

Asus Unveils Padfone Hybrid Android Smartphone-Tablet - bigwophh
http://hothardware.com/News/Asus-Unveils-Padfone-Hybrid-Android-SmartphoneTablet/

======
cstuder
I'm not sure if this is gonna work.

Please note:

\- The pad is only a dock, so it doesn't offer any functionality by itself,
without the phone docked.

\- These are just mockups. Asus won't ship until the end of the year.

\- Don't we have wireless connections enough by now? Do we really have to put
a phone behind a display secured by a latch?

Actually I'm sure it won't.

~~~
bad_user
It's an interesting concept, since it also has advantages.

    
    
        The pad is only a dock, so it doesn't offer 
        any functionality by itself
    

Which means the acquisition cost should be lower than buying both an iPhone
and an iPad. And these recent phones have enough processing power for most
people's needs, but not enough battery or sufficient display size and the pad
takes care of that.

About wireless, everytime I actually need a phone or a tablet (as when I'm on
the move) I don't have wireless. When sitting on my bed or other such
activities, the tablet is only more convenient, but I can very well use my
laptop (and I do, depending on my mood).

The only thing that worries me about this product is build quality and the
user experience coming from an interface that should scale from small to big.

~~~
sorbus
> The only thing that worries me about this product is build quality and the
> user experience coming from an interface that should scale from small to
> big.

Asus tends to have really good build quality. Anecdotally, the two Asus
netbooks I've owned were/are both extremely solid. The first one (which is now
upwards of three years old) continues to work perfectly save for some issues
with the screen's connection, and the second one is in almost perfect shape
after a year and a half or so. My Asus laptop is about a year old, and is
going well except for a bit of damage to the trackpad. Less anecdotally, Asus
has the lowest 3-year failure rate of any manufacturer, including Apple,
according to a study a year or so back.

------
cleverjake
"unveils" is a bit of a misnomer. they showed off a plastic mockup. While I do
like the idea of a hybrid device, every time I have seen something this far
from production be publicly launched, it hasn't turned out great.

~~~
bonzoesc
"Pretended to unveil" ruined the flow of the headline.

------
Argorak
I am not sure whether I trust that latch to hold for the lifetime of the
tablet. If it doesn't, I won't bet on the lifetime of the phone.

Also, taking calls while the phone is in the table could be awkward.

Otherwise: interesting concept, I will watch it.

------
jwtanner
Why is docking your phone into your tablet a good thing?

~~~
cleverjake
not have to sync the two together, extended battery for the phone, reduction
of gadget space are hte first few that come to mind

~~~
bonzoesc
I've found that many iOS applications implement their own syncing that works
quite well (and the OS-level syncing of contacts, calendars, and mail works
well). The mere presence of an iPad means I'm more likely to use that than my
iPhone, saving the battery for calls. And finally, I'm not sure a tablet with
a big phone-sized wart on the back is a net space savings, considering you're
usually going to want your phone closer at hand (pocket) than your tablet
(bag) anyways.

~~~
cleverjake
"Many" !== all. It relies on developers to roll their own syncing. On the
other hand this product would mean literally anything on one device is
available on the other, regardless of network availability. On top of that, it
is undeniable that one of iOSs strongest points is its lack of hardware
diversity. You dont expect the sync your iPad with your droid, but should you
expect to sync everything between your Galaxy Tab and your Droid X? If so,
whose burden would it be? Samsung? Motorola? Google? the community? Or every
developer of every app? This streamlines it a bit more. And since it only
relies on the location of a couple of plugs, any oew could make it hardware
compatible.

It makes the tablet marginally thicker, but the lack of necessity for a second
charger already makes up for that.

I do not think the design is without its flaws, however I really do think that
this is moving more towards the future than a dead end.

------
tobinator
The pad is basically a screen magnifier. That's valuable, but I'd probably
leave it at home most of the time.

------
jablan
Wait, you buy a smartphone plus almost-a-tablet, which has 70% of what other
tablets have, costs probably 70% of the price of an ordinary tablet to
manufacture, but doesn't work at all by itself. Doesn't seem like a rational
thing to spend money on.

------
finebanana
I'm more concerned about the combined weight of the 2 devices if I were to use
it as a tablet (i.e holding it to read ebook etc)

------
simplezeal
Mock up video is running IE <http://bit.ly/mr06pB>

------
borism
Phones merging more and more with PC's.

I've made a promise to myself that HDMI-out is a must for my next Android
phone (currently I have HTC EVO 4G which has one, but is unusable as a phone
since I'm in Europe).

This is even better, at least on paper.

------
gcb
asus could conquer the world with a eeekeyboard where the side screen portion
is a dock for my phone.

then I'd have a full size keyboard with keys for a change and wireless hdmi

