MWC: Now for a 10.1″ Galaxy Note

At the Mobile World Congress yesterday, Samsung announced what they describe as a new device category, the Galaxy Note 10.1. A super-sized version of the 5.3″ Note, it comes with an immersive 10” screen and S Pen, and runs on Android 4.0. It will arrive in South Africa in May.

At the Mobile World Congress yesterday, Samsung announced the launch of the Galaxy Note 10.1, which expands the Galaxy Note experience in “”creativity, productivity, and learning””. In effect, it doubles the screen size while adding multi-tasking and a range of new tools.

With its large display, the Galaxy Note 10.1 provides multi-screen functionality, and free content capture and creation. According to Samsung, “”the S Pen provides more intuitive ways to maximise efficiency in learning, work and creative endeavours””. The device’s multi-screen functionality enables true multi-tasking, such as viewing Internet pages, videos or other applications side-by-side while writing or sketching.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 features S Note, a unique and efficient tool that lets you combine notes or sketches together with web content, images and other digital media into your own personalised storyboards. It gives you a new way to create stories as S Note provides various ready-to-use templates for meeting minutes, recipes, cards, diaries, magazines and more. The device enables hand-drawn geometric shapes to be digitised by using the Shape Match function, which helps users to create more organised idea sketches and storyboards.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 “”enables an extraordinary learning experience””, says Samsung. Students can watch a lecture live-streamed on video while writing down comments on S Note: they can research a college essay on the web while taking notes: or even read a full e-textbook while annotating it. Similar to the Shape Match, Formula Match function helps to correct and digitise formulas hand-drawn with S Pen, making the device a more powerful education tool. Moreover, by using the S Note’s integrated knowledge search engines, users can quickly search, obtain information, and easily ‚drag and drop’ the cropped images and content onto S Notes without having to switch between screens.

Users can also enjoy PC-like premium photo editing and drawing experiences with Adobe, Photoshop, Touch and Adobe Ideas. Photoshop Touch lets users transform images with core Photoshop features and combine multiple photos into layered images, make popular edits, apply professional effects and more. Adobe Ideas is an easy-to-master drawing tool that allows users to sketch ideas, choose amazing colour themes and import images. Both are specially optimised for S pen and are exclusively pre-loaded on the Galaxy Note 10.1.

‚The Galaxy Note 10.1 takes productivity on a Note to a whole new level. With a larger, multi-functional screen and superior performance, it combines the intuitiveness of handwriting with all the versatility of digital content. This allows users to be more productive across all of life’s demanding tasks‚Äîwhether working, learning, or simply creating their own stories,‚ said Deon Liebenberg, MD of Samsung Electronics South Africa. ‚With the Galaxy Note 10.1, we are demonstrating Samsung’s commitment to extend the mobile category and are working with key partners like Adobe to provide extraordinary experiences for users. We have created a platform that enables users to be more productive, express themselves creatively and add a touch of fulfillment to their lives.‚

Ensuring intuitive multitasking and web browsing, the Galaxy Note 10.1 runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and features a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and HSPA+ connectivity. Its real-time video streaming and HD video playback add to the device’s content versatility.

The Galaxy Note 10.1’s innovative S Pen, the most advanced pen input solution on the market, is completely integrated into the device’s original applications. It provides enhanced pressure sensitivity, superior accuracy and control when editing or writing, providing an analog pen writing experience on a digital device.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 will be available in South Africa from May 2012 through various local retail outlets at an approximate recommended retail price of R8 699.00.

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