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ECS Shows Universal PadFone-Like Tablet
siliconbits writes with this excerpt from ITProPortal:
"Just 24 hours after Asus unveiled its padfone, ECS is toying with an idea that resembles the Asus PadFone — in a nutshell, a tablet that becomes a docking station for your smartphone just by slotting it at the back. While the Padfone works only with Asus' own smartphone, the ECS model will be open to other models and the one we played with was physically compatible with the Apple iPhone 4. Wu reckons that the accessory will appeal to users because it doesn't require them to ditch their existing handsets and will be compatible with future models using what Wu described as 'simple upgrades.' The tablet will work across platforms; Windows Phone, Android & iOS which should include the iPhone 5."
Maybe someone can find those apple patent drawings for the LCD where the laptop would dock into it creating a 2 piece iMac? Sounds like the same idea miniaturized.
...more than meets the eye.
Was I the only one wishing that the Pad somehow folded into a nutshell?
I need to work on my reading comprehension.
I don't get it, "pad" sounds horrible. Hell, it was mocked to death when the original iPad was released. Why is everyone using it now?
The Asus unveiling video is so hillarious: Link
Does Apple approve of this idea?
I find it hard to believe a third party solution that extends the iPhone into a tablet will be an Apple blessed product.
Load New Commander (Y/N)?
If the design doesn't expose both displays then it is dumb, because now you are carrying around a display that does nothing. I could see doing this up in a laptop form factor, then you could have the phone on the back of the display.
Now, if you could get a high speed short range wireless network between your phone and your tablet, and your phone's OS had network transparency in the GUI, and you could use the tablet as a display without docking your phone, there would be a point to that...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Now instead of carrying a tablet and a phone (which can be used separately), I'll be carrying a phone and a worth-fuckall-size-of-a-tablet-but-needs-a-phone "display" that can't be used separately! OMG! Where can I sign up to piss my money away?
(From TFA) the one we played with was physically compatible with the Apple iPhone 4
So... the iPhone fitted in the hole. Can they actually make it talk to the iPhone (i.e. make it act as a touchpad and external display that can do more than show video from compatible apps) without Apple's blessing?
...and if the phone rings you're going to look even more stupid than Galaxy Tab owners holding that thing to your ear.
Now, If I were designing a phone/tablet combo I'd go for a tiny phone that was just a phone and camera (maybe enough display for looking up numbers and predictive texting), and could tether to the tablet for internet/texting on a big screen.
Meanwhile, where's the Asus pad with sliding keyboard that they announced a few months back? That looked interesting.
Not sure how Asus have avoided Osbourning themselves - they always seem to announce their next product before their last product has made it into your local store.
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
I won't be buying one
it's too bad Asus can't even properly document or explain it's BIOS settings
it's a shame they don't make the things I'd really pay for
like good manuals
Really? Why do they even make those?
I'm oddly excited about the idea of docking my phone into a tablet and then docking that phone-tablet into a keyboard and then docking that phone-tablet-keyboard into a docking station for a desktop keyboard and monitor.
Reminds me of this device https://www.alwaysinnovating.com/products/smartbook.htm.
I've never liked smart phones, they're just an inconvenient form factor for me and because of the ten zillion things they doing/prepared to do their battery life stinks. I'm sometimes on my cell phone for six hours at a shot, and if the signal is at all weak my smart phone needs to be plugged in by the end of the first hour, while my old 'dumb' phone used to last almost all day.
I like the idea of being able to take my dumb phone, plug it into a nice, portable tablet to do the things that the smart phone form factor make horrible, then toss it back in my pocket.
"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
Have the tablet dock to a base that contains a much larger battery, a much larger harddrive, a dedicated GPU (not CPU) for gaming purposes, an optical disc drive as well as other common media ports, and a of course, keyboard/mousepad. That would be neat. Together, they would create a mid-level gaming laptop with a reasonable battery life. Apart, the screen part would serve as a normal ipad for casual reading, emailing, media, text-editing, and other web activities.