#MWC: Asus shows off Padfone smartphone/tablet hybrid

4.3in smartphone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip and slots into 10in display

BARCELONA: Asus pulled out all the stops during its event at MWC by showcasing innovative products including the Padfone hybrid device that V3 was given a sneak peek off at CES.

Jonney Shih, chairman of Asus, unveiled the latest hybrid device which combines a smartphone with a tablet form factor.

The Android Ice Cream Sandwich device comes in two parts. There is a regular 4.3in Super Amoled qHD smartphone that is powered by a Qualcomm 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM.

This handset then slides into the back of a 10.1in tablet, which essentially doubles as a dock. The tablet has its own battery source, much like the Transformer Prime keyboard dock, but the 10in screen is powered by the smartphone.

Two editions of the Padfone were shown on stage. There was the regular two-in-one model and also a three-in-one edition which gives users the option to slot the Padfone into a keyboard dock and turning it into an Andorid laptop.

The three-in-one model will also have up to nine times more capacity than other mobile device.

"The boundaries for smartphones, tablets and notebooks are blurring. The Padfone allows users to carry out seamless transition," Shih said.

The Padfone is set to be released in April, with pricing to be confirmed. An LTE version of the device is expected to be released in the third quarter.

Shih also unveiled a stylus that doubles as a headset, and will no doubt be targeted at business users.

Asus also noted that it will be rebranding the "Eee Pad Transformer" series as the "Transformer Pad" range.

Shih said that the firm will be introducing the Transformer Pad 300 and 700 series, the second of which has a similar form factor to the existing Transformer Prime.

The devices will come with a choice of Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core processor or Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core chip with a touted speed of 1.6GHz, as well as Super IPS+ displays and LTE capabilities.