Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Is A "Phablet:" Why Samsung Would Like To Keep It That Way

Those of you waiting for the Galaxy Note 2 can rest a little easier than iPhone 5-hungry consumers knowing that Samsung itself has officially declared the Galaxy Note 2 will be shown off at an event on August 29. Rumor has it that the device will come with an impressive 13-megapixel camera. With specs like that, it's easy to see why Samsung is intent on pushing the Galaxy Note 2: it's an interesting little device in between genres.

Dubbed a "phablet," the original Galaxy Note was a little too big to be a smartphone and a little too small to be a tablet. Despite its awkward middle-childishness, it still found a market for itself, selling an impressive 7 million units so far.

It's fair to say that the Galaxy Note 2 will follow its predecessor, but if the rumors are true, Samsung looks like it wants to differentiate the device even more. Instead of the original 5.3-inch screen, it looks like the Galaxy Note 2 will feature a 5.5-inch unbreakable display. The recently released Galaxy S3 smartphone has a 4.8-inch screen, and the bigger screen move makes it seem like Samsung wants the Galaxy Note 2 to be seen as something more than big smartphone: more like an all-in-one mobile computing/social device.

Tablets are becoming the mobile computing device of choice, with tablet shipments predicted to overtake normal notebook shipments within a few years. A larger touch screen is something that can offer a more interactive and in-depth experience that a smaller phone, like the 3.5-inch iPhone 4S cannot. And it's obvious that not everybody likes lugging around a 10-inch iPad; the successes of the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Google Nexus 7 prove that.

If Samsung does it right, the oversized phone could become a tablet substitute, and a two-in-one device looks incredibly appealing when the economy is struggling like it is now. The Galaxy Note 2 should also come with a powerful quad-core processor and a stylus similar to the S pen.

The only way to find out Samsung's true intentions will be to follow their actual announcement of the Galaxy Note 2 on August 29 before the IFA kicks off in Berlin. But the original Galaxy Note carved out a successful and unique market for itself, and it would be foolish of Samsung not to establish itself further there.