The Samsung Galaxy Note is an Android smartphone and tablet computer that
was introduced in October 2011. It has attracted attention because of its size,
between that of conventional smartphones and tablets, and because of its
inbuilt stylus.
The Galaxy Note was announced by Samsung during IFA 2011 in Berlin. It was
released to the public starting with Germany in late October 2011, with other
countries following shortly after that. By the end of November, it was
available in most major markets, including East Asia, Europe and India.
In December 2011, Samsung announced that 1 million Galaxy Notes were
shipped in less than two months, and that Galaxy Notes will be available in the
US in 2012.
The Galaxy Note, with a 135 mm (5.3 in) screen, occupies a niche in
Samsung's Galaxy range, bridging the gap between their smartphones such as the
Galaxy S II, and the Galaxy Tab tablet. Reviews regarding its size have been
mixed. Some have said that it's too big to be a true mobile phone, citing the
difficulty of using it single-handed , storing it in a small pocket, and the
perceived ungainly appearance against the face ; while others have hailed it as
a pioneer in a new market segment (despite the lack of success of the
similarly-sized but stylus-lacking Dell Streak), combining the best features of
both device types. Its potential as a games console has also been pointed out.
Hardware specifications of the device include:
a dual-core 1.4Ghz processor, But Sk telecom, KT, LG U+ use 1.5Ghz
Snapdragon S3 Chipset
a 5.3” WXGA (1280 x 800) HD Super AMOLED screen
an 8-megapixel main camera that can record 1080p video, and a 2-megapixel
front-facing camera
802.11 b/g/n support for Wi-Fi
HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100 mobile network support.
positioning using both the a-GPS and GLONASS systems.
Stylus
An unusual feature for such a device is a built-in stylus, which Samsung
calls the "S Pen".The stylus tucks into the bottom panel of the
phone, and can be used in a variety of apps. It can simply replace the use of a
finger in situations where precision is needed, but it is also equipped with a
"shift" button, which when pressed enables other functions such as
grabbing screenshots (which can then be drawn on using the stylus) or starting
the S-Note note-taking application, which is a facility for recording
sticky-note-type notes which can include drawing/handwriting (using the
stylus), text input, and pictures. The stylus is partnered by a Wacom digitiser
system, which results in accurate pressure-sensitive input.
Samsung released in late November 2011 an SDK (software development kit)
for the stylus so developers can write third-party apps that use it for input.
Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich", which is expected to be made
available for the Galaxy Note in 2012, also includes support for stylus input.
The practice of using a stylus with a handheld computer was popular during
the era of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices in the 1990s, whose screens
lacked the sensitivity of modern touchscreens and so used the stylus as a
primary input method. With the advent of touch-controlled smartphones, styluses
became unfashionable; Steve Jobs of Apple, which pioneered tablet and smartphone
design, famously remarked "if you see a stylus ... they blew it".
Reviewers have therefore expressed interest in the rebirth of stylus input. The
Galaxy Note implementation has been described as high quality , superior to
other recent efforts such as on the HTC Flyer tablet.
