The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 isn't a new device, but the LTE version continues to find new homes. This time out, the news comes from U.S Cellular who today is making the 16GB version of the device available for purchase for $499.99, when paired with a data plan of 2GB or more. Not a small amount of money by any means, but if you want a 10-inch tablet with pen input, the Note 10.1 is still the way to go. The tablet is available to purchase both online and in retail stores.
Previously U.S. Cellular has offered the WiFi only Note 10.1 for sale, but adding the LTE version now brings the carriers LTE device portfolio up to 11.
At the conceptual level, the ASUS Padfone series has always sounded cool, but it's never managed to translate that into mainstream success. Previous Padfones, though technically impressive, have been too expensive to win over consumers and carriers en masse. On top of that, ASUS has yet to present a really compelling use case for combining a phone with tablet dock.
Nevertheless, the Taiwanese manufacturer is back with a third Padfone iteration, the Padfone Infinity. The Infinity boasts superior specs, a redesigned, brushed aluminum chassis an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. But is that enough to justify this class of device? Check out our first impressions from Mobile World Congress after the break.
Android has a long history of playing host to ridiculously large smartphones. First there was the Dell Streak. Next came the original Samsung Galaxy Note. And now in 2013 we have the ASUS Fonepad, a 7-inch tablet that's also a 7-inch phone. On first inspection the Fonepad looks a little bit like a another 7-inch ASUS tablet, the Nexus 7. But unlike that device it's also a full 3G/HSPA phone, complete with earpiece and microphone. That's right, you can hold this seven-inch slab of electronics to your head and make telephone calls.
Where other large smartphones -- including Huawei's gigantic Ascend Mate -- trim down their bezels to make them more pocket and hand-friendly, ASUS has chosen to incorporate a tablet-sized screen trim on the Fonepad. As a result, using the device as a telephone in the usual way is the binary opposite of ergonomic. If you felt awkward making phone calls on a Galaxy Note, that's nothing by comparison. Assuming you posses digits large enough to palm the Fonepad to your ear, you're going to feel like an idiot walking around with it pressed to your face.
More ASUS related news has emerged from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, this time concerning the UK launch of their MeMo Pad tablets. Both the 7-inch and 10.1-inch tablets will be available to buy in the UK, with the first launching from March 7.
The 10.1-inch ME301T -- more commonly referred to as the Smart 10 -- is a Tegra 3 packing, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean tablet with an extremely competitive price point of £249. It houses a 1280x800 resolution IPS display, 16GB of on-board storage and will only be available in Midnight Blue at launch with other colors to follow. Several retailers have picked up the MeMo Pad Smart 10 including Currys PCWorld, Tesco and Amazon. Pre-orders should be available from each of these online now, with in-store purchases set to begin on March 7.
The MeMo Pad ME172V -- or MeMo Pad 7 as we shall refer to it -- again runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but is a more budget oriented offering. It's powered by a 1GHz VIA WM8950 processor, and has a display resolution of 1024x600 with 16GB of on-board storage. The killer feature on the MeMo Pad 7 though is the price, set to arrive for just £129 some time around mid-April.
The full press release can be found after the break.
Way back in October last year we first heard word that ASUS planned to bring the Padfone 2 to the UK in early 2013. It's now early 2013 and true to their word ASUS is indeed bringing the Padfone 2 to the UK on March 1 for £599.
For some it may seem an anti-climax given the recent unveiling of the Padfone Infinity at MWC. But, the Padfone 2 is still an impressive device packing a Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and a HD Super IPS+ display. It isn't quite the powerhouse the new Padfone Infinity is, but the hardware specs are still impressive. And of course, the Padfone 2 will be around £200 cheaper than the Infinity.
Both white and black versions will be available, and several big name retailers will be picking it up including Amazon and Carphone Warehouse. The full press release can be found after the break.
Another busy day in Spain has drawn to a close, and center of a decent piece of todays new devices announcements was ASUS. In the way that only Johnny Shih and company know how, ASUS today introduced the new Padfone Infinity and the Intel Atom powered Fonepad tablet-cum-smartphone hybrid. Just in case you missed the Android Central liveblog, ASUS has kindly posted the highlights from the, interesting, press conference for us all to watch and enjoy.
Sony is announcing today at MWC that its latest flagship Xperia Z and Xperia Tablet Z will both be available globally starting March 1st. The Xperia Z, which we've had extensive hands-on time with, has already been up for pre-order and sale in varying capacities around the world. The Tablet Z, on the other hand, was announced in late January in conjunction with a Japanese carrier launch, but without any launch specifics until now. If you need a little refresher on the specs, we've got a 1920x1200 display, powered by a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB of RAM. It will be launching with Android 4.1, but Sony has specifically named an Android 4.2 update as being in the works. Sony is still touting the device as the thinnest tablet available, and is still both water and dustproof like its phone counterpart.
The Tablet Z will also have a few first party accessories out of the gate, such as a charging dock and leather carrying case. Both the Xperia Z and Tablet Z will launch globally on March 1st, with obviously varying prices within each region. We'll be sure to bring you specifics as they come available for each market.
The 7-inch ASUS FonePad unveiled today at MWC 2013 combines the communication features of a smartphone with the entertainment opportunities of a tablet. Find out what specs the ASUS FonePad brings to the table after the break.
The ASUS Fonepad is real, having been formally introduced to the world earlier today in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress. The collaboration with Intel sees phone and tablet meshed together in perfect harmony, and keeps everything at a pretty competitive price. Like the Galaxy Note 8.0, the Fonepad has an earpiece on the front along with its phone capabilities.
We've mocked the thought of holding something the size of a tablet to the side of our faces, but it seems ASUS is pretty serious on that train of thought. As this promotional video for the new device shows, its considered perfectly natural to be out in public and hold a 7-inch device to the side of your head. Crazy? Maybe. We'll reserve judgment for now, but jump into the comments below and let us know what you guys think.
ASUS announced the 5-inch PadFone Infinity today at MWC 2013 that can become a 10.1-inch tablet when docked to its PadFone Infinity Station companion. This device packs some impressive hardware so get a full dose of specs on the ASUS PadFone Infinity and the Infinity Station after the break.
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