Man, oh man, ASUS certainly didn't disappoint with the verbally confusing back to back launch of the new PadFone Infinity and FonePad, but the real star of this morning's Mobile World Congress was sheer insanity, outdoing even that bizarre Columbus video from last week. What happens when you let the Magicians Guild run your show? A smattering of confused applause from an audience wondering if they hadn't partied a little too hard while out on the town in Barcelona the night before. The video's after the break. Come for the gadgets and stay for the mind-boggling strangeness of it all.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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You may have heard a new PadFone was on the way -- it's not like ASUS has been dropping obvious hints or anything. In any case, surprise! ASUS just unveiled a new model, the PadFone Infinity. Like other PadFones, this is a handset that slips into a tablet-like dock, allowing you to make use of a bigger screen. This time, though, it ships with Android 4.2, and the display has grown from 4.7 inches to 5. The resolution is now 1080p (up from 720p), which comes out to 441 pixels per inch. Additionally, the tablet's 10.1-inch screen has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, up from 1,280 x 800 in the last-gen model. It's plenty bright, too, at 400 nits, but that's a slight step down from the last-gen model, which lit up to 500 nits.

What's more, the phone's gotten an upgrade on the inside: it now packs a quad-core, 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 chip with an Adreno 320 GPU, some of the freshest components Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. Also on-board, you get 2GB of RAM to help boost performance, with your choice of either 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage. As far as connectivity, you're looking at EDGE, GPRS, GSM, WCDMA, LTE and DC-HSPA+, along with all the usual radios: WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, A-GPS and even GLONASS. Around back, ASUS has added a 13-megapixel autofocusing camera with an LED flash, five-element, f/2.0 lens and burst shooting at eight fps. There's a front camera too, capped at 2MP, in case you want to do the occasional video chat. Meanwhile, a slightly bigger 2,400mAh battery promises up to 19 hours of 3G talk time, and up to 40 with the dock attached.

Like every other PadFone that's been released, this won't be available in the US, but the phone-and-dock combo will cost £799 / €999 when it goes on sale in Europe this April. The phone is also headed to Asia, though we don't have any more details. You'll also have your choice of colors, we hear: gray, gold and hot pink, if that's what you're into.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS

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The latest MWC teaser video from ASUS is light on the details and heavy on the talking statue. The 33-second video titled "A New Discovery at Hand," features Barcelona's Columbus Monument taking a phone call on his stone tablet and the tag line "Join ASUS to Discover a New World." No mentions of PadFones (or, for that matter, FonePads) in the video itself, though the accompanying text promises that those who attend the company's February 25th press conference will witness "Pad and Phone come together."

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

• Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE: A minor update is available for Sprint's QWERTY slider that's said to improve overall device stability. [Android Police]
• Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro: This rugged smartphone for AT&T is now eligible for an upgrade to Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean). Users will also find the additions of Swype and Music Hub in this build. [Phandroid]
• LG Lucid: Verizon has announced an update for this smartphone that brings improved quality of voice calls and installs Flash Player. The newly updated file manager app now brings the ability to manage files in the cloud, and the software also installs Verizon Remote Diagnostics for troubleshooting purposes. [Droid Life]
• Galaxy Nexus: Google has published the Android 4.2.1 update for the Sprint variant of the Galaxy Nexus to its servers. [Android Police]
• Samsung Galaxy S III: Owners of unsubsidized Galaxy S III handsets throughout Australia are reporting than an update to Android 4.1.2 -- complete with Multi-Window enhancements -- is now available for download and installation via Samsung Kies. [Android Central]
• ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T: An update is now available for the Transformer Pad Infinity that brings greater compatibility with microSD cards and decreases lag when playing music in the background. The software also fixes bugs in the camera and Movie Studio apps. [Android Police]
• Samsung Galaxy Note II: Verizon has pushed out a fix to this smartphone that's designed to resolve Exynos security vulnerabilities. [SlashGear]
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7: Verizon has announced an update for this tablet that decreases electrical consumption while charging the device in a "power off" state. [Android Police]
• Sprint Flash: Sprint has released an update for this ZTE-manufactured smartphone that brings improvements to the camera, adds timing preferences for the LED notification and resolves issues related to Swype. [Android Police]
• Samsung Epic 4G Touch: An update is now available for Sprint's version of the Galaxy S II that brings security fixes along with the Sprint Connections Optimizer. [Android Police]
• Rogers: The Canadian carrier has announced that its Jelly Bean updates for the Galaxy S II LTE, Galaxy Note, RAZR HD and Xperia T have been pushed to February. [MobileSyrup]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

• Motorola Droid RAZR / RAZR Maxx: A root exploit has been published for the official Jelly Bean OTA software build, meant for these two non-HD smartphones for Verizon. [Talk Android]
• Motorola Atrix 4G: Motorola is requesting soak test participants for a pending update to this AT&T smartphone. [Android Central]
• Sony Xperia Z: Sony has announced that it'll release an Android 4.2 update to the Xperia Z shortly after the smartphone's arrival. [Android Central]
• Motorola Atrix 2: A pre-release Jelly Bean update has worked its way into the wild for this smartphone on AT&T. Curiously, Motorola has previously stated that the Atrix 2 would never see an update past Ice Cream Sandwich. [Android Community]

Other platforms

• HTC 8X: AT&T has released its first update for this Windows Phone handset. Known informally as the Portico release, it features an option to keep WiFi connections alive and allows users to reject phone calls while responding with a text message. [WinSource]
• Nokia Lumia 810: An OTA update is now available for this Windows Phone on T-Mobile that brings fixes to Bluetooth functionality and is said to improve overall device stability. [T-Mobile]

Refreshes we covered this week

• Nexus Q scores CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies, reminds you of its existence
• Samsung posts Jelly Bean update for Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 2 in the US
• Samsung now pushing out more updates to address Exynos security vulnerability
• AT&T to begin pushing OTA Jelly Bean update to Galaxy S III users today
• Rough hack converts an Optimus G to a Nexus 4, minus the constant sellouts
• Android 4.2.2 potentially spied lurking in a Czech overview (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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An Asus exec has revealed to the Wall Street Journal that his company is "in talks" with Microsoft to license Windows Phone 8. Talk is cheap, of course, but at this point WP8 is much in need of friends and it's interesting to contemplate what Asus might do with the OS, given that manufacturer's penchant for quirky form factors. Speaking of which, the same executive -- VP Benson Lin -- brought up the notion of a Padfone-style modular device based on Windows:

"With our Padfone concept, the phone plus tablet, I think it makes sense for Windows 8"

What doesn't make sense is how such a thing could work. The Android-based Padfone employs the exact same OS regardless of whether it's in phone or tablet mode, but no version of Windows (whether WP8, RT or the regular "8") currently allows that sort of flexibility with screensize. Lin may know something about the future of Windows that we don't, or he may just be throwing out abstract ideas about some sort of dual-OS device -- after all, he admitted that there is "no target timeline" for any of this.

In the shorter term, Lin also said that Asus is talking to US carriers in the hope of bringing its wares to the States by 2014, which could mean that a Padfone 3 -- if there ever is one -- may be more than just a remote curiosity or an Expansys special.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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Source: Wall Street Journal (paywall)

The Asus line of Vivo devices is growing today with another Windows 8 tablet, the Asus VivoTab Smart Tablet. The Smart Tablet packs an Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor, powering the same 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution IPS display found in its brethren. And that 10.1-inch screen can handle five of your fingers tapping all over it all at once, should you need to. Protecting that screen is a brand new "TransSleeve" keyboard, which does triple duty as a cover, keyboard, and stand, "all rolled into one." It's quite like the Microsoft Surface Type Cover, albeit with full-on physical keys and a touchpad for mousing around. An 8-megapixel camera sits out back while a 2-megapixel faces the user, and there's NFC functionality built in as well. Asus isn't giving out a price or release window for the VivoTab Smart just yet, but we'll be sure to keep an eye out for the newest Vivo entry on the show floor as CES 2013 kicks off this week.

Continue reading Asus outs VivoTab Smart Tablet with Type Cover-esque keyboard cover

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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There was a certain degree of irony to the first CyanogenMod 10.1 nightly reaching a lone device that already runs Android 4.2. What about the rest of us? Thankfully, logic is getting the upper hand with the arrival of regular test builds for a much wider hardware selection. All versions of the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 get their expected turn at the code. However, the mix also includes devices that weren't predestined to receive an official update to the latest instance of Jelly Bean, such as ASUS' Transformer Pad Infinity and Samsung devices ranging from the original Galaxy S through to both Galaxy Tab 2 slates. It's still throwing caution to the wind by running an unfinished version of unofficial firmware, but we're sure CyanogenMod's target audience is comfortable enough with the risks to visit the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, ASUS, Google

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Via: Android Central

Source: CyanogenMod

It's a phone, it's a tablet, it's ASUS Padfone! Possibly the maddest gadget concept we've seen in a while, this phone-in-a-tablet-dock is both surprisingly charming and surprisingly useful. ASUS might have rushed to replace the "half-finished" original version (the heavily redesigned Padfone 2 emerged a few months afterward), but let's talk about the OG unit here and now. What did we like, what we didn't, and what, most importantly, would you all change?

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

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American carriers love to launch their device lines in bundles, and AT&T just proved the rule in style. Forget the LTE iPad mini -- six other devices have shipped in one day, covering just about every category Big Blue offers. Want a Windows tablet? There's a $500 ASUS VivoTab RT waiting for you. Smartphones? HTC's $200 One X+ covers the high-end, while its $50 One VX and Samsung's $100 Galaxy Express target the more frugal among us. Even shutterbugs and cutting-edge networkers can pick up a $500 Samsung Galaxy Camera or Novatel's $50 MiFi Liberate hotspot. There's no doubt that AT&T is cramming the channel full of new gadgets in the hopes of scooping up all the Black Friday sales it can, but we'll forgive the slightly cynical strategy for the sake of a wider device selection.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Tablets, Networking, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, ASUS, AT&T

PSA: HTC One X+, five other devices from ASUS, HTC, Novatel and Samsung on sale at AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

All three sizes of Google's hardware family are now available for purchase in both the US and Canada. Joining a 3G-flavored Nexus 7, the LG-made Nexus 4 starts at $299 for 8GB, Samsung's Nexus 10 rings in at $399 for 16GB. And what do you get for that kind of money? A whole lot; the new Nexus phone houses Android 4.2, Snapdragon S4 Pro and rich 4.7-inch 1,280 x 768 display. Meanwhile the ten-inch Nexus tablet packs the same fresh software, an incredible 2,560 x 1,600 resolution screen and a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, so a whole lot of bang for several hundred of bucks. Hit up Google Play below and pick your screen and storage size.

Update: And like that, it appears the 16GB both models of the Nexus 4 are sold out. Already.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

PSA: Google Nexus 4, Nexus 10 for sale in US now! (update: Nexus 4 already sold out) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of November 5th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

Refresh Roundup: week of November 5th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft's finally released the Windows 8 hounds, and retailers aren't skipping a beat on stocking up on pre-loaded hardware. TigerDirect is one such outlet eager to get you hooked up with a Windows 8 device, and to prove it, it's provided us with an ASUS S400CA-DH51T Ultrabook (currently an $899 value)! All you have to do is leave a comment below to enter, but you should definitely take a few minutes out of your day to check out TigerDirect's website for some great online deals!

Note: specs for the Ultrabook include a 3rd generation Intel Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD + 24GB SSD Cache, 14.1" Touchscreen and Windows 8 64-bit. Head to the above link for more details.

Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win an ASUS S400 Windows 8 Ultrabook, courtesy of TigerDirect!

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, ASUS

Engadget Giveaway: win an ASUS S400 Windows 8 Ultrabook, courtesy of TigerDirect! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A launch event invitation has already given us a glimpse of the ASUS Padfone 2, but Bloomberg TV India caught up with the firm's CEO Jerry Chen and snagged a video tour of the device before its October 16th reveal. The second iteration of the Padfone packs a 4.7-inch HD (presumably 720p) screen and 13-megapixel camera, which jives with specs on supposedly leaked packaging. Rather than having to fuss with a cover flap to slide the smartphone into its tablet shell, users will be able to dock the device straight into a lighter and thinner slate component. Other details are scarce, but we're sure to find out more when the curtain is ceremoniously pulled back next Wednesday. In the meantime, you can forge past the break to see footage of the hybrid starting at the 1:40 mark.

Continue reading Padfone 2 surfaces in video, ASUS CEO gives viewers a brief tour (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

Padfone 2 surfaces in video, ASUS CEO gives viewers a brief tour (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The ASUS VivoTab RT is heading to AT&T exclusively this winter with 4G LTE -- that much we already knew. But how does it feel? Well, it feels like a super thin (0.33-inches) and light (1.1 lb.) Windows 8 RT tablet. The Tegra 3 quad-core processor packs more than enough power into the 10.1-inch, multitouch Super IPS screen to make swapping between apps and other such affairs a smooth snap, and 2GB of internal RAM certainly doesn't hurt in the speed department either. That 10.1-inch screen comes with ASUS' "TruVid" technology, which intends to make your viewing experiences all the more magical -- the screen looked plenty nice to us, as did media displayed on it, but perhaps not the "brilliant viewing experience" that ASUS is touting. There's still no price for the device or its non-RT cousin (not to mention those AT&T data plans), but we expect to hear more in the near future -- winter's only so long, right?

Gallery: Asus VivoTab RT (hands-on)

Continue reading ASUS VivoTab RT 10.1-inch Windows 8 RT tablet comes to AT&T later this year, we go hands-on (update: now with video!)

Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, ASUS

ASUS VivoTab RT 10.1-inch Windows 8 RT tablet comes to AT&T later this year, we go hands-on (update: now with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ASUS has sent out invitations for the official launch of the Padfone 2, the follow-up to its hybrid smartphone / laptop / tablet Padfone device. According to an invite nabbed by Notebook Italia, the unveiling will take place simultaneously in Milan and Taipei on October 16th. The picture shows a corner of what is likely the upcoming handset, but we'll have to wait till next month to get a closer look at the full package.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

ASUS Padfone 2 launch event slated for October 16th in both Milan and Tapei originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back when ASUS formally launched the PadFone, it trotted out a handful of accessories to go with it: a keyboard dock, tablet station and even a stylus that doubles as an earpiece. As it turns out, the outfit had even more goodies up its sleeve: we just spotted a PadFone docking monitor hanging out in the ASUS booth here at Computex. For starters, it is what it sounds like: a 27-inch display with a cradle designed specifically to accommodate the PadFone's dimensions. There are also HDMI, VGA, DVI and four USB 3.0 ports in case you want to use it as a standalone monitor.

When you plug in the handset, the display turns into an all-in-one PC, with Ice Cream Sandwich as your desktop OS. Since the 1920 x 1200 screen isn't touch-enabled, you'll have to get used to interacting with Android using only a mouse and keyboard. We'll admit: we would have preferred to just tap the home button instead of click on it, especially when we were ready to switch apps, but nonetheless, Android makes for an intuitive-enough desktop operating system, what with the home screen full of shortcuts. Funnily enough, even, we felt more comfortable using Android in a desktop setting than we did with Google Chrome OS, which was actually designed with PC form factors in mind. Beyond the user experience, we found ourselves craving a little more pixel density, but we did appreciate the matte finish, which offers wide viewing angles despite the fact that this isn't an IPS display.

According to an ASUS rep staffing the event, the Docking Monitor will eventually go on sale in the US, though he couldn't say when or for how much. In the meantime, check out our hands-on photos and quickie demo video.

Gallery: ASUS PadFone Docking Monitor hands-on

Continue reading ASUS shows off a docking monitor built for the PadFone, we go hands-on (video)

ASUS shows off a docking monitor built for the PadFone, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ASUS PadFone priced and ready for pre-order in Taiwan tomorrow, launches mid-April originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win one of two ASUS Transformer Primes, courtesy of NVIDIA!

Engadget Giveaway: win one of two ASUS Transformer Primes, courtesy of NVIDIA! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.