Padfone: Tablet Meets Phone

The Padfone includes a 4.3-inch smartphone and a 10.1-inch tablet dock companion.

The obvious metaphor here is that users can “kick” content from the Padfone to the dock.

No word yet on what version of Android it will run. Considering the dock is dumb without the phone, we’re ruling Honeycomb out for this device. Here’s what we like: The dual interfaces for both the pad and phone ensure the layout is automatically adjusted for all activities, such as video conferencing, Web browsing and emailing.

See where the phone meets the dock. When docked, the phone can recharge from the tablet’s battery, while the tablet leverages the phones 3G connection. The Padfone offers one SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card for both devices. Talk about symbiosis.

The rear panel pops out to reveal the phone. We don’t yet know the full dimensions of the phone and tablet, both of which are subject to change, Asus said.

The Android phone, revealed.

The Padfone is an attractive candy-bar form-factor phone, with all of the requisite Android buttons. It reminds us a little of the Motorola Droid X, actually.

Would you buy this phone without the tablet dock? That’s the question. Phone makers can’t tether the phones too closely to their docking devices. The Atrix 4G laptop dock costs $499 by itself and $200 extra with the phone. We wonder how Asus will price this combination and what carriers will offer it.

The back, mimicking the drab gray of the HTC ThunderBolt 4G, shows a 5MP camera.