We've seen this before haven't we? A smartphone & tablet hybrid that promises to give the ultimate mobile experience. Enter the Samsung Galaxy Note complete with built-in stylus.
The Note has a 5.3 HD Super AMOLED touch display that is absolutely gorgeous. It runs Android 2.3.5 (AKA Gingerbread) with a Touchwiz interface. Combine this with a 1.4GHz dual core processor and the Note promises to be not only fast, but responsive as well.
Samsung has decided to include a stylus called the SPen along with this device. It can be used to start apps, select options in menus, and write notes. All of this is nothing new. However the SPen also allows you to annotate PDFs and take screen-shots. There are also a number of apps that have been created for the stylus such as SPad and Smemo.
For you media junkies out there, the Galaxy Note comes with a 8 MP rear facing camera and a 2 MP front facing camera. It's capable of recording video in full 1080p. As far as memory this Android device comes with 16GB built-in and supports up to 32GB with a micro-SD. Powering the device is a 2.500 mAh battery. I have seen varying times, but the battery life seems to be clocked at about 9 hours.
This devices dimensions (146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm) make it bigger than a Dell Streak, but smaller that a Nook Color. It's also not quite as portable as you might want, but it not as bulky as other tablets on the market. It's surprisingly light weighing in at 178 grams.
Smartphone or tablet, which one is it? I have to say that ultimately this is a phone. You aren't going to be buying this just to sit at home and play Angry Birds. You're buying this because you want to be able to make calls and have the functionality of a tablet as an added bonus.
The Samsung Galaxy Note comes state-side on February 19th for $299 with a 2 year contract with AT&T. It's also expected that the OS will be updated to Ice Cream sometime soon. The big question is how this device will be received by the public. Other hybrid devices haven't exactly set the world on fire. When you make a portable device this big, it almost becomes an inconvenience. Ultimately, only time will tell if this truly is the device that Samsung claims it is.
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