Have you ever felt the pressing need to have a phone that’s the same size as a 7″ Android tablet, and to hold such a thing up to your head to make phone calls? No? Me neither.
However, this is precisely what ASUS has unleashed upon us with the ASUS Fonepad, which was announced earlier this year at MWC. The Fonepad is a 7″ phone-come-tablet, with a 1280 x 800 HD IPS display, 3MP rear camera and 1.2MP front camera, and a choice of 8GB or 16GB internal storage, which is of course expandable.
The let-down though, apart from perhaps the size of this beast, is that it will arrive running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (instead of the latest 4.2.2 version), but with a giant battery — 4270 mAh — it will provide users with 31 hours of talk time, or 10 hours of video playback (or probably a month of standby time). Unlike many Android devices, the Fonebad will be powered by a 1.2 GHz Dual Core Intel Atom Z2420 processor, which provides punchy performance with reduced power consumption.
What are your thoughts on a device this size? Too big? Just right? Tell us down low.
The concept of using a tablet as a phone rocks. I currently use a tab 7.7 as a phone primarily with a bluetooth headset, though speaker or holding up to your head also work. The pricing looks ok, size is fine, but how the package (hardware/software/battery life etc.) and user experience hold up remains to be seen. Plenty of people use tablets as phones (as evidenced by the fact this device even exists), so if you review this product, please try to keep an open mind without scoffing behind your rose tinted glasses……
Looks attractive. Is there scope for reducing the size a little by paring back the bezel?
got to love a big phone for better browsing…and using a shoulder bag..however a 3MP camera could be a killer for me.
I considered getting the original galaxy tab which could do calls. It could fit in my pocket at the time (baggier pants were more fashionable back then, now everything is a tighter fit)
I could get away with having it in my back pocket and think girls might like it to chuck in their bag. My mum carries her ipad mini nearly everywhere lol but I wouldnt want to confuse her with android or having to use a bluetooth headset. It took her long enough to figure out the basics of using an ipad.
“Fonebad” (see third para). Freudian slip?
As a full-time user of a Bluetooth headset, I can see the benefit of carrying only one device if I needed a tablet.
A phone for grandparents / mums / dads who can’t see properly?
Ever heard of headphones ? They are an amazing invention and you know what, these days you even have a microphone in them. Wow that is just magic such a game changer. One of those for work is a bloody good machine.