I should have sprung for the note......

@IronFilm

Where is your phone?
In the backpack.
Why?
It is new and improved Galaxy 13, 10000x10000 screen resolution, 12" screen two subwoofers and only 2kg total weight, they even include this amazing backpack for free!
I see.

Got the phone today, very nice, 2 working sim slots so I can use my German and US sims at the same time, Jellybean 4.1, 720p screen. Screen is huge. Seems identical in quality to the Samsung Vibrant, but doesn't have the richness of the later Samsung super AMOLED like the Samsung Infuse which is a great phone. Other plusses: Monster 3200 mah battery, and 5 bars reception indoors, holy cow. Videos look great on the 720p screen. Can't say for your $200 you would not be better off with a Nexus 4, but they are wait listed, and this is a lot bigger, of course.

POLICEMAN to motorist: "I pulled you over because you were talking on your phone while driving."

MOTORIST: "I wasn't talking on a phone. It was a calculator."

@alcomposer It could be a practical size, say for the tablet user who doesn't want to carry around a phone as well?

Then, celebrity-placement marketing can make such things appealing to a target market. What if they got George Cluny to do a busy executive dude ad at a terrace café ? He smiles at a passing cutie-pie, then his Samsung phablet rings. "Bugger," George shrugs to himself and the girl as he raises the phablet to his ear...

Naah, doesn't do it for me but maybe the girls? Well how about Teens? Nerds? Busy mothers? hello somebody will buy them. They're so useful !

People wear crocs, don't they? What shelf life did we give those fugly plastic shoes when they first came out?.

@DrDave You could always use a hands free to make calls (blue tooth, even, with that big battery). I see there are some not-so-junky phablets too. What probably matters most is how it fits into your lifestyle over time.

the point of a phone was to fit in your pocket?

Instead, try to think of the phablet as a small tablet. That helps ;-)

@DrDave

Slightly off-topic re Android keyboards:

There's a keyboard application which is so fast and intuitive it should be part of the operating system.

Right now I'm typing deliberately haphazardly on my phone ignoring the spelling errors. Just now I typed "it id so fadt and intuitivr it shouls be part of the operatinh sydtrm" and it all got fixed automatically for me, predicting whole words in advance; eg I type "operatinh" and it suggests "system."

It also lets me type in my other languages with no changeover whatever.

We live in exciting times. I hope you understand the way I feel I've gotta laugh at the phablet size. But I won't be the one to predict it's demise based on some coolness factor.

(pm me for the keyboard application name)

@DrDave You have to charge the phone every day? And the German customs added tax?

After using this phone for a while, I can say the dual sim option is very cool and well supported by software. 720p jumbo screen is great. Surfing the net is great--phone is quite zippy compared to my single core--OK, there is occasionally a trace of lag but it is surprisingly zippy, and it looks like I can overclock it. Was able to root the phone no problem. Skype works with video, and the newer Android flavor is very impressive. Angry birds: big angry birds.

You can use the camera to unlock the phone with face recognition, even with a blink signal so it won't work with a photo, if you can imagine a scenario where someone would unlock your phone with a photo.

As far as battery life goes, the huge battery really gives good service. I was expecting the thing to drain the battery, owing to the big screen, and that seems to help. Construction is surprisingly good. Only down side is the slick edges and back, which making it easy to drop, and the lack of case option in this size. Also wish it had HDMI out, but hey, for $230 this is an awesome phone if you want 720p, dual sim, long battery life, great inddor reception and giant screen.