ASUS have launched the PadFone Mini in Taiwan. It’s not a common concept in Europe nor does it appear to be so in the States but I like it. This is a 4.3 inch phone that slides into a 7 inch tablet.
The video touches on some of the reasons why I like the tech and why I think it’ll grow East. Why pay twice for the same functionality? When you’re getting a handheld tablet you’re often just buying some extra screen size and battery on the smartphone you already have.
In fact, the smartphone into laptop has a strong appeal to. In both cases the device that you carry around, the smartphone, is the portal brain that powers up the enhancement tech.
This approach means you only need one SIM. If you want two then some combinations, like the ASUS PadFone Mini, support it.
The fact that the tablet acts as a portable battery for the smartphone is brilliant. Battery power, especially now that removable batteries are so rare, will be a marketing battle ground in 2014.
What do you think? Do you side with me or can’t you see any attraction to the hybrid tech at all?
