The MWC is just a few weeks away, so we won’t have long to wait and see if these reports pan out, but I’d place the percentage of truth at 75 percent or better.

It’s a bit early in Samsung’s Galaxy S lifecycle to announce a successor to the Galaxy S III, for starters, and the company’s Note products are picking up steam. There’s still a potential product gap between the pocketable Galaxy Note 2 smartphone and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1; an 8-inch tablet with digital ink support fits the sweet spot.

Reported benchmarks of the Galaxy Note 8.0 indicate a 1280 x 800 display, 2 GB of memory, and Android 4.2. As of yet, there’s no indication of the processor that would power such a tablet, although it surely would be one of Samsung’s own Exynos chips. Processor aside, I still believe Samsung is onto something with its S-Pen, dual-digitizer and solid software for inking; something no other tablet maker has mastered yet.

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The reported specifications don’t include one key piece of information: There’s no indication which chip will power the Galaxy Note 8.0. It’s a very safe bet that a Samsung processor will be inside and I’d hope for one of the company’s new quad-core Exynos chips to be present, paired with the reported 2 GB of memory. The display is expected to be a Super Clear LCD running at 1280 x 800 resolution, which is slightly higher than the 1024 x 768 panel used on Apple’s iPad mini. Android 4.2 is expected and the tablet is rumored to be available in both a Wi-Fi and a GSM 3G version.

I owned a similar slate prior: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7. I liked the size of it but find the actual tablet app experience to be slightly better on iOS. That’s arguable, of course, but I’m not seeing as many developers as I expected truly taking advantage of the larger screens and higher resolutions found on Android tablets. But as I learned with my Galaxy Note 2 smartphone, there’s more value in a digital pen than I had expected as well. That’s something that could sway some small tablet buyers to the Galaxy Note 8.0 if such a device does arrive.

Before dismissing the idea of a digital pen, consider that when I bought the Galaxy Note 2, I really had no intention of using the S-Pen. I quickly found a number of valuable uses for the stylus, mainly because Samsung has developed some excellent mobile apps that are pen-friendly. If the company continues to mature and add to those apps — and I see no reason for them to abandon that strategy — a Galaxy Note 8.0 could give some potential iPad mini buyers a reason to consider Samsung’s slate.

I’m not suggesting that such a device will outsell the iPad mini; a pen alone won’t do that. However, Samsung appears to be the only Android manufacturer really trying to differentiate its Android tablets with innovative hardware and software — it also supports multi-window app usage — which I think gives it a better chance than its peers to compete against Apple’s mobile products.

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The gdock is a $129 speaker that charges a Samsung phone during music playback. An optional rechargeable battery allows the gdock to leave home, but the device won’t charge on a phone when running on battery power. Grace Note’s gdock takes advantage of Samsung’s phone design over the past two years. It supports the Galaxy S II, Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy Note II because all four phones have a micro-USB port on the bottom.

Don’t expect massive sound out of the gdock, but it does have a respectable 16 Watt amplifier and 60Hz – 18KHz +/-3dB frequency response, which ought to sound much better than the integrated speaker in a Galaxy smartphone. An included remote control allows for tweaking bass, treble, volume and input. That last bit is important because the gdock has an auxiliary input jack for piping sound from another source as well.

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First impressions tell me that this combination of 1.6 GHz quad-core processor paired with 2 GB of memory is a potent package. I’ve seen no lag at all just yet. The HD Super AMOLED display at 1280 x 720 resolution is crisp for text, images and videos. A few pictures taken with the 8 megapixel camera look good and the camera’s burst mode is extremely fast.

I’ll have a full review follow up as this phone is expected in the U.S. in the coming weeks on multiple carriers. For now, I’m simply getting used to the size of the Galaxy Note 2 and trying to decide if could replace both a smartphone and a 7-inch tablet.

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Apple’s iPad sales will still be growing, but it’s clear there’s an opportunity in small slates. And iHS iSuppli points this out, suggesting that “the 7.x-inch category will be helped by the launch of lower-priced tablets in that size segment, along with what is widely believed will be a product offering from Apple later this year for a smaller iPad.”  I suspect that if Apple does launch a smaller iPad, the 7-inch segment will be even higher than the forecast because it’s clear that there’s a market for small slates.

I noted why this tablet size — and the portability it brings — was appealing more than 18 months ago after spending several weeks using a 7-inch Galaxy Tab as well as a 9.7-inch iPad:

“I’m willing to give up a smidge of usability or a wider array of software to gain the ability to easily use the device everywhere I go. It’s this very concept that makes the smartphone so enabling, regardless of make, model or platform: the ability to be connected everywhere is what’s driving the mobile revolution forward. In fact, I’m actually using my Android smartphone less as well. The Tab does all of the same things as my Nexus One, but on a larger, higher-resolution screen, making for a better overall experience.”

Indeed, even some at Apple joined the bandwagon back then, only we didn’t know that until last month. During the Apple v. Samsung trial, Apple’s Scott Forstall read aloud an email sent to him from Eddy Cue in January 2011. Cue read the the GigaOm article I wrote explaining the benefits of smaller tablets, agreed with many of the points made, and passed it along to Forstall as well as Apple CEO Tim Cook. Cue said, “I believe there will be a 7-inch market and we should do one,” which has prompted hope for a 7 or 7.85-inch iPad tablet.

Portability and functionality are only part of the small slate success factor, however. Lower prices are surely prompting some to see if a 7-inch tablet can fit their needs. One only has to spend $199 — 40 percent of the lowest new iPad cost — to try a tablet. Low pricing by itself isn’t a driver though; after all, there have been cheap Android tablets for the better part of three years since the Archos 5 launched. Yet, small slates have only recently begun to make a dent in the tablet market that Apple’s iPad has dominated.

That’s because for $199, you now get a solid experience. Look to the Nook Tablet, Amazon Kindle Fire or Google’s Nexus 7 tablet as examples. They may not be quite as polished as the iPad to some, but they’re not junk either. If you can get 80 percent of the iPad’s satisfaction in a smaller Android tablet that costs 40 percent less, is it a good buy? Clearly, the answer for a third of the current tablet market is yes.

I don’t think that small slate sales are hurting Apple’s 9.7 iPad very much, if at all, however. Due to the price and size, I’m not sold that the majority of potential customers actually compare the two directly. There can be two successful sub-markets here, both large slates and small slates. I own both and often turn to my new iPad for content consumption on the larger screen when I’m around the house. On the go, however, the iPad stays at home and my Nexus 7 pulls the load. Maybe that will change if Apple does offer that mythical small slate.

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This may seem like an odd situation since T-Mobile just launched the original Note at the end of July. But as successful as the Galaxy Note has been for Samsung — more than 10 million sold as of last month — it’s now outdated due to its successor. And it took T-Mobile a long time to actually offer the first Galaxy Note, which launched in October of last year. Adding to the evidence of a Galaxy Note II soon on T-Mobile is the “out of stock” message for the original device, even though it recently launched on the network.

T-Mobile’s own research indicates that customers want larger phones: 77 percent of those surveyed are looking for handset 4.5 inches are larger. At 5.5 inches the Galaxy Note II certainly fits that bill. And with improvements over its predecessor such as a quad-core processor, 2 GB of memory, digital stylus with hover capabilities, and the newest version of Android, I’d expect big sales to match that big screen if T-Mobile does launch this device.

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The leaked information follows just two days after LG announced the phone would be sold internationally. The handset maker launched the device in Korea, where it has sold 500,000 units. It’s likely that LG will have to use two different chip suppliers for the Vu based on my news report earlier this week:

Next month, consumers in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America can purchase the international Optimus Vu, which has a few changes from the original edition. Gone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and support for LTE networks. Instead, the revised Optimus Vu uses Nvidia’s Tegra 3 system-on-a-chip along with HSPA+ network support.

Nvidia doesn’t yet have a chip with an integrated LTE radio, although it is working on one. That suggests to me that a Verizon version of this phone will use the Qualcomm Snapdragon, unlike the international model of the handset.

Interestingly, Verizon doesn’t yet have a smartphone with a tablet-like form factor and display size. The company doesn’t, for example, sell the popular Samsung Galaxy Note, which is carried by AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. I’d think that if Verizon was planning to bring a large-screened phone to market, it might wait for the Galaxy Note II, expected to be announced by Samsung next week.

And even if the Galaxy Note successor wasn’t right around the corner, I still question if the Vu — or Intuition, if the reports are accurate — will even challenge the Galaxy Note, regardless of Verizon’s widespread 4G network coverage. Without a place to put the phone stylus and with an awkward (for a smartphone, that is) 4:3 aspect ratio, the Note line is likely to appeal more and Verizon would be better off by choosing it over the Vu.

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Next month, consumers in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America can purchase the international Optimus Vu, which has a few changes from the original edition. Gone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and support for LTE networks. Instead, the revised Optimus Vu uses Nvidia’s Tegra 3 system-on-a-chip along with HSPA+ network support.

Although the Vu’s display is smaller than the Galaxy Note, the phone is wider by 7.45 millimeters or nearly 0.3 inches. The reason? LG opted for a 4 : 3 aspect ratio display, just as Apple did for its iPad.

That muddies the waters even more to those wondering if this is a tablet or a smartphone. Functionally, it’s both, however, and runs on Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. Oddly, even with the extra width, the stylus doesn’t fit into the phone; a solution used by Samsung’s Galaxy Note. Carrying — and potentially losing — the stylus isn’t ideal.

LG says the phone comes with 32 GB of internal storage, a 1024 x 768 screen with wide viewing angles, and a pair of cameras: 8 megapixels on the rear and 1.3 megapixels on the front of the smartphone. Pricing and exact dates of availability have not yet been announced.

Will the Optimus Vu be successful in capitalizing on the large-screen smartphone that’s a tablet? Time will tell, but I don’t see LG having nearly the success that Samsung’s Galaxy Note is enjoying. The LG phone may be too wide for many and folks could opt for the Galaxy Note — or its expected successor — with integrated stylus storage and more software that takes advantage of the digital pen.

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Google expanded Wallet support beyond the original Citi MasterCard, so that it now works with other MasterCard options, Visa, Discover and American Express. Google says it works with debit cards as well and the service is more secure: Card information is stored in the cloud, not on the device itself. And Wallet can be disabled remotely if your phone or tablet is lost; I tested that this week and it works. With these changes, plus support on newer devices with NFC chips — think about those 10 million Samsung Galaxy S III phones already sold — Google Wallet could see more usage overall.

Android 4.0 is seeing more usage, as well. For that matter, so is Android 4.1, which only launched last month. Google’s dashboard that shows the version number of Android devices hitting the Google Play store was updated this week. The number of phones and tablets running Android 4.0 nearly doubled to from the prior month, accounting for 15.9 percent of the total Android population visiting the Play store. Jelly Bean, or Android 4.1 quickly went from zero to 0.8 percent; impressive considering how few devices run the software.

Part of the reason for this boost is because handset makers are finally upgrading older devices to Android 4.0, which debuted in October of last year. That’s good news for consumers due to the improved look and feel of the platform over the old Android 2.3 software; now more than 18 months old. The other factor is Google’s Nexus 7 tablet which ships with Jelly Bean. No official sales figures have been revealed yet, but based on Jelly Bean already nearing one percent of devices in under a month, combined with Nexus 7 orders held up due to demand, Google looks to have a hit tablet of its own.

That leads to the definition of a tablet, which the Samsung Galaxy Note may meet. The 5.3-inch phone is often called a “phablet” due to being both smartphone and small tablet. Although the device hit the market months ago, T-Mobile has just picked it up and I got an early look. As you can see by my video overview, the Galaxy Note — mostly unchanged from the AT&T version although it ships with Android 4.0 — is big but thin, a solid performer and likely a two-handed device for most people.

Timing could be important for this device’s launch as Samsung has confirmed it will be announcing a successor device later this month. The Galaxy Note II is rumored to have an even larger 5.5-inch screen; not surprising to me as I believe tablets will replace smartphones for most within the next several years.

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