When Samsung announced its ICS plans for its lineup of Android-powered smartphones, the company confirmed that its massive phablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note, will be one of the first devices that will get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update along with the Samsung Galaxy S II with a Q1 ETA. Sad to say, that did not happen because towards the end of March, the Korean smartphone and tablet manufacturer announced that the ICS update for the phablet has been pushed back to Q2 instead.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note starting at $229.
Of course, users of the phablet were a bit disappointed with the news but Samsung announced that it is making the wait worthwhile by including a Premium Suite of applications once it finally rolls out the ICS update for the Samsung Galaxy Note. The said Premium Suite will include applications that will enable a user of the phablet to fully maximize the S-pen stylus of the device. Though the Ice Cream Sandwich update hasn’t been released yet (and sad to say, there has been no solid word yet as to when the Samsung Galaxy Note will finally get the upgrade to the latest version of the Google mobile operating system), Samsung has released a video of the Samsung Galaxy Note with Ice Cream Sandwich already running in its veins.
In the video, it was demoed how ICS will look like in the phablet in addition to showing what capabilities the Samsung Galaxy Note will get once the enhancements have been applied to the device. The video also shows new apps included in the Premium Suite such as My Story, S Memo and S Note and how these apps will enable a user of the phablet to take full advantage of the S-pen stylus of the Samsung Galaxy Note.
The Samsung Galaxy Note has seen a global release but during its announcement last year, it was reported that the phablet may not get to land in US shores. Thankfully, AT&T took care of the situation and had the phablet added to its stable of Android-powered smartphones and released the Samsung Galaxy Note last February. For those not in the know, the Samsung Galaxy Note is one massive device that is not advisable for people with dainty hands. It has measurements of 146.8 x 83 x 9.7 mm and weighs in at a hefty 178 grams. It has a QualComm MSM8660 SnapDragon chipset under the hood to power its operations and its snappy performance is a product of the collaboration between a dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor and full gigabyte of RAM.
Its storage space is rated at 16GB and a dedicated microSd card slot enables memory expansion up to 32GB. As for its display, the Samsung Galaxy Note sports a massive 5.3-inch SuperAMOLED panel with a 1280 x 800 resolution and the display itself is fashioned from Gorilla Glass making it resistant from scratches. It also comes with the full complement of connectivity options and its camera department is just as impressive with an 8MP shooter at its back panel and a 2MP webcam out front. Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note starting at $229, a $70 savings over AT&T’s direct price tag.
