The concept of the Asus Padfone is certainly an interesting one and was initially introduced a year ago, but will be fully unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress.  Essentially, the Padfone product is a smartphone that connects to a tablet and powers it in terms of data consumption and information sharing.

The Padfone smartphone component contains a 4.3 inch touch screen display that will hopefully run Android 4.0 out of the box.  The tablet contains a 10.1 inch touch screen, but there is no word on processor types, hard drives, or cameras just yet.  I’m sure both devices will contain a dual-core processor with ample hard drive space, but Asus will likely confirm the exact information in just a couple of weeks.

We’ve seen carriers and manufacteres attempt to bundle a smartphone and a tablet together at a discount for customers to purchase, but the problem with that is the customer must sign two contracts for data on each device.  The idea Asus is trying to promote is a seamless integration of smartphone and tablet where one device (the smartphone) supplies the 3G/4G data for the tablet.

I’m sure more details such as pricing and availability will be disclosed at MWC 2012, so stay tuned!

Via [AndroidCentral]

ASUS is out to corner the Android tablet market with an upgrade to its already sought-after Transformer Prime, and a new 7-inch device slated to compete with smaller tablets.

The ASUS Transformer Prime TF700T is not an all new tablet, but it is an “upmarket” improvement that pushes the specs of what we already called the best Android tablet that money can buy. For starters, the TF700T has a different back panel that’s meant to address the GPS and WiFi issues that users complained about. It also bumps the screen to a 1920×1200 and the front-facing camera to 2.0 MP for HD video. It should arrive in North America in Q2 2012 for $599-$699. (It is compatible with the existing Transformer Prime dock.)

On the smaller side of things is the ASUS Eee Pad Memo, a 7-inch Android tablet with a 1280 x 800 resolution and IPS capacitive touch screen. The Eee Pad is aimed at “entertainment, media, and light productivity,” so it comes equipped with plenty of media options and the potential for capacitive stylus use. The device has:

• Qualcomm 8260 1.2 GHz dual-core process
• 1 GB of RAM
• 16 GB or 32 GB of storage, and ASUS Webstorage
• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• 1.2 MPG front camera, 5 MP rear with Auto-focus and 1080p recording
• MicroUSB, microSD, micro HDMI, and audio jack
• 4400 mAh battery (8.5 hours of video playback)
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 7.8 x 4.6 x 0.50”; 14.2oz
• Pre-loaded Applications – MyPainter, MyNet, MyCloud, Asus Sync and other productivity and entertainment applications.

The specs of the Eee Pad Memo are definitely impressive, so we’re anxious to get some time to play with the device. I’m especially interested in the stylus pen that rests beneath the front bezel. This could extend or refine the capabilities of certain devices and it’s definitely something that I look forward to seeing. On paper, this should be a worthy competitor to the crop of 7-inch slates that debuted in 2011, so we’ll be back with more later.

The all new ASUS Transformer Prime Android tablet is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Though there are no solid delivery dates yet, Amazon is currently taking orders for anyone interested in the premium tablet Asus announced a few weeks ago. (Your credit card will not be charged until the item has shipped.)

Amazon has the Transformer Prime in various forms, including the 32 GB and 64 GB capacities as well as the Amethyst Gray and Champagne colors. Prices start at $492.20 for the 32 GB model and go up to $584.22 for the 64 GB version. The docking station that turns the Prime into a laptop-like tablet is sold separately.

ASUS was slow to meet consumer demand in the early days of the first Eeepad Transformer because the company underestimated how popular the device would be. The follow-up Transformer Prime is not likely to see the same levels of supply crunch because ASUS has big plans for the device.

As a quick refresher, the Transformer Prime has Android 3.2 Honeycomb (Ice Cream Sandwich coming next year), 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display, 1 GB of memory, and what’s shaping-up to be the best rear camera seen on a tablet yet. View our announcement post of the Prime for full details on the device. Here’s a quick video briefly showing Ice Cream Sandwich on the Prime. (Again, ICS will arrive next year – this is just a teaser.)

[Amazon] via AndroidCentral

ASUS has an undeniable hit on its hands with the Android Honeycomb-powered Transformer tablet that can become a laptop. The company hopes to see similar success with a new phone that can become a tablet.

The ASUS PadFone is an upcoming Android phone that can become a tablet with a special accessory. Similar to how the Motorola Atrix 4G exists as an independent phone until connected to a laptop dock, the PadFone becomes an Android tablet when placed inside a special latch on a custom shell. Once inside, the PadFone switches into a special environment geared towards Android on a large screen. The case includes dual speakers to play audio, a front-facing camera, and an open window to use the phone’s rear camera.

The Padfone runs a standard Android phone operating system and then up-converts to Honeycomb when in tablet mode. ASUS has yet to share specifics because this is just a concept that it hopes to make a reality later this year. The design is also likely to be changed and improved between today and when the device launches by Christmas 2011. It seems very plausible that the PadFone may have Ice Cream Sandwich since that is the Android OS version that merges phones and Honeycomb.

Kudos to ASUS for trying something new. Mobile device conversion has proven to be an interesting trend in Android. The phone becomes a tablet, the tablet becomes a laptop, and it wouldn’t surprise me to discover that someone plans to make the tablet or laptop a television with Google TV or some other special media platform. We look forward to getting up a closer look at the PadFone to see how well it represents the growing trend.

Today at the Consumer Electronics Show, ASUS had their press event showing off many different flavors of tablets and devices. One of them that sort of got flown over was the 7-inch ASUS Eee Pad MeMo that runs Android and is able to be used with a stylus.

ASUS’ Johnney Shih showed off the device and gave a demo of the stylus capabilities on the touchscreen. There isn’t much we know about the device other than Phandroid is reporting that it is to house a 1GHz Snapdragon processor dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8260 processor. They also said that “[they] assume that the touchscreen is resistive”, but it could very well be (read, it better be) capacitive with a capacitive stylus. We are still waiting for a press release to confirm anything and when we get it we will let you know.

I have to say though, after the delusions of the idea of the Microsoft Courier late in 2009, myself and many others want to see some company pull off a full touch and stylus based interface. Seriously, just watch the Courier videos and make the device. Simple, done. I highly doubt that this ASUS device is it, but at least it shows us that with some creativity and usability built in, styli aren’t dead.

Update: There have been some more specs revealed like the screen resolution at 1024×600, a Qualcomm 8260 1.2GHz dual-core processor, dual cameras (front 1.2MP and the rear 5MP), will run Android 3.0, and features an app called Media Note that has “scrap-booking and note-taking capabilities”. Looks like the MeMo may be available this summer. We will see about that.

Via [Phandroid]

When we first of the Garmin-ASUS deal hitting the streets almost two years ago many were confused. With the Garminfone taking forever and year to be released it seems like it is no wonder that Garmin-ASUS are not the match made in heaven they may have thought they would be.

According to Economic-Daily, Garmin and ASUS will not be renewing their two-year partnership this coming January leaving the standalone GPS and failed phone maker out on the cold, hard streets in a world of Android phones with free turn-by-turn. Although the venture will not be renewed, it looks like ASUS will keep trying to make phones and include the Garmin GPS technology on the handset. It really is a wonder how ASUS can think that licensing and including Garmin on an Android device makes any sense at all when approved Android handsets come with Google Maps and Navigation.

We’ll see how it pans out for ASUS and Garmin in the coming months, but to be honest it doesn’t look like they have their head’s in the game and I’d be less than surprised to see nothing compelling come from either in the mobile space.

Via [Engadget] Source [Economic-Daily (Translated)]

Garmin’s nuvifone G60, a smartphone juiced with navigation and other location-based services, has been delayed for quite some time because of issues with their custom software/hardware in the device. Moving to strictly WinMo or Android is likely a response to those headaches.

Hektor Tung of Garmin-ASUS revealed the company’s change in course in an interview with CNETAsia. Tung also revealed that the first Android device from Garmin-ASUS would be released later this year.

[AndroidAuthority]

“Windows is what most consumers are used to,”

Yes, it seems that Windows, at least in the eyes of Asus is where it is at. Thankfully they have not abandoned plans to use other operating systems all together. In addition to the above statement, Jerry Shen also commented that they will see “more of an opportunity” to use other operating systems in the first quarter of next year.

[PC World]