I've seen apps on XDA Developers that can unlock some phones. One for my Note II but turns out it's already unlocked.

Usually around a fiver I think, so no, not too expensive.

Well, yeah, it's big. My wife had reservations about the size, but once she was using it, loved it. She's got herself a Galaxy S4 now, and misses the size.

I'm quite happy to send it to you 'on approval'. If your wife is happy, then I'll just PM you my bank details for a transfer (or you can send me a cheque, whatever is easiest). If not, I just ask that you send it back to me.

If you're interested, PM me your address and we'll get going.

Well blimey. Can't say reasonabler than that.

The screen in particular will be a bit of an upgrade from 1 inch, 96 x 65 pixels.

JOHN!?!

So many missed opportunities there! (fail)

First impression: too big. Second impression (after about 10 minutes): I could get used to this. Ruth says it's fine to use as a phone but too big for her pockets. So I have to decide whether I want to keep it and give her my old one. Probably I reckon, but will decide when I'm back after this weekend away.

If I keep it I'll definitely CyanogenMod it as I don't much like Samsung's take on Android.

My wife has always been a 'phone goes in the bag' kinda lady so the pocket problem was never an issue for her.

Hopefully you'll get on with it...it certainly make browsing a more pleasurable experience...especially with the pen for clicking on those pesky links.

Enjoy!

I have the Note II, almost the same size. I don't think I could go smaller now. The size rarely gets in the way and it's great for browsing and games. Definitely seemed big and first though.

Not sure if CM on the Note will be the same experience as on this. It's definitely smoother than a Touchwiz ROM but Bluetooth doesn't work as reliably and I get more apps crashing, random reboots and freezes. Which is a shame because I love AOSP ROMs.

The pen is useful for desktop sites with rollover menus. Probably what I use it for more than anything. Not sure if I'd miss it or not if I got a new phone.

I'm not sure I understand... You're running CM on a Note II but don't think it will be as smooth on a Note I?

I'll certainly give it a go anyway, I run CM on my Nook tablet and it's pretty bloody stable (the 4.3 version definitely more so than 4.4). Can always revert to the official OS if CyanogenMod doesn't behave.

I meant CM is smoother than the Samsung software on my Note II but less reliable, definitely less stuttering scrolling through things.So might be the same on the Note. Who knows.

My biggest problem is the issue with Bluetooth. If I use the visor speaker in my car I can usually make 1 or 2 calls before I can no longer hear people on the other end. Then it takes a couple of hours to randomly start working again. Even through the earpiece on the phone. And voice dialing doesn't work with the speaker :(

So I'm on a custom ROM with Note 3 features now and it's pretty good. 4.4.2 I think. Bluetooth works perfectly. Has all the S Pen features which you lose with CM. Pen still works in CM, just acts as a mouse.

I wonder if lollipop will come to this phone.

Interesting. What custom ROM is that?

SlimWiz. Don't know if anything like it is available for the Note. And there's DN4 which has Note 4 features on the 2. I do find it annoying that the settings menu can take a few seconds to load, things not always as snappy as AOSP.

And obviously a new launcher will hide some TouchWiz stuff. I use Nova Launcher. Much better use of the screen size by changing the grid size to allow more icons on the screen.

And if you find the phone awkward to use one handed I read a handy tip somewhere but it only works if you have a case on:
Feed a piece of elastic through the pen slot and the camera slot in the case and stick together on the inside. Then you can put your fingers through it and move your thumb wherever without dropping it.

I've installed CyanogenMod anyway. I've never used the pen / stylus so I guess I won't miss the features, and the ROMs you mentioned don't seem to be available for the Note 1, and I trust CyanogenMod not to brick my phone (or rather I trust myself not to brick my phone with CM) as I've installed it on my Nook and old HTC phone with no problems.

Still, would be interested in other ROMs, especially since the last "stable" CM is Android 4.2.

You haven't even tried the pen? :O I don't use it a great deal. It's handy for the occasional note, screenshots with annotations and navigating menus on some websites. And websites that show animated previews by hovering over a link.

Hopefully CM will be more reliable on the N7000. I have a rather old version still running on my HTC Desire and it's great. My Note 2 is definitely more stable since switching back to a TouchWiz ROM though.