Samsung's quad-core Galaxy Note 800 up for pre-order in India; Book it for Rs 2,000

Within two weeks of its official launch, Samsung's next-in-line tablet Galaxy Note 8000 (also called Galaxy Note 10.1) is already up for pre-booking at the company's eStore in India in a bid to grab even more buyers. Although the exact price of the device has not been revealed yet, buyers have to pay Rs 2,000 upfront for pre-booking the tablet. The company is also offering a free book cover worth Rs 3,249 along with the gadget. But there's a catch – once placed, a pre-booking can't be cancelled (which means you stand to lose Rs 2,000 in case you don't buy it).

Samsung first announced this tablet at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February this year.

In the US, the tablet is priced at $499 and $549 for the Wi-Fi only 16 GB and 32 GB models, respectively. Interestingly, the 16 GB version of Apple's new iPad is available at the same price in the US, but the 32 GB version is costlier by $50 ($599). In contrast, the 16 GB model costs Rs 29,499 in India while the 32 GB model comes for Rs 35,437 . Hence, the prices of Galaxy Note 8000 could be in the Rs 28,000-Rs 35,000 range.

Here's a quick look at its specifications.

The device comes with a 10.1 inch LCD touchscreen display (1280×800 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system (with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface). Just like the original Note, the company has also provided an S-Pen (an advanced stylus) with this device.

It is powered by a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor and has 2 GB of RAM (so operating everything is practically a breeze). Users can choose from 16, 32 and 64 GB of internal memory that can be expanded to an additional 64 GB with the help of a microSD card.

The new device also features a 5 mega pixel auto-focus rear camera with LED flash that can record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 1.9 MP front-facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, the device comes with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (with Wi-Fi Direct) and 3G. Plus, it has a microUSB port and a microSD card slot.

The device measures 262mm x 180mm x 8.9mm and weighs 597 gm for the Wi-Fi only version (which means the Wi-Fi+3G version will be slightly heavier). It has a 7,500 mAh battery that should provide a decent battery life. It also comes with a suite of Google apps and has A-GPS (in the 3G version).

Samsung has also added a number of other features including Multiscreen feature, S-Pen, Samsung's Learning Hub, Smart Stay and Pop Up Play, AllShare Play and ChatON.

For further details regarding specifications and its competitors, read here.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)