[MWC 2013] After a spate of leaks earlier today, ASUS made it official: it has just announced the FonePad, an Intel-powered 7″ tablet (Atom Z2420) that runs on Android 4.1. The 7″ device uses an IPS LCD display (1280×720) and is presented by ASUS as being a tablet that is particularly suited for people who want the comfort of a 7″ tablet, but also the voice and data capabilities of a smartphone, in a single package. I often hear people saying “I don’t want to call on a 7″ device”, but I can relate to those who want to carry less gadgetry rather than more, and using a Bluetooth headset works very well these days. Update: check our first-impressions of the device.
Hardware-wise, the ASUS FonePad is one if the slowly rising number of Android devices with an Intel processor. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z2420 at 1.2GHz which has an integrated PowerVR SGX540 graphics processor (GPU). There is 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (+32GB microSD max). It supports 3G and HSPA+ networks, which makes it relatively easy to connect worldwide. Of course there’s also WiFi (B/G/N) and Bluetooth 3.0.
If you want to use it for mapping applications, the device supports both GPS and Glonass, which increases your odds of having a precise positioning, and Finally, the ASUS FonePad comes with a 4270mAh battery, which ASUS says is enough to play HD video for 9 hours. The device’s dimensions are 196.4 x 120.1 x 10.4mm for 340g. The device will be available this March for Asia, and April for Europe and will be priced at $249 for the version with the rear camera (model for Asia), and 219 Euro without the camera (Europe version). What do you think?
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