favorite channels in a flash

It should be able to run a number of different apps

Looks like u guys spent alot of money online during this black friday with record online sales of 1.04 billion$$$$ ...with Amazon.com leading the pack followed by Walmart and target....looks like there is no shortage of money in the country with sales of 1.5 billion$$$ expected on cyber monday as the festive season looms..

Get Your Google Back: a hilarious video meant for Windows 8 converts

By Darren Murph 

For those unaware, Windows 8 went on sale today. If all goes well, millions upon millions of Wintel users will be switching the latest OS in the coming months, and there's a giant in Mountain View that's severely concerned about the future of your searches. You see, Microsoft has done a fine job of pushing Internet Explorer and Bing into Windows 8, leaving Google loyalists nowhere to turn. Until now. After the break, you'll enjoy a lighthearted video from the masterminds at Google, explaining precisely how to Get Your Google Back. It's as simple as visiting getyourgoogleback.com on your Windows 8 machine, and then installing both Chrome and the Google Search app. Oh, and bonus points for "Aw yeah."

Get Your Google Back, Google (YouTube)

Google Nexus 10 leaks: Android 4.2, Exynos 5250 (1.7GHz), 2,560 x 1,600 resolution

Unless we're looking at one of the most elaborately photographed fakes in the world, this is the Nexus 10. With the Nexus 7 apparently going over quite well at just $199, it was only ever a matter of time before the Nexus family expanded to house a 10-incher. With Google's own Vic Gundotra posting imagesfrom a unit that he's using at some exotic locale, it seems that another unit has slipped beneath the camera at BriefMobile. The site has managed to apprehend one of the 10.1-inch slates, and in turn has discovered quite the bounty of information.

Internally, there's (reportedly) a dual-core, Cortex-A15-based 1.7GHz Samsung Exynos 5250, a Mali-T604 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (though no microSD expansion slot), a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, NFC / WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a Super AMOLED panel with a drool-worthy 2,560 x 1,600 screen resolution -- yeah, that's well into "Retina" territory at 298.9 pixels per inch. You may recognize that Exynos 5250 from Google's recently released $249 Chromebook, but here, it's being used to push Android 4.2. Those hungry for more can visit the source link, but don't go in hoping to extract an asking price.

inputs by darren murphy

BriefMobile

Apple teased that it had "a little more to show" us prior to today's San Francisco event, but it's clear now that the phrasing was humble at best. Not only has the much-anticipated, rumored and leaked 7.9-inch iPad mini been officially revealed, but so has a smattering of new and refreshed offerings across its range of gizmos. The standard iPad is seeing its fastest refresh yet (about six months) to a Lighting port and A6X-packing fourth-generation model, and the iMac has ditched its optical drive to go Air-thin in its Ivy Bridge-driven seventh-generation. Mobile power users should be especially be pleased, too, as a 13-inch variant of the MacBook Pro with a 2,560 x 1,600 Retina Display is now a reality. Lest we forgot that the iBooks app and iBooks Author have both been updated -- right on cue with that book-like iPad Mini. Hop past the break for a full listing of all the news and all of our on-scene coverage that came out of today's event.

iPad

• Apple iPad sales topped 100 million two weeks ago
• Apple announces 4th generation iPad packing an A6X CPU, Lightning connector and FaceTime HD camera
• Apple announces 7.9-inch iPad mini with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329
• Apple introduces new Smart Cover for iPad mini
• The iPad mini vs. the competition: fight!
• Apple iPad mini hands-on!
• iPad mini coming to Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in mid-November starting at $459
• iPad Mini vs. the new (and newer) iPad: what's different?
• New Apple iPad mini, 4th-generation iPad reach the FCC

Mac

• Apple announces 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display: 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, Thunderbolt and HDMI starting at $1,699
• Mac Mini updated in two new flavors, at $599 for i5 dual-core and $999 for i7 quad-core server model
• Apple unveils next-generation iMac with slimmer design and Ivy Bridge, starting at $1,299
• Apple introduces 'Fusion Drive' as a build-to-order option for the new iMac
• Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro hands-on!
• Apple iMac (2012) hands-on!

iOS

• Apple: 200 million devices already upgraded to iOS
• Apple unveils new version of iBooks with continuous scrolling, iBooks Author also updated

Also on Engadget and everything else

• SOURCE-ENGADGET
  

More Info

• Samsung Galaxy Note II hands-on
• Samsung Galaxy Note II unveiled
• Samsung Galaxy Note review

Samsung's first crack at a smartphone larger than five inches came last year in the form of the Galaxy Note. It was wildly different than most phones we'd seen before: it was massive, for one, and involved the use of a stylus pen, a sorely outdated concept at the time. Who would be willing to buy this thing? Yet, despite its enormous size, this tablet / phone (forgive us: phablet) captured more hearts and wallets than even Sammy had probably expected. The S Pen showed that it was more than just a simple stylus, artists and tech enthusiasts alike loved it and a successful marketing campaign helped push millions of units. The Note was an undeniable hit.

Did Samsung realize at the time that it was sitting on a gold mine? It's hard to know for sure, but its success meant only one thing: an inevitable sequel. The Galaxy Note II, introduced a year after its parent, has some big shoes to fill. We believe it's up to the task, though: it boasts a quad-core Exynos processor, twice the RAM, an even larger display and a whole new bag of S Pen tricks. It sounds compelling, but does the new version truly trump the old? Is it worth another sound investment (pricing varies, but it starts around £530 for a SIM-free version) just a year down the road? We'll satisfy your curiosity after the break.

Samsung Galaxy Note II (N7100) review

Hardware

To gaze upon the newborn Galaxy Note II is to take a crash course in Samsung's preferred design language. Whereas the original bears the same overall look and squarish corners as the Galaxy S II, its successor is -- you guessed it -- just as inspired by nature and "designed for humans" as the Galaxy S III. We wouldn't rule out the possibility of you mixing them up (the size difference is a dead giveaway, but the phones look quite similar otherwise). Indeed, Samsung is now in the habit of changing things up on a yearly basis, which may seem more boring than once every couple months. By adopting an annual design cycle, however, devices like the Note II likely get pushed through the initial stages of development much faster than they would otherwise. We also imagine that the company's new strategy of consistency will have a significant impact on Samsung's brand recognition.

Owners of the original Galaxy Note -- whether it be the global N7000 or one of its many variants -- know all too well how it feels to get the occasional "what is that thing?" from random passersby. So will the peanut gallery continue to snicker when you take this out in public? At 3.16 inches (80.5mm) wide, 5.95 inches (151.1mm) tall and 0.37 inches (9.4mm) deep, the Note II is slightly thinner, narrower and taller than its parent. This, along with the pebble-like shape, definitely offers a more comfortable experience when you're cradling it in your hand, though it's just a tad heavier at 6.35 ounces (180g). Despite being more attractive than the first Note, it's nonetheless an indisputably large device, and will continue to draw stares for that reason. (In other words, you'll want to come up with a standard talk track for those times you're approached by curious strangers.)

While we all want our smartphones to stick around for a long time, the matter of build quality is extremely important here, given the fact that the phone's size makes it more prone to drops. That's why we're happy with the company's decision to use a polycarbonate chassis, similar to the one on the Galaxy S III. After handling the Note II on a regular basis, we're confident that Samsung's crafted a durable, solid device. (As an aside, you can find a few drop tests circulating the web. Spoiler: it holds up extremely well.)

Because the new Note has a larger display and thinner chassis, the buttons on each side have been scaled down a notch. The power key, for instance, now rests in a much more natural position that's easier to find by feel. The only downside? It's also much easier to press the button accidentally.

Since we're discussing button placement, we'll continue with the full Vanna White-style tour: beginning with the front, you'll find an LED notification light (which wasn't on the first Note), an earpiece, sensors and a 1.9-megapixel camera above the display, while the large physical home button found below the screen is flanked by two capacitive keys (menu and back) on either side. The bezel on the top and bottom are smaller than on the OG Note, though the left and right bezels are about the same.

The front is frankly the busiest part of the phone; Samsung professes a policy of minimalism the rest of the way around the Note II. There's a power button on the right, volume rocker on the left, S Pen holder and micro-USB charging port (with MHL capabilities -- more on that later) on the bottom and 3.5mm headphone jack up top. Even the back keeps relatively quiet, sporting the 8-megapixel camera module and LED flash just barely above the singular Samsung logo, as well as a speaker grille that hangs out near the bottom. The battery cover lies completely flat across the back of the phone (with the exception of the slightly raised camera and speaker) and curves inward as it prepares to meet up with the edge.

A design decision we've always appreciated from Samsung is the removable battery, which has been increased to 3,100mAh (up from 2,500mAh on the original Note). Above it you'll see slots for micro-SIM and microSDXC cards as well as contacts for NFC and wireless charging.

Our particular review unit, provided to us by our friends at Negri Electronics, is the white N7100, the global version which lacks the superfast LTE speeds many users crave. Thus, folks looking for the fastest Note II around will need to grab the N7105, which offers the next-gen data in bands 7 (2600MHz) and 20 (800MHz). For those keeping score, you can see if your country utilizes these frequencies here. Speed demons in the US may also be interested in variants of the Note II coming out to AT&T, Verizon,Sprint and US Cellular, though there should be very few cosmetic discrepancies between them and their global counterparts -- much like we saw with the Galaxy S III series.

Both global versions of the Note II are capable of 21.6Mbps HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900 and 2100MHz) along with quadband GSM / EDGE. They also boast dual-band (2.4 and 5GHz) WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n with WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA and NFC. If you're a gadget aficionado in need of the full spec list, we've compiled all these specifics below.

	Galaxy Note N7000	Galaxy Note II N7100
Dimensions	5.78 x 3.27 x 0.38 inches (146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm)	5.95 x 3.16 x 0.37 inches (151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm)
Weight	6.28 oz. (178g)	6.35 oz. (180g)
Screen size	5.3 inches	5.5 inches
Screen resolution	1,280 x 800 pixels (285ppi)	1,280 x 720 pixels (267ppi)
Screen type	HD Super AMOLED	HD Super AMOLED
Battery	2,500mAh	3,100mAh
Internal storage	16GB	16 / 32 / 64GB
External storage	microSD (up to 32GB)	microSD (up to 64GB)
Rear camera	8MP	8MP
Front-facing cam	2MP	1.9MP
Video capture	1080p	1080p
NFC	In select variants	Yes
Radios	HSPA+ / UMTS, GSM / EDGE, LTE	HSPA+ / UMTS, GSM / EDGE; LTE (in the N7105)
Bluetooth	version 3.0	version 4.0 LE (with Apt-X support)
SoC	1.4GHz dual-core Exynos 4212	1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4412
RAM	1GB	2GB
MHL	Yes	Yes, but requires Samsung adapter
Operating system	Android 2.3 (upgraded to 4.0)	Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Display

The Note II's display has earned a whole section unto itself because it's, well, a little different. And we're not just talking about the fact that the newer version uses a larger panel with even fewer pixels than the original: there's more to it than meets the eye (the naked eye, at least). First, a little background: when the sequel was announced with a 1,280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED panel, we naturally assumed that it would be sporting a PenTile matrix. After all, that's exactly how this type of display has been laid out in other handsets, so it's easy to break out the 'ol jump-to-conclusions mat. However, the microscope (and Samsung's spokespeople) tell us that this isn't the case at all.

Oddly, though, it isn't the traditional RGB matrix as we've been accustomed to on most non-PenTile phones, either. Instead, it appears to be laid out in a non-striped BGR matrix in which the blue subpixels are perpendicular to green and red, rather than in parallel. This puts the display in a magical place where few Super AMOLEDs have gone before, but it's still a hefty improvement over the first Note. Don't get us wrong: we raved about the OG's 1,280 x 800 display (and rightfully so), but its follow-up looks slightly better despite the lower ppi (267, versus the original's 285). We doubt casual observers will notice the difference, but when closely viewing the two side by side, we found more pixels on the older device. Darks are a little darker on the second-gen model, and colors are just a bit more saturated, too. The viewing angles on the next-gen Note are also great for watching movies, but they're essentially the same as the original. Daylight viewing wasn't a problem with the brightness cranked up above 75 percent.

Software

The Galaxy Note II is the first Samsung device to ship with Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.1, to be exact). All of the OS' new and enhanced features have been worked into TouchWiz UI. This includes Google Now (long-press the menu button to activate it), expandable notifications and predictive keyboard -- heck, even the Jelly Bean easter egg is there. It also includes the laundry list of new services Sammy introduced on the Galaxy S III, such as Smart Stay, S Voice, AllShare Cast and S Beam. (S Beam, by the way, adds the ability to transfer Note II docs to other Note II devices, but since we only have one tester phone, we haven't had the chance to try this out.) Popup video, which allows your selected video to "hover" over other apps, allowing you to multitask, also makes a repeat appearance here, and it's definitely a better experience when you have such a large screen to use it on.

TouchWiz on Jelly Bean isn't unlike the experience you've had on Ice Cream Sandwich -- Samsung, as you'd expect, wants to keep the UX as consistent as possible. One of the biggest areas of change is the notification menu: in addition to the expandable notifications (which can be accessed by taking two fingers and pulling down on the notification), the brightness settings are now accessible underneath the quick toggles, and the status bar now houses the settings button and offers the date and time in a larger font. There are plenty of other new tweaks that make excellent use of the new S Pen capabilities, which we'll explain in more detail shortly.

Blocking mode is Samsung's take on Do Not Disturb. You can disable a number of various notifications, set a specific timeframe for them to be turned off and even set up a whitelist of allowed contacts that can bypass the block and sound a notification when they call you.

Samsung Galaxy Note II (N7100) screenshots

While we expect a device like the Note II to appeal mainly to smartphone buffs, Samsung is at least making an attempt to make first-time users feel comfortable. You can opt to change from the standard home screen to what's called "easy mode," which is essentially just a different launcher complete with customized pages and large widgets. Aside from that, there are very few things that differ from your normal TouchWiz experience -- it's a rather half-baked attempt at wooing a new demographic.

Samsung's set of motion controls are much improved from the old Note to the new, with the sequel now matching (and exceeding, in a couple cases) the Galaxy S III's functionality in this department. To recap, you can scroll to the top of a screen by double-tapping the top edge of the phone; tilt to zoom in and out of the screen in the gallery or browser; pan the phone to move icons on the main screen; shake your phone to look for updates; turn over the phone to mute sounds; directly call whatever contact is displayed on the screen; and more. There are a few newcomers to the Samsung fold: quick glance shows you a few basic notifications when you wave your hand over the proximity sensor and there are a few new advanced settings to adjust the level of sensitivity required to trigger motion when panning or tilting your device.

Finally, another slick new feature is Smart Rotation. If you're like us, there's a certain annoyance that comes with using the phone while in bed or on the couch because it switches screen orientation on a frequent basis. While you can typically find toggles that lock this, it's not always the best solution -- watching movies or looking at pictures are a couple of examples. Smart Rotation uses the front-facing camera to determine where your face is, and will prevent the screen from switching to landscape mode if you're still using your phone in a portrait position.

One more thing: as with the Galaxy S III, Note II owners are entitled to 50GB of Dropbox storage.

S Pen

The crown jewel of any Note device is its accompanying stylus (we know, we're not supposed to call it that), also known as the S Pen, and Samsung continues to improve on it with each new version. Indeed, the original Note, Note 10.1 and Note II all have somewhat unique pens, but they all have the same overarching design and can work interchangeably. That's handy information for anyone who loses their Wacom appendage, though there's one drawback: not all S Pens are shaped the same, so they don't all fit interchangeably in each other's cradles. The original Note pen fits loosely inside the Note II's cradle, and we wouldn't count on it staying in for very long before popping out.

Ergonomics are a huge consideration when Samsung designs its pens and indeed, each iteration seems to have a better in-hand feel. The Note II's S Pen is slightly fatter on the button side, which -- when pressing your thumb against it -- contributes to more of a true pencil feel. Also adding to the nostalgia of using an old-fashioned number two is the larger rubber tip, slightly bigger diameter (8mm) and increased length of the pen itself. It also doesn't hurt that you can tell the phone if you're right or left-handed (sorry, ambidextrous users, you have to choose).

We suppose it shouldn't come as a revelation that the second Note's S Pen and Wacom digitizer have more in common with the Note 10.1 than the original Note. First, the device recognizes when you've removed the pen from its holster and, smartly assuming you'll imminently be using it, takes you to a special page with several pen-optimized apps. (It also lets you set an alarm that activates if your S Pen and Note get too far away from each other.) Also, much like the tablet, the Note II is capable of recognizing up to 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, a four-fold increase over the OG Note's 256. As a result, we noticed an improvement in accuracy and precision when using the pen for writing, sketching and other activities. What's more, the screen does a much better job of calculating how much pressure you're applying.

This only scratches the surface of what the S Pen is capable of. The Note II not only ushers in enhancements to existing features; it also brings a suite of new features that make the phone even more tantalizing than last year's model. Even the button itself is refreshed: you can now hold down the button while drawing gestures on the screen to access features like the Quick Command tool (we'll cover this later) and a few other navigational abilities. Additionally, you can now copy specific parts of the screen with Easy Clip, which is activated by holding down the button and drawing around the area you want to clip. Once it's clipped, you can choose to save or discard what you've selected. You can also select text by holding the button, tapping the screen and dragging the pen across. And we're just getting started -- the button is capable of plenty more, and we'll discuss its many new talents later in the review.

Before we dive into the first feature, it's important to note that the Wacom digitizer included in the phone is capable of sensing the S Pen as it hovers over the screen, in the same fashion that we've seen in Bamboo Pads for the last few years. As you hold the pen above the panel you'll notice a floating cursor on the screen. This opens up a lot of interesting possibilities, one of them being Air View. Using this feature, the Note II takes advantage of the hover functionality in several ways. For instance, you can hold the pen over emails in your inbox (in the general email app for now, at least) and a pop-up box displays the first few lines. Do the same in your calendar and those pesky appointments pop out at you in more detail as you scan through. Hold your pen over an unknown icon and its function will appear, the same way as when your mouse is held over something on your computer). Our favorite use of Air View is the ability to see GIF-like previews of movies just by holding the S Pen over a thumbnail. (Cool feature worth a mention: all of the video thumbnails in the player show these same types of previews without the pen, which makes the whole screen look alive, but the S Pen makes the pop-up screen larger.)

Next up on the list of hover-friendly additions, you can now use your S Pen to scroll up and down on a page or list. In other words, it's now just a matter of holding the pen directly above the top or bottom of the scrollable screen. Sure, it seems gimmicky and unnecessary, but we discovered that we used this feature more often than we thought we would. The scrolling action is a little slow, so it's doubtful you'd want to use this on a lengthy website, but it's handy when you just need to go down the screen a little bit at a time -- say, in a settings menu or Twitter feed.

Another neat feature that takes advantage of the newfound hovering capability is the ability to toggle between brush, pencil and eraser simply by holding the pen above the screen and clicking the button. This makes for a quick and seamless experience when you're constantly making mistakes (or changing your mind) as you draw.

When you're in S Note, you can also hold the pen above the screen and long-press its button to activate another new feature called Idea Sketch. A blank notepad appears, you write down the name of a particular category (or just browse through the list) and a whole bunch of possible illustrations show up for you to choose from. Once you choose one that suits your fancy, it appears in S Note where you can adjust the size and outline style -- and then you can either find inspiration from it, or just color between the lines like it's a coloring book.

Earlier we mentioned that Popup Video is available on the Note II, but that isn't the only thing that pops up -- you can do the same thing with Popup Note, which is activated by holding the S Pen button and double-tapping on the screen. This is basically a miniature version of the S Note app, which takes up less than half of the screen real estate. This means you can take notes and watch videos simultaneously. (Popup Browser is also available.) This is the best example of true multitasking that we've ever seen on a smartphone, and there were no lags, coughs, stutters or any sign whatsoever that the quad-core Exynos processor was buckling under the load. If this is only the beginning of what these phablets are capable of with the right engine under the hood, color us impressed.

We're not done quite yet, multitasking fans. Samsung advertises another feature called Multi-Window that parallels -- nay, exceeds -- the aforementioned Popup Note in awesomeness. We recently saw an implementation of this in the Galaxy Note 10.1, and it's back, here in the Note II as Multi-Window. The implementation is a little different this time around, with a long press on the back button brining up a side bar of apps to choose from. On its tablet incarnation, this consisted of a choice of six. This time we have much more to choose from, including YouTube, ChatOn, GMail, Maps, Internet and, well, you get the idea. This list is also customizable so you can cut the ones you don't want, and bring your faves to the top. In practice, it works well. We had videos running while we checked our email, and happily scoured Google maps whilst we kept some restaurant reviews open in the other pane. Likewise, it's nice to see that you can use this in both orientations, with the phone's buttons being applied to the window that is currently in focus (sounds obvious, but anything's possible). We'd be interested to see how this might scale down onto something with a little less display going on, but the Note II's ample square-inchage certainly makes this a feature worth using. If you've ever used a dual-monitor setup for your desktop, you'll understand the massive productivity boost such a feature could bring to your smartphone -- especially given the amount of screen space the Note II offers.

Quick Command is another new feature that takes advantage of the S Pen's gesture prowess. It's activated by pressing the button while dragging the pen up from the bottom. A familiar-looking handwriting box shows up, prompting you to write a command symbol followed by a keyword. For instance, write "@ Susie" to send an email to Susie; "? [search term]" performs a web search; "# Joseph" tells the phone to call Joseph, and so on. On the surface, this doesn't seem particularly useful when S Voice or Google voice search can do the same stuff, but here's the kicker: it's fully customizable, and you can add in whatever commands you want -- and these commands can open up applications or perform a set of automated tasks (think SmartActions or Tasker). You could program it to turn WiFi, GPS and Blocking Mode on just by drawing a "C," if that's what floats your boat.

S Voice makes a return appearance, despite the existence of similar functionality in Jelly Bean. Not a surprise. What did take us aback is that it now includes S Pen handwriting recognition. This is definitely an interesting addition; from our perspective, it doesn't make much sense to write down a phrase that we could easily speak in less time -- not to mention the fact that Quick Command already addresses this capability, albeit in a separate app. This seems like a feature that Samsung threw in just because it could. Yet it's there if you want it, and we suppose there are a few folks that are gushing at the idea.

As you've no doubt come to understand, the Note II is fully loaded. The S Pen experience between the first- and second-generation devices is a night-and-day difference: the original Note seems like just a working concept in comparison. This is by far the best pen / stylus / whatchamacallit we've used on a smartphone. If you were a fan of the Note, you'll be pleasantly surprised with its successor.

Finally, Samsung has released version 2.2 of its S Pen SDK, which gives third-party developers the ability to beef up their apps with support for hovering, new brushes, special effects and context awareness. There's no guarantee your favorite app will magically have cool new S Pen features, but the option is there for devs to put in a little extra spice if they're interested.

Camera

Given what we already know of the Note II's similarities to the Galaxy S III, would it be much of a shocker to see the two sporting nearly identical cameras? Thanks to a little help from Supercurio, we did some digging and discovered that the two phones use the exact same rear camera modules (known in the code as the s5c73m3). Yes, both utilize maximum resolutions of eight megapixels (3,264 x 2,448 resolution), f/2.6 aperture and 3.7mm focal length in stills, while allowing for 1080p video capture. The front-facing cameras are the same as well: they max out at 1.9MP and are capable of 720p video recording. (Warning: they default to 1.3MP, which is 1,280 x 960. The 1.9MP setting offers 1,392 x 1,392 pixel resolution.)

But while the two devices may be hardware bosom buddies, there are likely to be a few minor differences in firmware -- especially since the Note II has additional features not yet offered in the GS III. So before we dive into the performance, let's discuss what the device has to offer. First, it has a new "best face" mode, which is Samsung's version of Scalado Rewind: it takes five group photos and lets you choose the best faces. This is handy if Bob blinks in the first picture and Julie's making a weird face in the second -- just take the best of each person and put them together in one magical finished product. There's also a new "low light" mode, which as the name implies, is meant to deliver an improved performance in that arena.

Aside from these newcomers, you'll find the same litany of settings present in the GS III, such as HDR (with strong and normal settings, a choice you're not given on the GS III), panorama, share shot, plenty of scene modes, burst shot, macro focus, white balance, ISO, metering and exposure adjustment.

Samsung Galaxy Note II samples

Samsung Galaxy Note (AT&T) samples

Samsung Galaxy S III for Verizon samples

We've always been impressed with Samsung's camera performance because the company seems more interested in quality than megapixel count. While both Notes perform admirably, the next-gen version gave us slightly better results than the original. The new Note produced more natural colors -- its senior cranked out shots that were typically oversaturated and oftentimes washed out in the daylight. You'll see a smidge more detail in the sequel, as well. The Note II was also the winner in managing dynamic range, bringing out the best contrast and producing natural colors in the shadows. As for how our protagonist performs against the Galaxy S III, it appears to be more or less a wash; as expected, the images were incredibly similar and any differences resulting from firmware processing were minor.

The LED flash on the second Note is considerably better than the original, providing more light and color saturation. (When compared to the GS III, however, it's tough to see any difference between the two.) The Note II also does a great job of capturing low-light images, as the new low-light mode fares well at grabbing errant photons. Comparing it with the Note and GS III, however, ends up in a draw: after taking several types of low-light shots, each one had its own moment of glory in at least a few contests.

As mentioned, the Note II is capable of capturing 1080p video in MPEG-4 format. A quick perusal of the specs shows that it uses AVC profile 4.0, has a bitrate of 17 Mbps (the GS III is 17 Mbps, while the HTC One X is 10 Mbps and the ASUS Padfone is 20 Mbps) and offers a frame rate of 30fps. You're given the option of taking high-res (3,264 x 2,176) stills as you record your movies, but if you wait until playback to grab that precious shot, the pixel count will match that of the vid it was taken from.

In terms of features, the Note II introduces fast-motion (up to 8x) and slow-motion (down to one-eighth) recording modes for videos. You may not want to get too serious with these features, but it's a fun opportunity to be creative (example: fast motion vids are best accompanied by the Benny Hill theme song).

Overall, the video performance was pretty good: yours truly felt comfortable taking home movies with the family and leaving the fancy camcorder aside. It did well at capturing detailed motion without getting choppy, and picked up our voices loud and clear. We heard some gusts on a rather windy day, but it was able to filter most of the additional noise out. The only issue we had was with panning back and forth, where the imagery was choppy, almost to the point of inducing nausea. Frankly, we're chalking most of it up to trying to keep such a large device stable.

Performance and battery life

By stating that the Note II has a shiny 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4412 running the show with 2GB RAM and a Mali-400MP GPU to help things along, the performance section almost writes itself. We've always been fond of Exynos, but it's especially wonderful to see it pushed to new frontiers -- in this case, four cores on a smartphone. As per our usual practice, let's first see how it holds up in our benchmark tests.

	Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100	Samsung Galaxy Note N7000	Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300)
Quadrant	6,819	4,411	5,189
Vellamo	2,482	1,243	1,751
AnTuTu	13,539	6,301	11,960
SunSpider 0.9.1 (ms)	1,023	1,761	1,460
GLBenchmark Egypt Offscreen (fps)	114	69	99
CF-Bench	15,267	6,911	13,110
SunSpider: lower scores are better. Galaxy Note N7000 tests were conducted on Ice Cream Sandwich.

We were expecting to see out-of-this-world results, but even then, we ended up pleasantly surprised: some of the Note II's scores shattered anything we've seen before, especially in tests that stress the capabilities of the CPU and GPU. Four of the benchmarks produced results that easily bested anything else currently available on the market, with the other two being among the highest we've recorded.

As for real-world use, we briefly touched on the silky smooth multitasking we enjoyed with Popup Video and Popup Note, and we're happy to report that this wasn't the only area where the processor excelled. Gaming was a joy, with the HD display and capable GPU teaming up together to produce solid and realistic play. With internet browsing, we weren't surprised to see that the Note II is faster and more efficient, since Jelly Bean offers enhancements in that area. Our site opened up quickly and didn't sputter as we navigated, used pinch-to-zoom and did various activities on the browser.

The Note II has incredible battery life, but with a 3,100mAh pack and a more efficient OS than the original Note (which initially launched with Gingerbread before upgrading to ICS), this is exactly what we were expecting to see. In our standard rundown test, which consists of looping a video at 50 percent brightness, WiFi turned on (but disconnected from any networks) and regular push notifications for social media and email, we were able to snag 10 hours and 45 minutes of life out of it -- up just around an hour from the last Note. Granted, we may see a slight decline in the life of an LTE-enabled Note II, but this is still a highly respectable result. We were able to get almost two full days of normal usage from the device, so this should come as even more of a temptation for hungry power users everywhere.

For those asking, the Note II does in fact actually make calls, and it's above average in clarity. We didn't have any concerns with dropped calls, nor did our friends on the other end experience any static or other declines in quality. The loudspeaker earns its name, as it's on the top end of the sound spectrum -- it's plenty loud, regardless of whether you use the earpiece or speakerphone. This resulted in a great audio experience for us when listening to music or watching movies as well.

Samsung's music player offers a full listing of various EQ settings, as well as a few other methods of enhancing your tunes (3D, reverb, bass boost, concert mode and plenty of others). Also, when plugging in a pair of headphones, the phone recognizes that you're ready to get serious about multimedia and shows you a specialized home page with various options that would most likely appeal to you. Overall, we were satisfied with how our music sounded -- we could pick out all of the highs and lows without any shrill or overbearing areas. You shouldn't have any problem loading up most audio formats, including MP3 / WAV / eAAC+ / AC3 / FLAC. (For movies, you'll have success with MPEG-4, DivX / XVID, WMV, H.264 / 263, MKV, FLV and AVI.)

GPS on the Note II, which also includes support for GLONASS, was consistently accurate to within 15 meters; it swiftly locked our position and managed our navigation soundly. Bluetooth 4.0 low-energy support has been added (the device managed to receive file transfers at an average speed of 120 KB/s) as well as the same MHL capabilities as the Galaxy S III -- this unfortunately means that you won't be able to use a standard MHL cable, and instead you'll need to shell out some extra money for a special Samsung-made MHL-to-HDMI converter for HD video output and home theatre-quality audio. USB file transfers were pretty fast, pulling down 16.44 MB/s received and 20 MB/s sent. We weren't able to test the LTE version, but HSPA+ yielded faster average data downlink speeds than what we've seen on the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Wrap-up

To answer the question we posed at the beginning of this review, this thing is the real deal, and it's decisively better than the device that began the whole phablet craze. With SIM-free versions starting in the ballpark of £530, it's a bit on the pricey side, but for good reason: it offers best-in-market performance, an S Pen experience that blows its predecessor out of the water, a solid OS in Jelly Bean and plenty of other features that will make this a tempting offer to even the most petite-handed individual. To do so in a package that's actually thinner and narrower than the first Note is a tremendous accomplishment, and one that'll be hard to match. Get ready to have your cake and eat it too.

James Trew contributed to this review.

Special thanks to Negri Electronics for providing us with a review unit!

source-engadget