Hands-on with the PadFone X: ASUS’ phone-tablet hybrid arrives in the US
If you’re a special sort of person — I don’t know, like a tech writer– the ASUS PadFone is old news. Since June 2012, Engadget has reviewed three versions of the phone, which comes with a tablet-like dock allowing you to transform it into a big-screen slate. For our American readers, though, it’s always been a curiosity — the sort of thing you could read about, but were unlikely to import all the way from Taiwan. Now you can finally see it for yourselves: AT&T announced earlier today that an American version, the PadFone X, will go on sale June 6th, priced at $199 on-contract. As it happens, I received a loaner unit today at a press event, which means Engadget will have a review up soon, probably closer to the on-sale date. For now, though, I’ll regale you with some early impressions of both the 5-inch phone and the 9-inch dock. Come with me if you want to live.
I’ve only had a short time to play with the PadFone X, but so far, at least, it seems much more comfortable to use in its native handset form. The phone, which rocks a 5-inch screen (small by today’s standards), is easy to hold. It’s not the thinnest handset I’ve ever held, but it’s light and in fact, I think that slight thickness might actually make it easier to grip. The 1080p display is sharp too, and the viewing angles are good enough that I was able to peek at some guy’s email from off to the side, even with me sitting a couple feet away (apologies, dude).
Design-wise, the PadFone X has more in common with ASUS’ new budget ZenFone line than it does the last-generation PadFone Infinity. The removable back cover is made not out of brushed metal this time, but instead smooth, plain plastic. It’s inoffensive, but definitely not as premium as some other flagships you’ll find on AT&T’s shelf. Clearly, then, your $200 isn’t buying design flair so much as specs. Specs and, well, innovation.
Speaking of the sort, let’s talk about that tablet dock. The screen itself measures nine inches diagonally, and there’s, of course, a phone-sized slot in the back where you slip in the handset. To be clear, the dock is a paperweight without the phone inside; even in tablet mode, the phone’s Snapdragon 800 chipset is running the show. By the way, performance throughout feels smooth, as you’d expect with such a top-of-the line processor. ASUS’ skinned version of Android KitKat might come as a bit of a surprise, especially to Android purists, but it’s hardly the heaviest skin I’ve seen.
In use, the whole thing feels heavier than your typical tablet, not least because there’s a big ol’ hump around back where the phone is. That said, the bulge also creates a natural resting spot for your hands, so it’s hard to totally knock it when the ergonomics might actually make sense. And the tablet’s resolution — 1,920 x 1,200 — is fairly sharp for a 9-inch screen. Also, the dock contains its own 4,990mAh battery — a big improvement over the 2,300mAh cell inside the phone. So even if you find the tablet mode a little unwieldy, the dock is a good accessory to have handy — you never know when you’ll need a spare battery. All told, the two combined should last through 10 hours of video playback, according to an ASUS rep (we’ll of course be the judge of that in our full review).
So far, I’ve covered just what comes in the box: the phone and the tablet dock. There will be some other accessories, though, including a set of folio cases ($80) and a Bluetooth keyboard dock ($99). Some early thoughts: You might want to think hard about the keyboard. Not only is it cramped and flimsy, like a netbook’s, but also certain fairly important keys are either hidden or hard to reach. Both the quotation mark and apostrophe, for instance, require you to hit a special Function key, as opposed to the usual left Shift button. As such, typing on it doesn’t feel natural. (Here’s a mental image for you: an old colleague, a tech editor, at the AP, peering over my shoulder, trying to no avail to help me find the apostrophe.) If I were you, I’d look into other Bluetooth keyboards before buying ASUS’. Everything else, though (the tablet, dock) has a little more promise. More on that in our full review, of course.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS
Source: AT&T
AT&T Finally Announces the ASUS PadFone X; Coming June 6th for $199
The ASUS PadFone has always been a device that many of here in states have been eyeballing. not just for its unique phone/tablet ability, but because it never officially made its way stateside. We knew the PadFone X would be coming when they announced it back in January at CES. Finally we can put the when and how much speculations to rest. AT&T has announced in their newsroom this morning that the ASUS PadFone X will be making its way to the carrier on June 6th with the usual two purchasing options. You can pay $22.92 a month on AT&T Next for 18 months, or $29.80 a month on the Next 12. If you prefer those silly contracts you can grab it for $199.
“We are proud to add the innovative ASUS PadFone X to AT&T’s leading device portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T. “PadFone X provides tremendous value and flexibility to consumers. It combines a powerful smartphone with a 9-inch PadFone station and runs on the network that covers more than 99 percent of all Americans4.”
The standalone phone is a 5-inch Android 4.4 toting device with a 13MP camera.It sports a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage.
It is the PadFones ability to dock inside a 9-inch tablet that resizes the phones display on screen. Giving you a unique phone/tablet hybrid device all wrapped into one device and one service provider.
While the over all specs might not put it into he high-end category anymore, it is still a unique device that should pack plenty of punch and value for many people.
Via AT&T
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ASUS’ modular PadFone X is finally coming to AT&T for $199
AT&T promised back in January that it would launch ASUS’ PadFone X hybrid, but the device has been stuck in limbo ever since — the carrier hasn’t given out much more than specs for the phone-and-tablet combo. Today, though, there’s finally a date to mark on your calendar. The PadFone X should be available on June 6th for $199 on a two-year contract, or $23 per month if you buy it on an 18-month Next payment plan.
The hardware hasn’t changed in the space of half a year, although it’s still reasonably current. The core phone is a 5-inch Android device with a speedy Snapdragon 800 processor, 16GB of expandable storage and a 13-megapixel rear camera; the 9-inch tablet shell provides a bigger screen for the docked phone as well as an extra battery and wireless charging. You can’t exactly call this a timely launch, but it’s still big news for Americans who’ve previously had to import ASUS’ two-in-one device concept.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS, AT&T
AT&T to sell $200 Asus PadFone X on June 6
AT&T on Wednesday detailed the upcoming availability for the Asus PadFone X. The smartphone and tablet hybrid experience will be sold for $200 with a two-year service agreement when it arrives on June 6. Customers can also purchase the device on for $22.92 per month with AT&T Next 18, or $29.80 per month with AT&T Next 12. Yes, for the money, customers get both the 5-inch Android-powered smartphone and the 9-inch PadFone Station dock/table.
The PadFone X runs Android 4.4 KitKat and features a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 16GB internal storage, and a 13-megapixel rear camera.
The post AT&T to sell $200 Asus PadFone X on June 6 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Asus teases the next incredible “thing,” that’s also thin
With Computex coming up next week, Asus has taken to social media with a video that tells of a thin device coming without offering up much else. There’s no silhouette of a device, so your guess is as good as ours whether its a new tablet or smartphone, or both.
Computex 2014 will be taking place June 3 to 4 in Taipei, Taiwan.
What do you think Asus could have up its sleeves?
The post Asus teases the next incredible “thing,” that’s also thin appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google aims for the mainstream with 20 new, more powerful Chromebooks
If you haven’t picked up a Chromebook just yet, you might want to wait a little longer. Intel has just announced that it plans to roll out as many as 20 new Chromebooks by the latter half of this year. This new set will be thinner, lighter, more powerful and generally more diverse in terms of design. It’s clear that Google is making a play for the mainstream.
Most of these will be based on Intel’s more powerful and efficient Bay Trail-M system on a chip.
“Bay Trail is optimized for power, performance and cost,” Intel’s VP and general manager, Navin Shenoy, said. “The first Chromebooks are also now available with over 11 hours of battery life, which is up from about 10 hours on Haswell.”
They’re also the first ever Chrome devices to be fanless, he said, and will be 15% lighter. Also expect a lot more different Chromebook designs and form factors. There’ll be some models with touchscreens, and some, like the Yoga, will have a folding display. In addition to just Chromebooks, Intel also introduced a tiny HP Chromebox that you’ll be able to hook up to any display and announced the availability of LG’s all-in-one Chromebase. Last but not least, Shenoy also announced that all of the Chrome devices released today will be made with the world’s first “conflict-free” microprocessors, that were not mined by slave regimes in the Republic of Congo.
At least a couple of them will be based on the company’s Core i3 processor, including an Acer version that’ll be available for $349 this summer and an updated version of Dell’s 11-inch model that should ship later in 2014. In addition, Intel is partnering with at least four major manufacturers — Acer, ASUS, Lenovo and Toshiba — to produce Bay Trail-powered devices. Lenovo has announced two of these last night: the N20 and N20p. Not to be left out, ASUS also rolled out a couple of new offerings. They include an 11.6-inch C200 and a 13.3-inch C300, both of which will begin shipping this summer.
Caesar Sengupta, VP of product management at Google, took to the stage to say that sales numbers for the Chrome devices have been great. “Chromebox is the number one selling desktop,” he said, “And the top six rated laptops on Amazon are all Chromebooks. They’re both the highest rated and the most affordable.” He also pointed out that eight of the top computer manufacturers offer Chromebooks, and that Chrome devices are available in over 20 countries and nearly 10,000 schools, with more coming in the future. Shenoy also showed off an education Chromebook reference design that he hopes will inform the next generation of Chromebooks for schools. In addition, Sengupta told us that not only are Google Now and voice commands coming to Chromebooks, but also Play movies will be available to view offline as well. “The momentum is solid and gathering pace,” he said.
Filed under: Google
Laptop mode finally returning to the ASUS PadFone line
When we last hung out with ASUS CEO Jerry Shen, the exec expressed his support for bringing back the keyboard dock to the PadFones, which would mean you’d get three form factors with one product: a phone, a tablet and a laptop. Now, we have a leak confirming that this is definitely in the works. Courtesy of an FCC document dug up by our friends at Mobile Geeks, we’re looking at an “ASUS Mobile Dock Keyboard” (PF-06 or “TransBoard”) which, for a change, uses Bluetooth instead of a physical docking interface.
Judging by the above blurry photo plus its matching 25cm width, the dock appears to be designed for (and lab-tested with) the upcoming PadFone X for AT&T. However, the lack of locking mechanism suggests it might accommodate other similarly-sized PadFone Station tablets as well, though there’s no telling how secure the fit would be.
More interestingly, it appears that for the sake of keeping the dock lightweight, ASUS has opted to leave the bulky battery out, meaning you won’t be able to charge up the phone and tablet with the dock. Instead, you’ll only find a tiny 450mAh cell that powers the Bluetooth radio plus the multi-touch trackpad, and you’ll need to charge it up separately via the dock’s micro-USB port. And of course, there’s no SD slot here, so you’ll need to rely on USB OTG to plug in a memory card.
Despite some missing features compared to the original keyboard dock, we’re certain that this is still music to the ears of PadFone fans. We should hear more at Computex early next month, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, ASUS
Via: Mobile Geeks
Source: FCC
Tablet demand hits a wall as many are happy with the devices they own
It looks like Apple wasn’t the only tech firm to see its tablet business take a hit this winter; according to IDC, others suffered a similar fate. The analyst group estimates that overall tablet shipments grew just 3.9 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, a sharp contrast with the breakneck pace of the past few years. Amazon took a particularly severe blow, as its shipments dropped almost 50 percent. So what prompted the suddenly chilly market? If you believe researchers, many are happy with the devices they’ve got — they either have a good-enough tablet or a big-screen smartphone that will do in a pinch. Simply put, there was no compelling reason to splurge on something new.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom. Samsung’s shipments grew by a third, in part because it encouraged carriers to bundle cellular tablets with smartphones. Lenovo’s success with slates also continued unabated. While it’s still relatively small in this field compared to Apple or Samsung, its unit numbers more than tripled in the past year thanks to hits like the Yoga Tablet. These are shipments and not sales, so they don’t tell a complete story — Apple claims that pent-up iPad mini demand skewed its figures last year, for instance. Even with that in mind, it’s evident that tablet makers will have to fight harder to capture people’s attention.
Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Samsung, ASUS, Amazon, Lenovo
Source: IDC
Microsoft donates $1 billion to help US schools buy PCs
Microsoft isn’t just supporting White House’s ConnectED education program by lowering the cost of Windows — it’s also giving schools the cash they’ll need to buy Windows PCs. The company is donating $1 billion to make sure that students have the tech they’ll need for both getting online and learning technology skills. The funding comes alongside a new device pricing program that should make the PCs more affordable — to start with, it’s offering sub-$300 systems from Acer, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, Panasonic and Toshiba.
The company isn’t shy about having a commercial incentive behind its generosity; its Education CTO, Cameron Evans, tells CNET that there’s a hope that kids will become loyal Windows fans down the road. However, he adds that any eventual sales are secondary to the more immediate focus on improving education. The influx of cash should reduce the technology gap for less fortunate students, many of whom could miss out on digital learning without a little help.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Death of Windows XP can’t quite reverse slowing PC sales
The official end to Windows XP support may have sent many companies into a panic, but it was good news for PC manufacturers this winter… well, sort of. Both Gartner and IDC report a big increase in PC shipments during the first quarter thanks to companies scrambling to replace old XP computers at the last possible moment. However, the two analyst groups note that the sudden spike only managed to soften ongoing declines in PC shipments, rather than reverse them. Depending on which research firm you ask, the number of PCs on the market dropped between 1.7 percent to 4.4 percent year-over-year. That’s better than what system builders have seen over most of the past two years, but it’s not exactly a recovery.
As for the companies that came out on top, it’s a familiar story. Market share gains largely went to major players like Lenovo, Dell and HP, while the biggest blows came to a long-suffering Acer as well as small vendors. What happens next is less than certain, though. Gartner believes that the tablet boom isn’t hurting PCs as much as it used to, and expects upgrades from XP to help shipments over the course of 2014. IDC, meanwhile, isn’t so optimistic. Although the outfit sees the tablet market slowing down as it matures, it’s not anticipating a turnaround for computers any time soon.
[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Apple, ASUS, HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo
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