Samsung launched what it calls the "largest screen size with smartphone portability" on Thursday at the IFA technology show in Berlin.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is neither a phone nor a tablet, but a happy combination of the two. Galaxy Note has a 5.3 inch display that is bigger than any smartphone in the market but smaller than a tablet. Samsung hopes it will cater to users who don't want to carry both devices and touts it as being the first in a "new category of product, developed through Samsung's deep consumer understanding and insight."

Certainly the screen is the biggest draw to the Galaxy Note. No other manufacturer has the same screen size as the new phone. Samsung says the Galaxy Note will have a 180 degree viewing angle which would make it easier to view videos. The 1280 by 800 resolution will mean a better experience when surfing the web.

"It combines core on-the-go benefits of various mobile devices while maintaining smartphone portability, to create a whole new user experience," Samsung said.

The Note will also have a stylus called the "S Pen" that will allow users to draw and take notes. The S Pen is integrated into the phones applications including an app that allows users to den doodles and hand drawn notes to other users via e-mail or text.

"An advanced pen-input technology, called the S Pen, is combined with the Galaxy Note's full touchscreen to introduce a new type of user experience," Samsung said. "Through this, consumers are able to freely capture and create ideas while on the go."

The stylus and large screen is reminiscent of the PDA and Samsung probably intended it that way. This is the phone for users who want the functionality of a tablet but don't want to carry around a second device with their smartphones.

The Galaxy Note has a 1.4 Ghz dual-core processor, a rear and front-facing camera and runs on the Android Gingerbread 2.3 operating system.

Samsung also announced a new tablet called the Galaxy Tab 7.7. The new tablet is according to Samsung the world's first tablet to have the Super AMOLED Plus display. It's bigger than the Galaxy Tab 7.0 but smaller than the Tab 10.1. It has a 1.4 Ghz dual processor and runs on the Android Honeycomb 3.2.

Samsung hasn't announced the release date or the price of the tablet or the Galaxy Note.