Samsung Launches Hybrid Galaxy Note

The Galaxy Note is sized between a smartphone and a tablet, featuring a 5.3-inch HD screen, 4G LTE data access, and a unique stylus called the "S. Pen" that translates handwriting into text and allows users to mark up screen captures and websites.

The Note runs on Android Gingerbread, but the company will upgrade it to Ice Cream Sandwich later this year. It is significantly larger than any other smartphone on the market, but still looks and operates more like a phone than a tablet. The product draws comparisons with Dell's botched Streak tablet, but Samsung remains confident that its merchandise will avoid the same fate.

The device sold well overseas, and its price tag reflects the gadget's presentation as a high-end product. Makers priced the phone with confidence that consumers will demand the exclusive features it offers, with the Note's abilities to amend web pages and capture script anticipated selling points.

Samsung's Galaxy phone series propels the company's mobile division, keeping the South Korean corporation in tight competition with Apple. Apple once again bested Samsung in smartphone sales, increasing expectations for the Galaxy Note to etch into Apple's smartphone and tablet sales.

The Note may also appeal to tablet users looking for a more compact mobile device. In this regard, it offers an alternative to Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which competes against Apple's iPad devices, both for consumers and in the courtroom.

Steve Jobs accused the Galaxy series of "slavishly copying" Apple's mobile devices. With the Galaxy Note, Samsung illustrates that it is capable of innovative mobile design, and confident in its products' marketability. The new device is smaller than an iPad and priced a bit lower, and adds features that may attract some buyers away from Apple's signature device.