Samsung has launched the GALAXY Note 10.1 (aka Note 8000) in the US, UK, and South Korea, according to Reuters. The 10.1" capacitive touchscreen (1280x800) tablet comes with Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and is powered by a quad-core 1.4 GHz CPU with 2 GB of RAM. Available in 16, 32, and 64 GB versions, there is room for additional expansion up to 32 GB via microSD card. A 5 mp auto-focus rear camera with LED flash and 720p recording is present, along with a 1.9 mp front camera. It supports internet connectivity via Wi-Fi as well as an optional 3G SIM card that also allows phone calls. The tablet is just 0.35" (8.9 mm) thick and weighs 580 grammes. Detailed specifications are as below:

• 10.1" WXGA TFT LCD screen, with pixel dimensions of 1280x800 and 16M colours.
• 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 quad-core CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, 2 GB RAM.
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
• Quad-band GSM (850 \ 900 \ 1800 \ 1900 MHz), quad-band 3G (850 \ 900 \ 1900 \ 2100 MHz).
• 5 mp main and 1.9 mp front camera; Shot Mode: Single \ Smile \ Panorama \ Cartoon \ Timer shot; Photo Effects: Negative \ Black and white \ Sepia; White Balance: Auto \ Daylight \ Cloudy \ Incandescent \ Fluorescent; Features: Auto Focus, Flash, Face Detection, Smile Detection, Blink Detection.
• 16 \ 32 \ 64 GB internal storage (only 16 GB in India), 32 GB microSD card slot.
• HD (720p) recording at 30 fps.
• Supported video formats: 3GPP, H.263, H.264, MPEG4, WMV; Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, AMR-NB, H.263, MPEG4.
• Bluetooth 4.0 LE, USB 2.0 High Speed, USB Mass Storage Support, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n Channel Bonding, AGPS (Assisted GPS), HDMI-Out, 3.5 mm jack.
• S Pen for sketching and handwriting input.
• 10.1" (w) x 6.9" (h) x 0.35" (8.9 mm) (d), 583 grammes.
• 7000 mAh battery with up to 33 hours of talk time.

The slate also supports a split-screen mode that lets the user use two apps simultaneously. The bundled stylus allows you to sketch using the preloaded Adobe Photoshop Touch. The US price of this new tablet is $500 (approx Rs 28,000) for the 16 GB Wi-Fi only version, which is the same as the new Apple iPad, while the 32 GB Wi-Fi only variant is priced at $550 (~Rs 30,700). For India, the manufacturer's official online store seems to have put up the 16 GB Wi-Fi + 3G version for pre-booking on an advance payment of Rs 2000. While the launch price has not yet been indicated, I expect it to hover around the Rs 40,000 mark. Samsung will also give away a free book-type cover worth Rs 3300 for those who make the balance payment within three days of the India launch. Customers who do not pay within 15 days of the launch will lose the advance amount they have deposited.

The Korean electronics giant has launched its latest tablet as a challenger to the iPad, which has a smaller 9.7" screen, even as Apple has demanded a chunk of the former's profits from the sales of its devices due to a claimed patent violation. This has not deterred Samsung though, which is also going to launch a revamped version of the original 5.3" GALAXY Note smartphone.

TAGS: Tablets, Android, Samsung, GALAXY, Jayesh