Is it a smartphone or a tablet? Or both?

Consumers will soon have a chance to find out with a hands-on look when Samsung's Galaxy Note arrives in AT&T stores Feb. 19th.

The carrier is calling the Note, with its 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, "one of the most talked about devices announced" at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month. It sells for $299 with a two-year voice and data contract, and will run on AT&T's new long-term evolution high-speed data network.

The Android 2.3-powered Note comes with a stylus-like Samsung S-Pen, something rarely seen since the waning days of the Palm Pilot. Unlike a traditional stylus, though, the S-Pen is electronic and contains a button used to enable some app functions. It can be used for drawings, notes, e-mails or text input from free-form handwriting.

'Carry Less Stuff'

In a promotional video, AT&T points out that the S-Pen can be used to quickly jot down notes, and the device is intended to help consumers -- who carry an average of 2.7 devices every day -- reduce that load, since the Note has the "functionality of a smartphone, the larger view screen of a tablet [and] the convenience of a notepad."

AT&T and Samsung clearly hope to create a new niche for consolidated devices. Although Apple's iPhone and similar Android phones can be used as a reader or media viewer, smaller screen sizes limit their use for productivity.

"Try answering a phone call on your e-reader -- not happening," writes Dante Martin on AT&T's Consumer Blog. "The Note's hybrid nature allows you to do a lot of cool stuff that has traditionally required multiple devices....The S Memo app lets you compile your pictures, screen shots, voice recordings, typed text, handwritten notes or drawings -- and turns them into a 'memo' that can easily be shared."

The Note is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor and has an 8-megapixel, rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel, front-facing camera. It has 16 gigabytes of installed memory with a microSD slot for up to 32 GB.

A Reporter's Notebook with Calls

"The Note is unique," said consumer devices analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis. " I liken it to a reporter's notebook that is also an Android communication device. It is not a mainstream form factor, but it has already found a niche in Europe and Asia with consumers who care less about voice and value the large and extremely high-resolution display, and fine text input over the inconvenience that the oversized case brings."

With a cost closer to a smartphone than a tablet, he adds, "AT&T is pricing it well, and I expect it will find fans in the U.S. as well."

The Note will be available for pre-orders via AT&T's Web site as of Feb. 5.

x

More in Latest Mobile Devices:

Android Gains on iPad in Global Tablet Market Share... Read More >

Frans@MK: