Apple may be dominating the global tablet market with a whopping 68 percent, but rival Samsung is gearing up to wrest away the mantle and make a dent in Apple's pie. Samsung's 10-inch Galaxy Note 10.1, armed with the S-Pen is all set to lock horns with the impending iPad - dubbed the iPad Mini.
Korean tech giant Samsung announced that its Galaxy Note 10.1 will be available globally from end August. The stylus-equipped Galaxy Note 10.1 will initially ship the Wi-Fi only and 3G/4G versions, with an LTE version slated for a year-end release.
Samsung's "ideal learning tool" aka the Note 10.1, is also equipped with a stylus called the S-Pen, which allows users to scribble notes and jot down ideas in a jiffy.
Samsung's JK Shin averred "History has shown that taking notes, capturing ideas immediately, and sketching to realize them is the most personal and natural way to be more productive and creative. The advanced technology and features included in [the Note] give users the power to produce, create and customize communications."
However, the feature that wins hands down is the "Multiscreen". Now, you can browse the Internet and watch a movie - at the same time, courtesy Multiscreen. The Galaxy Note 10.1 makes multi-tasking a breeze, enabling users to view two apps simultaneously in the split-screen mode. The only downer of this feature is that the list of supported apps is currently pretty limited.
Weighing at 600gms (for the 3G version, the Wi-Fi one is 3gms lighter), the 8.9mm thick tablet is fractionally heavier than other Android-powered rivals but still lighter than the iPad. However, the 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution pales when compared to rival tablets.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 is expected to become available in South Korea, Germany, the U.S., and the U.K. first. It will then gradually roll out to other markets. No official pricing is available yet; however, TabletsMagazine reports that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will cost €479 ($593) for the Wi-Fi-only 16GB model and €599 ($741) for the HSPA+ version.
The burning question that piques the mind is how will the two stellar devices, the Note 10.1 and iPad Mini, fare in the long run. We can only wait and watch as the tablet wars unfold.
