I read that the Samsung Note probably won't be sold in the U.S. Bummer. I will have to get one overseas. Looks great....
Unfortunately, the US market is dominated by cell phone carriers rather than hardware manufacturers (as it is in most of the world.) Americans are accustomed to getting heavily subsidized hardware and then paying through the nose for data and voice service that ends up costing them far more in the long run.
Since the Note is a hybrid "phone/tablet," Samsung may not release it in the US unless they can find a carrier willing to subsidize its price. And since it will be used in large part for data rather than for voice, carriers may not be willing to do so.
Agreed. I don't spend all my time in the U.S., so I'm used to paying for unsubsidized hardware. I prefer it that way.