Why shattering my Samsung S3 was the best thing ever!

Last Monday I dropped my Samsung S3 and shattered the screen.  While I cringed at the thought of how much $$$ I was going to have to shell out to get a new phone (nope - no insurance), I was secretly doing the happy dance and here's why...

A few months ago I did the update for my S3 and it was all downhill from there.  It became unresponsive and apps were crashing left and right.  The battery was dreadful and I found I was restarting constantly.  The biggest problem was the flakiness of the camera.  I take a lot of pictures and when the camera app crashes as soon as my kids do something amazing, I lose it!  I am not a patient person and my phone is really my #1 work and personal technology device, so this was not ideal.

I had been researching phones for a few months and kept going back to the Note.  (iPhone is no longer an option for me - sorry Apple)  I was, at first, concerned about how large of a device the Note is, but I finally concluded that I rarely use my phone as a PHONE.  I really use my phone as more of a tablet.  That shift helped me get over the size issue.  (Even though it won't quite fit in my back pocket..grrr)  I also had hesitations about getting another Samsung device given my distaste for my last one.  But, online reviews and personal contacts kept singing the praises of their Notes, which made it hard to ignore this device.  Finally, there is the learning curve issue.  I am a fairly techie person and it only took me about an hour to make the transition from my iPhone to my S3, but I honestly didn't want to have to learn a new device.  Call me lazy.  After a few minutes comparing phones on this awesome site (http://geekaphone.com/compare-phones) my pal +Amy Mayer shared with me, my decision was made.

I went with the Note 3 and I am SO GLAD I shattered that S3.  Here are my favorite features of my shiny new Samsung Note 3...

• The charger is the SAME as my S3!  Hallelujah!  Thank you, Samsung, for not making me buy all new chargers!
• The battery life is STELLAR!  It easily goes a day without charging and I'm a power user, so this is impressive.
• I love the stylus!  I really didn't think I would care, but it's cool to have and it works like a charm.  The hover feature is cool and love the action button in the action memo.  Screen Write is also great for making tutorials.  :)
• The camera is AMAZING!  Much faster and it has cooler options than my S3.  Like this...

• Screen resolution and screen size - both much better than the S3.  I admit, bigger really IS better.  :)
• Haven't gotten one yet, but I definitely see a wireless charging kit in my future!
• This is silly, but it autofills my email information when I am filling in forms.  Time saver - big plus.
• And finally, this thing is SOLID!  It's not flaky, it's not unstable ... it's reliable and responsive and SUPER fast, which makes this impatient full-time working mommy VERY happy!

Who could have possibly known that shattering my old phone would have proven to be so exciting!?  I would love to hear from you about tips and tricks of this awesome tool, as I am still learning about all of the cool features.  If there's something I really need to know, tweet me or leave me a comment below!  As my dear friend +Kellie Lahey says, "Together we're better!"  ;)  Amen, sister!