Samsung Electronics has announced the launch of Galaxy Note 10.1, an extension of the Galaxy Note category. The Galaxy Note 10.1, which went on sale on Monday in Germany and the United Arab Emirates is almost twice as wide as its predecessor and is almost the size of a tablet.
The Galaxy Note 10.1, powered by Google’s Android software 4.0 ( Ice Cream Sandwich ) features a touchscreen which is 10.1″ inches (25.6 centimetres) measured diagonally, considerably wider than the 5.3″ inch screen of the previous Note. This device is powered by a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor and 2 GB RAM. This device is equipped with a 5 MP main camera and a 1.9 MP front-facing camera. It comes packed with a 7,000 mAh Li-ion battery.
Like its predecessor, it comes with a stylus called the “S pen” to write notes or draw on the screen. The new version allows users to split the screen in half to view two programs at once. The 6.5 mm S Pen is embedded directly in the device and, when removed, automatically launches specially-optimised applications, including S Note, S Planner, Crayon physics, Adobe Photoshop Touch, and Polaris Office.
Other features that have been added to the device include Smart Stay, which tracks the user’s eyes to ensure that the screen is always on while being looked at, and Pop Up Play, which allows the user to watch a video anywhere on their screen while simultaneously running other tasks.
The new device is equipped with a quad-core processor that allows users to run multiple applications at a faster speed than the previous version, which had a dual-core processor. “The advanced technology and features included in Galaxy Note 10.1 give users the power to produce, create and customise communications,” JK Shin, the chief of Samsung’s mobile unit, said in a statement.
The firm said the new Note would be officially released in the US on August 15, 2012 and sometime next week in Britain and South Korea. Samsung has not disclosed yet the price of Galaxy Note 10.1, but the details of prices will be available shortly.
Samsung is trying very hard to make inroads into tablet market, which is dominated by iPad of Apple and the two giants are also also engaged in a bitter court battle over patent infringement. Size-wise this smartphone is nearly a tablet PC and can be aptly called a Phablet. It will be seen in coming months whether customers will like this super-size device and how many boxes can be moved by Samsung. Samsung and Apple are poised for another battle and round one was taken by Samsung with the success of its flagship smartphone – Galaxy S III.
