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ASUS' new Fonepads are solid tablets, but still awkward for making calls
ASUS' new Fonepad 7 and 8 are sleek, well-built Android tablets equipped with 3G connectivity and dual SIM slots, along with a speaker and mic. Whether making calls on a gigantic slate is something you're into is another question, but if you're at all interested in a tablet that can pull double duty as your handset, ASUS' products are the best ones you could ask for. And they work quite well as tablets, too.
New Fonepads from ASUS offer 3G, extra processing power
It wouldn't be an ASUS event without a new device that functions as both a handset and a slate. And, as expected, the Taiwanese company delivered on that front here at Computex; CEO Jonney Shih announced the Fonepad 8, along with a 7-inch version, the Fonepad 7. A follow-up to ASUS' Fonepad 7, the new devices sport similar specs, with improved performance and a slimmer design. Oh, and they boast a 64-bit processor that supposedly crushes other phones when it comes to real-world benchmarks.
ASUS refreshes its Fonepad 7 phone / tablet with dual speakers, we go ears-on (video)
Nothing like a leaked video to get you pumped about a product. Of course, we're not suggesting that ASUS went out of its way to post information about the forthcoming Fonepad 7, but either way, that teaser piqued our curiosity. Now that ASUS has officially unveiled the product here at IFA, though, we can confirm these are fairly minor upgrades to the company's original 7-inch, talk-enabled phone / tablet crossbreed. Namely, ASUS moved to glossy back cover and (as we saw in that video) added an extra speaker on the front side. Not that this isn't a good speaker setup. A number of companies have tried and failed to perfect the art of speaker placement, but we quite like what ASUS did here. For starters, they actually, you know, face you while they're playing. Quite the innovation, we know. And while they're placed near where you hold the device when it's in landscape mode, it's quite easy to grip it without muffling the sound. That said, we weren't able to get the sound all that loud when we played around with it in the echoey halls of Berlin's Hotel de Rome. The sound was easily drowned out by the admittedly larger MemoPad 10.
ASUS briefly posts Fonepad 7 ad that reveals dual front speakers (video)
ASUS can't stop tweaking the Fonepad, it seems. Just a few months after boosting the specs of its phone-and-tablet hybrid, the company has inadvertently posted (and retracted) a video ad for yet another refresh, the Fonepad 7. You'll be disappointed if you were expecting a more substantial update this time around, though. As Android Community notes, the biggest change to the Atom-powered slate is the addition of dual front-facing speakers. After that, the visible upgrades are limited to a 5-megapixel rear camera (up from 3.2MP) and an integrated contact interface for calls and text messaging. There aren't any clues in the promo as to when the Fonepad 7 will launch, although the timing hints that we could learn more at IFA. Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!
ASUS reveals FonePad Note FHD 6: 6-inch 1080p display, dual-core 1.6GHz CPU, 2GB RAM
At its Computex 2013 showcase event, ASUS introduced the new FonePad Note FHD 6, an Android tablet with stylus support that rocks a slightly smaller form factor than the FonePad announced at MWC. On the front of the device is a 6-inch, 1080p Super IPS+ display, a 1.2-megapixel camera and front-facing stereo speakers (think: the HTC One). The main shooter packs an 8-megapixel sensor, and inside the slate-come-phone is a dual-core 1.6GHz processor (Atom Z2560) paired with 2GB of RAM. While this is billed as a tablet, a 3G antenna is on board for calling and DC-HSPA+ data, so it should handle download speeds up to 42Mbps. No pricing or availability details for the FonePad Note (we doubt Samsung's pleased with that name) have been announced, but we'll let you know if we get any additional intel.
ASUS Fonepad gets a spec boost: 1.6GHz Intel processor, 32GB storage
ASUS' Fonepad has been making its way around the world with a 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor and 16GB of built-in storage, but apparently there's a need for covering one's face with a beefier version. Announced in Taiwan earlier today, the 7-inch tabletphone will be offered with a faster 1.6GHz Z2460 plus 32GB of memory (with microSD expansion as before). This new model will retail for NT$10,900 locally, which works out to be about US$360; whereas the original model will still be available for NT$8,990 or about US$300 (which is, by the way, a tad more expensive than the UK price). We'll let you know when ASUS comes back with more information regarding availability in other regions.
Refresh Roundup: week of May 6th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: spring 2013 edition
Much like bears, tablet designers are coming out of hibernation: there have been a handful of noteworthy models reaching the wild after a few months of silence. Most of these are the Windows 8- and RT-based tablets that didn't quite make the cut for the holidays, and we're launching our 2013 spring tablet buyer's guide with a dedicated Windows section to accommodate a distinct and rapidly filling category. Just be careful before you commit to a purchase, wherever your allegiances lie: Mobile World Congress brought us tablets that haven't quite shipped yet, like the FonePad and Galaxy Note 8.0. (We've included a heads-up in those situations where waiting a few weeks, or months, may be wisest.) As chaotic as spring can be, our guide might just provide some kind of stability if you're shopping for your next slate.
ASUS FonePad ships April 26th in the UK, up for pre-order now
Back when ASUS first introduced that unorthodox FonePad to the masses at MWC, the Taiwanese company said the 7-inch device would be arriving in the European market at some point in March. Fast forward to today -- a couple of weeks late, no less -- and ASUS has announced that those in the United Kingdom can now start making pre-orders, with the Jelly Bean-loaded phone / tablet hybrid expected to ship on April 26th. Just as we'd heard in Barcelona, the FonePad's set to come with a £179.99 price tag, which, in return, gives folks a decent 1,280 x 800 IPS screen, an Atom Z2420 1.2GHz chip with 1GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage and a 4,270mAh battery -- plus, of course, the HSPA+ radio to boot. Online stores like Carphone Warehouse and Amazon are all set to take your money, just make sure you also buy some jeans with big pockets, because you'll certainly need a pair if you plan to use the PadFone FonePad to make calls in grandiose fashion.
ASUS posts MWC highlights, relives the weirdest press conference in recent memory
Man, oh man, ASUS certainly didn't disappoint with the verbally confusing back-to-back launch of the new PadFone Infinity and FonePad, but the real star of this morning's Mobile World Congress was sheer insanity, outdoing even that bizarre Columbus video from last week. What happens when you let the Magicians Guild run your show? A smattering of confused applause from an audience wondering if they hadn't partied a little too hard while out on the town in Barcelona the night before. The video's after the break. Come for the gadgets and stay for the mind-boggling strangeness of it all.
ASUS FonePad official: 7-inch tablet with phone functionality, priced at $249 (hands-on)
We already knew ASUS was prepping a product called the FonePad, a 7-inch tablet with built-in phone functionality (yes, just like the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0). Well, ASUS just formally unveiled it here at Mobile World Congress, which means we've got a few more details to share than we did previously. First off, the speculation about its specs was all true: this does indeed have an Intel processor -- a 1.2GHz Atom Z2420, to be exact -- along with 1GB of RAM, a PowerVR SGX540 GPU, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and an HSPA+ radio. What's more, the 4,270mAh battery is said to get up to nine hours of runtime, which would put this in the same league as other Atom tablets we've tested recently. In terms of hardware features, the FonePad has a smooth metal back (available in gray and gold), making it drastically different in appearance from the similarly sized Nexus 7. 'Round back you'll find a panel where all the usual antennae are, and hidden underneath are both the micro-SIM slot and the microSD reader. That microSD slot, by the way, supports 32GB cards, which should come in handy considering this has just 16GB of built-in storage. Additionally, the tablet has a 1.2-megapixel front camera, attached to a 7-inch, 1,280 x 800 IPS display. The FonePad will be available in Europe for £179 / €219. Here at MWC, ASUS also confirmed a US dollar price of $249, though we had heard rumblings it wouldn't actually be sold there. It arrives in March, but the specific on-sale date hasn't been revealed yet. We're hoping to test one ourselves soon enough, but until then, stay tuned for the usual round of hands-on shots. Update: Our hands-on photos and video are in! Enjoy!
ASUS FonePad reaches certification, may meld an Atom tablet with Android
No, not PadFone. FonePad. According to Indonesia's wireless regulator Postel, ASUS is trying to certify a FonePad K004 tablet that would switch up device names, not to mention create its fair share of mix-ups. But what is it? Based on that K004 codename and a match with a Thai retailer's listing, Notebook Italia believes it's none other than the recently leaked ME371MG, an Atom Z2420-based, 7-inch tablet that would run Jelly Bean. It might also carry 3G and justify its name through built-in phone functionality. We're skeptical when the specs aren't confirmed, and don't entirely line up -- there's just 8GB of space in the retail entry versus the originally claimed 16GB, as an example. If there's any fuel to the fire, however, the new round of MeMo Pads will eventually have some Intel-powered (if confusingly-named) company.
