Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 is literally heaving with apps from the off, thanks to Samsung loading it up with its TouchWiz user interface, a whole separate collection of tools to make use of its S Pen stylus, and plenty of other third-party apps to help you hit the ground running and more than a little bewildered by the choice.
Then, once you've worked out what everything does, there's the small matter of around 700,000 other apps available on Google's Play Store, all designed to add further functionality to a phone that's already more functional than a Swiss Army Knife taped to the top of a universal remote control.
To help you sort your way through the amazing amounts of chaff available on Google's app shop, we've picked out ten of the best apps that compliment Samsung's whopping great telephone, making best use of its unprecedented, size, power, and versatility.
1. AirDroid
One of the most impressive Android apps out there and something of a modern tech miracle, AirDroid lets you remotely access your Note II or almost any Android phone from the comfort of a desktop web browser. There's a small amount of tedium involved in installing the phone app, registering an account and making sure you've applied the relevant permissions to make it all work, but one that's done you have access to a browser control panel of your phone system, from where you can download and upload stuff to your computer, send SMS messages and even control the phone's cameras and take shots from within the browser. It's properly impressive tech in action. And it's free.
2. Go Launcher EX
Samsung's TouchWiz user interface is very clever, stylish and responsive, and we mean no disrespect in suggesting this, but sometimes you just fancy a change. The beauty of Android means you can simply replace and change the entire Home screen and app management system as easily as you might download an app, with plenty of these replacement launchers available on Google Play to radically reboot your phone's appearance. One of the most popular is the Go Launcher series, which, once installed, lets you add additional plugins to boost its functionality, making is as slim and fast or as rammed with extras and widgets as you like. It's similar to getting a new phone, only without having to sign away the next 24 months of your life. And you can switch back to the original launcher in seconds if you hate the change.
3. Rando
Samsung's not exactly shy when it comes to providing ways to share and distribute photos via the Note II, but we can't help being charmed by newcomer Rando. It's a stylish and simple app, which does one thing -- shares "live" photos with strangers and sends you one back in return. There's no cheating by loading an image from your phone's memory, as the system demands you take a shot there and then, approve it, then upload it. Wait a few seconds or minutes and you get someone else's Rando back at you, giving you a weird glimpse into the life of a bored smartphone user somewhere else in the world. Which is oddly captivating, as you know they've also taken the shot just a few seconds ago.
4. Netflix
You're going to have to take sides in the great Netflix/LoveFilm battle at some point. Netflix currently lets users stream an immense amount of film and TV content to mobile, with the Note II's power and immense display meaning you get to enjoy media on the equivalent of an 80-foot cinema screen if you hold the phone up right in front of your face. There's the £5.99 monthly subscription fee to stomach, but this payment open up access to its entire archive, making it a simpler proposition to understand than Amazon's weird, segmented LoveFilm charges, which always seem to want mo' money for some better content or to remove some arbitrary restriction.
