Smartphones are in dire need of innovation, and Samsung is trying its darndest to stand out amid a sea of boring black and white rectangles.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is certainly creative. Its defining characteristic is a small portion of curved glass that bends around the right side of the phone. It's unlike anything else you've seen on a smartphone.

That tiny curve on the Edge's display functions as a second screen. It can display a list of apps, quick settings, notifications, weather and the time. It also serves as a stopwatch, timer, health tracker, Twitter (TWTR, Tech30) feed and even a ruler.

It's unique. But, like most Samsung phones, the Edge's defining feature is more gimmicky than helpful.

The Edge doesn't do much that your smartphone can't (and other than the curved edge, it's essentially a Galaxy Note 4).

Instead of displaying Android's typical dock of four apps at the bottom of the screen or notifications at the top of the screen, the Edge just relocates them to the right-hand side of the phone. The same goes for the quick settings, weather and all the other Edge features.

(CNN)

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