Asus always opens its home computer show Computex with a bang and this year it was the Padfone - a 4.3-inch smartphone that docks inside a 10.1-inch tablet dock with dynamic display switching, two batteries, a shared SIM card, a single hard drive, Qualcomm processor, Android's next generation operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich) and a Q4, 2011 launch date with a price in the US$800-1,000 area.

While specifics are thin on the ground at the moment, the ASUS smartphone will run on the latest version of Android available at launch and have all the functionality we've come to expect from such a device - browsing the internet, checking emails, watching online videos and playing addictive games like Angry Birds. If you find yourself wanting to watch movies or enjoy games on a bigger screen, the smartphone can be docked within the body of the tablet. There's no need to switch off one to use the other, whatever you were up to at docking time will be continued on the bigger screen and if you receive a call while using the tablet, you could either whip out the phone or connect using a Bluetooth headset.

ASUS says that there will be some sort of shared storage pool in the smartphone part of the device so that users won't have to concern themselves with synchronizing data between the two. This also suggests that the smartphone will likely provide the processing for the tablet too. The tablet, though, will not be a mere dumb terminal - it will also provide extra connectivity ports and some juice for the smartphone's battery.

It's another design masterpiece from ASUS, which consistently demonstrates the ability to think outside the square and the Padfone will enable users to switch between pad and phone for a best-fit user experience - too often I find myself using a smartphone and wanting more screen real estate or a tablet but finding it restrictive in the environment - the Padfone will definitely cure that problem.

It will also be interesting to see if this two-in-one approach encourages Android developers not to charge for separate phone/tablet ("HD") versions as is very common (and very annoying) on iOS devices.

LINK HERE

Has anyone spotted one in Thailand yet ?

Just got mine yesterday, with the keyboard, I just love it, it will replace my phone, tablet and net book. I will leave all them home on my next trip to France to see if it does the job.

Brilliant device.

What are the specs?

What are the specs?

http://www.asus.com/Mobile/PadFone/#specifications

Padfone 2 is already announced too...

Phil

Just got mine yesterday, with the keyboard, I just love it, it will replace my phone, tablet and net book. I will leave all them home on my next trip to France to see if it does the job.

Brilliant device.

Just to confirm...you bought it in Thailand? Mind mentioning the price paid? Thanks.

Just got mine yesterday, with the keyboard, I just love it, it will replace my phone, tablet and net book. I will leave all them home on my next trip to France to see if it does the job.

Brilliant device.

Just to confirm...you bought it in Thailand? Mind mentioning the price paid? Thanks.

Yes, I bought it in Chiang Mai, at Airport Plaza Chi Chang shop. I had to order it from Bangkok as they did not have the keyboard. The set for phone+station+stylus ( that comes in one package )is 24900 bahts, while the whole set including the keyboard is 29900 bahts. Not specially cheap, but it does replace phone and tablet and netbook. Came with a free 8Gb micro sd card, but i bought 2 x 32 gb, one for the phone ( which comes with 16 Gb internal, the 32 gb is not available here ) and one for the keyboard dock.

As all the batteries ( station and dock ) are recharging the phone, the battery life is quite good.

Admittedly, it is not cheap, but I have been waiting since it was announced many months ago, the new version is coming soon ( but when will it arrive in Thailand ? ) and has of course better specs.

After one week, I must say that I do not regret my money. Everything is working fine, hard disks and USB flash drives recognized and accessible from the 2 USB ports. It is a bit heavy and bulky ( my previous tablet was a Samsung Galaxy Tab 1st gen. ) when all parts are assembled but still manageable...

Phil

They have them at Mobile expo for 22.900b I think. Queen Sirikit center. Bkk

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