Hah - just read some of the 4-star reviews for that aCase model (I find them more useful than 5-star sometimes because they aren’t all “squee this is the greatest!”). This one was a standout:
There are several with the same general design, but I was impressed with the aCase one’s fit, finish and details. It’s about as low-bulk as a case can be and still offer protection. It makes the phone easier to grasp without making it so sticky it won’t go in and out of pockets, and the button extenders make all the buttons much easier to activate. Good (but untested so far) drop and bump protection, and great face-down screen protection. Mine are purple over black.
AFAIK all the “tracking” apps are about the same, and I think all smartphone users should install one.
Get in the habit of looking for and registering WiFi service in all the usual places you go, and be sure the phone is set to prefer WiFi over network data - also to do updates etc. ONLY on WiFi. You’ll hardly use any network data unless you like to sit in the park watching movies.
I got a Nexus 4 in March (after one of these threads!). It’s phenomenal. A lot of reviews complain that it doesn’t look like anything special, which it doesn’t (except up close), but you’ll quickly forget about that once you see the screen. It’s also superfast, very slim, and has a great speaker. The best part of all is that you can buy it from Google for $300 without signing a contract with anyone.
ETA: I really ought to scroll all the way down before posting. :smack:
I’ll have to check on the setting to force that. I was recently in the position of wanting to use wi-fi (at a hotel). Only, when you use wi-fi at a hotel you first have to try to go to a web page (any web page), then you get the hotel’s permission screen, then you’re connected to the wi-fi. But my phone was insisting on using the cell signal and wouldn’t even bring up that screen. Yeesh. Maybe simply turning off data would do that (I could swear I tried it though).
I also need to play around with power management tools; I had Juice Defender for a while but found it didn’t do much, and I don’t like to leave the wi-fi on routinely because if I’m out and about it’s a minor battery waster. I think there are some (maybe even a JD setting) that turns on wi-fi based on your location, which would be preferable.
A nifty tool I found a few months ago is Quick Profiles, which lets you set up a combination of things like ‘wifi off, screen timeout 2 minutes, data off’ and save it as a preset (some versions of Android have something similar built in). I have one for “driving the car, in the mount” so it doesn’t dim the screen on my map display, etc. A couple of quick taps and I’ve changed a bunch of settings at once.
I’ve become a caseaholic since getting my Galaxy Note II; I’m up to 4 now. Yes, it is a sickness. 
One of my cases is very similar to the aCase model you referenced. It is the Body Glove Dimensions case. It fits very tightly on the phone and, I believe, the lip would protect the phone if it was dropped on its face (I haven’t actually tried it with this case). Instead of rubberized bump-outs for the side buttons, this case has cutouts so you have direct contact with the buttons. I also like it because the notched pattern on the back prevents it from sliding around as it sits on my car seat. It’s also very thin… I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. Also, as far as I know, it only comes in the charcoal color.
I also have the Incipio SA-330 LGNDcase that has a cover that doubles as a stand. The nice thing about this case is it has an elastic strap that you flip over the front when the cover is closed, completely eliminating the possibility of your phone falling out or getting dinged as it is completely protected. It also has cutouts for the buttons and S-pen.
I have to admit that I mostly use my Zenus Prestige Bohemian M Diary wallet case because of its additional utility, and because with the cover snapped, I could probably throw the phone against the wall and nothing would happen to it.
My final case is simply a brushed metallic bumper with a brushed metallic back cover. It looks very cool, but it makes the phone twice as heavy and very thick. I’d say this case would provide almost as much drop protection as my wallet case as the front and back lips are very pronounced.
You probably don’t need any second-party power control apps. The Note II has fantastic battery life already; if it tends to run down on you, turn on the inherent Power Saver mode and do the usual things like turn down the screen brightness a bit. I have not had wifi be a particular power drain and frequently get 48 hours of standby with moderate use.
Don’t bother with power management tools. All they do is shut off services which aren’t using any power in the first place (because of the way Android works). All you need is Watchdog, which will tell you if any apps are actually using CPU cycles while in the background.
Too late for the OP, but seconded if anybody else is cruising for recommendations.
The 8X is excellently designed physically, and WP8 is a great OS if you have a function-first mentality.
I’m not clear what you mean by ‘function first’ mentality.
The 8X is a Windows phone and, although the device itself may be fine, unfortunately, that OS is a deal-breaker for me.
By function first, I mean that actually doing things on Windows phones is very, very efficient. If you want a phone that you can grab, wake up, do your task / retrieve your info, and put back away quickly, WP8 is the strongest OS I’ve seen.
I spend far less time maintaining my 8X than I ever have with any Android device.
I’d say that’s probably a user preference thing. I don’t spend any time at all maintaining my Galaxy Note II. I did at the beginning, very much so, and I appreciated that I could make the device look and function the way I wanted it to. Now, I just use it.
I do admit to being overjoyed that the ability to reconfigure the UI and UE of my phone is inherent in the OS of my device, which is something Windows and IOS simply don’t have.