Asustek's new 'Padfone' tablet to get Android ICS

While uncertain about its mobile phone business, Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc. is preparing to unveil its newest tablet that will run Google Inc.’s latest Android operating system. Asustek said its 10.1-inch Padfone tablet will run Android “Ice Cream Sandwich" (ICS), and will go on sale at end-2011 or the first quarter of 2012. “We chose the ICS because of its better integration across different platforms," said Alex Sun, corporate vice president and general manager of Asustek’s personal mobile devices BU, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. Sun said Asustek also plans to launch the second generation of the Padfone in the first half of 2012. The next generation of the Padfone is expected to support long-term evolution (LTE) wireless broadband technology and three-dimensional (3D) graphics. Padfone users can display pictures or videos on a 10.1-inch tablet from a 4.3-inch smartphone seamlessly. It also allows a longer battery life for the phone when the two are combined. On the other hand, market analysts had said Android ICS will improve the interoperability among these devices, allowing app developers to achieve higher synergy. But the CNA report quoted Sun as saying Asustek will not launch any new phones by the end of 2011 because the company needs to “think about the future direction of its mobile phone business" after a shift in Asustek’s strategy for its smartphone lines. Last October, Asustek, which has been selling smartphones under the Garmin-Asus brand since early 2009, said it will not introduce any more co-branded handset models. It launched two new smartphones in China last March. The phones run on China Mobile’s Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) network, seeking to attract entry and mid-level smartphone users in the booming Chinese market. — TJD, GMA News