Asus is the master of tech that turns
into other tech, but the Padfone is its greatest challenge yet: a phone that
turns into a tablet that turns into a netbook...
Price: $1,189
Website: www.asus.com
Asus
Padfone
With the Padfone you get a powerful
smartphone which slots into a 10.1in, 1280x800-screened tablet, which itself
hooks up to a keyboard dock to create a netbook. All three devices use the
phone’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brain and the OS manages the different
components, changing battery drain and tinkering with layout depending on how
you’re using it.
If you’ve used the Asus Transformer, you’ll
recognize the Padfone Station keyboard dock. With the phone and tablet all
slotted in, it’ll be weightier than your average netbook, and screen-heavy too.
But you do get hassle-free tethering and you can’t dig a phone out of a MacBook
Air.
Padfone
Station keyboard dock
The brains of the operation reside within
the phone, which is a very respectable bit of kit in its own right. A 4.3in
Super AMOLED qHD screen, dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 8MP camera that also
serves up 1080p footage make this an Android you’d be pleased to hold against
your face.
Batteries in each component of the system
mean the Padfone has significant staying power. The juice is meted out
hierarchically - the phone gets the most, then the tablet, then the keyboard.
That way you’ll lose functionality as slowly as possible.
The phone has a dinky 0.3MP front-facing
camera for video calling, but the tablet upgrades that to a much better 1.3MP.
Normal photography on the tablet uses an elegant solution: the phone’s 8MP
snapper pokes through a little window on the rear, and can be controlled from
the big screen. Crafty.
The
phone’s 8MP snapper pokes through a little window on the rear
Alternatively: Samsung Galaxy Note
Price: $600
Ratings: 4/5
Website: www.samsung.com
Samsung
Galaxy Note
Another solution for people who want a tablet
and a phone at the same time, The Note is a phone with a massive 5.3in screen,
and a stylus for tablet use. Hope you have big hands.
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Technical
specs
·
Display: 4.3in Super AMOLED (phone); 10.1in
1280x800 TFT (tablet)
·
OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
·
Camera: 8MP rear; 0.3MP Front (Tablet: 1.3MP
front)
·
Connectivity: 3.5mm; Wi-Fi b/g/n; GPS;
Bluetooth 4.0; MicroUSB, MicroSD (phone); MicroUSB, MicroHDMI (tablet)
Verdict
·
A phone, tablet, and netbook all powered by
one device? It’s so crazy, it might just work.
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