One question I have – not having a vast experience of tablet type products – is how many support voice calls (perhaps with headset); will the PadFone, for example, make a voice call while in the “docked” mode?
I’m almost never without a back pack etc and I quite often use my headphones to make a voice call with my phone so I’d gladly trade a bluetooth headset + pad.

1. ASUS are being quite smart. They would be fully aware that consumers change their mobile handsets on average every 18-24 months, and their tablets every 3 years. By using the docking function, this will ensure the user remains ASUS aligned for a longer period of time – this is a great marketing and customer retention tactic.

2. From a consumer perspective, the above is not so favourable. And mobiles tend to get beatn up and dropped/damaged, most users look forward to their “plan” finishing so they can upgrade to the new i-device that’s on the market. This will render the tablet useless!!! So in 18-24 months, you will not upgrade your phone, but also need to fork out $$$’s for a new tablet!

I agree with you Renai. I would prefer to get a MAC/Ultrabook PLUS a phone (free if on the right plan) and have two devices with more functionality and capability that I can upgrade when required, rather than be forced!

Gotta say the one thing I hate about my one XL, is the integrated buttons.

Pricing is off, but – given a phone costs 600 dollars outright, there is a lot to like about an “ipad-mode” upgrade.

Your macbook air might cost a thousand dollars, but does it come with a phone? Or do you have to buy a phone in addition to your macbook. (iphones back in the day were $600 dollars outright, so putting the tablet into perspective means more like 4-500 dollars for the tablet component, which is very reasonable (and where Asus probably came up with their pricing).

Can you get the tablet-dock seperately from the phone?