Galaxy Note 8.0 Hands On: The 8-Inch Tablet That's an 8-Inch... Phone

Samsung's Galaxy Note just grew to 8 inches. It's actually really nice. It combines a bunch of the stuff that Samsung's been building in the Galaxy S and Note series and puts them into a nearly perfectly sized tablet. Two things, though. One, we don't know how much it costs, and price is a huge deal for 7- and 8-inch tablets. Two, the international version is a freaking 8-inch phone.

First, some details about the Note as a tablet. (Full specs, as we know them, below.) The Note 8's 8-inch display has the same 1280x800 resolution (16:10 ratio) as the Kindle Fire HD 7-inch, though obviously a slightly lower PPI—189 to 216—given it's an inch larger. It's very nice, but while it's a bump up from the iPad Mini's 1024x768, 163PPI (4:3) display, it's still not the kind of pristine, flawless screen you see on larger tablets. I made out some pixels here and there, and its color balance didn't feel quite right, but holding it and reading web pages, it looked just fine. In human being terms, that means it's got a good but not great display that, honestly, you probably won't notice unless you've got a retina MacBook or a Chromebook Pixel or something.

The Note 8 has guts that are right in there at the top of the pack with a 1.6GHz quad core A9 processor—unnamed by Samsung, but probably last generation's Exynos 4. That puts it ahead of the Fire HD, on basially equal footing with the Nexus 7, and in a similar but much more high class version of the iPad Mini's recycling of old guts. The Mini uses a die-shrunk A5, the same chip as the iPad 2. However, the Note suffers lag in places where the Mini and Nexus 7 simply don't, like dragging down the Android notification center or opening and closing the dual app selector (as an aside, the dual apps make much more sense here than on the 5.5-inch Note 2), and it loses a weirdly high number of swipes. Firmware on the Note 8 isn't final, and it's very quick on a number of other things, so that could be software. But it's the kind of thing that's snuck its way into Samsung's software before. For all the good stuff going on here, TouchWiz still hangs over all of it.

And then there's the part where it's a phone. Look, phones and tablets converging makes sense. And obviously most people aren't going to use an 8-inch phone as a phone that they hold up to their heads. They'll use bluetooth headsets or inline mics. But the plausibility of anyone actually carrying an 8-inch phone around with them at all times seems slim, no matter how much we'd like to have one less gadget to haul around. For all the jokes about the iPad as a giant iPod Touch, this is literally a humongous Galaxy S III. And sure, sure, why not. But really... WHY???

The Note 8 is exceedingly comfortable to hold, though its plastic body doesn't have the solid feel of iPad Mini, Nexus 7, and Kindle Fire HD. The bezel is larger than the iPad Mini's by a good amount, but feels smaller than the Kindle Fire HD's (though that could simply be the scale working, since the Note is a deal larger and the same size bezel would seem smaller). It feels like a good compromise between the two. Both the iPad Mini and Kindle Fire HD are wonderfully usable tablets, but for just holding a medium-sized tablet in one hand, the Note probably takes it, for what it's worth.

The S Pen software has come a long way since it was released, and it's now to the point that writing out a URL with the stylus actually feels a lot easier than banging it out with your thumbs. Taking notes is still touch and go, mainly owing to spacing and line breaks, but the accuracy is much better than it had been for the launch of the Note 10.1 and Note 2.

Samsung is pushing some new S Pen features too, like being able to hover over tiles in apps to give you "mouseover" text. Flipboard has a new update for that, but it's hard to see it getting much support from developers when basically every other Android device can't make use of it. Other lightweight additions include being able to use the S Pen on the capacitive "hardware" buttons for back and menu; a reading mode that changes the contrast between text and background in ebook apps like Kindle to make them easier to read; getting an exclusive on the Android version of the Awesome Note app; and, for some unholy reason, inserting clip art into images by writing out the word, like writing "DOG" and making a dog appear. Seriously.

Samsung has phones and tablets in almost literally every size from 4 inches to 10. And beyond. But the shotgun spray strategy does feel like it's zeroing in on the good stuff right now. Still, you're going to want to wait and see how the software issues play out, and certainly for the price, since even if it slightly undercuts the pricey iPad Mini, there will be other, far cheaper, options out there.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Specs:
Network: HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
Dimensions (3G Version): 210.8mm x 135.9mm [official depth not included by Samsung]
Weight: 338 grams
Processor: 1.6GHz A9 quad-core
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage: 16/32GB; microSD
Display: 8" WXGA (1280x800, 189 ppi) TFT
Software: Android 4.1.2 (Jellybean)
Battery: 4600mAh

Safety Not Guaranteed: Grab Your Flux Capacitor

There's a storied history of time travel movies, so you might be thinking "who needs one more?" You do. And this is the one you need. Admittedly not your traditional "time travel" movie in the same way that the classics of the genre are, but its weird angle on the concept is what Safety Not Guaranteed brings to the table.

To sum it up, Safety Not Guaranteed is an indie movie from the producers of Little Miss Sunshine that centers around reporters who answer a classified ad requesting a partner for a time travel adventure. Yes, t has the kind of slightly zany, kind of quirky humor you'd expect from an indie movie with this kind of premise, so hopefully you're OK with that. But it's also goes beyond just that, and really runs with the premise, to a place that's more interesting than you might expect. To say too much more risks ruining it. Basically, it's fun.

And, at a scant 86 minutes, Safety Not Guaranteed is bite-sized, making it a total no-brainer of a watch. Really, you've got nothing to lose. It just showed up on Netflix Instant so go give it a shot, and travel an hour and a half into the future. [Netflix]

STK’s Canon-5d-Battery High Capacity 2600mAH – for Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 5D Mark II

STK’s Canon-5d-Battery High Capacity 2600mAH – for Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 5D Mark II

• STK’s Canon 5D Mark III & Mark II Battery (POWWER Series)
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• Canon LP-E6 Battery is 100% warranted for twelve months from the date it is purchased.

STK’s Canon 5D Mark III & Mark II Battery (POWWER Series) was made to meet or exceed the OEM charging power. We have worked hard provide the top quality STK’s Canon 5D Mark III & Mark II Battery replacement offered. Twelve Months 100 % Manufacturer’s warranty: We will exchange this or any additional product or service that you buy from us for twelve months from the day your transaction is shipped if ever it fails under ordinary wear or is faulty. We distribute new professional quality products a

New Free Micro USB card reader when you buy a 16GB Micro Class 6 SD SDHC High Speed Zectron Digital Camera Memory Card FOR Nikon Coolpix S4000 digital Camera Camcorder Video SD Secure Digital Card

New Free Micro USB card reader when you buy a 16GB Micro Class 6 SD SDHC High Speed Zectron Digital Camera Memory Card FOR Nikon Coolpix S4000 digital Camera Camcorder Video SD Secure Digital Card

• 16GB Micro Class 6 Ultra Speed SDHC Memory Card with addaptor to convert the micro to a normal SDHC so ideal for phones, camera and computer, and USB card reader to upload your info to your computer.
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The Micro card features High Speed technology, Photographers and camcorder enthusiasts, who would want to capture high-speed consecutive shots and smooth full HD video will love the function to easily capture sequential shots that were once a challenge due to the speed limitations of memory, you can easily enjoy experience continuous burst mode shooting and capture fast-action Full HD video like never before. To accommodate the varying needs of such professionals, High Speed SDHC memory card is

Don't Worry, The Chromebook Pixel Isn't Just Stuck Running Chrome OS

The Chromebook Pixel has caught a lot of flak for being an expensive, powerful computer that arguably throws that power away on the stripped down and simple Chrome OS. Well, it doesn't have to be that way if you're game to tinker a little bit. Turns out throwing Linux on that sucker is already a breeze.

The specifics of the switcheroo were explained by Google's Bill Richardson on Google+. It turns out that the Pixel, like every Chromebook before it, has a read-only Chrome OS BIOS. That's where you get your built-in Chrome OS, and that's (obviously) there to stay. But the Pixel also has a bonus unverified BIOS slot that you can go and enable through developer settings. From there, installing Linux is pretty trivial.

There are a few catches, though. Breaking out of your Chrome OS prison is almost definitely going to render the touchpad and touchscreen useless which is a bummer. And in doing so, you'll have created a sort of anti-Chromebook Chromebook; instead of being cheap and easy-to-use, it'll have been expensive and require a moderately high degree of user know-how. And while there are still other fair criticisms of Pixel, this fixes at least one of the issues. That is, if you're the type who doesn't mind some tinkering. Or Linux. [Bill Richardson via Android Central ]

Let Your iPhone Toot Its Own Horn With These Custom Brass Amplifiers

There are plenty of speaker solutions out there for turning your iOS device something of a future-boombox, but none are quite as awesomely old-school as using re-purposed brass instruments.

Hand-made by sculptor Christopher Locke, each "Analog Tele-Phonographer" is a custom piece constructed from one particular bass instrument and morphed into an amplifier that'll pump up the volume with no additional power. All the peices are for sale, from roughly $400, and you can even commission Locke if you've got something specific in mind. At the moment, Locke has two available, one a french horn, the other a french horn-trumpet hybrid, for $450 and $675 respectively. Or you could make your own, but good luck with that. [Heartless Machine via Boing Boing]

HP Earnings Better Than Feared, but Still Not Great

Shares of Hewlett-Packard are rising by more than 5 percent in premarket trading this morning, following Thursday’s quarterly earnings report that blew right past the consensus. But HP is by no means anywhere near out of the wilderness in which it has languished for the last year and change.

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore, in a note to clients this morning, gave credit where it was due, but maintained his “sell” rating on HP shares. For all the sunshine visible in HP’s results, the fundamentals remain weak. Better operating margins in printing, and a slower-than-expected bleed-off in services contracts helped. And the $2.6 billion in operating cash flow that was so helpful in paying down net debt? Half a billion of it came from a one-time tax benefit and lower bonus payments to employees in 2012, Whitmore writes. “Unfortunately, none of these items appear sustainable and underlying weakness persists across all HP's major businesses,” he wrote.

While he raised his price target on HP shares to $12 from $10, Whitmore says there’s still no fundamental change in HP’s business to make him consider upgrading his rating: “We remain concerned about ongoing weak printer unit shipments and the structural decline of this market, ongoing deterioration across the PC industry on both a unit and pricing basis, poor bookings performance and future contract losses in Services, the ongoing rapid decline of high margin Enterprise products and the associated future high-margin Tech Services revenue run-off.”