MWC – Samsung announce Galaxy Note 8.0

Mobile World Congress 2013 is only hours away from kicking off and today we have the first device announcement from Samsung.

Following hot on the heels of the highly acclaimed Galaxy Note II Samsung have today announced the Galaxy Note 8.0, a mid sized tablet that will “offer unrivalled multimedia performance within a compact one hand grip screen.

Simon Stanford, Vice President of IM division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said:

This year, we expect tablet growth to accelerate at the same fast pace we saw last year and are excited to be able to make the tablet experience accessible to a wider audience by adding to our existing portfolio of devices. The Galaxy Note was a completely new category of device when we launched the first one back in 2011, and it’s been extremely satisfying to watch it sell so well and grow in stature as our customers’ understanding of the category has grown.”

UK availability is slated for quarter 2, 2013 and the full specifications are as follows:

The full press release is below:

INTRODUCING THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 8.0

Spain, Barcelona – February 24, 2013: Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of the Galaxy Note 8.0, a new addition to the mid-size tablet category that will offer unrivalled multimedia performance within a compact one-hand-grip screen, as well as the power and advanced technology to enable you to achieve new levels of efficient multi-tasking and voice call functionality. Furthermore, the intelligent S Pen brings together the latest innovations with the ease of using a traditional pen and paper, creating a sophisticated mobile experience that will enhance your life when you are out and about.

At the core of the Galaxy Note 8.0’s innovative solutions is beneficial functionality, including multi-window options to split the portable 8 inch screen and allow access to a number of live applications; a new generation of Samsung’s intelligent S Pen with advanced usability; access to a suite of S Note templates and tools that allow you to create, edit, manage and share everyday documents; the Samsung “reading mode” technology so you can enjoy e-Books with optimised resolution, video and voice calls*. In addition, a suite of exciting new content and services is pre-loaded at no additional cost, including Flipboard and Awesome Note, both available for the first time on a Samsung Galaxy tablet.

Simon Stanford, Vice President of IM division, Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said: “This year, we expect tablet growth to accelerate at the same fast pace we saw last year and are excited to be able to make the tablet experience accessible to a wider audience by adding to our existing portfolio of devices. The Galaxy Note was a completely new category of device when we launched the first one back in 2011, and it’s been extremely satisfying to watch it sell so well and grow in stature as our customers’ understanding of the category has grown.”

A smart diary for life on the go

Slim and compact enough to become the perfect on-the-go work and play companion, the Galaxy Note 8.0 boasts powerful performance and functionality to support even the most demanding of lifestyles. Designed to store and manage your personal and professional data efficiently, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is the perfect pocket-sized hands-on tool to organise your life. Practical S Note templates and the S Planner feature, help you manage everyday tasks, including meeting notes, to-do lists and even personal diary entries.

All content can be entered and updated with in the finest detail thanks to the evolution of the Samsung S Pen. Enhanced precision is available with Handwriting-to-Text conversion, whilst advanced Productivity Tools that support formula and shape recognition are now available at the touch of the S Pen.

New content and services

Upgraded Chat-On allows for easy instant messaging and group chatting in multiple formats, including images, video, voice and contacts. Awesome Note, an integrated application that is available on an Android tablet for the first time with the Galaxy Note 8.0, means you can take unlimited notes including Memo, Diary and Must-remember lists.

With Flipboard, your news, social networks and other feeds come together in one stylish, flippable format so you can enjoy all your news in one place. Not only that, Flipboard developed a customised version of its application exclusively for Samsung that allows you to take the S Pen’s hover feature and preview article headers beneath Flipboard’s main screen tiles. Finally, Smart Remote gives you a universal remote control and electronic programming guide so you can manage your TV and video viewing seamlessly and easily.

A new age of S Pen intelligence

Optimised to aid personalised creativity, the Samsung S Pen has evolved since it first launched to increase everyday usability and enhance creation expression. Embedded within the tablet, the S Pen is an extension of the Galaxy Note 8.0. Removing the S Pen from the device will automatically launch features such as Pen Detection, which suggests adapted menus that it thinks you’ll need, and Page Buddy, a feature that will intuitively activate your most recently adapted S Note home screen.

Samsung’s S Pen technology is now so advanced that it doesn’t even have to touch the screen. With Air View, the S Pen needs only hover over the screen to see previews of videos, emails, photos and appointments on S Planner without having to actually open the file or application in full. S Pen Gesture means images and content to be easily edited and cropped, whilst Paper Artist and Photo Note allow photos to be artistically personalised.

In addition, for the very first time in the Galaxy Note category, you can use the S Pen to control the physical menu and back buttons on the device with WACOM technology.

Maximising mass multimedia consumption

Creative multi-tasking with the Galaxy Note 8.0 has never been easier thanks to its Dual View feature, two multi window options that allow you to facilitate multi-screen usage. Dual View’s split screen accommodates optimal operation of different apps, such as launching the S Note on the web browser screen and allowing content to be resized, dragged and dropped as required.

Multi-tasking has also been extended to phone calls*. Pop Up Note allows you to access S Note at any time to keep track of key actions and Pop Up Video ensures you can keep surfing the web whilst chatting to friends, colleagues and family members – content windows can be easily resized by pinching to enlarge or reduce.

Perfect info-tainment partner

Reading Mode transforms the Galaxy Note 8.0 into an e-Book reader, providing the optimal reading conditions to ensure you can curl up and enjoy a good book. You can even turn it into a universal remote control with Smart Remote, to seamlessly manage your TV, set-up box, DVD & Blu-ray player.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 will be available in the UK in Q2 2013.