CES: Asus will not release its 7in Tegra 3 tablet in the UK Source: The Inquirer (http://s.tt/15bXM)

Will bring Padfone hybrid to the UK market instead

TAIWANESE HARDWARE MAKER Asus has confirmed that it does not plan to release its 7in tablet with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor in the UK.
The Asus unveiled its 7in tablet on Monday at CES with a price tag of just $249 (£160) and the lack of availability in the UK is likely to leave many consumers disappointed.
"In the UK we don't see a demand for the 7in tablet at the moment and we will be focusing on releasing a Padfone, which is a smartphone and tablet hybrid. This will be formally announced at Mobile World Congress [MWC] next month," John Swatton, marketing manager for Asus in the UK told The INQUIRER.
"Asus hasn't sold a branded smartphone in the UK, so there is no user base for 3G devices at present."
Asus gave THE INQUIRER a sneak peek at the the Padfone, which comes in two parts. Users will get a smartphone running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and be able to slot this into the back of a 10in tablet that displays content directly from the handset.

The Padfone debuted at Computex last year, and although Asus has yet to reveal its full specifications, it did confirm that the smartphone and tablet components will share the SIM card, processor and operating system.
"The 10in tablet is not intended to be a standalone tablet, but it will have some features that can be used independently of the phone. Full specifications together with pricing and availability date will be announced at MWC," Swatton said.
He also confirmed that the firm's highly anticipated Transformer Prime hybrid device will start shipping in the UK on 12 January and that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for it will be made available almost immediately.

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