Samsung Galaxy Note II reviews offer first look at 'phablet'

Samsung's Galaxy Note II device is priced at $299 through several U.S. carriers.

Initial reviews of Samsung's so-called "phablet" are in this morning, and the results are mixed.

The Galaxy Note II is an interesting blend of both smartphone and tablet. The large 5.5-inch screen is a 1280-by-720 pixel Super AMOLED display with a 16:9 ratio. The Note II runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and a 1.6 GHz quad-core Exynos processor, and comes with an accompanying stylus -- remember those? --  called the S Pen. Camera specs have caught our attention as well: the Note II has a primary 8MP rear camera with LED flash that can also record 1080p HD video. 

Business Insider says you'd be better off with the Galaxy S III, Read Write Mobile calls the device "comically large," while Mashable says the device will "grow on you."

Our reviews editor gets his hands on one tonight; we're excited to put it to the test.

U.S. carriers have also announced availabilty. The Note II is available through Sprint, U.S. Celluar, AT&T and T-Mobile at $299. Verizon is also expected to offer the device though it had not released details as of our deadline.