Samsung recently confirmed that its Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet will go on sale globally this month, with an LTE version set to arrive later this year. Unveiled back in February at the Mobile World Congress, Samsung's 10.1-inch stylus-enabled Android tablet is a larger version of the company's Galaxy smartphone, with a 1280 x 800 display and stylus support.

Building on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the tablet will initially be available in Wi-Fi-only and HSPA+ versions, each with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as support for Samsung's new Learning Hub with stylus-aware education tools. Available configurations include 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of internal storage. The Galaxy Note 10.1 also comes with a number of unique software features pre-loaded, including Adobe Photoshop Touch, Samsung's ChatOn instant messaging service, and Samsung AllShare Play.

Samsung expects the Galaxy Note 10.1 to be especially popular among artists thanks to the accurate S Pen which uses an active Wacom digitizer for precise digital inking, setting it apart from existing capacitive stylus pens. The company has increased the stylus's performance since the original Galaxy Note, and the addition of Adobe Photoshop Touch and its S Note app will further enhance its functionality.

The tablet also offers support for split-screen use, allowing users to view two apps simultaneously on the screen. For instance, you can browse the Web and watch video at the same time, with the two apps displayed simultaneously.

Samsung's Learning hub is currently available in Korea, France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, and Singapore; Samsung promises wider availability soon. Meanwhile, the United States will get the Samsung Media hub.

Hardware includes a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, 16/32/64GB of internal storage, microSD card slot for additional memory, and a 7,000mAh battery. The Galaxy Note 10.1 also comes with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 with apt-X high-quality audio, USB 2.0 Host, MHL-HDMI output, as well as an IR transmitter allowing users to use the slate as a universal remote. It also packs accelerometer, digital compass, light sensor and gyroscope, as well as S-GPS on the Wi-Fi-only version and A-GPS on the 3G model.

"The Galaxy Note 10.1 is a product we are very excited about and will offer our customers a new way to use and experience a tablet device. As well as being able to consume content such as videos, photos, document and the Internet, the Galaxy Note 10.1 also gives them the power to produce, create and customize that same content - something they won't get from any other product on the market," Simon Stanford, Vice President of the UK&IRE Telecommunications & Networks Division at Samsung UK and Ireland, said in the press release.

There is no official pricing for individual countries yet, though TabletsMagazine reports the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will cost €479 ($593) for the Wi-Fi-only 16GB model and €599 ($741) for the HSPA+ version.