Samsung Galaxy Note | featured news

The Apple v. Samsung patent war that will seemingly never end has taken another turn today, as Apple is asking the court to add newer Samsung Galaxy hardware, including the Galaxy S III, Verizon Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 10.1 to its complaint against the Galaxy Nexus and other related devices. If you thought updated software and designs would keep these newer smartphones and tablets out of the fight -- you were wrong. Just to help you keep things straight, remember this is a separate case from the one that ended exactly a week ago with a decision in Apple's favor to the tune of more than $1 billion in damages.

Fans of the first Note, then, may be heartened to hear that Samsung is said to be planning to bump the screen up to 5.5 inches, according to a SlashGear report citing a Korean newspaper. The newspaper also reported that the phone being introduced Wednesday will have a 1.4 Ghz quadcore processor and may be running the very latest version of Android — Jelly Bean. The phone is also expected to have an 8 MP camera and 16GB or 32GB of storage.

Well, it's official. According to the folks at Samsung, the Galaxy Note 10.1, a tablet described as offering the "functionality and precision of a pen and paper," will be here by the end of the month. The stylus-equipped Android device will have a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. The Galaxy Note 10.1 will also include features such as Samsung's Smart Stay, which tracks a user's eyes in order to make sure that the screen doesn't dim while you're using your mobile device.

Samsung Electronics is set to take the wraps off a sequel to its popular Galaxy Note smartphone at an event on August 29, about two weeks before the possible debut of Apple's new iPhone. The two arch rivals are bracing for a full-blown battle with the expected rollouts of the two key models coming as they lock horns in a high-stakes patent trial in the United States.

Is it a small tablet or a big smartphone? That seems to be the debate regarding the Samsung Galaxy Note. All in all, the Galaxy Note's standout feature, its large, 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display, is a bit of a double-edged sword.