ASUS Padfone at Mobile World Congress -- mark it, Dude

The ASUS Padfone will be seen at Mobile World Congress. No more rumors, no conjecture. Done deal, at least as far as ASUS' press invite is concerned.

The Padfone's actually not just a tablet, nor is it just a phone. It's both, actually, and neither is it new. It actually was announced way back in May 2011, and ASUS showed us the concept in a couple of promo videos -- a 4.3-inch smartphone docks with and powers a 10-inch tablet. Here's how ASUS described it at the time:

Innovation is at the heart of ASUS design and the new Padfone reveals exciting new possibilities for mobile computing and communication. This convergent device combines a smartphone and a tablet computer into one symbiotic gadget that allows consumers to choose the screen size that best fits their activities while seamlessly sharing data and 3G internet access.

We'd presume the Padfone we see in a few weeks will be running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (at least it better be), and we're intrigued by the prospect of a smartphone powering the tablet, an idea that's been tried (and failed) in years past. Anyone remember the Palm Foleo? But that was a device obviously before its time. There also are the obvious questions about design and implementation (check out the videos after the break for the early look at that) and probably more important -- how it handles battery life. Figure the tablet part of the equation has its own battery. But when connected, does the Padfone drain soley from the tablet, with the smartphone all but shut down? Does it still trickle from the phone? Inquiring minds want to know, folks.

Anyhoo. We'll be at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to bring you the ASUS Padfone -- and anything else the company has up its sleeve.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/iZBLGxL-UV0/story01.htm

Nvidia Oracle Powerchip Semiconductor Pricelinecom Qimonda Qualcomm