Having just got the hang of the Samsung Galaxy Note; with its enormous size and old-school stylus attached, the Korean tech-giants are apparently putting the finishing touches on a sequel to the smartphone-tablet hybrid, with the Galaxy Note 2.
Opinion was divided when the original Note came out; with image-conscious individuals worried that making a call on the enlarged device might damage their street-cred. Perhaps they had a valid point.
And yet, despite all the worries surrounding the Note: it was too much of a tech mish-mash; a stylus is old-fashioned; and making a call looks like you’re holding a paving slab to your face, the devices flew off the shelves.
Samsung are used to selling phones by the truck-load having recently been crowned the highest selling mobile phone company in the world, but the success of the Galaxy Note was an achievement the Korean company was particularly proud of as the device was seen as bit of high-concept, high-risk effort which ultimately paid off.
Note fans will be pleased to hear fresh of the press are reports that a new follow up to the 5-million selling mobile Note is in the pipeline. The Note 2 may be unveiled in late August at this year’s IFA in Berlin, with an October launch date.
Of course at this stage we can prophesise until we’re blue in the face about the potential spec and goodies which will be included in the new Note, but speculation is always a laugh: The rumoured specs include a 5.5-inch display, a quad-core processor, a 12+ megapixel camera and, of course, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Apple’s Steve Jobs famously ridiculed the use of stylus’ on modern technology, suggesting that the technology was too clunky and that it would never rival the user experience of a touchscreen. This hasn’t stopped over 5 million people from snapping up the original Note.
Because of this success, Samsung have been bridging new relationships with developers and suppliers, such as Japan’s Wacom Co Ltd, a market leader in digital pen technology, to come up with something less clunky for the new Note.
Will you be selling your old phone or tablet and preparing to get your mitts on the new Samsung Galaxy Note 2?