In The Asus PadFone is a basically a hybrid combing the features of a tablet and a smartphone. The concept is a lot similar to what we have seen in Motorola Atrix, except for the fact that you dock your phone with a tablet instead of laptop, as in case of Atrix. The PadFone consists of a 4-inch Android smartphone, which can dock into a companion 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 tablet. While the two devices are conjoined with each other, the tablets separate battery can be used to recharge the phone, and the phones 3G connection can be used to get the tablet online, just in case you are not in the vicinity of a WiFi hotspot.
The device promises a seamless transition from the phone to the tablet UI. Almost as if the handset expands to become a large tablet, giving users access to bigger display and an enhanced browsing experience. The secret docking station for the mobile handset is built into the back of the tablet. For quick messaging and making calls, one can use the smartphone handset; if you get a call while the handset is docked, it can be answered by removing the handset or through a Bluetooth headset. As far as tasks like web browsing, watching movies and playing games are concerned, they can be best enjoyed on the tablet, with the handset docked.
The phone has a front-facing webcam, and at the back there is the 5-megapixel camera, which can be used through a hole in the PadFone dock. The tablet has a front-facing camera of its own. Other features include dual speakers, HDMI and USB port, WiFi, the optional 3G and much else. Besides sharing the SIM card for 3G access, the two devices can also share storage space. While introducing the device at the Computex IT trade fair in Taipei, Jonney Shih, Chairman of Asus, said that his company is attempting to produce a single device that can be used in different ways. The PadFone is expected to hit the market towards the end of the year, around Christmas time. From first sight this looks like an innovative amalgamation of a range of popular devices.
Eventually Asus could provide a keyboard docking station to the PadFone and that could enable the PadFone to be used as a netbook, as well. A lot of functionalities are going to be enabled with the device, but for now all that is being kept under wraps.
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