ASUS MeMo Pad Smart 10 flaunted in YouTube trailer

Posted on 21/02/2013 by Jamie Rigg

ASUS has gotten into the habit of quietly releasing info about its new MeMo Pads, and to continue that trend, has snuck a trailer for the 10-inch model onto YouTube. The vid talks up various aspects of the MeMo Pad Smart 10, including its 1.2GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 5-megapixel rear shooter, 10-inch IPS display (1,280 x 800) with 178-degree viewing angle and SonicMaster audio tech, as well as some bundled software. Alongside "the metallic miracle," we're likely to see the tablet on the MWC floor in its pink, white and dark grey outfits. Before we get our hands on it, though, check out said trailer below to see if ASUS can sell you on hardware that lacks the frenzy-inducing Nexus branding.

Update: Just to be clear, the MeMo Pad Smart 10 is currently available in Europe and other territories, and is expected to cost around $299 when it launches Stateside.

Filed under: Tablets, ASUS

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Source: ASUS (YouTube)

ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo

Posted on 25/10/2012 by Richard Lai

It's only been half a year since the peculiar PadFone made its much-delayed entry into select markets, and earlier this week, ASUS' launch of its second-gen phone-in-tablet brings us back to this old question: are we better off with just one mobile screen instead of two? Ask any ordinary manufacturer and the answer is likely the latter, because who doesn't want to sell more products? Similarly, carriers would likely back such manufacturers for the sake of selling more data plans, even if they admire ASUS' efforts (and they could already be selling ASUS tablets in the first place). Some folks also argue that if you have to carry the tablet module with you anyway, you might as well have two separate devices for better multitasking.

It seems like there's a huge mountain to climb here, but on the flip side, ASUS' innovative differentiation does have some advantages. You only need one data plan (and no tethering required) for both form factors, you get to keep the same data in one place instead of having to duplicate them and you can pretty much instantly switch between a small screen and a large screen for the same content. Not to mention that there's also the added functionality of charging up the phone while it's sitting inside the tablet. Alas, the original PadFone and PadFone Station didn't quite hit the spot: the combined weight and bulk made it tough to justify the phone-in-tablet idea, which is why we said it's all about the PadFone 2 in our review. Let's see if ASUS has done it right this time 'round.

Gallery: ASUS PadFone 2 review

Continue reading ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS announces three budget-friendly laptops with touchscreens, the VivoBook Q200, S400 and S500 (update: eyes-on)

Posted on 23/10/2012 by Dana Wollman

Remember when Ultrabook prices dropped to around $700 and everyone cheered? Well, get ready for some one-upping: here at a New York City press event, ASUS just announced a line of lightweight, touchscreen laptops, and let's just say the prices are pretty aggressive. The new family, which will carry the name VivoBook, includes 11-, 14- and 15-inch models, with the 11.6-inch Q200 (aka the X202) starting at $499 with a Core i3 processor. The 14-inch S400, meanwhile, will start at $599, while the 15-inch S500 will go for $649 and up. Across the board, there will be configurations with Core i5 and i7 processors, but again, i3 is the starting spec here. As you can see in the photo above, the design isn't all that different from the current-gen Zenbook Prime family, though they lack some of that line's higher-end features -- namely, 1080p screens and solid-state storage. ASUS so far hasn't said when these laptops will ship here in the US, but we'll be sure to follow up with more specifics as we learn them.

Gallery: ASUS VivoBook Q200, S400 hands-on

Mat Smith contributed to this report.

Continue reading ASUS announces three budget-friendly laptops with touchscreens, the VivoBook Q200, S400 and S500 (update: eyes-on)

Filed under: Laptops, ASUS

ASUS announces three budget-friendly laptops with touchscreens, the VivoBook Q200, S400 and S500 (update: eyes-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS PadFone review

Posted on 12/06/2012 by Richard Lai

It's been a long ride for the PadFone. ASUS' last smartphone was the Android 2.1-powered A10 from two years ago, then five months later the company ended its smartphone partnership with Garmin (though they're still friends). The next thing we knew, the outfit was openly considering Windows Phone, but obviously nothing came to fruition despite its E600 engineering units floating about in the wild. Meanwhile, a bunch of Android Eee Pads started entering the market to get a slice of that hot tablet pie.

Eventually, the PadFone shocked the industry at last year's Computex (remember our brilliant mockup based on the teaser pics?), but ASUS went on to miss its Christmas launch target, allowing it extra time to rejig the phone's software and design. Then CES and MWC went by, with the latter hosting the official launch event to unveil the PadFone's final design and availability date. This time, the new April target was missed by only three weeks, and shortly afterwards we got hold of our retail unit from Taiwan, which is still the only place where you can get hold of the product.

But enough with the story. What we want to know is whether ASUS' courageous and unique project has all the right ingredients to squeeze itself into a market now dominated by the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC. Most importantly, will the company set a new trend with this two- or three-in-one form factor -- in the same way it did with netbooks -- thus taking the Android ecosystem to the next level? Let's see.

Gallery: ASUS PadFone review