Samsung may debut Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet on August 15

At the Mobile World Congress event held earlier this year, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy 10.1. Five months on, this tablet is yet to make its debut and if guesses hold true, we can expect this tablet to be launched by August 15.

Samsung Electronics has sent out an invite to the media stating that they are unveiling a new Galaxy device August 15. Nothing else is known about the launch. There is no indication if the device would be a smartphone or a tablet. As the brand has recently launched the Galaxy S III smartphone, it would be highly unlikely that they would launch a new handset and cannibalize its sales. This could mean that Samsung may launch the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. A report by CNET states, “The division that sent the e-mail, Samsung Electronics America, usually handles launches for non-smartphone devices, like tablets.”

Could we see a launch soon?

The Galaxy Note 10.1 comes with a 10.1-inch touchscreen equipped with S-pen capabilities. With its new ‘S Note’ feature, this tablet will combine notes and sketches together with web content, images and other digital media into a personalized storyboard. The S Note also provides various ready-to-use templates, such as meeting minutes, recipes, cards, diary and magazines. Hand-drawn geometric shapes can be digitized by using the Shape Match function, which helps users create more organized idea sketches and storyboards. The S Pen brings with it detailed pressure sensitivity, and more accuracy and control when editing or writing. This provides an analog pen writing experience on a digital device.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

As for the tablet’s specifications, it comes equipped with a 1.4 GHz dual core processor, Android v4.0 OS (Ice Cream Sandwich) and 3G capabilities. The tablet comes loaded with GPS and GLONASS. One cannot use it to make voice calls, a feature that is found on a variety of smartphones available in the market for cheaper.

With the Note 10.1, Samsung has brought some interesting features for students as well. Users can watch a lecture that is live-streamed on video, while writing down comments on S Note, research a college essay on the web while taking notes, or read a full e-textbooks, while annotating them. Similar to the Shape Match function, Formula Match helps correct and digitize formulas hand-drawn with S Pen, making the device work like an education tool. Besides, Samsung has put Adobe Photoshop Touch and Adobe Ideas onto the Note. While Photoshop is more popular, Adobe Ideas is an easy-to-master drawing tool that allows users to sketch ideas, choose colour themes, and import images. Both are specially optimized for S pen, and are exclusively pre-loaded on the Galaxy Note 10.1.

As of now, this is mere speculation and Samsung may, in fact launch the Galaxy Note II, their second generation phablet, which is a successor to the Galaxy Note.