The Taiwanese tech makers at Asus have combined the smartphone and tablet, creating one, affordable, device. The result, the Padfone Mini, has the potential to be the — the best thing since Proctor and Gamble first fused shampoo and conditioner together. Or the last Padfone — the Padfone 2.
Whereas the Padfone 2 consisted of a 4.7-inch smartphone that slotted into a larger 10.1-inch tablet, the Padfone Mini gets a smaller 4.2-inch smartphone and a 7-inch tablet. It’s powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1GB or RAM, dual SIM slots to let owners play between providers, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), a resolution of 1280 x 800 on the 7-inch tablet and 960 x 540 on the smartphone, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and, hosting the whole show, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
It’s essentially a docking system that allows the whole to become greater than the sum of its parts. The smartphone end of the business slots sexily into the tease that is the tablet, thereby transferring all its smart aspects to the big-screen siren, and from there on in what was a pocketable portal to the online arena becomes an upscaled internet access station that’s easier the eye.
“We are extremely excited with the possibilities for the PadFone Mini in the UK. However, the UK market requires extensive testing to be undertaken by the network operators in order for us to offer a device that has been suitably approved for use on the mobile networks,” said a spokes-mouth from Asus. “We therefore envisage that the PadFone mini will launch in the UK sometime in the first half of next year.”
A cunning compromise for those who want the best of both worlds but only have cash enough for a small continent, watch this space for a review early next year.
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