Samsung on new iPad: Galaxy Note is a better tablet

Those caught up in the hype surrounding the iPad launch event might not be aware Apple chief Tim Cook took a jab at an Android-powered Galaxy tablet by showing how software looks like "blown-up smartphone apps."

One thing is for certain: Samsung noticed. And the Korean tech giants have retaliated.

Samsung's U.S. PR team has emailed a comparison chart to a few journalists, examining some of the key features between its upcoming stylus-supported Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 -- which may or may not come to Canada -- and the newly unveiled Apple iPad, out March 16.

Here's the "content creation comparison grid" if you'd like to see what the claims are. You can click it to make it larger, if desired:

Some of the comments made by Samsung: the Galaxy Note 10.1 lets you view two apps at the same time (if the apps are optimized for simultaneous viewing), the tablet lets you write as you would with pencil and paper (with the pressure-sensitive S-Pen) and you can take notes in one app while viewing content in another. All of these features are not available on an iPad.

In a footnote, of sorts, Samsung also lists other comparisons between the Galaxy Note 10.1 and the iPad: the Android tablet is thinner and lighter, you can control home theatre equipment with the integrated IR port, it's possible to connect a mouse via USB and expand storage up to 32GB on microSD cards.

Since Samsung's focus is on its content creation capabilities, much of the company's emphasis is on the S-Pen, a small stylus tucked into the back of the tablet — similar to the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note smartphone/tablet hybrid available now for $199 on a 3-year term through Bell Mobility, Rogers or Telus. The stylus offers 255 levels of pressure on the screen, plus a small button along its side adds extra functionality, such as snapping a screen grab of what you're looking at.

Samsung and Apple -- two of the world's hottest tablet and smartphone makers — often take jabs at one another. Samsung's recent Super Bowl ad pokes fun at Apple fan boys (and girls) camping out in line to buy a new smartphone. The two companies have also slapped lawsuits against one another; just last week Samsung filed suit against Apple in South Korea, claiming the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 infringed on three of its patents.

Yahoo! readers, do you agree with Samsung about the limitations of the new iPad? Or are you in line more with Apple's claim about Android tablet apps (like Twitter) looking like stretched out smartphone software? Is stylus integration important to you? Do you prefer Android over Apple's iOS or the other way around?