Time for a little game of "Good News, Bad News." First, the good news: Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Note will receive Ice Cream Sandwich as part of a "Premium Suite" upgrade that'll include extra multimedia features and some new apps optimized for use with the Note's S Pen. The S Pen-friendly apps mentioned by Samsung include S Note, which lets users combine notes and sketches with digital content; My Story, for creating personalized digital cards; and a Galaxy Note-exclusive Angry Birds Space level. Finally, Samsung promises that the Android 4.0 update will bring "an entirely new look and feel" that includes a UI that Samsung promises is "more intuitive" and a revamped app menu for easier multitasking.
So when is this update coming? That's the disappointing part of this news, as Samsung says that the Galaxy Note's update will be released worldwide starting in Q2, which is a tad later than the original Q1 rollout that we heard about late last year.
Overall the Galaxy Note's "Premium Suite" update sounds pretty spiffy, and I'm sure that owners of the 5.3-inch handset will appreciate having more apps to use with the S Pen. As for when we can expect it to hit AT&T Galaxy Notes here in the U.S., that much is still up in the air, as Samsung mentions that the availability of the update will vary by market and carrier requirements. We'll pass along more details on AT&T's plans for the GNote update, but until then you can find Samsung's full PR ready for your perusal down below.
Samsung offers Premium Suite software upgrade for GALAXY Note users
- Software package offers exclusive S Pen applications, enhanced multimedia features, and an Android 4.0 upgrade
(SEOUL--Korea Newswire) March 22, 2012 -- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, today announced it will be offering a Premium Suite upgrade for GALAXY Note users worldwide from Q2. It includes extra multimedia features and a range of new S Pen optimized applications in addition to an OS upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Premium Suite offers new features and applications exclusive to GALAXY Note and its innovative S Pen, which was introduced with GALAXY Note 10.1 in Mobile World Congress 2012 last month. This includes S Note, a unique tool that lets you combine your notes or sketches with other digital content, giving you a new way to create your own stories. S Note comes in various ready-to-use templates for a range of tasks including meeting minutes, diary and others.
S Note also includes the innovative Shape Match and Formula Match applications that help correct and digitize geometric shapes and even solve numeric formulas hand-drawn with S Pen, increasing your on-the-go efficiency and productivity. You can draw tables and grids which are instantly digitized, saving time and effort. Moreover, by using the S Note’s integrated knowledge search engines, users can quickly search, and obtain information.
For a touch of self-expression, the Premium Suite also includes My Story, another S Pen optimized application that allows you to create personalized digital cards for friends or family using any type of content including notes, video content, photos, text or voice.
In celebration of the Premium Suite upgrade announcement, Samsung will provide special offers to all GALAXY users as an official launch partner of Angry Birds Space, a new blockbuster mobile game. For all Samsung GALAXY users, an exclusive GALAXY Note level will be provided for extra fun. Moreover, a special package of 30 challenging levels – ‘Danger Zone’ – will be available for free if unpacked within the three-month period. Visit http://samsung.angrybirds.com/galaxynote for more information.
“GALAXY Note continues to delight customers all over the world with its incredible versatility and unique user experience. With the Premium Suite upgrade, we wanted to add features that enrich users’ Note experience even more, including the great advantages of Android 4.0 and innovative applications for S Pen,” said JK Shin, President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to providing extraordinary experiences for consumers, and we will continue to provide new features and upgrades to enrich our offering.”
The Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade brings an entirely new look and feel to Android on GALAXY Note, with a more intuitive user interface that includes a redesigned App menu for easier multi-tasking. The upgrade also introduces innovations such as Face Unlock, Snapshot, and others.
The availability and scheduling of the software upgrade will vary by market and wireless carriers’ requirements.
News Source: Samsung Electronics
Via The Verge
