ASUS PadFone Official

We've already shown you what the ASUS PadFone looks like; now it's time for all the juicy details. ASUS has given the PadFone its official debut at Computex 2011 today, a 4.3-inch Android smartphone which can dock into a companion 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 tablet. The tablet's separate battery can be used to recharge the phone, while the phone's 3G connection can get the slate online when away from a WiFi hotspot.

ASUS is promising a "seamless" transition from the phone to the tablet UI, with whatever you've been looking at on the handset automatically expanding to suit the slate, along with the improved web browsing experience you'd expect from a bigger display. If a call comes in while the phone is docked, then it can either be removed or answered with a Bluetooth headset.

Phone and slate can access the same storage in the handset, and since there's only one 3G radio then you don't have to swap your SIM between two modems (or sign up for a second data agreement). The UI has been modified to suit both displays, either showing mobile sites on the phone or full sites on the tablet. The phone itself has two cameras, a front-facing webcam – just like the tablet itself – and a 5-megapixel camera on the back which can also be used through a hole in the PadFone dock.

ASUS is saying that finalized hardware specifications haven't been decided on yet, and nor has pricing ahead of a tentative Q4 2011 release, so don't get your hopes up too much. Still, as concepts go, this is an intriguing one: let us know whether the PadFone appeals in the comments.