Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 out today

Samsung has pushed out another full-size tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1, which goes on sale in the UK from today – in a limited fashion, anyway.

There was a big launch event in a converted church last night, and the tablet is available in at least one shop in Stratford, according to the Samsung Mobile Twitter account.

The firm tweeted: “Be one of the first to buy the New Note 10.1, only at at the Westfield Brand Store in Stratford from Thursday 16 August. ‘Note the New way.’”

However, it doesn’t seem like the device’s availability will be widespread for a little while yet. Online retailer Expansys has a date of September 1st for the arrival of its initial stock, so there’s a couple of weeks to wait for most folks, most likely.

Price-wise, Expansys has the 16GB Wi-Fi version pegged at £400, and if you want the 3G model, that’ll be £480.

The Galaxy Note 10.1 has a 1.4GHz quad-core CPU, a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, and 2GB of internal RAM, plus dual cameras, a 5 megapixel affair with flash and 1.9 megapixel front-facer.

It supports microSD cards for adding more memory, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich. Naturally, it also boasts the trademark Note stylus, for scribbling on the screen.

Another feature that has folks excited is the split-screen mode, which allows you to, say, watch a video while jotting down some notes about it on the screen. Sounds quite nifty.

Could Samsung have finally rustled up a true challenger to the iPad? The early reaction from critics seems favourable, but then again, the latest figures from IHS iSuppli indicate that Apple’s iPad is actually increasing its market share against the Android competition (thanks to the new super-resolution retina display, mainly).