One of these things is not like the other…
That’s right, Verizon Wireless greedily decided to brand the home button on its Samsung Galaxy Note II variant with a hideous carrier logo. You probably won’t find a single article on the Internet praising the placement of the logo as the majority of first impressions seem to reflect that it was a horrible, awful design choice. Not even Mike Tyson, the man with half his face covered in a tattoo, would approve. In fact, it’s already become quite a distraction for Big Red. Instead of s mentioning the Galaxy Note 2′s beautiful 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, powerful Exynos 1.6GHz quad-core processor, generous 2GB of RAM, and unique S Pen stylus, initial headlines are noting how Verizon marred the Android-powered handset’s aesthetics with a terribly placed advertisement. It’s going to be mentioned in every Verizon Galaxy Note II unboxing and first-look video from here on out.
While it likely won’t prevent most from buying such a fantastic device (I plan on picking one up!), the decision to stamp a logo in the one place consumers would least expect or want it will never be forgotten. Seriously, how can users forget when the logo is planted on the most used button on the phone. What makes it worse is that it’s positioned in such a way that the logo almost looks off-centered and too large to fit on the small key. It’s worth noting that the phone isn’t even out yet and people are already scheming of ways to either hide the logo, remove it, or replace the button altogether.
Why even brand the front of the phablet anyway? As you can see in the images above, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular left the front of their respective Galaxy Note 2s looking fresh and clean. Those handsets mirror the sleekness of the award winning Galaxy S III smartphone released earlier this year. Outside of Sprint, who awesomely chose to forgo any branding at all, the other carriers were perfectly fine keeping logos strictly on the back of their respective devices.
In the end, it’s just a logo on a button. However, when you’re dropping $300 and signing a contract, or a ridiculous $700 without, you probably don’t want to see what basically are advertisements plastered all over your new gadget – at least not in such an obnoxious manner.
By the way, for those interested, Verizon’s Galaxy Note II is now available to pre-order for $299.99 with a new two-year agreement or $699.99 outright. An exact release date has not bee announced, but the product listing states that it will “ship by” November 27.
Note: this editorial is my small contribution to make sure this never happens again. /rant
Samsung Galaxy Note II Promotional Video – Sans Verizon Home Button Logo:
Press Release:
Beginning today, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is available for pre-order. The Galaxy Note II combines the features of a smartphone and tablet, giving users the best of both worlds with its large yet pocketable 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen.
The built-in S-Pen does more than just draw pictures. A student looking to take notes in class can use the handwriting-to-text feature to jot down their notes and attach an audio recording of the lecture. With AirView, the S-Pen can hover over an e-mail or gallery to preview content without opening it. Easy Clip lets users draw an outline and crop what’s on the screen with the S-Pen and share that cropped image with others.
The Note II allows users to run two apps simultaneously by dividing the screen in the Multi Window view. Users can stream YouTube videos while texting a friend, taking notes or writing down an address while on a phone call. Pulling out the S-Pen during a phone call will bring up the Popup Note feature to quickly write and save notes instead of looking for a pen and paper.
Productivity tools like the Polaris Office app make it possible for professionals to create and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. Keeping those documents secure is important, and that’s where enterprise mobility solutions come in. As a SAFE (Samsung For Enterprise) device, users receive security features like on device encryption, advanced Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync functionality and support for industry-leading Mobile Device Management (MDM) and VPN solutions to protect the data and communications handled by the device.
Additional features:
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Samsung Exynos 1.6 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage
8-megapixel camera and 1.9-megapixel front facing-camera
AllShare Play – stream multimedia content from the Note II to a compatible Samsung Smart TV® or home audio system when connected to the same Wi-Fi network
S Beam – share pictures, videos, documents and more by simply touching two Note II devices’ backs together
The Samsung Galaxy Note II will be available online and in stores in Marble White or Titanium Grey in the coming weeks for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.