Samsung Galaxy Note Penned In for February 19 Ship Date, $299 Price

Here’s something to add to your calender. Samsung’s Galaxy Note, the 5.3-inch tablet that includes a docked stylus pen and doubles as a smartphone, will be available to AT&T subscribers for $299 on February 19. First-comers can pre-order the slate-phone this Sunday February 5 and take advantage of home delivery by next Friday (February 17).

The $299 price tag includes a two-year contract with AT&T and isn’t a steep price for a tablet-cum-phone in excess of 5-inches and equipped with a 1.5-GHz processor, 16GB of internal storage, an extra-sized 1500 mAh battery, and two cameras. Needless to say, the included S-Pen stylus adds value too. In tandem with special software from Samsung, the digital pen not only lets users take notes with a handwriting recognition app or finely edit photos, it also provides an alternative to touch-navigating the device. That might be useful since the 6.3-ounce design isn’t exactly conducive to one-handed use.

Speaking of hands, we put ours on the large-size gadget Samsung calls an “innovative new category” when it debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. Once it hits shelves next month, Note-takers will likely be eager to take advantage of the large-size AMOLED display that packs a high-definition resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Adding some flare is availability in two color options–carbon blue and ceramic white–and a handful of accessories like a desktop dock, spare battery charger, and a protective flip cover a la the iPad. 

To learn more, check out our hands on video below, read more about the Samsung Galaxy Note, or head over to the pre-order site.

• Samsung Galaxy Note: Hands-On
• Samsung: How We Will Beat the Kindle Fire
• Top iPad Alternatives