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Is LG Optimus G Pro an Alternative to Galaxy Note 2?

March 22, 2013 in Galaxy Note Guides, Galaxy Note News

galaxy-note2-vs-lg-optimus-g-proIt is not a secret that LG wants to step into the phablet market which is dominated by Samsung’s 5.3″ Galaxy Note and 5.5″ Galaxy Note 2. The 5″ rectangle slab, Optimus Vu, and Vu 2, announced last year, failed miserably to get into this niche market.

So, this year, LG Optimus G Pro was announced during Mobile World Congress 2013. It will be released in selected regions next month. This time LG gambles on the Optimus G branding. Will it be successful?

The eye-catching feature of this phone is its 5.5″ full HD IPS display. So, the targeted competitor of Optimus G Pro is not Galaxy S3 or recently announced Galaxy S4. LG actually wants this phone to be the alternative of Galaxy Note 2.

From the timing of the announcement, it can be easily deduced that  Galaxy Note 2 is the target. By releasing a handset in the middle of Galaxy Note 2 and the coming Note 3, Optimus G Pro can get about 6-month lead in hardware specifications against Note 2.

LG recently started to know how to design a great Android phone after they worked with Google for the Nexus 4. LG then transformed Nexus 4 into Optimus G, which is the most successful Android phone LG ever made.

Design and build quality

From the exterior, Optimus G Pro likes  a sibling of Galaxy Note 2. It is totally different from Optimus Vu or  Optimus G. Physical home button and two capacitive buttons for menu and back are similarly placed like that in  Galaxy Note 2. However, Optimus G Pro has slightly smaller side bezels.

For the back, LG also abandoned  the all-glass design spotted  in Optimus G. Plastic was chosen for Optimus G Pro. The build quality is similar to Note 2.

One thing that some people may like in Optimus G Pro is the Q Button. This is a dedicated button in the left side.  You can configure any  (but only one) app for this button. Of course, you can configure it as a camera button, just like many Symbian smartphones. However, the location of t his button is annoying. You may often mistakenly press it. It would have been better if it had been placed near the bottom.

Software and skin

Both LG Optimus G Pro and Galaxy Note 2 come with Jelly Bean 4.1, and Jelly Bean 4.2 update is on the way. However, based on the  leaked updating roadmap, Samsung will also update Note 2 to Android 5.0 (Key Lime Pie) which  will surely be announced in this May during the Google I/O 2013. Based on the updating track record, this is very likely. For example, Galaxy Note was shipped with Gingerbread (2.3) in 2011, updated to Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) in 2012, and then Jelly Bean 4.1 this year.

However., if you check the OS updating record for LG Android phones, you may know  Optimus G Pro will very likely end up with Jelly Bean 4.2.

For the skin overlay (UI),  TouchWiz  is over-bloated.  The latest version,  Nature UX, was refined and polished significantly, but surely further polishing and structural change are needed. Some changes in the UI do not improve the stock ones, and are just for the sake of change.  But when you compared it with LG Optimus UI, you will feel Samsung does a better job. The Optimus UI has some nice features, but it is clumsy and counter-intuitive. Maybe, because I get used to TouchWiz or vanilla Android.

Display

LG Optimus Pro is packed with a full HD (1920*1080) display. While Galaxy Note 2 comes with a HD display (1280*720). On the paper, LG Optimus G pro should give more sharp images. But when you compare them side by side, most people probably still prefer Samsung’s over-saturated AMOLED display because it is simply more vivid than the IPS panel in Optimus G Pro. Some may disagree. But the bottom line is that the resolution  or number of pixels does not matter; it is the contrast and brightness that matter.

The pixel density in Optimus G Pro goes to 401ppi. This is beyond the capability of human eyes to identify pixels when you hold your phone 4 inches away. For a smartphone, 300ppi is sufficient for most eyes. Because all smartphone manufacturers are crazily fighting into hardware specification race, full HD has been spotted on more and more phones, although it is just a waste on these 4-6″ screens. Galaxy Note 3 will surely join this full HD club.

Camera and video

Optimus G Pro comes with a 13MP rear camera, which is the new standard configuration of flagship smartphones in 2013. Higher pixels does not mean better images: it all depends on software. The tiny image sensor may have trouble to get enough light if more pixels are packed. This has to be mainly solved through software. But anyway, 13MP may be better than  8MP if the light is not an issue.

A nice feature packed with Optimus G Pro is the dual recording, with which you can use both cameras for one video (video in video). The announced update will bring this (dual camera)  to photos as well.  Similar  features were announced in Galaxy S4, and will go to Galaxy Note 2 in the Jelly Bean 4.2 update. So, for Galaxy Note 2 users, we have to wait a few months for these features.

Finger vs S Pen

Surprisingly, Optimus G Pro does not come with a stylus. Both Optimus Vu and Vu 2 give you a stylus. So, LG is expecting you to use fingers, instead of a stylus, on this phone.

Another reason is probably LG is not able to deliver a stylus better than S Pen. So, it is wise to omit this component.

Q Memo vs S Note

LG has Q memo for quite long time. So it is not an app specially for Optimus G Pro. But most users want to compare it with S Memo (in Galaxy Note). Q Memo is simple to use, compared with S Note in  Note and Note 2. Of course, Q Memo has less functions/features for a long note/memo.

Lacking a stylus makes the Q Memo  less useful. In Galaxy Note 2, you have more choices: when pulling out your S Pen, popup note will be available; If you need take notes for a lecture or meeting, you can use S Note.

In addition, Galaxy Note 2 has a lot of cool and useful features related to S Pen.

Q Slide vs Multi Window

Q Slide in Optimus G  Pro is similar to multi window in Note 2. But in Q Slide, the selected apps overlay other apps and you can change the transparency  of the overlayed app. In Note 2, the screen is split and you can re-size them. So, the Q Slide likes popup note with adjustable transparency and size.

Conclusion

Optimus G Pro is another over-powered (that is the reason why I skipped other hardware specifications) phone, with some innovative features.  It is a good, not great phone in this form factor.

However, lacking of a stylus and related apps makes it hard to compete against Galaxy Note 2 in this screen size, although better hardware specifications may lure some gamers.

What do you think?

Galaxy Note 8.0: the largest smartphone in the history!

February 25, 2013 in Galaxy Note News, Galaxy Note Stories

Galaxy Note family now has a new member: Galaxy Note 8.0.

galaxy-note-8It is different from Galaxy Note 10.1, which is clearly a tablet. It is simply a larger version of Galaxy Note 2, a giant phone.

So, this is a smartphone, at least, not a pure tablet. This can be easily identified by: 1). an earpiece and, 2).the iconic Home button and two navigation keys.

The major difference to Galaxy Note 2 is the odd location of the speaker. In Galaxy Note 8.0, it is in the bottom, not on the back. Designer may come from the Mars.

Specification wise, this is surely not a top-notch smartphone or tablet. It is merely a not-so-bad device, based on today’s standard. Under the hood, you get a 1.6GHz quad-core A9 processor (it should be a Exynos 4XXXX), a 2GB RAM, a 1280*800 PLS display, a 16/32GB storage, a 4600mAh battery.

The weight is only 338g, thanks to its full plastic exterior, except display and bezel. Typical Samsung style.

The good news for Galaxy Note and Note 2 users is now you finally can use S Pen  for the menu and back buttons. You also get a new reading mode to make your reading more comfortable.

The bad news is it runs on Jelly Bean 4.1.2 (just like most Note 2 and Note 10.1), not the latest 4.2.2. Disappointed, although you will very likely get the update later.

More disappointed, the battery is not removable.

The most disappointed: the main camera has no flash. So you can guess its quality. The 5MP tag reminds you the price is not in the cheap side.

However, if you compare this giant phablet with the tablet with similar form factor (e.g., iPad mini). It is actually quite decent.

So, the imaginary competitor of this Galaxy Note 8.0 is not smartphones, but 7-8″ tablets.

Samsung probably hopes this giant phone will be the king or queen in this form factor. This could have been true if the specifications were slightly elevated.

It looks stupid to hold this giant phone near your ear in the street. But it is more stupid if you think this phone is too large, in the future.

For the time being, Galaxy Note 8.0 is a good (although not exceptional)  8″ tablet.

What do you think?

 

Top 10 expected features in Jelly Bean 4.1 update for Galaxy Note

November 20, 2012 in Galaxy Note Guides, Galaxy Note News, Galaxy Note Reviews

jb-new-logoWe all know Samsung has been working on Jelly Bean (4.1) update for Galaxy Note, although this Korean company never officially confirm or announce this update. The information we have is the update may be rolled out as early as in December. and most users will get it in Q1/2013. There is no information on Jelly Bean 4.2 update yet.

Anyway, the waiting is almost over. Now, let’s list the top 10 anticipated features in this Jelly Bean 4.,1 update for our more-than-one-year-old Galaxy Note. For Top 10 new features in ICS update, please read this post: http://www.allaboutgalaxynote.com/top-10-new-features-in-galaxy-note-after-ics-update/ 

1. Faster, smoother, and more responsive as claimed by Google

Thanks to Project Butter, one major improvement in Jelly Bean is the performance: faster, smoother and more responsive. Of course, I guess Samsung’s TouchViz UI may degrade the performance a bit. Some carriers’ bloatware may also have negative impact on the performance.

But overall, we should notice significant performance improvement.

2. Google Now

It is a shame that Google Now has not got sufficient attention. Google Now is a true innovation on getting relevant information on a mobile device. It makes you the master, not the salve, of the information. Just as claimed by Google, Google Now gets you just the right information at just the right time. If you do not have any Jelly Bean devices now, you may get more info on the Google Now offical site

3. Multi Window

Yes, you can run two apps side by side. Although very limited apps are compatible with multi window at this time, it is a really nice feature for a 5.3″ screen. Of course, this feature is best for Galaxy Note’s bigger brother Note 10.1.

4. Offline voice typing

In Jelly Bean, a new embedded speech recognizer lets you use Voice Typing even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

5. New notification system

The notification system will have significant improvements: more info and more controls. Notifications from the some app will be grouped and you can take actions directly in notification page. You may also identify the apps generating the notification and disable the annoying notifications from such apps.

Hopefully, Samsung will not chop off too much.

6. Smart stay

Screen will be bright as long as you are looking at it! Although it will not save much battery juice because of the involvement of the front camera, it makes your Note more personal.

7. Direct call

This trick was first introduced in Galaxy S3. Your phone looks smarter than others: it knows when you want to talk, who you want to talk When you look at it, smart stay comes!!

8. Photo note

Add notes on the back of your photo!!

9. Air view 

Hovering your S Pen over photo gallery, messages, planner…will give you the preview of the items without opening them!!!

Due to differences in S Pen, this feature may be not available for Galaxy Note.

10. S  Note 2.0

There are a lot of improvements in S Note app in Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 10.1. Most of such improvements will very likely be brought to Galaxy Note’s Jelly Bean update.

 What are the features you are expecting for this coming Jelly Bean update for your Note?

Update 1: Samsung officially confirmed the Jelly Bean 4.1 update will come soon through another Premium Suite. Here is the link: http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxynote/note/benefit.html?type=find

Galaxy Note 2: the first Jelly Bean phone will reach your hands as early as this October

August 30, 2012 in Galaxy Note News, Galaxy Note Reviews

GALAXY-Note-IIAs rumored  (or expected), Samsung announced the second generation of Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2, at IFA 2012 yesterday. Now, the first Jenny Bean(out of box, not through update) phone.

So, here is a short list of changes (from Galaxy  Note to Galaxy Note 2):

  1. Jelly Bean  (aka, Android 4.1), vs Ginger Bread (Android 2.3). So Galaxy Note is the first Jelly Bean phone.
  2. 5.5 inch display, vs 5.3 inch
  3. 16:9 ratio (1280*720, HD), vs 16:10 *1280*800, WXGA)
  4. Quad core 1.6GHz CPU, vs dual core 1.4GHz or 1.5 GHz
  5. 2GB RAM, vs 1GB RAM;
  6. dimension: 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm, vs 151.1 x 80.5x 9.4mm
  7. 3100mAh battery, vs 2500mAh
  8. NFC is included, vs optional
  9. Bluetooth 4.0, vs 3.0
  10. New S Pen, longer, thicker
  11. New feature: Screen Recorder (record a whole sequence of actions taken on their screen). most useful!!!
  12. New feature: Popup Note (open an S Note instantly as a pop-up window anywhere on the screen)
  13. New feature: Quick Command ( quickly activate frequently used apps with the S Pen)
  14. New feature: Easy Clip (quickly outline and crop certain kinds of content on the screen)
  15. New feature: Idea Visualizer ( provides illustration images that match the handwritten keywords), too fancy!!
We hope Samsung will port some of these features into Galaxy Note!!!
The shipment will start from October. So, just wait one month, you may start to try.
What do you think about this new generation of Galaxy Note?
Here is the full press release. For your reading pleasure, I quote it below.
Be Creative, Be Expressive with the GALAXY Note II
August 29,  2012

 

The most powerful smartphone sparks everyone’s creative inspirations
BERLIN, Germany - August 29,  2012 - At the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event held today at IFA, in Berlin, Samsung introduced the GALAXY Note II, a whole new level of innovation for the GALAXY Note category. The new Samsung GALAXY Note II enables unique experiences in personalized and expressive content creation, making it the ultimate smartphone for on-the-go creativity.

 

“Last year at IFA, we launched the GALAXY Note, which opened a new category of smart mobile devices. This year, again at IFA, I am proud to announce the GALAXY Note II, which will encourage users to ‘unleash their inner creativity.’ With a perfect viewing experience and unique and differentiated features, users can discover information and capture their ideas faster, express thoughts freely and manage tasks more efficiently. For anyone who wants to be creative, expressive and unique, the Samsung GALAXY Note II will be the ideal device, allowing users to live a life extraordinary,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

 

Since the first introduction of the GALAXY Note category, Samsung has continued to enhance and expand the GALAXY Note product experiences. In May 2012, Samsung introduced ‘Premium Suite,’ a software upgrade which provided enhanced user experiences. With the Ice Cream Sandwich OS upgrade, Samsung offered innovative new features such as Shape Match and Formula Match, providing a new way for organizing and expressing ideas in their personal and professional life. Also in August, Samsung expanded the category further with the GALAXY Note 10.1, which has a 10.1-inch large screen, a Multiscreen feature for the ultimate multitasking, and enhanced features for users’ productivity, creativity and learning abilities. With further enhancements, Samsung GALAXY Note II will help users unleash their inner creativity by letting them discover information faster, capture ideas, and express them in a more organized and efficient manner.

 

Perfect viewing experience

 

The GALAXY Note II features a 5.5” (140.9mm) HD Super AMOLED screen, providing breathtaking visuals and crystal clear detail. Its 16:9 screen ratio ensures an immersive and enriched cinema-like video viewing experience, perfect for watching HD videos on-the-go. Its larger screen allows users to see content clearly and vividly, with much enhanced readability. In addition to the stunning content consumption experiences on a larger screen, users will also be able to accomplish more tasks efficiently and create content freely on-the-go, as the GALAXY Note II comes with a thinner and portable body.

 

Easy multitasking

 

Air View allows users to hover with the S Pen over an email, S Planner, image gallery, or video to preview the content without having to open it. This feature enables users to quickly search and see more information in one view without screen transitions.

 

Thanks to the breadth of the GALAXY Note II’s amazing viewing experience, a feature called Popup Note extends the concept of Popup Play, which lets users open an S Note instantly as a pop-up window anywhere on the screen. For example, when a user pulls out the S Pen during a phone call, the S Note application automatically pops up on the screen, allowing users to jot down a quick note.

 

In addition, the device’s new gesture pad feature, called Quick Command, lets users quickly activate frequently used apps with the S Pen. The command pad appears when a user just swipes upward on the screen with the S Pen button pressed. Users can quickly send an email, make a call, or search a location as they draw pre-registered marks on the command pad or register a unique mark to allow for quick and easy access.

 

Furthermore, users will be able to share their experiences with others quickly and easily using Screen Recorder. It allows users to record a whole sequence of actions taken on their screen — a demonstration of how to use an application, for example — and then share it with friends for comment, or just for fun.

 

Amazing expression tools – Advanced S Pen & S Note

 

The new S Pen is longer, thicker and ergonomically designed for the perfect grip. Therefore, it provides a more precise, comfortable, and natural writing and drawing experience.

 

The S Pen’s advanced features also provide enhanced capabilities to capture ideas and inspirations instantly, and to combine handwriting with any digital content directly on the screen. By simply pressing the dedicated S Pen button, the S Pen magically recognizes that users want to clip or edit the selected content on the screen. The Easy Clip feature allows users to instantly outline and crop any content on the screen in any shape to save, share or paste. Once done cropping the image, users can freely edit the cropped content through coloring, shading, or their own personal handwriting. It is quick and easy.

 

Another amazing expression feature called Idea Visualizer allows users to easily add illustrations by handwriting keywords on the S Note. It provides illustration images that match the handwritten keywords. It’s a fancy illustration match function that will allow users to express, organize and visualize ideas in a more innovative and creative way. Users can even customize and add in their own illustrations library.

 

Powerful Performance

 

Powering content creation, sharing and multitasking capabilities, the GALAXY Note II comes with the latest hardware technologies. A mighty 1.6GHz Quad-Core processor and HSPA Plus or 4G LTE connectivity delivers easy multitasking, lightning-fast screen transitions, powerful browser performance, and minimal app load time. The GALAXY Note II is powered by Android™ 4.1, Jelly Bean. This brings stunning graphical capabilities and an upgraded Google Now service, including new features such as contextual search, to the GALAXY Note II. The memory options are 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB with an expandable micro SD memory slot. Thanks to a 3,100mAh battery, users can enjoy multimedia content, always be productive on the go, and capture ideas whenever, wherever without suffering from power limitation.

 

The GALAXY Note II comes with an 8 megapixel rear-facing and 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera with HD video recording. The camera has great features like Buddy Photo Share, Burst Shot and Best Photo, which were introduced on the GALAXY S III earlier in the year. In addition to that, the GALAXY Note II features a unique camera function called Best Faces. Best Faces allows users to choose the most preferred face or pose of each person from group portrait photos. Users can also personalize photos by leaving handwritten notes on the backside of a photo using the S Pen. Handwritten Photo Notes can be shared with others in jpg format.

 

Available in Marble White or Titanium Gray color options, the Samsung GALAXY Note II is set to launch in October starting in major European, Asian, and Middle East markets.

 

The Samsung GALAXY Note II will be on display at the Samsung booth # 20 at IFA 2012 from Aug 31 through Sep 5.

 

The full press release can be found here.

 

Avatar of Simon

by Simon

S Note Tutorial: how to use productivity tools

August 24, 2012 in Galaxy Note Guides, Galaxy Note News, Galaxy Note Videos

s-note-tutorial-productivity-toolsS Pen is something unique in our Galaxy Note. ICS (aka Android 4.0) update simply made our Note more useful with some new apps specially for S Pen. S Note is one of these new and interesting apps.

However, some Galaxy Note users are not sure how to use S Note, although, Samsung already includes the 6-page S Note tips, 6-page productivity tips, and 6 samples (not sure why Samsung guys like 6, 6=s) in the S Note app.

So, I created this tutorial to give you some idea how to use the productivity tools in S Note. In the 8min 30s video (screen cast with audio), the following topics are covered:

  • 1). start and navigate through S Note;
  • 2). find and use the productivity tools button;
  • 3) handwriting to text;
  • 4). shape match;
  • 5). formula match;
  • 6) export S Note

Enjoy the video.

 

Tools used to create this video include:

 

Top 10 new features in Galaxy Note after ICS update

July 16, 2012 in Galaxy Note Guides, Galaxy Note News

After the official release of ICS 4.0.3 update for Galaxy Note  in May and ICS 4.0.4 update last week, some users asked me what the new features are. Thanks to Samsung’s Touch Viz UI, most users will not visually find any changes after the update. Here I prepared the top 10 new features in your Galaxy Note after the ICS update.

Each update fixes some bugs and the performance should be improved, so we usually recommend users to apply the update, although some new problems may be reported, e.g. battery issues, RAM issues. Given the short lifespan (1-3 years) of samrtphones, it is impractical to wait for the perfect firmware.

In this post I will try to introduce you the features. I will create  tutorials for some of these features later.

1. Pop- up play (ICS 4.0.4 update is needed)

pop-up-play-galaxy-notePop up play was debuted on Galaxy S3  last May. In the Googl Play store, there are a few paid apps (e.g., Stick it! (Pop-up Player)) doing the similar job. What it does is quite simple, you can watch your video and use other apps at the same time. The video will be re-sized as thumbnail and you can move it to any locations on your screen. Pretty cool, right?

Of course, only the built-in video player support this. Once the video is open, you can find the re-sizing (or pop up play?) button in the top right corner. If you want to stop the video, just touch the video area and release your finger. If you want to go to full screen, you can long press the home button to get the task manager and open the video player.

Two limitations: 1). the size of the video cannot be adjusted, at lest I did not find any ways to adjust it; 2). If you want to go back to full screen, the video will be played from the beginning, not from where you stop in the pop up play mode. Thanks to julien for correcting me. (Tap the video,  it will go back to the full screen and continue.)

2.  S Note

S Note is part of the Samsung’s Premium Suite for Galaxy Note and is installed as part of ICS update. It comes with 6 samples, 6-page S Note Tips, and a 6-page productivity Tools Tips. So, you can start to use it quite easily.

With S Note, you can directly convert your handwriting into text, convert your drawing into polygonal shapes, and convert your writing into mathematical formulas. You can even import PDF file for annotation!

After the ICS update, you should be able to find this app among your applications.

3. My Story

My Story is also part of the Premium Suite for Galaxy Note. But it is not installed automatically during your ICS update. You can download it either from Samsung Apps or Google Play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sec.android.app.mystory)

This apps help you create multimedia letter or a card or an album. It comes with 4 templates (birthday, thank you,  letter in a bottle, ans memory).

This apps need verify your phone number. So, when you open it first time, it will ask your phone number and a verification code will be sms to you. So, remember to provide correct phone number, especially country code.

4. Face unlock

Face unlock is a standard feature in ICS (Android 4.0). You can unlock your phone by using your face (and the front camera). You can turn on this by going to settings–security–screen lock. Of course, if the light is so weak, you cannot use this feature. So, your Galaxy Note will ask you to setup PIN or password as well in case your face is not recognized.

5. Notification

In ICS, notification is significantly improved. Shortcut for Settings is added there. From the lock screen, you can also launch apps directly.

6. Data usage monitor

ics-data-usageFor people with data quota, monitoring mobile data usage is important to avoid hefty and stupid charges from the greedy telecom operators. In the past, you may use some apps, e.g. 3G Watchdog to monitor the data usage. Now, it is not necessary.

Under settings, now you can find Data Usage. All your data usage will be reported here. You can set the limit, and disable background data if your data quota is very low.

7. Developers options

Occasionally, some background processes (usually from poorly written apps) may drain your battery  quite quickly, and hog on the ram. So, your system may be not so responsive. IN ICS, you can go to Settings–Developer options to setup the background process limit. You can choose No Background processes as a test if you suspect the battery drain is due to background process. Normally, you should not choose no background processes, as Android system may need this function to improve performance.

Under developers options, you have a quite a lot advanced controls, e.g., show CPU usage, or force GPU rendering.

8. Quick access to task manager/ Swipe to close

ics-task-manager-swipe-to-closeAt any time, long press Home button, you will get the task manger (pop up). From the thumbnail list of running and recent apps, you can swipe to left or right to close it . Touch it once to open the corresponding app.

9. Signature unlock (ICS 4.0.4 is required)

This is a cool feature, although not so useful. You can unlock your phone with your S Pen by signing on the screen. That’s it.

You can set it up from Settings–Security–Screen lock.

10. Chrome browser

ICS has a improved web browser. You can open up to 16   8 tabs (thanks for Thomas who found we can actually open 8 tabs in Galaxy Note, not 16, It seems Samsung gave us 50% discount.).  It sounds good?

Even better, you install Chrome browser ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.chrome) on your Galaxy Note. It is super fast and you can even share the bookmarks and browser windows with your desktop!.

Any comments? please post in the comments section below or in our Galaxy Note forum.

CyanogenMod 9 (Ice Cream Sandwich) for Galaxy Note

May 2, 2012 in Galaxy Note News, Galaxy Note Stories

CyanogenModCyanogenMod is an aftermarket firmware distribution and CyanogenMod 9 is for  Android 4.0 (ICS). Now, there is a mostly workable distribution for Galaxy Note with S Pen support.

According the dedicated  forum thread of CyanogenMod 9 for Galaxy Note in XDA-Developers, almost everything works  except:

The good thing is the firmware works for both international version of Galaxy Note and the AT&T version.

Of course, CyanogenMod is for geeks and nerds. For most users, we are still waiting for the official ICS update for Galaxy Note due in this quarter (within less than 2 months if Samsung can keep the words.)