AT&T's Samsung Galaxy Note hit stores Feb. 19; $300 with contract

After the Samsung Galaxy Note's very visible American debut at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month -- you couldn't miss the Note plastered all over buses and buildings, or the line-ups for personal portraits created with the stylus-toting smartphone -- AT&T is all set to bring the 4G/LTE device to its customers in February.

The carrier will begin taking pre-orders for the 5.3-inch smartphone-tablet hybrid online and in stores on Sunday, February 5 (its webpage won't will go live until then). According to AT&T's Consumer Blog, orders received by February 15 will be delivered by February 17, which will give enthusiasts two days of bragging rights before the Note hit stores on the 19th.

Given that the Note is basically a cross between a massive 4G phone and a small tablet, it definitely won't come cheap. At $299.99 plus a two-year service plan, the Note dares to command more than a 32 GB iPhone 4S, but offers much more than just another Android-running phone. In my opinion, what sets the Note apart from other phones is the included "S Pen" that lets you sketch and hand-write your notes directly on the spacious HD Super AMOLED touchscreen, rather than rely solely on the on-screen keyboard to (inaccurately) tap out your messages.

Other Technical Specs:

• Display: 5.3" HD Super AMOLED screen (1280x800)
• Processor: 1.5 GHz dual core CPU
• Camera: 2-megapixel front facing camera; 8-megapixel rear camera
• OS: Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread
• Battery: 2,500mAh battery
• Network: 4G/LTE

As someone who always ends up leaving her tablet at home due to its size and prefers to travel with pen and paper, the combination of the Note's more portable dimensions and stylus could even help ween me off my dead-tree-pulp dependence.

What about you? Do you think the Samsung Galaxy Note is onto something here?

[Source: AT&T Consumer Blog; Photo Credit: Gloria Sin]

Related:

• CES 2012: Samsung Galaxy Note coming to AT&T with LTE
• CES 2012: Samsung Galaxy Note heralds back PDA category
• Samsung Galaxy Note goes big (photos)
• CNET: Samsung Galaxy Note: AT&T's jumbo phone wants to make the stylus cool