One of the two products rumoured to be launched by Samsung at IFA Berlin wast the Galaxy Note, a mysterious device that made us think of a note taking tablet. We here about two thirds right, as the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Note is a 5.3 superphone or mini tablet, if you like, that comes with the S-Pen stylus for taking notes in a few custom apps.

    Disappointed? Personally I’m not, as I start to believe the Samsung Galaxy Note could be that portable all-in-one device (except work) that could replace a smartphone, tablet, MP3 player, digital camcorder and paper notebook with ease. So before discussing more take a look at the specifications list below:

    Samsung Galaxy Note spec sheet:

    • Android 2.3 Gingerbread
    • 1.4GHz dual-core CPU
    • 1GB RAM
    • 5.3” Super AMOLED display @ 1280×800
    • Front and rear cameras @ 2MP and 8MP respectively
    • HSPA+ connectivity
    • 1080p recording and playback
    • GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, and WiFi a/b/g/n
    • 16/32GB built-in memory and a MicroSD slot for storage expansion
    • 2500 mAh battery, user accessible
    • Dimensions: 146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65 mm
    • Weight: 185 grams

    What makes the Samsung Galaxy Note more of a smartphone than a tablet is not necessarily the small 5.3 screen, but the lack of Honeycomb: it comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Honeycomb could have been installed, as the 1280 x 800 pixels screen is currently the highest density display one on market, and it’s Super AMOLED too, which means excellent colours, viewing angles, contrast and outdoor visibility. The same unnamed 1.4 GHz CPU as the one in Galaxy TAB 7.7 is used for the Galaxy Note tablet/phone, so it’s got quite a punch, Samsung mentioning 1080p recording and playback as multimedia capabilities. There are also two camera, but the back one was upgraded to an 8 megapixel model. HSPA+ is onboard for fast uploads and downloads and so are GPS, Bluetooth and WiFi for connectivity.

    Samsung Galaxy Note tablet/smartphone

    Samsung Galaxy Note tablet/smartphone

    Other specs are fairly common: 1 GB RAM, 16/32 GB internal storage expandable via the microSD slot. A large user accessible 2500 mAh battery should last you through a day of heavy use, but we’ll reserve judgement for the time we test Samsung’s claims.

    Get pricing and availability info from here

    Now let’s talk a little bit about the stylus, which apparently comes by default, and has a special place holder for safekeeping. Samsung has tweaked a few apps to take advantage of the stylus so you get a neat Calendar app called S Planner where you can take calendar entry notes and built up a to-do list and S Memo for notes taking (you can also store voice and video). Samsung will also release an SDK (Software Development Kit) for the S Pen so we might see quite a few more apps from third-party developers.

    Samsung didn’t say anything about price and availability, but the Galaxy Note will see a proper global launch. Hope Samsung doesn’t blow it by asking too much for this interesting hybrid, that some call ‘the return of the PDA’.

    Samsung Galaxy Note: not a slim as some recently launched tablets

    Samsung Galaxy Note: not a slim as some recently launched tablets

    And a few clips with Samsung Galaxy Note: