OT: Smart phone options for a cheapest plan?

[joe at actionline.com]

Bob Elzer last wrote (in part)
> I plan on switching to the T-Mobile $30 100 minute 5GB data plan after
> the new year sometime.
>
> The drawback to that plan for me is the price of the phone I want $650
> for the Galaxy Note II without a contract.

Thanks Bob. That Galaxy Note II is definitely impressive, and I really
like the idea of being able to jot notes with handwriting on a phone or
tablet touch-screen.

But when I went to Best Buy to try out their floor demo, I was a little
disappointed that trying to jot notes on the screen was not a good
experience (for me) as the stylus made very "fat" strokes even my best
handwriting attempts looked awful.  Have you tried that stylus writing
yet?  Are there adjustments available to write with finer (not so fat)
strokes?

So, I wonder if there might be other apps available for writing on other
smart-phone touch-screens?

And I also wonder what other Android smart-phones you (and others) would
rate as second and third choices to that impressive Galaxy Note II?