We just peeped the Asus PadFone here at Barcelona, and the thing is giving all new meaning to the term “Jack of All Trades.” The device can not only perform the functions of your everyday smartphone, but it has the ability to transform into a tablet and notebook via some specially made accessories. “The time has finally arrived when every screen in your lives could transcend into a portal with real time access into your digital world,” said Asus Chairman Jonney Shih. Indeed.
All by its lonesome, the PadFone itself features a quite handsome 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, 8-megapixel digital camera with Fuji image technology and Ice Cream Sandwich. By now, devices like this have become commonplace in the Android world. But Asus wasn’t content with creating a one-trick pony. Pair this sucker with the optional PadFone Station, and suddenly you have a 10.1-inch tablet with 5 times the battery capacity.
Nope, we’re not done yet. In addition to its optional tablet getup, the PadFone Station can hook up to a keyboard dock – which Asus seems to specialize in – essentially turning the device into a notebook. Sure, we’ve seen devices with similar capabilities before, but not with Android 4.0. Oh, and there’s also a “Stylus Headset,” which is essentially a Bluetooth pen that can turn into a headset for taking calls.
It definitely sounds like a fantastic device for all the road warriors of the world, or even students. The optional keyboard and stylus headset would certainly make the PadFone a worthy note taking tool, while the tablet accessory will make consuming content that much easier. We have the obligatory press photos, but once we get our own hands-on, we’ll be sure to update you on how this baby actually runs.
Asus PadFone Specs:
- Android 4.0
- 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
- 16GB, 32GB and 64GB internal memory options
- 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display
- 8-megapixel camera with f2.2 aperture
- 1520mAh battery
- HSPA+
- Bluetooth 4.0
