Today ASUS held its Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference, and Android tablet lovers will find that there was plenty to sink their teeth into with the company's announcements. ASUS talked up three devices during its event, including two new Transformer devices. First up, it's worth noting that ASUS has officially rebranded its Eee Pad Transformer lineup to "Transformer Pads," which includes the Transformer Prime.
The first new member of the Transformer Pad lineup announced by ASUS is the Infinity Series, which packs in several features that should make the spec-obsessed crowd drool. Along with a 10.1-inch 1920x1200 Full HD Super IPS+ display, the Infinity Series also inclues an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and HD video capture as well as a 2-megapixel shooter around front. There will be an LTE-capable model that'll feature a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor at its heart, while the Wi-Fi-only model will tout a quad-core Tegra 3. Like the Prime before it, the Transformer Pad Infinity Series will also be compatible with a keyboard dock.
Next up is the Transformer Pad 300 series. This slate isn't quite as high-end as the Infinity Series since it packs in a 10.1-inch 1280x800 IPS display, but it does still have a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and an 8-megapixel shooter on its backside. There's also a 1.2-megapixel camera on the Transformer Pad 300's face and an optional keyboard dock. The Transformer Pad 300 series will be available in 4G LTE and Wi-Fi-only flavors.
The final product shown off by ASUS today is the Padfone, a smartphone that can dock into a tablet and also have a couple of other unique accessories. The Padfone itself has a 4.3-inch 960x540 Super AMOLED display, dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 8-megapixel camera, 1,520mAh battery and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Then there's the Padfone Station, which is a 10.1-inch tablet that not only has a handy docking slot for the Padfone itself, but also adds five times the battery capacity. ASUS also said that it plans to offer a keyboard dock for the Padfone Station, turning the device into something like one of ASUS's Transformer Pads. Lastly, there's the Padfone Stylus Headset, which is both a Bluetooth headset and stylus pen rolled into one product.
So there's some of the upcoming additions to ASUS's Android roster. The two new Transformer Pad devices look like good options for folks in the market for a new Android slate, and it should be interesting to see how ASUS plans to price them, especially the lower-end Transformer Pad 300 series. Meanwhile, the Padfone is as unique as when we first saw it last May, and the good news is that it won't be much longer before we're actually able to buy the thing, as ASUS has said that the Padfone will begin shipping in April. As usual, we've got the press release announcing all of ASUS's new devices below. What do you all make of the Padfone? Would any of you think about buying one?
ASUS PadFone and upcoming Transformer Pad Lineup unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2012
ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih introduces the latest ASUS mobile devices and discusses his vision of ubiquitous cloud computing
Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain (27 February, 2012) – At today's "Incredibly Mobile Endless Possibilities" ASUS press event, Chairman Jonney Shih unveiled the revolutionary PadFone and upcoming Transformer Pad lineup. "The time has finally arrived when every screen in your lives could transcend into a portal with real time access into your digital world," said Mr. Shih as he introduced the ASUS PadFone which transforms into a three-in-one combination of a smartphone, a tablet and a notebook when accessorized with the PadFone Station and PadFone Station Dock.
The ASUS PadFone is an incredible 4.3" smartphone featuring a Super AMOLEDqHD display, the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core processor and an ultra-sharp 8-megapixel digital camera with Fuji image processor all wrapped in an exquisite design that is optimized for Google's Android 4.0 operating system. When placed inside the optional PadFone Station, it transforms into a 10.1" tablet with 5 times the battery capacity. The PadFone offers unmatched versatility via ASUS' proprietary Dynamic Display technology which allows seamless transition between the PadFone and PadFone Station display screens. In addition, the PadFone Station offers an optional keyboard dock that essentially turns the PadFone into an ultraportable computing device. The PadFone also comes with the option of a PadFone Stylus Headset which is a Bluetooth stylus pen that transforms into a headset for picking up calls easily.
ASUS is redefining the future of mobile computing devices and is excited to announce the new and innovative ASUS Transformer Pad lineup. Offering three distinct models to fit the unique needs of mobile media consumers, ASUS believes in providing consumers with choices. The ASUS Transformer Pad lineup includes the ASUS Transformer Pad Prime and upcoming ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity series and ASUS Transformer Pad 300 series.
The Transformer Pad Infinity Series is poised to be the go-to tablet for HD mobile entertainment as it features an impressive 1920x1200 Full HD Super IPS+ display and ASUS SonicMaster technology. The 4G LTE* model comes armed with the powerful Qualcomm MSM 8960 Snapdragon S4 Krait Dual-core 1.5Gh processor and is capable of download and upload speeds of up to 100Mbps and 50Mbps respectively. The WiFi model features the NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor for incredible application and gaming performance. The Transformer Pad Infinity has a 2MP front camera for HD video conferencing along with an 8MP rear camera with a large F2.2 aperture, 5-element lens and LED flash for stunning high quality images or HD video capture.
The Transformer Pad 300 Series makes for an ideal mobile web surfing and gaming platform with its NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor and high quality 10.1" 1280x800 IPS display with either 4G LTE* or WiFi options. It features a 1.2MP front camera for video conferencing and an 8MP rear camera with a large F2.2 aperture, 5-element lens allows for high quality images along with HD video recording. The Transformer Pad 300 Series has battery life of up to 10 hours*, and that is extended up to 15 hours* with the optional keyboard dock.
Via Engadget (1), (2)
