ASUS PadFone fuses smartphone and tablet, new pics reveal

By Adam Rosenberg May 29, 2011

padfone — Image used with permission by copyright holder

A few teasing images surfaced last week offering glimpses of a new device from ASUS making its debut at Computex 2011, something called PadFone, as PocketNow discovered. Earlier today, the same site posted some more revealing pics of the mysterious device, and it definitely manages to live up to its name.

As you can see, the PadFone comes fully equipped with a secret compartment for the docking of your ASUS-branded Android phone. Nothing is known about how the two devices will pair, but a design like that offers a lot of possibilities. More info will be coming when Computex kicks off this Tuesday.

You can also see in the image below how the PadFone seems to follow the lead of ASUS’ recently released Pad Transformer. If the pictured keyboard docking station is anything like that Transformer’s, it includes a built-in trackpad and battery, as well as USB and SD card ports. Folding a smartphone into a tablet into a netbook seems almost too over the top to be true, the Swiss Army Knife of mobile devices… and yet that’s exactly what we appear to be looking at.

padfone-with-dock — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Topics

Mobile

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Computing

The XPS 16 is fighting an uphill battle against the MacBook Pro

Dell XPS 16 sitting on desktop with flowers.

It took a few years, but Dell finally updated the design of its two largest XPS laptops. The XPS 15 gave way to the XPS 14, while the XPS 17 was replaced by the XPS 16. The latter gained the ultramodern look of the XPS 13 Plus, complete with a glass palm rest, a hidden haptic touchpad, and a row of LED function keys.

It's a significant update but places the XPS 16 in direct competition with the Apple MacBook Pro 16. That's an excellent matchup with proven performance and battery life and an elegant design that's solid, if a lot more conservative.
Specs and configurations

Computing

These 4K monitors are discounted at Best Buy — from $200

The Sony InZone M9 sitting next to a PlayStation 5.

A 4K monitor is a great way of enjoying an enhanced image as you work with more pixels, higher resolutions, and often better colors too. Over at Best Buy, there are some great monitor deals squarely focused on all things 4K. There are dozens of 4K monitors in the sale so the smart move is to hit the button below to see what’s there for yourself. If you want some help though, we’re here. We’ve picked out a few highlights in the sale so take a look for yourself.

What to shop for in the Best Buy 4K monitor sale
Samsung makes some of the best monitors around so why not start with the ? It’s currently reduced by $150 so it costs just $200. Its IPS panel looks great with AMD FreeSync support effectively eliminating screen tears and stutters. There’s also HDR support which brings with it some great looking colors while wide viewing angles mean it looks great from any perspective.

Computing

9 best processors for PC gaming: tested and reviewed

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D installed in a motherboard.

It's tough to find the right gaming CPU for your next PC. We've benchmarked dozens of processors to find the best CPU for gaming, and there's a clear winner right now: AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Although the latest chip from Team Red claims the crown, there are still several other great options on the market.

Whatever your needs and budgets, though, we have options from AMD and Intel that will be great performers. We're focused on gaming here, but if you want a processor that can game and get work done, make sure to check out our list of the best processors.