Goodbye, Blue Monday

Thanks to The Other McCain for the Rule Five linkage!

The standing principle of business around the Casa de Animal is to use a device until it is no longer useable; we do not replace an instrument simply because a newer, shinier one is available.  However, when said instrument does meet its inevitable end of service, yr. obdt. prefers to replace it with the best we can afford, so as to ensure a long service life.

Recently my old T-Mobile G1 gave up the ghost.  I’m told five years is a good lifespan for a smart-phone, and the G1 is one of the earliest smart-phones, so I chose to be pleased with the old warhorse – and a week since, set out with Mrs. Animal on the trail of a replacement.

After examining several candidates, I settled on the Samsung Note 2.  Now this is more than a smart-phone; it is a sort of hybrid, a big, wide hybrid of smart-phone, tablet and ultra-portable computer.  It not only handles telephone and text-message chores, but also internet, email, navigation, and a host of other tasks.

Samsung Note 2

There are downsides, as with any device.  The Note 2 is big, over twice as tall and twice as broad as the old G1, although it is a tad thinner.  As yet I have not found a convenient way to carry the Note 2, whereas the G1 fit neatly in a small leather carrier on the belt.  But the upsides outweigh the down.  The Note 2′s big screen has remarkable resolution, enabling the user to read multiple emails, display photos and video with ease, and the included stylus makes use of the touchscreen easier for the thick-fingered.  The operating system is easy to use, intuitive and quick.

With all the various business and personal emails enabled in the Note 2 and with easy use of such features as Dropbox and wireless networking, it makes for a much more versatile and useful business tool than the old G1.  In fact, it is proving useful enough to lessen the demand on my big, heavy HP laptop.

I expect to get years of long, valuable service from this device.