While the competition in the mini-tablet market won’t truly heat up until the iPad Mini is released this fall, the competition in the full-size tablet market is already hot (and has already come to blows), and Samsung has just taken the wraps off its new tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1.

At a press conference today in New York, Samsung pushed its marketing slogan “meet the new way” as it demonstrated the capabilities of the device. More importantly, the company finally announced a release date and price for the new Galaxy Note. It will be available starting August 16th in the U.S. There will be two models of the device sold: a 16 GB version for $499 and a 32 GB version for $549.

The design of the Galaxy Note 10.1 appears to be Samsung’s answer to allegations from Apple that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 was a copy of Apple’s iPad design. The new Galaxy Note is white, has a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 10.1-inch screen. It also utilizes a stylus, or what Samsung calls the “S-Pen.” While Samsung’s new device still features “rounded edges” the tablet’s design looks far different than, and will not be mistaken for, an iPad.

A version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will run on the Galaxy Note 10.1 when it is shipped. Samsung did not mention during its presentation whether the device might get an update to the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Google’s own mini-tablet, the Nexus 7, launched last month alongside it’s latest Android OS.