Tag Archives: tablet
The Asus Padfone
Okay, so the Padfone is , well, a smartphone, and many of your guys may be wondering what it is doing in a laptop blog. To risk sounding overly dramatic, the Padfone is really MUCH MUCH MORE than a phone.
It can fit into the Asus Padstation 10.1-inch tablet! Why would you want to do that? Well for starters, you can instantly turn your phone into a tablet. When it is docked in the Prime, the tablet can use the data plan from the phone’s sim card.
That means you don’t need to get two sim cards for both the devices. The tablet can also charge the battery on your phone, do data transfer between the device, and lots of other really cool features! You can also choose to store most of your data in just one device (most likely your phone) so you don’t have to hold double copies on both devices.
And is also doesn’t stop there. The Asus Padstation can be fitted in to Asus’s keyboard dock, turning it into a small laptop. In a way, you can say that the Padfone can turn into a tablet, which in turn can turn into a laptop! Talk about ‘Transformers’. Here are some of the specs and features of the Asus Padfone:
- Screen: 4.3-inch AMOLED screen
- OS: Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5Ghz dual core
- Connectivity: GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi, HDMI
- Camera: 8MP rear camera, 0.3MP front camera
- Dimensions: 5.04 x 2.57 x 0.36 inches
- Weight: 4.55 ounces
On its own, the Padfone is a full featured, extremely competent Android smartphone running on Ice Cream Sandwich. Here is a video commercial of this very exciting cell phone /tablet accessory!
The Coby Kyros MID7015 – A candid review
The iPad has created a storm that does not seem to be abating. Entering the fray in the tablet category is the Coby Kyros MID7015. Not many people have heard of the Coby brand and to be honest, I didn’t either until I received my Coby Kyros for a Christmas present recently.
The Coby brand started in 1991 and has constantly looked to improve on the consumer electronics offerings becoming the #1 selling digital photo frame brand in the US in 2008 according to their website. After making MP3 and MP4 players, Coby has moved onto to the next ‘in’ electronics gadget; the tablet.
The Coby Kyros MID7015 has a 7 inch screen with touch capabilities. It runs Android 2.1 and therefore gives you access to the Android Market. Being an Android based tablet also means you will be able to watch YouTube videos and play and view flash-based content. This is a major plus since many websites today utilize flash to provide media rich content.
On the media side, the Coby Tablet is able to play 1080p videos (full HD), which looks gorgeous on the screen. This is a decent for something in this price range! Many netbooks out there cost twice as much and can’t even handle videos at 720p! So if you are looking for something that can handle HD videos, this tablet warrants greater scrutiny and consideration.
The Coby Kyros MID7015 weighs in at just under a pound and while not super thin is not a chunky piece of hardware. To keep things in perspective, a 32 quart carton or orange juice or milk that you pick-up from the grocery store every week is twice as heavy as the Coby Kyros. Most hardcover novels are heavier than the Coby Kyros which will allow you to read many books and magazines many times over and in color too!
The biggest selling point of the Coby Kyros MID7015 though, is its price. At less than $150, it is probably the cheapest Android based tablet you will be able to get your hands on at the moment. Instead of buying an iPad or the Motorola Xooms, you could get three or four Coby Kyros’ for the entire family! Say goodbye to all the arguments over who is hogging the computer or kids fighting over the games console and say hello to bonding time over multimedia games and less stressful road trips!