The long rumored Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet has just been formerly introduced by Samsung, using a presentation video which reveals information related to the slate’s internal components, as well as some interesting features which will surely win some hearts. I am more than sure that most of you are wondering if Samsung’s creation will be of any good this year, against the tough competition, and most of all, is it worth buying one?
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Features
The first trace of the Galaxy Note 10.1 was discovered back in April, when Samsung claimed that the tablet is still in works and held no specific details. After one month, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona revealed more information about the slate but only last month the first specifications surfaced. Now, thanks to Samsung itself, we do know that the tablet will essentially be an oversized Galaxy Note smartphone with the same S Pen which will integrate the following features:
Multitasking
As with any other tablet, multitasking on the Galaxy Note 10.1 will allow the owner to use two applications in one view. The feature is activated by tapping the Multiscreen tab, from which a cascading list containing all the applications currently running on the slate will be revealed. Selecting one of these apps will bring it in the foreground, allowing the user to move it around the screen and position it wherever needed or, using the split screen feature which looks exactly like the one in Windows 7 – Aero Snap. To bring the slate back into a regular way of view, the user will have to tap the first button on the upper-slide menu which is also used when wishing to move the secondary application around the screen. The dimension of the windows used when multitasking can be set by the user, by dragging the corners into any direction. As the video shows, data can be transferred between these two applications with ease, rendering the device useful in day-to-day jobs.
Note Taking
Samsung describes notes to be taken with ease and by allowing the capture of powerful ideas in just seconds. The device offers 8 note templates to be used for any expression and situation, while the actual notes application offers users the possibility of recording videos and then adding them into an “S Note”.
Something that blew me right of the water was the ability of pinching the keyboard layout to adjust its dimension and to move its location around the screen. This can be very useful when using a smaller size display that requires two applications to be used simultaneously, and a keyboard on top. The S Note software can be launched from any screen by double-tapping the device and also supports regular actions, such as copy and paste, from any other app. Moreover, the “Productivity tools” bar is a floating menu from which the user can rapidly gain access to drawing, functions and other interesting tools. The S Note also comes with a Shape Match feature integrated, which allows instant conversions between handwriting to pre-formatted text. Other concepts found in S Note:
Easy scrolling through notebook-pages Instant preview of notes with a thumbnail picture and additional info Shape Match also detects shapes and transforms a not-so-perfectly-drawn form into a neat shape• Formula Match for handwriting complex formulas and converting them to text Record drawings an play each step of the design process Various style of notebook covers and backgrounds
Education
Samsung seems to bet a little on those wishing to use a tablet at school by introducing the Learning Hub, a service which will only be available in some countries and that will allow students of any kind to learn and practice onto any material. For instance, manuals can be read using this service and Samsung even allows taking notes directly on the content. This is extremely helpful in the learning process and if you’re not impressed yet, know that Samsung even has 3D animations of various elements, such as the chemical composition of a gas. Advanced and quick information access will be granted in the Galaxy Tab 10.1, by letting aside Wikipedia for an advanced search engine which can be accessed directly from the S Note app.
Photo Editing
Although the pen that comes packed with the tablet may be seen as a draw-back, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is a tablet that needs a stylus: it’s very useful when working with applications that require precise actions, subtle drawings and thin handwriting. When it comes to image editing, the stylus can truly come handy and the application built right into the operating system offers various effects to be placed upon a picture, including:
Blurring Formatting pictures to look as paintings Highlighting specific parts of content Duplicating a certain part of a photo using the Stamp tool
Even more
Besides all of the above, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 comes with:
Live Video List: simultaneously preview menu that let you watch all your videos in one screen Buddy Photo Share: a service for sending pictures to multiple friends at once AllShare Play GroupCast: co-create and share ideas with other users, by syncing the current screen on multiple devices of the same family (the same used on the Samsung Galaxy S3) Smart Remote: control the TV while doing other tasks on the slate
Galaxy Note 10.1 Specs and Release Date
Although the Note slate can already be pre-ordered from certain high-end phone retailer websites, Samsung is expected to officially unveil it in an August 15th event which will take place in New York City. Then, the tablet is almost certain to make an appereance and besides properly introducing the device to the whole world, a price will surerly be announced. It’s fairly unknown yet the difference between this tablet and the rumored Galaxy Tab 11.6, but I guess that only counts for those that see the tablet size as a major factor. The actual Galaxy Note 10.1 release date may vary from country to country, but it’s expected to be launched first in the US in Hong Kong on August 9th 2012. As for specifications, here’s the complete list of every important component:
Weight: 600 grams Dimensions: 265.5 x 180 x 8.9 mm Display: 10.1-inch PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen with16M colors, 800×1280 resolution, and 140 PPI pixel density (not even near Retina, but Samsung is working on that) Memory: 2GB of RAM, 16/32/64 GB of internal storage with microSD support up to 64GB extra Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and hotspot, 3G antenna Camera: 5-megapixel with autofocus and LED flash for the back, 1.9-megapixel for the front facing one OS: Android 4.03 Ice Cream Sandwich, upgradable to 4.1 Jelly Bean Processors: Quad-core CPU with 1.4GHz clock frequency and Exynos chip, alongside a Mali-400 MP GPU Battery: Li-Ion 7000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Price
Starting August 16th, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 will be available for order on Samsung’s website. The 16GB version will cost $499, while the 32GB version will be available for $549. There are no other variants available for now.
