Many of you will have been waiting for news on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet release, which has certainly been a long time coming since its first introduction at Mobile World Congress back in February. We can tell you that the Galaxy Note 10.1 is now official and will be launched in the U.S. tomorrow, August 16, with a price tag starting at $499.

The Galaxy Note smartphone has already been a huge success and with a Galaxy Note 2 smartphone planned for unveiling on August 29 many were wondering if the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet would ever officially see the light of day. After a lukewarm reception at the tablet’s debut back at MWC, Samsung wisely decided that changes were needed and on August 6 it was re-announced to the waiting world with much-improved specs. We then told how the Galaxy Note 10.1 would be the focus of an event today on August 15 when we would at last hear full details.

We now know that the price for the 16GB model will be $499 while the 32GB model will be $549 according to BGR and news that it will hit the shelves tomorrow will no doubt please many people who have been waiting for this iPad contender. It will be available in grey or white color options. Highlights of specs and features include a 1.4GHz Exynos quad-core processor, 10.1-inch WXGA LCD display with resolution of 1280 x 800, 2GB of RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera and 7000mAh battery as well as the S Pen stylus. The Galaxy Note 10.1 will run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but according to Engadget, Samsung is already informing customers that the 4.1 Jelly Bean update will come to the tablet later this year.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on the Galaxy Note 10.1. Bearing in mind the cheaper price of the recent smaller 7-inch Google Nexus 7 tablet starting at $199, how do you feel about the $499 price tag of the Note 10.1? Maybe you feel that price is perfectly reasonable when looking at more direct competition such as the new iPad? Let us know with your comments.