Ok, so my accessories came today so I'd thought I'd write a little review about them.
First off, the official Flip cover. I have the ceramic white one, to go with my white phone.
Now I read a few threads and started getting worried about the possibility of a magnet. I checked with my powerful magnet there is not even a tiny one. How it 'sticks' to the screen is static attraction. Same way a balloon can make your hair stick up, bits of paper/fluff stick to a comb after you've used it. Another worry I had was the back looked tacky, poor quality, in pictures I've seen. It is exactly like the original back except it feels a bit more solid, rather than pliable. The front has a matted feel to it which I think might be the same look/feel as the pebble blue's back (but in white). Another thing I wanted to know how much it would look like if I decided to get the blue one, top look similar to the blue pebble theme. I think it will work well for those of us who decided to get a white due to stock delays.
Now, about the CPen. There was complaints that some people thought this would be similar to the SPen. It is just a capacative stylus with a nice 3mm tip.
My last stylus was a cheap £1 one that had more like a 1cm tip to it, which worked fine as a replacement for a finger, but for writing/drawing it really doesn't cut it. This solves that problem, in the SMemo app you get a canvas with some small square grids you can safely put in 10 dots into those squares if your hand is stable enough (mine isn't ). Its not too bulky a pen, its about the size of a Parker pen and has the metal clip you usually have on them. Overall I think you could probably find another 3mm stylus cheaper elsewhere, but this is Samsung branded and looks nice.
Now for the dock. Its a nice little weighty block and the only thing that came with instructions! You just plug your/any micro-usb cable into the back of it and away you go (has a headphone jack too). It has a new screen when its docked called Desk Home and looks like https://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByJ-I1CDRqiicUlDSFYwNjJ3ZTQ which is pretty cool. Not sure if other docks will enable this screen so I doubt you could get a cheaper one to do the same. Also, it works with the flip cover either flipped to the front or flipped around to the back.
To sum up I hope somebody finds this useful and if you have any questions about them feel free to ask or post below.
I'd like to add, that after a short time on the dock, the icons disappear, so does the top bar. And all you are left with is the time, date and weather. Also this randomly moves like every 30 seconds or something.
Related
I recently picked up a cheap, generic lanyard for use with the Note and have found that it completely changed the way I hold and use the phone. It makes holding the phone a lot more comfortable and allows for full single hand usage of the phone. Also, I have done some drop tests and it pretty much drop-proofs the phone (linked below is a video of a drop test I did). I HIGHLY recommend getting one of these, if only for the increased flexibility it gives you when using it single-handed.
How it Helps Single-Handed Use
Because the lanyard I got has a clip on it I am able to detach the lanyard part of it and just have a little “tail” of sorts on the phone. I almost always have this tucked between my middle and ring finger when holding the phone, as it allows me to comfortably hold the phone without needed to support it from the bottom of the phone with a finger. It is hard to explain, so I took a video of it (linked below). This manner of holding the phone means that the ONLY part of the hand that needs touch the phone is the middle and ring fingers on the center of the back plate of the phone. The traction from the skin on the back plate keeps it from moving left/right, gravity keeps it from moving up, and the string connecting the bottom of the back plate to the tips of my middle/ring fingers keeps it from falling. It basically feels like the phone is floating in your hand when holding it like this. It allows you not only to comfortably hold it and use your thumb, but use both your thumb and index finger for zooming and panning as well! And, if you tilt the phone in your hand, you can reach ANY part of the screen with your thumb. You can manipulate the phone however you like, by doing this, without fear of dropping it because the string is firmly between the two fingers.
(This video is in HD so you can press the 720P button and make it fullscreen to see more)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMQ32JT3Uk8
Drop-Proofing
The video shows it the best but you can drop the phone however you want and it will be caught by the lanyard every time. The back plate is fit so securely into the phone that it does not budge, not a single clip of the back plate has come undone in any of my tests (and in one of my tests I flung it around in a circle on the end of the lanyard). Quite amazing really, defeats the need for an OtterBox for me.
(This video is in HD so you can press the 720P button and make it fullscreen to see more)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXFOAuDcmRU
More Pics
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
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If you like this post thank me by pressing the 'Thanks' button
A+ for creativity.
Hey, watched your vids. How are you using this 1 handed? It looks like you've somehow got the thick part of the lanyard up close to the phone in that video...
nice work.
By the way, did you hurt your finger doing this mod ?
copualt3: Thanks!
gerizafa:
Hopefully the linked photo below illustrates it more clearly. I simply tuck the lanyard attachment between my middle and ring finger and it holds the phone.
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h260/piranha_pilot/IMG_0988.jpg
blobotorian:
Thanks! And lol no I didn't, I accidentally cut myself while absent-mindedly taking knives out of the dishwasher.
would it **** u off if the back cover fell off and ur phone smashed?
bamboo12 said:
would it **** u off if the back cover fell off and ur phone smashed?
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Click to collapse
I too use a lanyard, but have mine attached to the flip case back (also at the speaker hole).
Firmly pulling the flap away from the lanyard, and nothing happens. It's not coming off by accident.
BTW... I have a much smaller lanyard with nice leather detailing. Without ever consciously thinking about it, I have gotten into the havit of leaving the lanyard dangling out of my pocket, and my hand subconsciously goes through the lanyard every time I take the phone out of my pocket.
I plan on using a Nillkin TPU case which has strap holes and an SGP Asturias leather handstrap on my imaginary Note. I say imaginary because it's all just an idea, I might get one, I might not. The dev community is so good for the SGS2 that I'll just miss having so many options and tweaks.
@unsinkable can u post some pictures
I did this exactly, sturdy at first but I kind of have the feeling that plastic grill will break some day.
Still better than having the whole phone break after a fall tho.
Not having included a proper lanyard hook like in SGS2 was a huge shortcoming for note designers. SGS2 had the con of an unproperly placed lanyard in the top part of the phone, but still!
I'm finding it rather difficult to get my lanyard's string through my speaker phone grill.
It is in fact hard, the typical lanyard end-cords are thicker than the space avaialble in the grill, but if you push attentively enough, or use the help of a tiny object like a de-tipped needle, to push the loop in the middle for you, it is then pretty easy to do the job.
manhattan212 said:
I'm finding it rather difficult to get my lanyard's string through my speaker phone grill.
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Click to collapse
Hmm just remove the back plate first and then tuck it in and out?
broke mine.
My lanyard broke the little bar behind the speaker.
I personally don't think much force was used to make this happen.
It didn't break it off completely, just one side. So I pushed it back in, so that cosmetically it looks ok -but I certainly can't attach a lanyard on it again.
I'll have to find a case/shell with a lanyard loop.
Incidentally, does anyone know if it's possible to get a replacement back panel?
manhattan212 said:
My lanyard broke the little bar behind the speaker.
I personally don't think much force was used to make this happen.
It didn't break it off completely, just one side. So I pushed it back in, so that cosmetically it looks ok -but I certainly can't attach a lanyard on it again.
I'll have to find a case/shell with a lanyard loop.
Incidentally, does anyone know if it's possible to get a replacement back panel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Metal ones to be found on ebay
Sent from TapaTalk on my Samsung Galaxy Note
thanks for the vids . .
but seems a bit much to wear a wrist leash to carry a cell phone?. .
manhattan212 said:
I'll have to find a case/shell with a lanyard loop.
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Click to collapse
Please share if you do find one. I'd also be interested in a case with a lanyard loop spot!
mcatt66 said:
thanks for the vids . .
but seems a bit much to wear a wrist leash to carry a cell phone?. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought so at first but it soon becomes 2nd nature (5 weeks now)
zkyevolved said:
Please share if you do find one. I'd also be interested in a case with a lanyard loop spot!
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the ringke case in the thin case thread has lanyard holes
zkyevolved said:
Please share if you do find one. I'd also be interested in a case with a lanyard loop spot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nillkin has one. They're fairly easy to find on ebay. I think they have multiple colors, or something.
I've been holding off buying the S III for some time in hopes of something better, but nothing has come along so I finally bit the bullet. I bought a new white one off ebay for $450, which is on the cheaper side. It came with a rather deep scratch on the bottom right on the chrome, but frankly its hard to notice and the rest of the phone seems to work fine. Wanted to ask a few questions and make a few comments.
1. Screen is the best AMOLED screen period. The lack of reflection and infinite viewing angles puts it head and shoulders above all phone IPS screens I've used. Also on a completely different level to the beta AMOLED screens Samsung was churning out. None of the pixelation, dithering, artifacts, lines, blotches, and crap from the S II or the Note. It doesn't turn to crap when I dim the screen, and looks very nice and even like that. The saturation has been toned down as well and looks better. However, I wish the greens were not so BLUE and the skin tones were less ghastly red/yellow/orange.
2. My volume keys are firm and clicky, but my power button is kind of loose. Will it deteriorate over time?
3. The battery cover is still a horrible design. My left side snaps into place completely, but there is a gap that you can put a fingernail and also feel the seam and slight hump since its not flush. This is normal for Samsung right? My Note also had a battery cover problem. It would ot snap in, and I had to jam it in at a very sharp angle and bend the cover back heavily. At least that was flush. This one is not. Also noticed looseness on the top corners with the S3, especially when you move the phone around or hold it in landscape and either push the corners a bit or hold onto them. I think this is endemic to the S3 since all the display phones at my local store had the same problem, along with the entire cover being taped up since they were coming off of course.
4. The home button is hard to press. I also noticed this on the demo models. Why couldn't it be more like the iPhone's button? The amount of force required to push it, its location at the very end of the phone, and the lightweight nature of the phone means I have to hold the phone firmly down or the entire thing just might bounce out of my hand. I usually have to hold the bottom underneath the button and pinch down with my thumb. That's not very satisfying either, since I am also pushing up into a looser part of the back cover and it flexes a bit, especially since there's that hole where the microUSB plugs into. I try to avoid using the home button and use back all the way if possible.
5. The phone is fast, but not blazingly fast or smooth. It's better than my old One X. Still far from the smoothness of a Windows Phone device. Hopefully Jelly Bean will help a lot.
6. They need to disable the capacitive keys during camera mode. I always end up pushing one or both of them and exiting the camera or getting edit popups. Same problem I had on the Note.
7. Phone looks and feels a million times better without the rim sticking out above the glass surface. It's more prone to damage, but I'll take the look and unimpeded finger swiips any day.
8. The Note had a much much better speaker. The S3 sounds like an S2 without the back cover helping muffle it.
katamari201 said:
I've been holding off buying the S III for some time in hopes of something better, but nothing has come along so I finally bit the bullet. I bought a new white one off ebay for $450, which is on the cheaper side. It came with a rather deep scratch on the bottom right on the chrome, but frankly its hard to notice and the rest of the phone seems to work fine. Wanted to ask a few questions and make a few comments.
1. Screen is the best AMOLED screen period. The lack of reflection and infinite viewing angles puts it head and shoulders above all phone IPS screens I've used. Also on a completely different level to the beta AMOLED screens Samsung was churning out. None of the pixelation, dithering, artifacts, lines, blotches, and crap from the S II or the Note. It doesn't turn to crap when I dim the screen, and looks very nice and even like that. The saturation has been toned down as well and looks better. However, I wish the greens were not so BLUE and the skin tones were less ghastly red/yellow/orange.
2. My volume keys are firm and clicky, but my power button is kind of loose. Will it deteriorate over time?
3. The battery cover is still a horrible design. My left side snaps into place completely, but there is a gap that you can put a fingernail and also feel the seam and slight hump since its not flush. This is normal for Samsung right? My Note also had a battery cover problem. It would ot snap in, and I had to jam it in at a very sharp angle and bend the cover back heavily. At least that was flush. This one is not. Also noticed looseness on the top corners with the S3, especially when you move the phone around or hold it in landscape and either push the corners a bit or hold onto them. I think this is endemic to the S3 since all the display phones at my local store had the same problem, along with the entire cover being taped up since they were coming off of course.
4. The home button is hard to press. I also noticed this on the demo models. Why couldn't it be more like the iPhone's button? The amount of force required to push it, its location at the very end of the phone, and the lightweight nature of the phone means I have to hold the phone firmly down or the entire thing just might bounce out of my hand. I usually have to hold the bottom underneath the button and pinch down with my thumb. That's not very satisfying either, since I am also pushing up into a looser part of the back cover and it flexes a bit, especially since there's that hole where the microUSB plugs into. I try to avoid using the home button and use back all the way if possible.
5. The phone is fast, but not blazingly fast or smooth. It's better than my old One X. Still far from the smoothness of a Windows Phone device. Hopefully Jelly Bean will help a lot.
6. They need to disable the capacitive keys during camera mode. I always end up pushing one or both of them and exiting the camera or getting edit popups. Same problem I had on the Note.
7. Phone looks and feels a million times better without the rim sticking out above the glass surface. It's more prone to damage, but I'll take the look and unimpeded finger swiips any day.
8. The Note had a much much better speaker. The S3 sounds like an S2 without the back cover helping muffle it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. There is a setting in display settings to adj screen tone. See if that helps.
2. Some have reported this, but mine is fine. Not loose at all.
3. The battery cover while flimsy i agree, should snap on with ease. No raised or humped section, no gap for a fingernail... almost sounds like yours took a nasty fall or other impact... it should fit just fine with no blemishes.
4. Home isnt hard to push. Agree though that it couldve been implemented much better.
5. Imho, this thing screams. Never had any problems with lag or not being smooth and speedy. Top of the line if you ask me.
8. Speakers fine for me, for what it is. I never expect the external speaker to be super high quality.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
On the screen issue, have you gone out to broad daylight and trying to see the screen? Its tough. I still prefer IPS screens.
The home button is hard to press. Being accustomed to only capacitive buttons, the home button is tough to press. Even more so with my ballistics case.
The back is plastics but it gets the job done
The power button is sturdy and fine on my end
I agree with the camera button.
I also got mine from eBay about a month ago for 469 and although it was used, it was kept and very good condition. All I have is a small line on the gray part of the phone by the volume button that only extends about 2 mm. Sometimes I forget its there. The screen is my biggest letdown. Coming from 2 LG devices, the IPS screen is the best screens in my opinion. Natural colors, awesome brightness. This one is good I enjoy it but its not great.
Sent from my Rooted Gameboy
Hey man.. Cool thing you got an s3 but if I was you, I would of waited til tomorrow for the nexus 4 and paid 100$ less.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Crisisx1 said:
Hey man.. Cool thing you got an s3 but if I was you, I would of waited til tomorrow for the nexus 4 and paid 100$ less.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I played with an Optimus G in-store, basically a Nexus 4. Did not like it AT ALL. The glass was icky. Was not impressed by the display. It was washed out looking. This is in comparison to the One X and iPhone, not just AMOLED.
IPS is better outdoors and at max brightness. However, indoors at low brightness the contrast looks way better on the AMOLED screen of the GS3.
Oh man the 5" HTC Droid DNA is coming out. If it can be unlocked for GSM networks, I'm itching the jump again...haha I had the Note two months ago too.
I'm getting buyers remorse from the build quality. Just holding or moving the phone around and taking it out of my pocket, there's always a creak or a flex from the loose back cover. The phone is kinda slippery and clammy, not much to hold on to, and the jiggly power button. I said I would never buy another Samsung phone because of build, but here I am again...a sucker for the screen!
3. My battery cover is perfectly flush. I have pulled it off to change sd cards and once when initially rooting.. I simply put it in place and smoothly press the edges while moving around the whole phone.. all click in, flush
5. check to see if Power saving mode is on, and if cpu saving is on in power saving ... if it is, chances are your phone is only hitting 1GHz
when power saving is off (via the handy toggle in the notification shade dropdown), phone is allowed to hit full 1.5 GHz
another reason for some speed loss is the samsung touchwiz environment.. beautiful, but a bit heavy
jellybean from a google/nexus base IS faster, but mainly cuz it is more bare
cheers!
Samsung Galaxy S3, 16GB, pebble blue
rooted, running jellybean 4.1.1 on touchwiz-based Xquizit xD rom
Hello! I just wanted to share this very easy modification I've made today to my S Line cover.
I like this model of cover because I think is has the best quality-price ratio.
However, since I've started using PIE controls I noticed that the borders of the cover made the swype from the edge of the screen a little less comfortable.
Also, I think the Gnex is a very comfortable phone despite is big screen size (nowadays even not that big...), but the cover adds a little bulk that make reaching some part of the screen a little hard compared to using the phone "naked".
Since I've wrongly ordered two identical S Line covers, and I don't think I will ever broke one, I decided to try this simple mod.
Using a pair of electrician scissorsi like those:
I've simply cutted off the side part of the cover (the one with the grippy texture), starting from the power button side and simply following the groove of this part of the cover:
Then, with 3 small pieces of biadhesive tape, I placed the cutted part on the other side of the cover, so I could use it as a template for cutting ( because this side of the cover doesn't have a groove around the grippy part):
Well, the cut on this side came out less accurate.
Before doing this, I was almost sure that removing the sides of the cover would have made it too loose on the phone, but after putting it on, it seems to be as stable as the normal cover.
The upper and lower front borders keep to prevent scratches on the screen when putting the phone on surfaces facing down.
Volume buttons are easier to reach and push ( and, if you want to consider the other side, to get accidentaly pushed).
The bulk on the hand is reduced, and swypes are now very very comfortable
Here's some photos:
Hope you'll like it and find it useful! I know that probably already exists cover that are made like that, but I wanted to try
In the next days I'll see how it will react to normal usage (in/out the pocket...)
Specifically, the spot is just left of mid-line and about a 1/3 of the way up from the bottom in portrait mode. If you have the wallpaper of the quill with the scribble (not the ink well), it is just to left of the quill tip. If I press on the corresponding spot on the back or flex the tablet from the sides a bit, a bright spot appears on lighter backgrounds (it doesn't show on dark backgrounds). A white background is back.
Ok, so everyone is going to say don't push or flex the tablet and I agree However, I bought the MoKo rotating case and when I snap it in firmly, this spot appears. I remove the tablet or loosen up the left side of the case, the spot disappears. The case appears to flex the tablet a bit, causing the display issue. I'm going to give another case a try, but MoKo is really the only rotating case, which I really liked.
Since the back of the tablet is "spongy" in this spot and allows it, I was trying to determine if this is a design issue with all of Note 8's or a manufacturing defect with mine. I went to a big box store to test, but they no longer have the Note 8's on display. However, all of the other Samsung tablet models have this issue in one spot or another. It seems Samsung has sacrificed sturdiness for a lower profile. So, I'm wondering if folks can help me determine if I should return this for another unit or deal with it.
I'd try flexing the cover's tabs some to see if I could alleviate the flexing... this is common on all tablets and phones since they are made to be as light as possible these days.
You might be able to heat the case holder with a hair dryer to make flexing/bending it easier.
cawake said:
Specifically, the spot is just left of mid-line and about a 1/3 of the way up from the bottom in portrait mode. If you have the wallpaper of the quill with the scribble (not the ink well), it is just to left of the quill tip. If I press on the corresponding spot on the back or flex the tablet from the sides a bit, a bright spot appears on lighter backgrounds (it doesn't show on dark backgrounds). A white background is back.
Ok, so everyone is going to say don't push or flex the tablet and I agree However, I bought the MoKo rotating case and when I snap it in firmly, this spot appears. I remove the tablet or loosen up the left side of the case, the spot disappears. The case appears to flex the tablet a bit, causing the display issue. I'm going to give another case a try, but MoKo is really the only rotating case, which I really liked.
Since the back of the tablet is "spongy" in this spot and allows it, I was trying to determine if this is a design issue with all of Note 8's or a manufacturing defect with mine. I went to a big box store to test, but they no longer have the Note 8's on display. However, all of the other Samsung tablet models have this issue in one spot or another. It seems Samsung has sacrificed sturdiness for a lower profile. So, I'm wondering if folks can help me determine if I should return this for another unit or deal with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen this in mine. Definitely pressure flexing back plate pressure on the battery frame. The screws holding the battery will press from the back of the LCD and you'll see a bright dot. Relieve the flex/stress or the dot it permanently bruise.
DizzyDen said:
I'd try flexing the cover's tabs some to see if I could alleviate the flexing... this is common on all tablets and phones since they are made to be as light as possible these days.
You might be able to heat the case holder with a hair dryer to make flexing/bending it easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DizzyDen,
Thanks for the suggestion. I did try flexing it back into shape, but to no avail.
Chris
dtvboy said:
I've seen this in mine. Definitely pressure flexing back plate pressure on the battery frame. The screws holding the battery will press from the back of the LCD and you'll see a bright dot. Relieve the flex/stress or the dot it permanently bruise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dtvboy,
Thanks for confirming the issue. You are right, the spot does resemble the tip of a screw. I just received the fintie slim case and I no longer have the issue. I miss the rotating stand, but it's better than the distracting dot or damaging my tablet.
Chris
You could also try sanding the flat part of the rotating holder... anything to relieve the pressure it puts on the back of the Note... bending the corners forward on the holder might help as well.
Got my case today and it's OK, but a couple of gripes. There is zero protection for the hinge. Drop it on edge and no safety net. Given that's kind of the heaviest area when folded seems likely to be what hits the concrete on a drop.
The front cover seems to slide around a bit if you put edge pressure on it.
While wireless charging works with the stand slotted, the pen holder prevents it from getting close enough to charge.
Also a bit too bulky to feel natural in the hip pocket with the pen slotted in, though I expected that. The pen is for travel and meetings so I won't have it attached all the time.
The back of the case shows fingerprints almost as bad as the screens do.
*EDIT* And finally I just noticed - the stand is really only useful when folded and in landscape mode. Otherwise you might as well just lay the phone down it leans back so far.
The gray-green of the case is definitely the color I expected the phone to be, so it's not a match to the phone case gray color, but the phone color is only really visible around the power button.
Sorry for potato photos, the only thing I had handy to shoot with was my Surface Duo 1.0.
cybermage1 said:
Got my case today and it's OK, but a couple of gripes. There is zero protection for the hinge. Drop it on edge and no safety net. Given that's kind of the heaviest area when folded seems likely to be what hits the concrete on a drop.
The front cover seems to slide around a bit if you put edge pressure on it.
While wireless charging works with the stand slotted, the pen holder prevents it from getting close enough to charge.
Also a bit too bulky to feel natural in the hip pocket with the pen slotted in, though I expected that. The pen is for travel and meetings so I won't have it attached all the time.
The back of the case shows fingerprints almost as bad as the screens do.
*EDIT* And finally I just noticed - the stand is really only useful when folded and in landscape mode. Otherwise you might as well just lay the phone down it leans back so far.
The gray-green of the case is definitely the color I expected the phone to be, so it's not a match to the phone case gray color, but the phone color is only really visible around the power button.
Sorry for potato photos, the only thing I had handy to shoot with was my Surface Duo 1.0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So as I understand, the colour of the case (Gray green) does not match the colour of the phone (Gray green)?
my front cover keeps flipping of, me no likey
QPR said:
my front cover keeps flipping of, me no likey
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Click to collapse
maybe a 2 sided tape will fix it?
eswar539 said:
maybe a 2 sided tape will fix it?
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Click to collapse
that sounds like a good thing to try. cheers
QPR said:
that sounds like a good thing to try. cheers
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Click to collapse
Get 2mm one. Fits good
I got black in my free note pack with a grey grey phone are they supposed to give you matching?
eswar539 said:
Get 2mm one. Fits good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought some for when I got a replacement fold 3. It's worth it. I could reuse the case.
mattcall said:
I got black in my free note pack with a grey grey phone are they supposed to give you matching?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to chose the color in the US.
One thing I do like about the pen attachment; when the pen is installed with the phone open and the power and volume buttons ot the top, I can slide the pen out a couple inches and with my left hand I can completely hold the open phone. The pen slides between my middle and pointer fingers and the phone balances while open and is weildable.
Maybe I should add a photo?