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Asus at CES 2014

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Asus only had a few announcements at the 2014 edition of CES in Las Vegas, but there was no shortage of strange new devices. There are smaller versions of the PadFone, a stylus-equipped Windows tablet, and even a laptop / tablet hybrid that can dual boot both Windows and Android. Stay up to date with all of Asus' latest devices right here.

  • David Pierce

    Jan 6, 2014

    David Pierce

    Asus launches the small PadFone mini, and ZenFones of all colors and sizes

    Asus PadFone mini
    Asus PadFone mini

    The PadFone is no gimmick. It's been widely met with some combination of confusion and mockery, but Asus's transforming phone / tablet hybrid has spawned successors, and now even has a second model in the lineup. Asus just announced at its CES 2014 press conference the $249 PadFone mini, a 4-inch phone that docks into the back of a 7-inch tablet and becomes an entirely new device. It's very clearly the inferior model in the lineup – the phone's 800 x 480 display reeks of three years ago, as does the tablet's 1280 x 800 screen — but it's largely compelling otherwise, and makes a surprisingly good case next to some of the comically large phones on the market.

    The 4.1-ounce mini comes with Android 4.3, and is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor. It's skinned with Asus' new ZenUI, which the company says simplifies the Android experience and makes things like reading a bright screen a little easier, and has a lot of performance tweaks to the camera experience. The PadFone mini comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera, a big 3270mAh battery (as long as both parts are attached), and the same spun-metal look of the larger PadFone Infinity. Really, though, the only thing that matters is that it's a hand-sized, 4-inch phone that slides into the back of a 7-inch tablet when you want it — it's either the best of both worlds, or simply a pointlessly convoluted phablet.

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  • Nathan Ingraham

    Jan 6, 2014

    Nathan Ingraham

    The Asus Transformer Book Duet hybrid can instantly switch between Windows and Android

    Asus Transformer Book Duet
    Asus Transformer Book Duet

    Back at Computex in June, Asus introduced its Transformer Book Trio — a computer that could function as both a laptop and tablet and dual-booted between Windows 8 and Android. Now, the company's announcing a new version with a similar mission: the Transformer Book Duet TD300 is a convertible laptop / tablet hybrid that can dual boot between Windows 8.1 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

    Beyond Asus' earlier effort, Samsung tried this dual-boot trick last year with its Ativ Q, though the new Asus model looks more like a traditional ultrabook at first glance. It has the standard folding form factor rather than the sliding keyboard that Samsung used and looks quite a bit like Asus’ other laptops. Its 13.3-inch multitouch display features a solid 1,920 x 1,080 resolution; it doesn’t quite match the Ativ Q but should still be solid in most normal circumstances. That 13.3-inch form factor makes Asus' new model a good bit bigger than the older Transformer Book Trio.

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  • Asus' transforming PadFone X is coming to the US on AT&T

    padfone
    padfone

    Asus is unveiling the PadFone X today, the first of its transforming PadFone devices that's headed to a major US carrier. Though there's no word on exactly when it'll come to the US, AT&T has announced that it will eventually begin carrying the new device. That isn't the only first for this phone though: when it does launch on AT&T, it should be among the first devices with support for Voice over LTE (VoLTE). Whether or not AT&T will actually enable VoLTE at launch isn't clear, but the PadFone X will be ready for when it does.

    Full details for the PadFone X haven't been revealed yet, but it looks almost identical to its predecessor. It has a 5-inch, 1080p display, and a similar black body with silver metal highlights. It's running on Android 4.4 and includes stereo speakers and NFC, but that's all we know for now.

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