Samsung officially announces Galaxy Note, coming November 2

We've known about the device since IFA in Germany, but Samsung has only just announced when the Galaxy Note will hit the shops.

Speaking at an event in London, Samsung said the Galaxy Note will available on November 1 for Germany, the UK's release starting on November 2, and the rest of the world will follow after that throughout the month.

If you have succumbed to its dual core 1.4GHz processor, the mighty 5.3-inch, 1,280x800 pixel Super Amoled HD display or its S Pen stylus, you will be pleased to know the device will be available from UK network O2 and retailers Phones4U and The Carphone Warehouse.

You can also get it from online retailer Clove, who is currently offering the device SIM-free for £594 including VAT. No other retailers have issued pricing - we'll keep you posted.

We had a hands-on with the device at the Samsung event yesterday and we were impressed by some of the features. As displayed on stage, the stylus and the drawing functions could be great for graphics work or maybe just writing notes for the odd memo.

The stylus was comfortable to hold and worked well, but there was a bit of lag if we scribbled too quickly.

In terms of aesthetics, it's just a big Galaxy S2, and by big, we mean massive. It almost looks like a toy, particularly if you hold it to your ear to answer a call. There's no denying it can get away with being called a tablet and a smartphone.

Also officially unveiled at the event was Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, the next Google-branded smartphone that will be the first phone in the world to come with Android Ice Cream Sandwich, out of the box.