Samsung Galaxy Note

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.

Hardware and software features

§  a dual-core 1.4Ghz processor

§  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.

Software

      The Galaxy Note is equipped with Android 2.3 "Gingerbread", but Samsung have said that they will be releasing an upgrade to Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" during 2012.  The standard Android user interface is overlaid with Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 interface, which includes comprehensive support for the device's stylus, among other things.

      As with all smartphones, several application programs are pre-loaded on the device. These include the standard Android applications such as email, web browsing, and media playback, as well as some programs aimed mainly at business users, such as Polaris Office, personal information manager software, the note-taking application, and one game, Crayon Physics Deluxe.

 Text input

      The Galaxy Note features a variety of text-input methods. A conventional on-screen qwerty keyboard is provided, and there is also the option of handwriting recognition using the stylus, and the time-saving Swype keyboard input method, which replaces direct typing of a word with a single movement of the finger across the desired keys.

Cameras

      The device features an 8-megapixel (2448 x 3264 pixels) main camera with flash on the back panel, and a 2-megapixel (1200 x 1600 pixels) camera on the front, primarily for video phone calls. The clear lens cover of the main camera lies flush with the back panel, exposing it to the same scratches that the panel might suffer, which has been a source of criticism.However, the quality of images captured with the main camera has been praised.Video recording through the main camera is 1080p ("Full HD") at 30 frames per second. Photo-editingand video-editing software is supplied with the device.

 Variants and customisation

     The Galaxy Note was initially produced with a black body (dubbed "carbon blue" by Samsung), but a white body was later also made available.

     The following performance variants of the Galaxy Note have been made available:

§  N7000 - The original version, with a dual-core 1.4GHz Cortex A9 processor

§  N7003 - A lower-powered and cheaper version, with a single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8255T processor with an S-LCD screen initially available in South Africa.

§  LTE version - with higher-speed communications ability, initially available only in South Korea 

         Samsung have made available a collection of accessories such as a clip-on screen cover (which replaces the back panel), a docking station, and spare chargers and styluses.