Hands On with the Asus Padfone
Feb 28, 2012, 12:47 PM by Rich Brome @richbrome
It's probably not coming to the US, but the Padfone is quite unique and interesting. It's a phone that docks into a tablet that docks into a keyboard to make a laptop. We took a quick look.
The Asus Padfone is first and foremost an Android 4.0 phone. There's a nice circular pattern on the back, but otherwise it looks pretty standard. Things get interesting when you dock it into the tablet accessory.
The tablet consists solely of a big screen and a big battery. You put the phone inside a compartment in the back, and - bam - you have an Android tablet. A micro-USB connector paired with a small HDMI jack link the two devices. A small hole lets the phone camera see through the back of the tablet. An antenna booster ensures that the phone still gets good reception.
Whatever you were doing on the phone, carries right over the tablet, even in the middle of playing a video, for example. All core apps automatically adapt to the larger screen. So your email expands to a two-pane interface, for example.
Want a full laptop experience? Dock the tablet into the keyboard, and you're set. The keyboard also contains a battery, two USB ports, and an SD card slot.
The downside is size. Put all together, it's no MacBook Air. It's quite thick, in fact, and not light. But it's an interesting concept nonetheless.
Check out our quick video tour:
About the author, Rich Brome:Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
TCL's New Foldable Concept Swings Both Ways
Hands On with the T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro 5G
Hands On with the moto g stylus 5G (2023)
Asus Goes Big with Zenfone 11 Ultra
Hands On with the Motorola razr and razr+ (2024)
Comments
Sad part of this is
