The phone that becomes a tablet: AT&T announces deal to carry the new, Android 4.4 KitKat-touting PadFone X
AT&T has just announced that it will be carrying the new PadFone X from Asus. The successor of the PadFone Infinity will follow into the footsteps of those before it, and will continue to carry the torch for a pretty interesting piece of tech that has managed to stick around against all odds. In case you weren't aware, the PadFone line products feature smartphones that can be latched to the back of a tablet dock, and turn it into a fully-functioning tablet. In other words, the phone serves as the brains of the tablet – no phone, no tablet. Considering that the price of the package can be generally said to be much more competitive than the alternative of buying two separate products, it actually isn't that surprising to see the concept gain a foothold.
ASUS PadFone X to Arrive in the U.S. Exclusively from AT&T
Innovative Smartphone and Tablet in One to Join the Nation's Fastest and Most Reliable 4G LTE Network
Las Vegas, Nevada, January 06, 2014
AT&T1 today announced that it will carry the ASUS PadFone™ X, a smartphone and tablet in one, exclusively in the U.S. Pricing, detailed specifications and availability will be announced at a later date.
“We are committed to delivering our customers the most innovative and compelling device portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T. “The PadFone X is first of its kind in the U.S. It combines leading technology, a beautiful design and a remarkably seamless application experience – all on the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network. This allows consumers to run their smartphone apps instantly on a vivid 9-inch tablet display. The magic of it is that the experience is not just bigger, it’s better than on a traditional smartphone.”
“AT&T and ASUS share a passion for innovation and we are very excited to bring the ASUS PadFone X to the U.S market,” said Jonney Shih, chairman, ASUS. “Our technology is capable of instantly turning a premium smartphone into a tablet, giving consumer the ultimate experience on both devices. Together, we look forward to bringing more choices to consumers.”
A Great Screen for Every Scenario
The PadFone X is a 5-inch full HD smartphone that activates a 9-inch full HD tablet when the phone is docked. It runs Android KitKat 4.4. and features a thin and light design with a brushed metal frame, a soft-touch back cover and dual front speakers that deliver captivating audio.
The PadFone X combines both smartphone and tablet into a thin and light package with seamless transitions that lets the user choose between two screen sizes dependent on the task at hand. Its unique design and features include:
Seamless Transition – Simply dock the smartphone and Apps running will instantaneously auto-adjust to fit the larger PadFone station display.
Optimal Experience – Consumers can effortlessly select the display experience that’s optimized for the application and their environment at that moment – whether they are watching a video at their kitchen table or taking a call as they run out the door. The PadFone X delivers a uniquely seamless experience that enables today’s mobile life.
Large Battery – The companion PadFone station includes a large battery. It charges the smartphone’s battery when docked, providing two times longer battery life. This allows users to do more of the things they love, for longer.
State-of-the-Art Technologies
The PadFone X supports LTE-Advanced technology, including Carrier Aggregation. The new product also supports Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and HD Voice.
ASUS and AT&T started working together in 2012 with the launch of VivoTab RT and continued through 2013 with the MeMO Pad FHD 10 LTE. For more information about the PadFone X watch the ASUS press conference live on Jan. 6 at 12:00 p.m. PST at http://press.asus.com/events. Follow the conversation on Twitter with #PadFone.
AT&T has the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network, according to independent third party data.2 In addition, the company was named America’s fastest 4G LTE network, in PC Magazine’s 2013 Fastest Mobile Networks study of 30 markets – and also swept the top rankings in all six U.S. regions from coast to coast: Northeast, Southeast, North-Central, South-Central, Northwest and Southwest.3
AT&T is focused on giving our customers top-notch experiences with a single interaction. The company was recently recognized with two major achievements, outperforming competitors for customer service and wireless purchase experience. J.D. Power awarded AT&T the “Highest Ranked Customer Service Performance Among Full-Service Wireless Providers” and “Highest Satisfaction with the Purchase Experience among Full-Service Wireless Providers” in their 2013, Volume 2 studies.
1AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
24G LTE speed claim based on national carriers average 4G LTE download speeds. Reliability claim based on analysis of data network connection and data transaction success rates reported by Nielsen during network tests conducted across 211 markets from July 2012 to July 2013, and compares carriers with nationwide 4G LTE networks.
3PC Magazine, June 17, 2013: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420333,00.asp.
About ASUS
ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning, motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets and smartphones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,168 awards in 2012 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 12,500 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 3,800 engineers. Company revenue for 2012 was approximately US$14 billion.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse® brand. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/aboutus or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.
© 2013 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
4G LTE speed claim based on national carriers’ average 4G LTE download speeds. Reliability claim based on data transfer completion rates on nationwide 4G LTE networks. 4G LTE availability varies.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: