Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

11/24/14 UPDATE- It looks like this product is officially an orphan. Numerous software bugs with more piling up- The ownership community is experiencing Chromecast and Chrome browser causing tablet to freeze, intermittent blue screen requiring a reboot, videos not playing, no support from Amazon for its Video-on-Demand and other issues. While other Verizon LTE / Galaxy Note products have been regularly updated, the Note Pro 12.2 has not. That, combined with firesale prices on the non-LTE product all over the web really points to Samsung discontinuing support for the product. What a bummer. 1. OS and app Bugs While the tablet is beautiful after using it for almost two months, I find it shockingly buggy. Apparently there's a battery drain problem in sleep mode. My Note Pro goes from 100% to dead in 18 hours of no use. It drops about 5% every 30 minutes. Many apps I expected to be mature and debugged like NYTimes, Wall Street Journal are laggy and crash frequently. Moving from an iPad to the Galaxy Note Pro, I have to say that there's something to be said about the benefits of how Apple manages expectations downward. While there is no multitasking on the iPad as there is on the Galaxy, there's a lot of lag and failed swipes on the Galaxy. Never on the Apple. 2. Many apps haven't been updated for this larger screen Lots of apps appear in the wrong orientation and/or won't rotate, or appear in one quadrant of the screen. 3. Chrome won't work the way you think it will work If you were expecting a more desktop (or at least laptop)-like Chrome experience, forget it. The version of Chrome that installs on this tablet is designed for smartphones. No plug-ins allowed, no bookmark bar, bookmarks appear in a tab window instead of a drop-down/slide-out. 4. BIG problems when using a Chromecast Expect your Note Pro to crash when attempting the seemingly simple task of streaming music from Google Play to your Chromecast device. Easy-to-reproduce and requires a tablet reboot only to happen again when you try streaming music. 5. Nobody knows anything about this thing Not Samsung, Not Verizon (I have the LTE version). Other than the basics, at least as of two weeks in, nobody knows anything about the Galaxy Note Pro. 6. Bloatware Oh my goodness, they're redefined the phrase. I appreciate some of the freebies, but wouldn't it have been possible to remove the ones I don't use? Google+, Hangouts, Knox, (and of course Knox store, whatever that is), e-meeting, etc., etc 7. A mouse! Ok, so I was amazed. Yes, with a Bluetooth mouse connected, an arrow icon actually appears on the screen and you can use it pretty much like any mouse on a conventional PC. I'm using the Microsoft Sculpt Touch mouse but any Bluetooth one will work. You can also connect a keyboard at the same time. 8. Limited amount of accessories and ridiculous prices thereof Because of its newness, there are a limited number of accessories and cases for this tablet. Furthermore, I guess because companies like Zagg and Logitech believe you're willing to overpay for the tablet, they can charge you a premium for accessories. $129 for a keyboard/case? You must be kidding. 9. Amazon video/Flash player: Streaming video from your Amazon account is almost impossible. I was accustomed to using Amazon's streaming video app on the iPad to watch tv shows and movies I get from Amazon. There is no such app for Android devices. This is very unlike Amazon and Google (but less so for Adobe) and I wish they would get over themselves and help their customers. BTW, there are no problems watching Netflix, YouTube or Hulu using their respective apps. 10. The guys at Adobe (or someplace) will make sure you can't use this as a notebook replacement Getting Flash installed on this tablet is an exercise in contortion. It can be done via the installation of an obscure "Dolphin" browser, an older version of Adobe Flash and then jimmying with settings to put it all together, but it's complicated especially with this tablet running KitKat. I was successful, but it took a while. I understand this is because of a disagreement between Google (Android's developer), Amazon and Adobe. 11. Amazon (or someone) doesn't want you streaming your library on the Note Pro: There is no Amazon streaming app as there is for the iPad (see #10 above). This is very unlike Amazon and Google (but less so for Adobe) and I wish they would get over themselves and help their customers. BTW, there are no problems watching Netflix, YouTube or Hulu using their respective apps. 12. New Charging / sync connector on cord The Note Pro uses a new Micro USB 3.0 connector. It's wider than the one that THE ENTIRE REST OF THE PLANET USES. You can use an old-style Micro USB charger, but it takes much longer to charge it than if you use the cord that comes with it. Also, there are no USB 3.0 car chargers (that I've been able to find, anyways). ALSO ALl those zillions of USB chargers you own? Many of them won't charge the Galaxy Note Pro. 13. Pricing and obsolescence The "professional" reviews of this tablet are lukewarm- mostly revolving around the reviewer's opinion of its high price and "who would want a tablet with this large of a screen?" These reviews can slow sales and drive the price down. The price of this tablet may decline at a faster rate than usual. What's weird is that even the reviews that start like that, often end up with a conclusion that it's a terrific product. I don't get it. UPDATE: Other thoughts: I've been using this device intensively for almost two months now as a replacement for an aging iPad and hopefully a replacement for an infrequently used notebook. If you're used to holding an iPad, this tablet will take some getting used to. Once you've had it for a few days, you won't want to take your hands off of it. For me, it is a near-notebook replacement, especially if you add a keyboard and a mouse. The Hancom office software is shockingly close in appearance and functionality to Microsoft Office.