Asus has never been shy about creating new designs and doing things that seem strange. So it should be no surprise that they’re planning to release a new tablet called the FonePad. That’s right, FonePad, not PadFone.
This is expected to be a 7″ tablet that will be voice call enabled. My guess is that they include another stylus/bluetooth or maybe just a bluetooth device to make and receive calls. It’s not the first time something like this would have been done. Many of the 3G enabled Galaxy Tabs could be modified to enable voice calls. It wasn’t a built in feature but it was a feature that could be enabled.
Other specs include a 7″ 1280×800 resolution display, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a 3MP camera and Android 4.1 running the show. One of the most interesting rumoured specs, however, is the choice in processor. Rather than going with Qualcomm or NVIDIA, Asus may have gone with Intel for this new tablet. An Intel Atom Z2420 CPU is rumoured to be running this device. Definitely a strange choice but Intel chips are very slowly making their way into the mobile tech industry.
In terms of pricing, this is expected to come in under $300 which isn’t too bad. That would price it close to the 3G enabled Nexus 7, however, we’ll have to wait and see how that processor runs before we make any final judgments. If this does indeed turn out to be a real device, it’s supposed to be unveiled at MWC this month.