ASUS Padfone Not Unique, Behold The TransPhone!

We just talked about a copycat claim from AlwaysInnovating that emerged soon after the ASUS Padfone announcement, and now there looks to be another manufacturer that may look with disdain at ASUS's claim to a revolutionary new product. The concept of a tablet and phone hybrid certainly isn't completely new, as we've seen before in this fancy HTC Tube design concept. But, actual working prototypes didn't seem to exist until now.

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]