It would appear that ASUS has had so much success with the first 7-inch smartphone/tablet combination (as revealed earlier this year in the Fonepad) that they’ve brought on a second generation in the Fonepad 7. This device works with a new non-slip finish (where the original was a bit slippery, as it were), HSPA+ 3G […]
It was just yesterday that Asus unveiled their new Fonepad 7 that sported an improved processor alongside front-facing speakers for that added audio punch, and here we are with word that Asus will also introduce a hardware refresh for their upcoming Asus Fonepad Note 6. Originally introduced in June, the Fonepad Note 6 would boast of a 6” Full HD display, a stylus that makes pen input a snap, as well as the ability to make calls or surf the web via HSPA+ networks. It does seem, however, that Asus intends to position the Fonepad Note 6 under the tablet manner instead of a handset. I still have a difficult time getting used to people talking to oversized tablets as their phone though, how about you?
Overall, the refreshed version does seem to retain its general design, but it remains to be seen whether the US will receive this hardware refresh, and neither do we have a price point to mull over. Right now, we can only figure out whether the Asus Fonepad Note 6’s alleged hardware specifications of a 6” 1920 x 1080 pixel Super IPS+ display, a dual-core 2GHz Intel Atom Z2580 processor, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean as the operating system of choice, and up to 32GB of internal memory will be worth our hard earned money or not eventually.
Asus Fonepad Note 6 Gets Refreshed Specifications original content from Ubergizmo. 
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We’d been waiting on this one—the Zenbook is finally getting a refresh. And for whatever reason, Asus has decided to cover one of the prettier ultrabooks out there in a sheet of Gorilla Glass. Which, hey, sure.
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Hungry for more ASUS IFA debuts? The company trucked out the two newest additions to its MeMO Pad tablet line, the 8 and 10, both budget devices set to arrive before the holidays. What all that actually means in terms of pricing and availability, however, the company’s not quite ready to say — though we assume that, at the very least, they’ll come in under flagship slates of similar size. Thankfully, however, ASUS did let us spend some time with both products.
The 8-inch device isn’t the highest-end mini-tablet we’ve seen (that might be the new Nexus 7), but the company’s done a good job building a solid-feeling slate. The front of the MeMO Pad 8 is extremely glossy — it’s fine in normal indoor lighting, but when we took the tablet up on the roof to check out the panoramic view of Berlin, it was a bit more problematic. Continuing our tour, above the 1,280 x 800 display you’ll find a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, and in the bottom bezel there’s a shiny silver ASUS logo.%Gallery-slideshow79414%
Nothing like a leaked video to get you pumped about a product. Of course, we’re not suggesting that ASUS went out of its way to post information about the forthcoming Fonepad 7, but either way, that teaser piqued our curiosity. Now that ASUS has officially unveiled the product here at IFA, though, we can confirm these are fairly minor upgrades to the company’s original 7-inch, talk-enabled phone / tablet crossbreed. Namely, ASUS moved to glossy back cover and (as we saw in that video) added an extra speaker on the front side.
Not that this isn’t a good speaker setup. A number of companies have tried and failed to perfect the art of speaker placement, but we quite like what ASUS did here. For starters, they actually, you know, face you while they’re playing. Quite the innovation, we know. And while they’re placed near where you hold the device when it’s in landscape mode, it’s quite easy to grip it without muffling the sound. That said, we weren’t able to get the sound all that loud when we played around with it in the echoey halls of Berlin’s Hotel de Rome. The sound was easily drowned out by the admittedly larger MemoPad 10.%Gallery-slideshow79397%
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS
Well, ASUS already spilled the beans on this one. Just a few hours ago, the company posted a YouTube video of its new Zenbook UX301 Ultrabook — i.e., the same Zenbook Infinity we saw back at Computex, just with a new (less catchy) name. Well, if a teaser video didn’t make it official enough for you, the company just revealed the laptop on-stage here at its IFA press event in Berlin. As we learned back at Computex, this has a lid made of Gorilla Glass 3, which promises to stand up to both scratches and maybe even drops. Meanwhile, the palm rest is also made of glass, though there’s a ceramic coating mixed in, so it doesn’t feel at all glassy; just exceptionally smooth. (Think of how smooth the metal on Samsung’s old Series 9 felt and maybe you’ll get the idea.) All told, this definitely isn’t the thinnest or lightest Ultrabook we’ve held, at 1.38kg (3.04 pounds), but on the plus side, you get a good deal of travel on that backlit keyboard, and most of the keys are amply sized too.
Also revealed in that spoiler of a YouTube video: the UX301 comes standard with a 13.3-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 IPS touchscreen. On the inside, it combines a Haswell dual-core Core i7-4558U processor with 802.11ac WiFi, up to 512GB of solid-state storage and Intel Iris graphics — basically, the best Intel has to offer short of a discrete GPU. If you do need more power, though, ASUS will also offer an NVIDIA GT 730M GPU on some models. Additionally, ASUS will sell a lower-end spinoff called the UX3012 (not pictured here), which will have generally the same design, but a lower-res, 1080p screen. Both will be available in white, along with a dark, navy blue — quite the departure from ASUS’ usual color scheme. No word yet on pricing or availability, except that the line is still on track to ship sometime in the fourth quarter. For now, we’ve finally had a chance to get some hands-on time — remember at Computex when we had to snap photos through a glass box?%Gallery-slideshow79395%%Gallery-slideshow79404%
We had two major gripes when we reviewed ASUS’ original Transformer Book. One, it cost a lofty $1,500, even with a last-generation Ivy Bridge processor. Two, it was on the heavy side — though to be fair, a 13-inch dockable tablet is unwieldy by definition. Well, ASUS went back to the drawing board and addressed at least one of our complaints. The refreshed Transformer Book, the T300, ships with a Haswell processor, which promises not just faster performance, but longer battery life (eight hours, to be exact). It also steps up to a max of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, up from a 128GB SSD and 4GB of memory last time around.
Unfortunately, at 1.1kg (2.43 pounds) for the tablet and 800g (1.76 pounds) for the dock, it still feels weighty in the hand regardless of whether you’re using it in tablet mode or as a proper clamshell laptop. Otherwise, the key specs are the same — namely, a 13.3-inch IPS display with 1080p resolution and a mix of micro- and full-sized ports on the tablet and dock. No word yet on pricing or availability, but for now we’ve got hands-on photos below.%Gallery-slideshow79408%
The ASUS Zenbook Infinity first showed off its icy Gorilla Glass-clad curves at Computex back in June, and now it’s resurfaced in a video that’s making the rounds ahead of ASUS’ press conference here at IFA. Incidentally, the video hints at a new name — the Zenbook UX301 — and also clarifies most of the main specs. According to the video, the UX301 will have a Retina-esque 13.3-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 multitouch display, a Haswell Core i7 CPU, 802.11ac WiFi and ASUS SonicMaster audio tech. The flagship Ultrabook will no doubt draw fans of thin design as well, thanks to the 15.5mm (0.64-inch) profile. We’ll likely have a chance to play with it ourselves soon at ASUS’s upcoming event, so stay tuned. In the meantime, there’s a video after the break.
Source: ASUS (YouTube)
ASUS can’t stop tweaking the Fonepad, it seems. Just a few months after boosting the specs of its phone-and-tablet hybrid, the company has inadvertently posted (and retracted) a video ad for yet another refresh, the Fonepad 7. You’ll be disappointed if you were expecting a more substantial update this time around, though. As Android Community notes, the biggest change to the Atom-powered slate is the addition of dual front-facing speakers. After that, the visible upgrades are limited to a 5-megapixel rear camera (up from 3.2MP) and an integrated contact interface for calls and text messaging. There aren’t any clues in the promo as to when the Fonepad 7 will launch, although the timing hints that we could learn more at IFA.
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Source: Android Community
[IFA 2013] We were already aware ASUS was in the process of creating new PadFones, FonePads and what looks to be a 5-inch device called the MeMOFone. It didn’t’ take too long for the company to unveil one of its new products, and today, the company is announcing a new Fonepad 7 is in development. (more…)
ASUS Unveils New Fonepad 7 With Improved CPU, Front-Facing Speakers original content from Ubergizmo. 
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