The ASUS Padfone caused a massive stir yesterday at Computex, and stories about the potentially disruptive form factor of the Android device reverberated around the world.
In a fascinating scenario, almost exactly the same form factor surfaced a few hours later when ICE Computer, a partner of Taiwanese manufacturer ECS, showed ITProPortal a tablet-sized device that can dock an iPhone 4 (or any one of a number of major smartphones) and display its contents on a 9.7-inch screen with an iPad-like 4:3 ratio.
The device is reportedly destined for market in Q4 at less than US$200 and adds an SD-card slot, two USB ports, and a front facing camera.
The ECS accessory will apparently work not just with Apple's iPhone 4 but also a number of other major smartphones running Windows Phone and Android.
Could it be an idea whose time has come?
