The switch between phone use and tablet use takes just over a second now, the layout of the screen automatically changing to suit the larger, 10-inch panel of the tablet, or the smaller 4.7-inch panel of the phone itself. Together, they’re just 649g, and the tablet section has a battery capable of recharging the phone three times over.

Inside, there’s a 1.5GHz quadcore Snapdragon S4 processor paired with 2GB of RAM, up to 64GB of flash storage, and DC-HSPA+/LTE for getting online. The phone has a 13-megapixel camera capable of 1080p HD video recording, and there’s Corning Fit Glass on top of the 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 Super IPS+ phone display.

Europe (Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden) and Asia (Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, U.A.E) will get the PadFone 2 before the year is out, with availability in other countries following on after that. Pricing is €799 for the 32GB model – for phone and tablet – with another €100 getting you twice as much storage.

The smartphone features a 4.7 inch Super IPS+ 720p display, a quad-core APQ8064 Qualcomm processor, and a 13MP BSI Sony camera sensor, as well as a 1.2MP front camera for chat sessions. Speaking of the camera, it records 720p at a whopping 60fps, which is outstanding, and 1080p at 30fps, and can take up to 100 continuous full-resolution images. The slate itself is much thinner than the original PadFone slate, and lacks the docking bay cover.

Other features include 2GB of RAM, a 2,140mAh (fixed) battery, the same Corning Fit Glass used on the Nexus 7, NFC, and 50GB of Asus WebStorage. Sadly, there isn’t a microSD card expansion slot. As for connectivity, the PadFone 2 has WCDMA 900/2,100MHz radios, and LTE 800/1,800/2,600MHz radios in the global model. According to Engadget, the LTE model will be available for North America, Australia, and Japan. For now, the device runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but ASUS says a Jelly Bean upgrade will be available soon.

As for the slate itself, it measures in at 10.1 inches with a 5,000mAh battery, and a weight (sans smartphone) of 514 grams. With the smartphone attached, the weight increases to 649 grams, which is over 200g lighter than the original PadFone. The PadFone 2 will be available in Taiwan “as early as next week,” and can be purchased without the slate Station for the USD equivalent of $620 to $750. With the Station, the price jumps another $200 or so. According to Engaget Chinese, Hong Kong will be the launch point of the PadFone 2, with no word on where its headed after that.

[via Engadget]

Of course, the Padfone 2 isn’t the only device previewed in Bloomberg’s video. Also on the display are the ASUS UX51 and U38 touchscreen laptops, along with the ASUS TAICHI, complete with its amazingly cool double-sided screen. As cool as the TAICHI is, however, the Padfone 2 still manages to steal the show.

Aesthetically, there isn’t that much of a difference between the Padfone 2 and its predecessor other than the Padfone 2′s 4.7-inch screen. That screen is capable of displaying 720p resolution, so we’re talking HD with the Padfone 2. It also comes equipped with a whopping 13MP rear-facing camera, which Bloomberg assures us can take some “phenomenal” pictures. It’s hard to tell the quality of the images from watching the video, but it’s pretty easy to imagine how good pictures look when snapped with a 13MP camera.

Bloomberg says that the Padfone 2 can get up to a full day of use from a single charge, and when it’s dead, you can slide it into the back of the companion tablet and charge it from the tablet’s battery. Using the two combined, you should be able to get two to three days of use from a single charge. Sadly, the details stop there, but ASUS will be officially unveiling the Padfone 2 on October 16 – just a few days away. We’ll be getting a lot more details then, and after watching this video, we’re wondering how we’re going to make it another four days.

[via Android Community]

While we can’t fully confirm what we are looking at, according to Mobile01 Forum this is the box for the Padfone 2, calling the post “Padfone 2 specs revealed.” The details on the box shown in the image above seem to mirror many of the rumors as of late, including the recently leaked benchmark. The Padfone part 2 is looking quite nice.

If the leak is to be believed, the Padfone 2 will be sporting a 4.7-inch 1280x720p HD display although the box confusingly says both Super AMOLED and IPS+, but it can’t be both. Then the brand new quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro will be under the hood, along with 2GB of RAM, and an impressive 13 megapixel camera. Sounds like the LG Optimus G if you ask us. The specs however, are all about the phone and not the accompanying tablet.

Other specs include a HSPA+ model, 4G LTE (in select regions) and a decently sized 2,140 mAh battery for the smartphone. It’s also being listed as just 9mm thin, so it should be a bit lighter and thinner than the original Padfone. Either way we’ll learn all the details on October 16th in Milan and Taipei as ASUS unveils the new Padfone 2.

[via PocketDroid]

ASUS’ original Padfone – a smartphone that could dock into a tablet housing, offering a larger touchscreen but relying on the handset’s processor and storage – was a curio from 2011. The company’s argument was that users could save money by only paying for one set of internal components.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard mention of the Padfone 2. Benchmarks purportedly from the tablet/smartphone duo showed up earlier this week, detailing a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, as in the LG Optimus G, paired with 2GB of RAM. OS was Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Docking-style tablets have become more prolific in recent months, though a phone that slots into a slate is still relatively rare. Instead, we’ve seen several tablets that pair with a removable keyboard section, often running Windows RT or Windows 8.

For the uninitiated, the PadFone is a one-of-a-kind device that’s designed in three sections. The “core” is a 4.3-inch Android 4.0 smartphone, not unlike the HTC One S. This smartphone docks into a 10-inch tablet shell, which uses Ice Cream Sandwich’s unified user interface to display a full tablet UI on the same hardware. An optional keyboard dock creates a quasi-netbook, very similar to the ASUS Transformer series, and there’s also an optional Bluetooth headset with a stylus on the end of the boom.

The PadFone is on sale now in Taiwan. You can get the core smartphone and tablet shell unlocked for NT$17,990 ($610) with all of the extras combined totaling NT$24,980 ($847). ASUS is planning a European version of the PadFone, but as yet there’s no word on an American version. ASUS doesn’t have the same relationships with US carriers that other Android tablet manufactures do, so an American release looks like a long shot at this point.

[via NetBook News]

ASUS kicked things off showing us everything we’ve been enjoying from them thus far. And now they are showing the next “transformation” with the ASUS Padfone. With the full specs being officially confirmed. The phone comes complete with the Qualcomm 1.5 GHz dual-core S4 processor and 4G LTE. Rocking a 4.3″ qHD 960×540 AMOLED display, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage with 8 megapixel rear and 1.3 front cameras. ASUS has added micro-HDMI along with the usual micro-sd port as well. Obviously it docks right into the tablet for 5x the battery life (no exact specs were given on battery). With Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on board too, all coming in April.

Following along with the cousins, the PadFone also docks into the Transformer Prime’s universal docking station for an additional 9 hours of batter life. The term “Always on, always connected” has been widely used by ASUS. Since the phone docks into the tablet there is no syncing or cloud services needed. Instantly switch from phone portability to full work mode with the pad and start right where you left off. This is the next Transformation in the Transformer Pad.

As you’d expect, the tablet is merely a shell or skeleton and comes to life once you dock the phone inside. Everything seamlessly transfers over and you instantly can work or watch video right from where you left off. Now here is one of the more exciting parts of the event and the Padfone. Should a call come in while docked ASUS has not only added a stylus to the tablet, but said stylus doubles as a headset — yes a stylus headset. With volume up/down and end call functions you can leave the phone be and complete a call. Then once again continue right where you left off.

Sadly we weren’t able to try the stylus headset ourselves but can’t wait to get our hands on the LTE equipped version coming later in Q3 according to ASUS. Regarding feel of these devices I was pleasantly surprised. The actual phone is extremely lightweight, smooth and well designed. Top of the line quality just like previous devices from ASUS — and it’s extremely lightweight. The actual tablet is surprisingly heavy considering it doesn’t have the usual internals and I was a bit let down by the weight.

No official pricing or carriers were revealed but we should see the all-new Padfone early April and the LTE model will follow shortly. Enjoy the rest of the photos below.

The theme of this particular teaser is “Red, White, and Blue, what can we play?” and simply must mean that whatever model tablet ASUS is revealing at the events will have a collection of different-colored plastic battery covers. Or it could mean that ASUS has some new bit of software that makes it extra intuitive to do artwork on the tablets they already have. What we’re really banking on here is a combination of both, but mixed in with the model TF300T, a brand new upgraded model of the original ASUS Eee Pad Transformer complete with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and lower-level specs than the Transformer Prime or the Transformer Prime 700 series.

This would fit in with ASUS plan when they released the Transformer Prime to keep with a two-tiered system where the Transformer was an affordable 10-inch tablet while the 10-inch tablet with a premium flavor was the Transformer Prime. Having seen and used the Transformer Prime for many weeks now, we must agree to the idea that this is a premium experience, while the original Transformer should be a bit less expensive than it currently is. Will ASUS surprise us all with a better tablet with a lower cost?

It’s certainly happened before – and it was ASUS that did it! Head back to the announcement of the MeMO $249 tablet at CES 2012 to see what I mean. Then check the timeline here to get up to date on everything ASUS as we head to Mobile World Congress 2012 – we fly out tomorrow!

We’ll be checking out the Padfone even closer than we did at CES 2012 where they had the device combo out on display. This device is a unique (or nearly unique if you count all the copycats that have sprung up in the past few months) in that it’s a tablet with a holster for a smartphone that powers the whole rig. ASUS plans on coming correct with this device as it also brings forth the next generation of its tablet line including the Transformer Prime 700 series and the MeMO $249 NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad core 7-inch tablet.

Will you be able to resist such a fantastically powerful tablet lineup, each of them with Ice Cream Sandwich for their Android version without a doubt? We’ll be bringing you the heat from Spain all week long starting this Sunday! Follow all the action through out Mobile World Congress 2012 portal! And of course our lovely timelines which always keep you in the know throughout each device’s history!

This device is, if you did not know, tow in one, allowing you the ability to “enlarge your screen size on the go”, transitioning between your tablet (or your pad, as it were) and your phone with great ease. You’ve got one storage location, one SIM card, and the ability to charge your phone with your pad. This device is set to be the only real effort in the industry today to provide both a smartphone and a tablet together in one package literally – and a strange package it is.

Have a peek at what we’re able to see here – not one whole heck of a lot, but compared to the first iteration of this package, a definite improvement in aesthetics. This device now seems relatively slim for what it is and isn’t that hard on the eyes on the whole, either. Will you buy in to the idea that you’ll be able to use both a tablet and a phone interchangeably come later this spring?

The new device that has surfaced in the benchmarks is a Padfone that has a new processor inside. According to the benchmark page for the device, this version is packing in a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8060 processor. The reference in the benchmark database about the MSM8960 is thought to be the Snapdragon S4 platform.

If that is accurate, the Padfone will be one of the first smartphones to hit using the new Qualcomm platform. The benchmarks for the smartphone were said to be very good. It’s not clear if the Padfone will slip right into the existing tablet sleeve to upgrade the tablet capability of the original or if it will need a new sleeve all its own.

[via Notebookitalia]

Microsoft Windows 8:
Windows 8 revealed: Tablet-friendly UI, HTML5 apps [Video]
Qualcomm adds Windows 8 support to dual/quad-core chips
Windows 8 To Have “Chatter” Video Chat App?

ASUS Padfone and Computex 2011 News:
ASUS PadFone official
ASUS PadFone hands-on roundup [Video]
ASUS Padfone Copycat Accusations Begin with AlwaysInnovating
ASUS Padfone Not Unique, Behold The TransPhone!
Padfone-Like Tablet With iPhone Dock By ECS
Computex 2011: Day Zero Wrap-Up

Apple news ahead of Monday’s WWDC 2011:
iPhone 4S To Have Integrated SIM, iPhone 5 Coming Spring 2012?
Apple promise iCloud, OS X Lion and iOS 5 at Steve Jobs WWDC keynote
Apple iCloud To Offer Movies, TV Shows At Launch?
Student Discount for iCloud Quite Possible

Gaming news ahead of E3 2011.

Reviews:
DROID X2 Review
LG Revolution LTE Review
T-Mobile Sensation 4G Review

Giveaway:
SlashGear Cadence 4-Bit Binary Watch Giveaway!

ECS is more known for manufacturing motherboards, but they took the opportunity at Computex to show off a tablet and phone hybrid device of their own. Their tablet features a dock that’s similar to the TransPhone in that a smartphone slides into the dock, but is also similar to the Padfone in that the dock encloses the smartphone. But what’s unique about their prototype is that it’s designed to work with the iPhone.

The model on display was shown to cradle an iPhone 4, but the company says that it should eventually have modular support for Android and Windows Phone as well as other iOS devices. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a working prototype and it wasn’t clear if the tablet works independently or relied on interaction with the smartphone. The tablet did have its own front camera, SD card slot, HDM out, and two USB ports.

Despite not having a working prototype, the company estimates that they are relatively close to having the tablet ready by next summer. They also plan on a price tag of under $200.

Last week, ASUS teased us with mysterious images asking “Pad or Phone” to build up excitement for the Padfone unveiling today at Computex 2011. However, three days ago, another such tablet/phone hybrid revealed itself, although to much less fanfare. That device is called the TransPhone, manufactured by CMIT. Much like the Padfone, the TransPhone is a hybrid where the phone docks into the tablet, but the methods in which they do so differ greatly.

With the TransPhone, the phone component actually slides into the dock on the tablet, while the Padfone has a compartment where the phone fits into and is completely enclosed by a lid. The TransPhone also comes with a Bluetooth headset that fits into its own dock on the tablet. The TransPhone reportedly sports a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor and SVGA display, along with USB and HDMI ports, but it’s not certain which OS it will be running. Also missing is any information on pricing and availability.

Although, the TransPhone design makes it seem easier to quickly slide out your phone or Bluetooth headset should you need to make a call, it also makes me think that the open dock on the back of the tablet is not going to look very good without the phone in place. What do you guys think? Padfone or TransPhone? Or all too much of a gimmick?

[via GadgetsBing]

For more information on the Padfone (if you don’t already have the full lowdown check out Chris Davies column by the name of ASUS Padfone: Twice as appealing or doubly-dumb? Also feel free to see the ASUS PadFone official post or have a peek at a roundup of all the hands-on posts from earlier today. First have a peek at the first calling out from our very own comments section:

Next, a look at the ASUS Padfone courtesy of ASUS themselves. Have a look at it and keep it in mind, because an AlwaysInnovating “Smart Book” is next.

Now let’s take a look at the Smart Book from AlwaysInnovating:

And furthermore let’s take a peek at a hands-on with the Transformer, again from ASUS:

Look the same to you? Next let’s take a look at a concept by the name of OICP or Origin Intelligent Chinese Platform. This design is a tablet computer that features a “transparent translation card” which you can use to view any object it can recognize and translate into whichever language you wish. This transparent card plugs into the tablet for storage.

Next there’s Bento Book, a modular system that goes a couple steps beyond what the Padfone does, incorporating a phone, a tablet, a solar-powered lithium-ion battery, and a 1TB SSD drive all with the ability to plug into a 15″ OLED touchscreen laptop.

How many more would you like? The idea to collect many electronics into one, the idea to consolidate has been around as long as electricity for goodness sake. Of course that’s not necessarily how the law sees it. Now for the suits!

You can see where ASUS’ argument in favor of the Padfone is coming from. Just like the ATRIX, it asks why we should bother carrying – and paying for – a separate processor and 3G modem in both our phone and our bigger-screen device, whether that be a Laptop Dock as with the Motorola Phone or the tablet shell of the ASUS. Instead, let the phone bring the brain and the connectivity and dock it into a dumb companion: presumably cheaper to buy, cheaper to run since you only need one data plan, and more streamlined since you have one data store not files and media spread across two gadgets.

That’s great, but there’s short- and long-term compatibility to think about. Of course, the tablet husk will only work with ASUS’ specific smartphone – the microUSB and microHDMI ports are standard, but we’re guessing there’s some sort of proprietary data protocol to make everything work together – which means that when the Padfone launches it’ll only be of interest to those who like both halves of the equation. If you’d rather stick with your Galaxy S II, for instance, or even have a preference for another OS like Windows Phone or iOS, you’re out of luck.

That’s in the short-term, but the longer-term support for the Padfone still isn’t decided yet. ASUS has apparently said it’s considering whether its future smartphones will be compatible with the same tablet hardware, but nothing is decided yet; without such a reassurance, you could be left having to replace both your phone and tablet simultaneously rather than piecemeal as each gets superseded.

No, the more I think about it, my real excitement today is around the processor milestone. Although we’ve seen concept hybrid devices before – slotting a phone into a tablet or laptop shell – it’s only recently that the performance/battery balance of modern chipsets has got to the stage where they make sense. I’m not saying the Padfone design is necessarily a winner, but simply that – functional and usability quibbles aside – the concept isn’t let down by underwhelming performance.

NVIDIA’s video demo of Kal-El only adds to that enthusiasm. Quad-cores, the sort of dynamic lighting processing – courtesy of a twelve-core GPU, no less – you’d previously associate with a gaming desktop and the promise of sufficient power frugality to make tablet or other mobile device applications realistic. We’ve come to expect demonstrations like that to be accompanied by a years-long roadmap, but NVIDIA is saying Kal-El based products could be here as soon as August.

The success of the Padfone – at least in the state ASUS has shown it today – will likely depend on price. The company has demonstrated it can compete in that arena, with the Eee Pad Transformer, but phones are arguably more complex when it comes to retail. Will the two Padfone parts be sold SIM-free and unlocked, and if so can ASUS match the competitive Transformer so that its two-part product doesn’t come at a price disadvantage? If it’s subsidized, can ASUS persuade the carriers – and build the Padfone to a suitably affordable starting point – to offer it at a figure that’s in line with other high-end smartphones? Will it demand a tethering plan, like the Motorola ATRIX and its Laptop Dock?

There are plenty of questions left, and ASUS has given itself a whole lot of wriggle room between now and the tentative Q4 2011 release date. Specs aren’t decided, final design hasn’t been signed off, and there’s still time to cancel the whole project altogether if the reception is less glowing than expected. The Padfone is definitely shaping up to be a niche product, but then again that’s what ASUS thought about the Transformer, and then promptly sold out. I don’t think ASUS has quite nailed the “best of both devices” premise, but I’m glad to see companies thinking outside the norm and taking advantage of the possibilities the new breed of chips allow.

Disagree with me? Reckon the ASUS Padfone is the best thing since modular sliced-bread? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

NetbookNews and jkkmobile got up close to the stickered ASUS lady (who doesn’t appear to have pulled off the backing plastic from her temporary tattoos) as well as producing the two videos below. Engadget got their eyes near to the slate too, though it seems opportunities to actually play with the prototype were in short supply. It’s worth bearing in mind that ASUS has said the final specs of both sections are not yet finalized, so everything from chipset to screen size and aesthetics could be tweaked prior to launch.

In the photo above, by jkk, you can see the two side-mounted ports for microUSB and microHDMI, that the PadFone tablet section hooks up to for power, display, internet access and data. There are two official ASUS videos to go with the PadFone launch, including one with an accidental IE8 gaffe. Seen any other hands-on reports? Let us know in the comments below.

ASUS PadFone announcement:

ASUS PadFone: Make the Switch:

ASUS PadFone: Behind the Scenes:

jkkmobile Hands-On:

Jump forward to around the 1:08 mark in the video below, and you can see the PadFone tablet section using the PC browser. Of course, this could be an impromptu demo of the same Eee Pad PC Suite remote access app as on the Transformer, allowing you to log into your home computer and use it as if you were there.

Still, we can’t mock too much, not when ASUS CEO Johnny Shih is so darn enthusiastic about his new toy. “Have the best of both devices with an ASUS PadFone” he suggests, and – when the tablet finally does make it to market in Q4 2011 this year – we reckon plenty will at least consider it.

ASUS is promising a “seamless” transition from the phone to the tablet UI, with whatever you’ve been looking at on the handset automatically expanding to suit the slate, along with the improved web browsing experience you’d expect from a bigger display. If a call comes in while the phone is docked, then it can either be removed or answered with a Bluetooth headset.

Phone and slate can access the same storage in the handset, and since there’s only one 3G radio then you don’t have to swap your SIM between two modems (or sign up for a second data agreement). The UI has been modified to suit both displays, either showing mobile sites on the phone or full sites on the tablet. The phone itself has two cameras, a front-facing webcam – just like the tablet itself – and a 5-megapixel camera on the back which can also be used through a hole in the PadFone dock.

ASUS is saying that finalized hardware specifications haven’t been decided on yet, and nor has pricing ahead of a tentative Q4 2011 release, so don’t get your hopes up too much. Still, as concepts go, this is an intriguing one: let us know whether the PadFone appeals in the comments.

Specifications aren’t clear at this stage, but from the comparison photos with the Eee Pad Transformer we can tell that the PadFone has a 10.1-inch display and similar dimensions. A hole on the rear hatch allows the phone’s 5-megapixel camera to be used, and hopefully it’ll be capable of better results than the unimpressive camera on the Transformer.

Connectivity on the slate itself is minimal, though it does look like ASUS has given it stereo speakers and a front-facing webcam. OS is uncertain, though the likely possibility is Ice Cream Sandwich since that will be the flavor of Android which brings together the tablet and phone strands, and will thus suit both the handset-sized touchscreen when the phone alone is used, and the 10.1-inch slate screen when it’s docked.

We should find out more tomorrow at ASUS’ morning press event.

[Thanks "Padfone"!]

That slate is easily recognizable as ASUS’ original teaser, back on Monday last week. The assumption is that the phone docks into the back of the tablet, providing at the very least its 3G WWAN connectivity and, possibly, the slate’s intelligence too.

Given the Tegra 2 processor ASUS used in its Eee Pad Transformer has also found its way successfully into Android smartphones, it wouldn’t be too great a stretch of the imagination for it to serve double duty on both phone and slate scale devices. That would leave the rest of the PadFone tablet form-factor to contain extra batteries and ports, lending it extra runtime and usability.

We won’t know for sure until Computex and ASUS’ press conference tomorrow, but as mobile processors catch up in terms of power it looks like the long-standing promise of a true hybrid phone/slate with the battery and potency to match either use-case may finally be coming true.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is showing that ASUS submitted a trademark application for the name “Padfone.” The application was just created on May 23rd, and protects the style of the mark as well. Since it’s such a recent filing, its hard to say if they will indeed be using the name for the upcoming tablet/phone combo, but it makes the most sense.

This may end up being the name of the device, but there’s no knowing if the device will be more of a tablet than a phone or vice versa. Or, if it will be similar in concept to the Atrix 4G laptop/phone combo where the phone docks into the laptop. We’ve seen a neat design concept in the past of a tablet and phone duo, but it will be very interesting to see how ASUS executes the idea.

[via PocketNow]

That idea is reinforced by a sneaky preview of the final piece of ASUS’ teaser puzzle, spotted by an Engadget reader (and in the gallery below), which adds the tagline “Why not both” and a murky picture of what looks like two companion devices. One appears to be a small, touchscreen phone, sitting on top of a larger slate.

It could well be another sighting of the tablet teaser photos ASUS released on Monday, which seemed to show a slate which had a separate docking section. The company may well be following a similar train of thought to Motorola with the ATRIX, though it’s unclear whether the tablet section would have a brain of its own – relying on the phone for 3G connectivity, perhaps – or be solely reliant on the handset’s processor.

There are some interesting stacked sections and what could be bevelled glass, plus at least one camera – which looks like it could be on the back, inset into a glossy black plastic section – and speakers. Hardware specs are a mystery right now, but given the state of the Android tablet market – not that it’s even confirmed that this particular model runs the Google OS – we’re guessing at Tegra 2 again.

The success of the Transformer was a combination of its solid hardware, innovative battery-toting keyboard dock and relatively bargain price-tag in comparison to other Android Honeycomb slates out there. The downside has been retail scarcity, with ASUS unable to produce enough of the Transformers to meet customer demand.

[via NotebookItalia]