Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 to receive Jelly Bean later this year

At a recent event, Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy Note 10.1, and shortly after Samsung started taking preorders for the pen-friendly tablet in India. If you were disappointed that Samsung launched the tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) out of the box, and not Google’s latest operating system Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean), then your disappointment should not last long. At the event Samsung declared that it would upgrade the device to Jelly Bean later this year, Engadget reported.

Jelly Bean coming on the Note 10.1

According to the Engadget report, “While the Galaxy Note 10.1 won't be packing Android 4.1 right out of the box, Samsung is assuring consumers that the tablet will be getting the OS upgrade later this year, a fact the company reiterated during today's press conference”.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 sports a 10.1-inch display, and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor. It comes pre-loaded with apps such as Smart Stay, Adobe Photoshop Touch, S Note, S Planner, Shape Match, Formula Match, and My Story.
 
Here is a quick look at the specifications of the Galaxy Note 10.1:

• 10.1-inch PLS TFT (Transistor Liquid Crystal) touchscreen, 1280x800 pixel resolution, with S Pen, multi-touch and multi-screen compatibility
• Wi-Fi, 3G
• Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0
• 5MP rear camera with autofocus, geo-tagging and LED flash, captures video at 1080p@30fps; 1.9MP rear snapper
• 16GB, 32GB or 64GB memory; upgradeable up to 64GB via microSD card

 
One of the highlighted features of the Galaxy Note 10.1 is that it comes with a 10.1-inch touchscreen equipped with S Pen capabilities. With its new ‘S Note’ feature, this tablet combines notes and sketches together with web content, images and other digital media into a personalised storyboard. The S Note also provides various ready-to-use templates such as meeting minutes, recipes, cards, diary and magazines. Hand-drawn geometric shapes can be digitised by using the Shape Match function, which helps users create more organised idea sketches and storyboards. The S Pen brings with it detailed pressure sensitivity, and more accuracy and control when editing or writing. This provides an analogue pen writing experience on a digital device.
 
With the Note 10.1, Samsung has brought some interesting features for students as well. Users can watch a lecture that is live-streamed on video, while writing down comments on S Note, research a college essay on the web while taking notes, or read a full e-textbooks while annotating them. Similar to the Shape Match function, Formula Match helps correct and digitise formulas hand-drawn with the S Pen, making the device work like an education tool. Besides, Samsung has put Adobe Photoshop Touch and Adobe Ideas onto the Note. While Photoshop is more popular, Adobe Ideas is an easy-to-master drawing tool that allows users to sketch ideas, choose colour themes and import images. Both are specially optimised for the S pen, and are exclusively pre-loaded on the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Let us know your thoughts on this latest tablet by Samsung in the comments below.