This, in my humble opinion, is the future of personal computing platforms. Tiny, powerful, transportable, and usable in the context of multiple form factors.
Summary: 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...
...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-megapixel 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 Motorola's laptop dock left off, the Padfone can slide into the Asus Padstation to become a 10.1-inch tablet...
...Everything that you can do on the phone, from browsing the Web, to playing media, to using apps, you now can do in tablet form. You can even make calls using the integrated speakerphone or a Bluetooth headset (you'd look pretty silly carrying a tablet next to your ear)...
...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...
CNet Asia's Aloysius Low has
a more comprehensive first look.
I seriously think this is the future of personal computing.
4 comments:
kewl
The problem is the tablet and the keyboard would probably cost as much as separate tablet or laptop would cost. I think most people would rather own two discrete devices rather than one transforming one.
Meh, I'm waiting for my government-approved implants.
Now that's computing!
This is like all the original iPod docks. Anything that is brand or model specific, especially with firmware, is going to be outmoded very quickly and turn into a paperweight. So audio accessory designers figured out to just attach the iPod or iPhone via 3.5mm which is available on any sound device. Simple and universal.
So what this needs to be is a brainless pad with a USB connection, which should be fairly inexpensive.
Hook up any phone and you can sell these to anyone.
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