Samsung Galaxy Note for AT&T live hands-on and first look

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Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung took the wraps off of the Galaxy Note for AT&T with 4G LTE support this week at CES 2012, and we were able to get some hands-on time with the 5.3-inch monster and its S Pen input device.

The Galaxy Note is a monster of a device, as Samsung says it bridges the divide between a smartphone and a tablet. The display is a 5.3-inch, Super AMOLED unit with 1280 x 800 pixels of resolution. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, and comes with 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD memory card slot for up to 32GB more.

The most interesting part of the Galaxy Note is the S-Pen input device that comes with it. Samsung is hesitant to call it a stylus, because the S Pen features 256 levels of pressure sensitivity, but one uses it just as they would a stylus. The pen can be used to write on the screen or sketch images with various included apps, and Samsung has released an SDK so developers can incorporate the S-Pen's functions into their own apps.

Apart from the S Pen, the most noteworthy aspect of the Galaxy Note is its size. Or, rather, bulk. It's a massive device, and I just can't see how a person could use this as a daily driver of a phone unless they play for the NBA. Sure, the display is gorgeous, but wrapping your hand around it is a task, and getting it into your pocket it no easier. But if you are all about watching HD movie content on your "phone" then this could be the device for you - even if it is not for me.

Still, I'm looking forward to getting more time with the Note in the future so that I can get to know the S Pen and test out the device's LTE 4G data speeds.

AT&T plans to release the Samsung Galaxy Note in the coming weeks in both cobalt blue and white finishes, but it has not announced a price at this time.