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Tag: Padfone

  • Asus Announces Updated PadFone Infinity

    Asus Announces Updated PadFone Infinity

    Asus has been on a run the past few weeks, unveiling devices ranging from a new extra-small Fonepad tablet to a new Chromebook laptop. Now, the Taiwanese company has unveiled another of its strange PadFone devices.

    The PadFone is essentially two separate devices, a smartphone and a tablet. The catch is that the smartphone can be docked into a slot on the back of the tablet to power it. The PadFone Infinity, announced back in February, refined the PadFone design somewhat. Now, an updated version of the PadFone Infinity is set to be released this fall.

    The new PadFone Infinity has a very similar form-factor to the previous version, but some updated hardware. The device now has a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of LPDDR3 memory. The smartphone part of the package still has a 5-inch full HD screen, and the device’s cameras also remain the same (13MP rear camera, 2-MP front-facing). The battery (2,400mAh) has also not received an upgrade, and the previous-generation tablet dock can still be used with the new smartphone.

    The PadFone’s storage options have been slashed in half, with only 16GB and 32GB options now available. However, the device now has a microSD card slot for expansion.

    As for software, the new PadFone Infinity will come running Android 4.2.2. Some fancy new photo software has also been included, with Asus promising sharper images and video.

    (Image courtesy Asus)

  • ASUS Unveils 7-Inch Tablet, New Padfone

    Mobile World Congress is in full swing this week and it seems that the mini-tablet product category is set to be flooded in the coming months.

    ASUS today announced three new devices, a 7-inch tablet and a 5-inch phone that can be docked within a 10-inch tablet.

    The 7-inch tablet, dubbed the Fonepad, features a 1280 x 800 resolution screen and an Intel Atom processor. It will come with either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage and has an SD card slot. The front camera is 1.2 MP and the “optional” rear camera is 3 MP.

    The Fonepad, in general is similar to the iPad Mini and the just announced Galaxy Note 8 from Samsung. ASUS is pricing the device competitively compared to the iPad Mini, starting a €219 ($249).

    The other devices (or device) is the latest dock-able smartphone and tablet in ASUS’ PadFone lineup. The PadFone Infinity will be the successor to the PadFone 2, which was only just announced back in October 2012.

    The Infinity’s 5-inch smartphone will have a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 64GB of internal storage, and a 13-megapixel rear camera. Docking the device within the 10-inch “Infinity Station” will display the smartphone’s contents stretched to fit the tablet. ASUS claims the device will get up to 19 hours of 3G talk time before needing to be recharged.

    The Infinity will be quite expensive, as the MSRP is €999 ($1,325, converted, though ASUS hasn’t stated a dollar price).

  • ASUS Announces the PadFone 2 Tablet/Smartphone Hybrid

    ASUS has always been a bit experimental with its products. The company had a prototype dock-able tablet/laptop hybrid long before Windows 8 was announced.

    Today ASUS announced the PadFone 2, an Android tablet that has a slot to dock a smartphone, which is included.

    The package is an upgrade from the original PadFone, and the tablet, according to ASUS, has been completely redesigned. The 10.1-inch tablet now weighs just 649g, and the company claims that the combined weight of the smartphone and tablet is “lighter than most tablets on the market.” The dock mechanism now only requires one step, and the battery is large enough to recharge the smartphone three times.

    As for the smartphone, it now has a 4.7-inch screen and features a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 13MP rear camera. It has NFC and 4G LTE capabilities.

    Pricing for the PadFone 2 has not yet been announced, though ASUS did state that the device will come with “up to” 64 GB of storage. Also, customers who purchase a PadFone 2 will get 50GB of ASUS WebStorage free for two years.

    The PadFone 2 may seem odd, but these tablet/laptop/smartphone hybrid types of form-factors are beginning to become popular with manufacturers. The philosophy seems to be that customers should want a single device that works in a myriad of situations, rather than several devices to cover all situations.

  • ASUS Set To Reveal New Padfone February 27th at MWC

    Recently, ASUS revealed its new padfone, which is a smartphone and tablet combo. The combo was introduced at CES, but was put on the back burner to be officially unveiled at the MWC.

    February 27th is the big day, which is day one of the Mobile World Congress and people absolutely can’t wait to get their hands on the new padfone. The tablet itself has a 10.1 inch screen while the included smartphone, stashed in a compartment on the back of the tablet, has a 4.3 inch screen. The two devices can communicate wirelessly, so you can go from watching video on your phone then, if you feel you need a larger screen, simply insert the phone into the compartment and voila, you’re watching the same video on your tablet.

    http://youtu.be/mRcx1rxTLG8