ASUS Shows Off PadFone: Phone, Tablet, Netbook Combo Coming In April

After nearly a year's worth of anticipation, and several early showings, ASUS at last showed off the final version of its PadFone. The device combines the power of a phone, tablet and netbook in one product. At its heart the PadFone is a 4.3-inch smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon S4 1.5-Ghz dual-core processor. The Android Ice Cream Sandwich device is available with 16GB/32GB/64GB of memory and 1GB of RAM.

Upfront the phone features a Super AMOLEDqHD display with a 960 x 540 resolution. Seated above the display is the PadFone’s front-facing camera, a standard VGA model, and opposite that, on the rear of the device, is its 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. ASUS says the PadFone will initially launch as an HSPA+ model, however, an LTE version is due out in Q3 2012.

Pop the Padfone into the PadFone Station and the phone turns into a 10.1-inch tablet. ASUS touts its DynamicDisplay technology as the force behind the way the phone display can be seamlessly transferred to the tablet’s 1280 x 1000 display. The PadFone Station isn’t just a larger display either. It also includes a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, as well as microUSB and microHDMI ports.

The PadFone Station is also available with an optional keyboard dock that turns the entire unit into a 10.1-inch netbook. By itself the PadFone weighs 4.6 ounces and measures just 5 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches. The PadFone Station ups that further, weighing 1.6 pounds and measuring 10.7 x 7 x 0.5 inches.

Rounding out the package is an ASUS’s new PadFone Stylus Headset, a Bluetooth stylus that also doubles as a receiver for the PadFone. So if you are using the unit as a tablet or netbook, and get a phone call you can use the stylus to answer you call, rather than taking the entire setup apart.

Stay tuned for our full hands on of the PadFone.

Daniel P. Howley
LAPTOP Senior Writer
A newspaper man at heart, Dan Howley wrote for Greater Media Newspapers before joining Laptopmag.com. He also served as a news editor with ALM Media’s Law Technology News, and he holds a B.A. in English from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.