The Asus PadFone is one of the most unique devices soon to be hitting the Android market. The PadFone can exist in three different states — as just the phone itself, as a tablet (by putting the phone into the tablet dock), and as a smartbook (by attaching the keyboard to the tablet). Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ties this all together by providing a UI that scales between each of these form-factors.

NetbookNews points out that Asus has just announced via Google+ (in the comments) that the PadFone release date will be in April. Pricing will be coming in the next few weeks also, according to Asus.

When Asus first introduced the PadFone, it was really just a prototype. Just last week at MWC, Asus unveiled what appears to be the final version of the device which features a totally redesigned phone component and some changes to the tablet portion. Here is a gallery of the retail design of the PadFone:

Asus has also now published the official specs for the PadFone on the product page:

The Padfone has developed somewhat since we saw the magic at Computex 2011. We’re  now looking at the docking station (with 18Wh battery) and a cool little Bluetooth pen that acts as a headset.

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The Asus Padfone seemed to have gone into hibernation after it’s Computex debut way back in May. It popped up at CES and now, according to a story from MoDaCo, the Asus Padfone will be officially announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) at the end of February in Barcelona.

Using the world ‘announced’ might be a bit confusing because Asus already officially revealed the device. However, the initial unveiling at Computex was more of a demonstration of a concept design, while I would expect the announcement from MWC to show off production model with the inclusion of pricing and release information.

The Asus Padfone has a heretofore unique form-factor which allows you to dock a seemingly regular smartphone with a tablet-dock to essentially turn the phone into a tablet. All of the memory, processing, sensors, and cameras are contained within the phone itself, while the tablet-dock is nothing more than a 10.1″ 1280×800 touchscreen and battery.

Will the Asus Padfone Have Nvidia Tegra 3?

Paul from MoDaCo expects the Asus Padfone to be announced newly designed with Nvidia Tegra 3, but I’m not so sure. We saw a number of phones announced at CES 2012 based on Tegra 3, and while space probably isn’t a concern, price might be. Running the latest and greatest hardware in addition to selling the Padfone with an external screen/docking unit (and battery!) might make the phone impractically expensive. It wasn’t announced officially that the Asus Padfone was running Tegra 2 back in May, but we’re banking on that given the time frame in which it was announced. That doesn’t necessarily prevent them from redesigning the device for Tegra 3, but if they want to actually move a significant number of Padfone’s, they’ll need to be able to sell it (dock included) no more expensive than what a decent tablet would cost.

In the US, smartphones are heavily subsidized by carriers, but carries here tend to steer clear of less established form-factors. If Asus wants to sell the Padfone in the US, they’ll probably be selling to customers, rather than carriers. Without the carrier subsidy, the Padfone could be looking at a $600+ pricetag — keeping costs down would be vital to US sales. However, being a Taiwanese company, the US probably isn’t their primary demographic.

You can be almost certain of an external redesign of the prototype version of the Asus Padfone that we saw in May and at CES; that much is clear. The Padfone was still running an Android 2.x build when it was announced which means it had the standard four ‘Android buttons’ at the bottom of the phone screen. As of Android 4.0 ICS, the buttons are now built into the software, making the hardware buttons on the Padfone usless. The production model will have these removed, and I imagine Asus will update the docking screen to give it a more contemporary look.

I don’t think there’s enough evidence right now to say whether or not the Asus Padfone will have Tegra 3. I’m very interested to see how Asus plays this one. There’s always the chance that they include Tegra 3 at extra cost, but sell the docking-tablet separately (as they do with the Transformer and Transformer Prime).

Asus Padfone and Android 4.0

It seems Asus always had the intention of using Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to provide both a tablet or phone interface depending upon whether or not the phone is docked. When it was originally demonstrated, Android 4.0 ICS was still a ways off. At CES, however, Asus showed-off the Padfone running the very latest Android build (still prototype hardware). Curiously, it was also confirmed that the Padfone uses the same docking connector as the original Transformer — presumably the keyboard dock could be used with the phone (though it might need hacking). Here’s the Asus Padfone running Android 4.0 ICS, thanks to our friends at Netbook News:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTXBG-Hs_Ww

Just launched at their Computex press event is the Asus PadFone, a hybrid tablet / phone combination that docks together. We’re getting images and specifications through as the press conference happens. This entry will update with new information, images and videos as we get them. {Update: Launch event video below]

From information available at the moment, it looks like the unit has 3G capability only via the phone (1 SIM card needed) but can use the battery inside the main tablet unit. Both devices run their own OS/processing platform with the main unit switching as the phone is docked.

Update: Engadget have been told that the padfone will be targeted for the end of year and it won’t be running Honeycomb. Ice Cream Sandwich is more likely.

The main screen is a 10 inch module (1280×800)

Press images are available here.

Our product page with links and images is building, as you read,  right here.

Image via Netbooknews.

Hat tip @jkkmobile @gadgetsmagazine

It’s important to note that ASUS aren’t announcing final specifications, a date or a price at the moment so this is very much a concept right now. We’re assuming it’s being built on Tegra2 at this stage.

Now this is cool. Asus is taking the dockable-device idea to a whole new level. We’ve seen the Motorola Atrix and its laptop dock, and there’s also the Eee Pad Transformer with attachable keyboard, but this is the first time that I’ve ever seen a smartphone that docks inside a larger tablet.

Pocketnow has uncovered images of the unique tablet/smartphone combo and they expect to see official information about the devices out of Computex tomorrow.

There’s not a lot of hardware info yet, but I really hope Asus is on to something here; I’d love to see more companies doing this.

Why? I actually sold my original iPad a few months back because it didn’t really have a place in my life. As an iPhone owner, having a 10” version of a device running the same OS felt redundant. I can imagine that Android phone owners have a similar feeling. However, there are times where a larger screen is useful. Showing pictures, for instance, is great on a tablet (especially if their geotagged); local multiplayer gaming is also great on a big screen, but such use isn’t common enough for me to be able to justify a whole separate tablet. If I could just drop my iPhone or Android device into a larger and higher resolution screen, that could also take advantage of apps designed for such a screen, it would make the device much more flexible as I could choose when I want the large screen and when I want the device to be pocketable.

If Asus can combo a tablet-dock and a powerful smartphone together for a reasonable price (reasonable, in this case, being cheaper than buying a separate smartphone and tablet) then they could really make a splash with this form-factor. I, for one, am hoping that this takes off!

Now just imagine if the Padfone smartphone/tablet had a dockable keyboard….

Pocketnow has a few more images of the device, go check them out!