Adding an even larger smartphone to its lineup, Samsung announced a new device, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, on Feb. 24, 2013. The launch happened at the Mobile World Congress previews in Barcelona, Spain. Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, or Note 8 for short, is a tablet with 8-inch screen and comes equipped with Samsung's S-Pen, a stylus-like light pen that emits a beam of light recognizable to tablets or smartphones. This new Note 8 device will ship to North America during the second quarter of 2013. Samsung has not yet announced dates of availability. We have a good shot of the Note 8's larger sibling the Note 10.1 alongside this article.
Phone capability: Though clearly sized in the tablet area, Note 8 comes with phone capability. While some reviewers have noted that they feel silly holding the tablet up to the head for phone use, it can be a great idea to have speakerphone capability in a tablet. Thinking about only carrying one device and being able to do basic office tasks while traveling makes us understand why putting a phone inside the tablet will be worthwhile for many potential buyers.
Operating system and Processor: Note 8's quad-core processor and Android Jelly Bean operating system enable Windows-like capability on the screen: Multiple tasks can be seen on the screen simultaneously.
TV remote capability: This is an interesting new feature for a tablet. Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 can be used as a remote control to change channels on a TV.
Screen resolution: Note 8 has 1280 x 800 pixels, comparable to the number of pixels in the Samsung Galaxy Note II's 5.5 inch screen. This should be sufficient for most tasks though will likely with less clarity than is offered by the current iPad's Retina display.
Cameras: The rear facing camera is a 5-megapixel model and the front facing camera offers 3 megapixels. This is less camera capability than top-line phones, and that is not necessarily problematic in a tablet.
Pricing is not yet announced; we can speculate that, when released, Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 will cost a little more than iPad Mini - we estimate $350 to $450.
Copyright © 2013 Susan J. Walker. Subscribe above to receive an email whenever Susan Walker publishes on Examiner.com. Follow @WalkerSusanJ on Twitter.
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