Samsung Unveils Hybrid Devices to Compete Against Apple

Samsung revealed its latest entries into the tablet market at this year's IFA show in Berlin; the Galaxy Tab 7.7 along with a tablet/phone hybridge, the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note.

Samsung is banking on the Note to appeal to a whole different product segment. Samsung is confident it creates a whole new user experience than anything out there.

The Galaxy Note is a device borne of our insight and innovation. We examined the fundamental elements of mobile culture, entertainment and communication in order to bring together the best experiences in a single, elegant device, JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung Mobile, said in a statement.

Non-iPad tablets have had a tough time finding a market regardless of their size. Smaller, hybrid tablets have had an even tougher time. The Dell Streak, with a 5-inch screen, was a flop and was recently killed by the company.

Like Samsung is likely banking on with the Note, Dell said the Streak was better than the iPhone and the iPad. Obviously, this wasn't the case.

The Note comes with Samsung's Super AMOLED screen technology, which offers a sharp 1280x800 resolution. The screen also offers a 180 degree viewing angle. It is 9.65mm thick (0.38 inches) and weighs 178 grams (6.3 ounces). It has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, two cameras, can run on HSPA? and LTE networks and uses the Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system.

The biggest draw for the Note may be its advanced pen input functionality (hence the Note). The S Pen, which comes off a little the PDAs of the 20^th century/early 2000s, allows users to draw, take notes and create content on a touch-screen on a virtual whiteboard.

Credit: Samsung

Meanwhile, the 7.7 tablet is the successor to the original Galaxy Tab tablet, which was unveiled at last year's IFA. The 7-inch tablet will be available in Europe first, but likely the U.S. market at a later time. It is the first tablet to use Samsung's AMOLED screen technology.

It also has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android's Honeycomb operating system. The device is thin at 7.89 millimeters (or 0.31 inches) and weighs a mere 335 grams (0.75 pounds). It runs on the HSPA+ 21 Mbps network for faster download time and has 5,100 mAh of battery that can provide up to 10 hours of video playback.

The tablet also comes with WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and dual 3 megapixel and 2 megapixel cameras. There's also a universal remote functionality, which allows users to control their home entertainment system from the tablet. The typical Samsung/Google Android operating system functions are there, such as Live Panels, Samsung Hub services and Android apps.