Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Challenge, Day 1

Samsung has made quite a name for itself over the years. Long before it held any kind of domimance in any part of the mobile market, they were just another manufacturer hoping to sell some phones to millions of people around the world. Once the iPhone hit the market, that desire only escalated, even as it became harder and harder to actually achieve that goal. But, Samsung persevered, so to speak, and they pushed through the "dark times." Or maybe they were carried, thanks to the bandwagon that is Android.

Of course, it wasn't easy to get through the caravan lines within the Android members. At the start of the Android craze, Samsung was doing what it could to make a name for itself, but all of the attention was being given to HTC -- and for good reason. HTC had done what many thought impossible at the time: made Android usable by everyone. Thanks to their Sense UI proprietary software, Android no longer looked like a science experiment, and it added plenty of features to boot.

So, TouchWiz was born and Samsung followed in HTC's footsteps. They made some changes, though, and it managed to work out for them quite well.

I haven't been shy about my overall distaste for TouchWiz over the years. I can understand where Aaron Baker's love for the software comes from, though, along with everyone else who likes the software. I may not be a fan of it, but I can't deny that there are so many great additions to the software. There are. Samsung has grown accustomed to throwing just about everything into their phones to make them stand out against the competition. That's a good thing, overall. I just wish it looked different, is all.

While I may not be able to use TouchWiz for extended periods of time on the majority of Samsung-branded devices, I seem to be able to stomach it, or maybe even enjoy it a little bit, on the Galaxy Note II. I've tried to justify it, pointing my fingers at the S Pen and calling it good, but I honestly don't know the real reason. It could be the S Pen, sure, but who knows. Whatever the reason, I was a fan of the Galaxy Note II and I was excited to get my hands on the Galaxy Note 3.

And, finally, that time has come.

After my review of the Galaxy Note 3, I sort of put the device down and went on to other devices. Other platforms. I've played around with it a few more times, but I haven't really given it a lot of attention since then. That's about to change though, thanks to a new 30-day challenge that's about to kick off. I've been given the green light to go over the device for the next thirty days, to talk about what I like in my every day usage, and, probably, what I dislike.

So, let's get this thing started, shall we? Over the next thirty days, I'll be going over the hardware, the software, the features, the S Pen, and there will probably be a few days in there where I talk about the Galaxy Gear. We'll go over it all in due time. And, at the end, let's find out if the Galaxy Note 3 is the next big-screened phone you'll want to get your own hands on this year.

Did you already buy the Galaxy Note 3? If so, how do you like it so far? If you haven't, why are you waiting? And if you decided to skip the device, why didn't you pull the trigger on (one of) Samsung's next big things? Let me know!