Event: In A League Of Its Own – Samsung Galaxy Note World Tour Southeast Asia

Presenting: The Samsung Galaxy Note

A New Way To Note

Back in in September, during the IFA Berlin 2011, Samsung introduced a unique new device called the Galaxy Note. It's a portable device that features a 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a stylus that Samsung calls an "S Pen" and full smartphone capabilities like SMS and 4G (LTE and HSPA+) mobile Internet connectivity. It's not exactly a smartphone though, and neither is it exactly a tablet. Samsung says that it is something in between, resulting in a new product category. Over a month has passed since IFA 2011, and since then Samsung's intriguing new mobile has been on a World Tour, which began in London late in October. It has arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia for its official Southeast Asian debut and the folks over at Samsung Philippines were kind enough to invite us to the main event.

To start things off, no less than Mr. Gregory Lee, President and CEO of Samsung Asia, introduced the concept of the Galaxy Note. He explained that the new device is intended to provide an unprecedented user experience which combines the large format of a tablet with its 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display, and all the modern functions one finds in today's smartphones.

The Return of The Stylus

The main selling point of the Galaxy Note, and the reason for its name, is its stylus, which Samsung calls the "S Pen", which is tucked in the bottom part of the device. Mr. Budi Janto, Handheld Phone Director of Samsung Electronics Indonesia took over the stage to explain in detail how exactly the "S Pen" works on the Galaxy Note. Stylus input, once the main way smartphones were used, have gone out of fashion ever since the release of Apple's iPhone, but Samsung, Mr. Janto explains, is giving it a renaissance with the Galaxy Note and its 'S Pen" stylus.

While you can use the Galaxy Note with your fingers just as you would with the Galaxy S II smartphone or tablets in the Galaxy Tab series, the new device takes the experience into a more creative direction with its integrated "S Pen." With the S Pen, you can easily edit and add creative doodles and markings on photos and videos taken with the Galaxy Note's 8-megapixel camera. You can even create your own unique artworks from scratch, as demonstrated by Indonesian graphic artist Mr. Teddy Soegiarto. The S Pen can be set to write with different colors, brushes and even opacity, much like the Wacom pad that graphic artists use. 

Another very cool thing you can do with the S Pen is S Memo, which an exclusive function of the Galaxy Note. S Memo allows you to quickly jot down notes from any application you are running. For example, you are surfing the Web and you are inspired by something you see. Just double-tap on the screen with the S Pen and a memo pad will open up, complete with the color and brush options mentioned earlier. You can even use the S Pen to cut out a particular image from a website that you like and incorporate it into your notes or artwork. Of course, since the Galaxy Note is part smartphone, all of your notes and artworks can be easily shared online. S Memo and the S Pen make the Galaxy Note a very versatile and convenient tool for creative people on the go, and gives the forgotten stylus a new lease on life by effectively digitizing the analog notebook experience. 

Samsung also announced that a Software Development Kit or SDK will be rolled out in December, so that anyone can write applications that maximize the use of the S Pen. A number of third-party applications have been made available at launch such as iAnnotate, which allows you to make instant annotations on any PDF file. Coming up with the S Pen SDK is a great move by Samsung, as it should greatly expand the Galaxy Note's already extensive capabilities.