ASUS has now launched its website advertising the PadFone, the child of the firm's unique phone/tablet hybrid concept and, as with many hybrids found throughout nature, the PadFone is an equally strange but impressively spec'd product.
Firstly, the tablet looks like an original TF101 Transformer, with a hump on its back; however this does mean that owners of original TF101 keyboards will more than likely be able to re-purpose their equipment and reduce expenditure should they chose to invest in the PadFone. What's even more wacky is that the device comes with a capacitive stylus that, when receiving a call, doubles as a wireless handset; looks like the PadFone isn't the only hybrid in this product.
The phone component itself is well equipped and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 8260A dual-core 1.5GHz processor with an Adreno 225 GPU, similar to the HTC One S, supporting 21Mbps 3G. Impressively the phone also comes equipped with a 4.3 inch qHD 960 x 540 Super AMOLED display.
Full specifications are as follows:
| CPU | 1.5GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm MSM8260A Snapdragon |
| GPU | Adreno 225 |
| Internal Storage | 16/32/64GB eMMC |
| Other Storage | MicroSD |
| Camera | 8MP f/2.2 auto-focus with flash + VGA front-facing |
| Connectivity | WiFi b/g/n, 3.5mm Ear Jack |
| Display | 4.3 inch 960 x 540 qHD Super AMOLED Plus |
| Dimensions | 128 x 65.4 x 9.2mm, 129g |
| Battery | 1520mAh |
We don't yet have full details of the tablet's connectivity and capabilities, however, one of the more impressive features of the PadFone concept is its ability to provide extra power to the phone when docked and, provide it does, offering five times the battery life and, if you so dare to connect the keyboard module, the phone will receive a nine-fold boost.
Learning some lessons from the original Transformer release, ASUS will include a travel sleeve, which conceals a spare SIM-card holder, stylus holder and a cleaning cloth. Hop on over to the ASUS website for a series of YouTube videos demonstrating the PadFone's features.
