Asus Padfone - a versatile platform or just good engineering exercise?

Now that we've spent some hands-on time with the Asus Padfone phone/tablet/netbook/notepad concept in its actual reincarnation, we were wondering how do you feel about it from a user's perspective.

The Padfone coming in April is a thin and powerful Android handset with a 4.3" Super AMOLED display, frame-crunching 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 chipset, 8MP BSI camera and a great sense of humor.

It uses some contortionist skills to slide and latch quickly into a 10.1" screen shell, becoming a tablet, which gets slammed into a keyboard dock with built-in additional battery to become a touchscreen netbook, all the while you can use a stylus for doodling like on a notepad, or receive calls with. The ultimate modern-day Matroska doll indeed.

Asus Padfone - a versatile platform or just good engineering exercise?

This whole schizophrenic getup is of a very sturdy build quality and a looker to boot, but how practical is it? We have given suitable and unsuitable usage scenarios that came to our mind while fondling the Padfone at MWC, but now we want to hear your opinion.

So what do you think - is the Asus Padfone the best thing after homemade jam or a multiple personalities disorder waiting to happen?

Checkmark one in the poll and opine in the comments below.

Asus Padfone - a versatile platform or just good engineering exercise?

Love it, this 4-in-1 concept is very practical, plus it looks like something from The Jetsons!

36.29%

Nice one, but it depends on pricing, I need to pay less than for separate devices

50%

Nah, it's cumbersome, I already own a smartphone/tablet/netbook

9.46%

Thanks, but I have enough crazies at home

4.25%

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.