Asus PadFone Bridges Smartphones, Tablets

HTC's Chairman Jonney Shih showed a video of its new "PadFone" at Computex 2011, demonstrating how the smartphone can dock into the back of a tablet and used together as one device.

For example, if a smartphone user is surfing the Web or watching a movie and want a bigger screen, they can simply dock their phone to the tablet and pick up right where they left off.

Asus said the smartphone has a 4.3-inch screen, while its tablet counterpart sport a 10.1-inch display. The tablet will also be able to extend the life of the smartphone's battery when docked, similar to Motorola's Atrix, except rather than a laptop, the PadFone connects to tablet.

Both the smartphone and tablet runs on the latest version of Google's Android operating system.

If its performance is enhanced and the price point is right, the Asus' new device could mimic the success of its low cost Android Eee tablet. The $400 tablet, which has an attachable keyboard that converts the tablet into a netbook-like device, sold out when it launched this spring, indicating there may be some room for a lower-priced offering.

Although still in the development stages, Asus' PadFone and other similar devices could impact the tablet market. IPhone and iPad users have long complained that they cannot access the same data and information from one device to the next, and these combo devices have appeal to those who are put off by tablet's keyboardless nature.