Vodafone Galaxy Note 2 price revealed for Germany: 640 Euros for 16GB unlocked LTE version

In addition to not saying a word about the actual release dates of the Galaxy Note 2 phablet, Samsung also failed to unveil pricing details for the device. Sure, the Galaxy Note 2 will sell both unlocked and bundled with multi-year plans with carriers, so it’s harder for Samsung to mention the price during a general event. But it could have hinted at some price points for the various Galaxy Note 2 versions that will soon hit stores.

Engadget has learned that Vodafone Germany plans to charge 640 Euros for the 16GB unlocked LTE version of the Galaxy Note 2, which translates to roughly $800. And that’s just for the 16GB version – remember that Samsung will also have a 32GB and 64GB version in store.

The hefty price tag will probably be a good enough incentive for users to get it for just 80 Euros with a new Vodafone SuperFlat Internet Plus contract – although, in time, they’ll end up paying more for the phablet by choosing the subsidized route.

Comparatively, the unlocked first-generation Galaxy Note sells for $549 from AT&T right now, and that’s the unlocked, unsubsidized pricing for the phablet. At the same time, we’ll add that the U.S. unlocked price for the same phablet version will probably be closer to $600-ish rather than $800-ish, but we’re going to cross that brige when we get there.

Before you ask, no, Vodafone did not say when the device will be in stock, so we’re back at the default “sometime in October” launch date for this European market.

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Galaxy Note 2 specs and features

Samsung’s Unpacked event in Berlin, Germany is underway, and, as you already know by now, it's main star is the Galaxy Note 2. The second-generation phablet is upon us, and we already have a variety of details for you regarding the device – and this time around they’re all very much official.

The Galaxy Note 2 can be considered somewhat of a small upgrade compared to its predecessor, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a force to be reckoned with if you love gianormous handsets in your pocket.

As expected, the rumors we’ve seen before today’s event turned out to be pretty much right on the money and even some of the recent Galaxy Note 2 mockups that we’ve seen were not that far off from the real thing. Without further ado, here’s what you can expect from the new Galaxy Note version:

• 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio
• Size: 80 x 151.1 x 9.4mm thin – thinner than its predecessor
• Weight: 180 grams
• 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 16/32/64GB on-board memory
• microSDHC support of up to 64GB of additional storage
• 8-megapixel rear-camera with Auto Focus, LED flash and HD video recording
• 2-megapixel front-facing camera
• HSPA+ support
• 4G LTE connectivity (in selected markets)
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Wi-Fi Direct
• USB 2.0 support
• A-GPS and Glonass support
• 3,100mAh removable battery with faster charging – bigger capacity than its predecessor
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board out of the box with TouchWiz UI on top
• Redesigned S-Pen: wider and longer to offer better grip. The stylus now has a rubber tip to offer an experience more similar to pen and paper
• Colors: Marble White and Titanium Grey

In addition to hardware specs – and since Samsung can’t really modify core features of Jelly Bean – the company also updated one of the main characteristics of such devices, the stylus-related software features.

The Galaxy Note 2 will offer all sorts of S Pen related tricks such as a warning the users that they are about to leave and forget the stylus behind. Other features such as hand writing support have been improved, and the S Pen now lets users access their favorite actions directly from the stylus via Quick Command. Hovering over folders – Air View – with the stylus will let users preview the contents of the folder, and they’ll be able to record the actions on the screen, alongside voice, which will surely help them create various tutorials right on the device. Features like Best Faces and Photo Note will help Galaxy Note 2 buyers take better pictures and save notes with their favorite ones.

Interested developers will be able to play with the S Pen SDK version 2.2 and create more stylus-based apps in the future – in case you’re one of them, let us know what you’re working on.

In case you’re interested in some of the sharing features available on the Galaxy S3, the older, but smaller brother of the Galaxy Note 2, you’ll have to know that the new phablet will offer you fast access to AllShare Play, AllShare Cast, S Beam, S Cloud and Family Story.

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Galaxy Note 2 colors and release date hinted, new Galaxy S3 color also coming

Galaxy Note 2 Mockup by Daniel Uy

Earlier today we saw a new leak detailing specs and features for the upcoming Galaxy Note 2 – the phablet is going to be unveiled at a new Samsung Unpacked mobile event taking place on August 29 in Berlin – and now we have a new leak detailing color options and a potential release date window for the device.

According to an image received by Sam Mobile, the Galaxy Note 2 will be available in at least two color options, Ceramic White and a yet-to-be-determined hue. The Galaxy Note 2 will be available in both colors starting with week 40 of the year, which happens to be the October 1-7 week.

Samsung was previously rumored to launch the Galaxy Note 2 ahead of the sixth-generation iPhone that’s now said to hit stores in mid-September, but today’s leak suggests that may not happen and that the Galaxy Note 2 will be available to consumers in early October.

In addition to Galaxy Note 2 color and release date rumors, the same publication notes that the Galaxy S3 could be soon available in Titan Gray (product number GT-I9300TADSER) starting with week 37 of the year – or September 10-16.

Like always, we’ll advise you to take these pre-announcement leaks and rumors with a grain of salt, and we remind you that we’ll be on location at IFA 2012, covering the Galaxy Note 2 event, and everything else Android-related.

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News on Samsung Galaxy Note 2, upcoming release

Bellow is a sketch in which we, the adoring public, have a visual estimate of what the newest Samsung Galaxy Note will look like. Below, we have Samsung’s teaser video in which they don’t really tell us much, but do provide some geometric shapes that appear to subtly hint at the shape of the design. There’s also a glimpse of the famous S-pen being utilized.

In between here and there, it appears more details have developed in regards to the upcoming Aug. 29th release . Here’s what we have heard so far:

• Sammy may be shocking us with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean in lieu of ICS
• “G-Note Duece” may have a bigger screen, a whopping 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display w/1280x720p resolution
•  The engine in this beast may be an Exynos 4412 quad-core processor
• Options such as 3G and 4G LTE connectivity and a 16:9 aspect ratio have also been discussed

The usual items like an 8MP rear camera, 16GB and 32GB storage options are being being bandied about as well. Strangely, the name switch from GT-N7000 to GT-N7100 hasn’t done much in terms of gossip, but we have to ask Samsung: Why? We know why you’re possibly gluing sharp corners on your device (Thanks Apple!) but why go to all the trouble to stick a different digit in the name? Does the FCC really care?

In closing, consumer interest is at a fever pitch, and these rumors come with the standard “pinch of salt” warning. But on the 29th, at IFA Berlin, I have a suspicion we’ll all know what Samsung has been up to in their lab.

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Next-gen S Pen stylus pen already in the works?

One of the famous comments made by the late Steve Jobs in a Q&A session when the first iPad was launched was “[…] if you see a stylus, they blew it.” He was not a fan of stylus use on mobile devices including smartphones and tablets, and therefore you don’t see such accessories coming by default with iOS devices, even though they’re available from third parties, and tend to be quite celebrated and sought after for many diverse reasons.

However, that does not mean other mobile device makers can’t come up with some interesting stylus-based functionalities for smartphones and tablets, and the best example for that is Samsung’s existing Galaxy Note tablet and the upcoming Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet – the HTC Flyer could also be used as an example even though one could argue that HTC’s first tablet did not reach anywhere near the same level of popularity of the 5-inch Note.

Therefore, we’re not surprised to hear that Samsung is already working on its next-gen S-Pen stylus, which could be paired with various Android devices in the future. According toPatentBolt, the new S Pen will feature several new features that the current S Pen versions can’t offer including embedded NFC support and a built-in clip that can handle voice communications.

Most importantly, Samsung may have found a way to do away with the lag that can accompany stylus use. Apparently the new S Pen stylus will fool the smartphone, phablet or tablet into believing the device is one of the user’s fingers by using micro-current from the human body.

While the patent detailing the new features of this next-gen S Pen stylus is available at the Source link below, that doesn’t mean we have any news regarding the availability of this product yet, so in the mean time you’ll just have to make do with the current stylii options available in stores, including the existing S Pen from Samsung.

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Samsung unveils Galaxy Note BT S Pen with built-in Bluetooth, microphone and speaker [Video]

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet looked exciting enough by itself at yesterday’s special unveiling. But wait until you get a hold of one of the accessories that debuted at the same time as the 10-incher. Oddly enough, Sammy didn’t mention a word about the HM5100 Bluetooth S Pen during the actual press conference, but threw it in the kit that everyone from the media attending the event received on their way out.

You can imagine the surprise of our good friend Zach Konig from Engadget when spotting the BT S Pen in the press kit. Though thankfully. he managed to recover from the shock very swiftly and serve us a short, but very exciting hands-on video with the accessory.

A phone in your pocket (wait a minute…)

The BT S Pen is not your run-of-the-mill stylus, and, although it looks very similar to the standard-issue Note S Pen, it has a couple of unexpected aces up its sleeve. As you might have guessed from its name, the BT S Pen comes with Bluetooth functionality, but also a built-in microphone and tiny speaker.

Why would you need all those things? Well, to make and receive calls, of course, without ever touching your 3G-enabled tablet. As you’ll be able to see in the video clip at the end of the post, speaking into the pen looks a bit weird, but the sound seems crisp and loud enough to make this accessory a highly functional one.

You should be able to still use Sammy’s new S Pen/speaker/microphone as a regular stylus, even though the guys over at Engadget forgot to make a quick demonstration of this particular function. Oh, well, maybe they hadn’t recovered from the shock after all.

Specs

Supposedly capable of running for three hours of talk time or 130 hours of standby between charges, the BT S Pen weighs 21 grams, so it’s a bit on the bulky side, at least compared with the standard Samsung Galaxy Note Pen. Still, it’s not like you’d have trouble lifting it or fitting it into your pocket, which is basically all you should care about.

The pen includes a micro-USB cable, so charging also not an issue, as you can juice it up straight from your tablet or phablet. Oh, right, I forgot to mention, the accessory should be compatible with the Note 10.1, as well as the 5-incher phone/tablet hybrid and hopefully the second-generation Note phoneblet launching soon.

Unfortunately, we’re probably still some time away from the BT S Pen’s commercial release, as Samsung has hesitated to talk about pricing or availability. We could definitely hope to see the stylus/speaker made available at the same time as the Note 2, while in financial terms you should be ready to spend a lot more than those $30 charged for the basic S Pen.

Be sure to check out Engadget’s quick hands-on video below and please let us know what you think of this new gimmick from Samsung. And yes, we do know it looks a bit familiar.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 picture reportedly leaked

Android fans already know that a new super phone from Samsung is heading their way, the second-generation Galaxy Note. The device, which has been the subject of a variety of leaks and rumors so far, is going to be unveiled on August 29 at IFA 2012 in Berlin, Germany. But we’re still lacking press images of the Galaxy Note 2, even though there are plenty of mockups out there.

After seeing a photo of the purported front panel of the phablet a few days ago (above picture), we’re now going to show you what seems to be a leaked photo of the device, although we’re advising you to take it with a grain of salt, as there’s no way to confirm it at this time.

The front side of the device shown in the top image is rather similar to the front panel we saw a couple of days ago (see following image): we have the same small bezel, the same round and elongated Home button and the camera and sensors are located on the right of the top speaker alongside the front-facing camera that’s placed on the same side with the sensor.

Naturally, we’d assume that if the photo leaked a few days ago shows the real thing then today’s leak is almost certainly featuring the real Galaxy Note 2.

We’ll be back with more Galaxy Note 2 news in the following days, as we get closer to this year’s IFA trade show. In the mean time let us know what you think of the image above, would you buy such a Galaxy Note 2?

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to sport an ultra-thin, flexible AMOLED?

Thus far, Samsung has successfully managed to keep the Galaxy Note 2 in the shadows and the only thing close to certain is its 5.5-inch AMOLED display.

KoreaTimes just came to back this claim and even went on to suggest the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will utilize a 5.5-inch flexible AMOLED display. It's highly unlikely for the whole phone to be bendable, rather it suggests that the Note 2 will have a slight curve of some sort.

The AMOLED in question uses a Unbreakable Plane (UBP) and plastic substrate helping it reduce its thickness by 0.4mm. This may not sound like much, but on a 5.5" screen, the space saved is enough for Samsung to employ a far larger battery without making the Note 2 any thicker than its predecessor.

Samsung's Unpacked event on August 29, where the company is expected to unveil the Galaxy Note 2, is fast approaching. And if KoreaTimes's info turns out to be true, the Note 2 will make quite a stir at the IFA expo in Berlin.

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