Get more from your mobile with the Asus Padfone
Asus showed up at Mobile World Congress with the Padfone, its latest head-scratching device that lets you take a phone and turn it into a tablet and a notebook.
BARCELONA, Spain--Asus struck a high note when it introduced the one-of-a-kind
Today at Mobile World Congress, Asus finally released its long-awaited Padfone. Though the device first made an appearance last May in a promotional video, sightings of the actual device have been rare. And after skipping an official unveiling at CES last month, speculation mounted that Asus would use Barcelona as the stage instead.
At its most basic level, the Padfone is a candy bar Android smartphone with high-end, though hardly revolutionary, specs. You'll find a 4.3-inch AMOLED display, a Qualcomm dual-core processor, messaging and e-mail, Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, an 8-megapixl camera, a second VGA shooter around front, and a media player.
The Padfone's story, however, isn't about what the phone can do, but about what you can do with the phone. Building where
But the Padfone doesn't stop there. You can also turn the tablet into a small notebook by attaching the Asus Station Dock keyboard. Like with the Transfomer Prime, the keyboard will snap onto the bottom of the tablet for your typing needs.
For a closer look (I don't blame you if you're scratching your head as to how it all works), check out CNET Asia's hands-on photos. Our sister site in Singapore got an exclusive look at the Padfone a few days before traveling to Barcelona so be sure to check out Aloysius Low's First Take of the device.
We'll bring you more pricing and availability details when we have them.