In a move which underscores Samsung Electronics' latest attempt to challenge the dominance of the Apple iPad in the tablet arena, the company is releasing its new Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet in the US, the UK and South Korea on Thursday, August 16.

The Wi-Fi version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 - a tablet which will boast a digital pen and a split screen mode at the same pricing - will hit the mentioned markets on Thursday. The cost of the base model of the tablet in the US will be $499 for a 16GB-storage version; and $549 for the 32GB version with an external memory card for storage expansion.

Despite the fact that the price-tag of the basic model of Samsung's new Galaxy Note 10.1 will be the same as the latest Apple iPad, the Android-based Samsung tablet will have an edge over the iPad because of its digital pen and its ability to run two applications side-by-side on a screen divided into two halves.

The biggest advantage of Galaxy Note 10.1's split screen is that it will enable the users to jot down notes while watching a video or browsing the Web --- a capability which, in the opinion of analysts, is chiefly aimed at enticing business and education customers.

About the note-taking feature of the Galaxy Note 10.1, Meritz Securities' technology analyst Lee Sei-cheol said: "I think the video on the left and note-taking on the right half of the screen can be widely used for educational purposes."