Asus today announced its next generation PadFone at a global press conference in Taipei, Taiwan.

A teaser mailer that Asus sent for the launch of its PadFone 2 The PadFone 2 is a 4.7-inch Android 4.0 (upgradeable to Jelly Bean) quad-core smartphone that docks with a unique PadFone 2 station to become a full featured 10.1-inch tablet. Designed for busy executives who need to switch between the manoeuvrability of  the smartphone and the large display of a 10-inch tablet, the PadFone 2 offers the best of both worlds without having to transfer documents and contents between the two devices. At a press conference in Milan, Italy, ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih showed off the PadFone 2 to the media and called the device "beautiful, fast and, best of all, intuitive". The new PadFone 2 has an increased screen size of 4.7 inches (4.3 inches for the original) while keeping its form factor to a svelte 9mm at its thickest point. At only 135g, it will hardly weigh down your bag, or your pocket. Asus claims the new device has an astounding 2140mAh battery capable of delivering up to 16 hours of 3G talktime  and 13 hours of Web surfing. The PadFone 2 Station's 5000 mAh battery provides up to 36 hours of 3G talktime. The PadFone 2 Station's internal battery boasts enough juice to recharge the docked PadFone 2 three times over. The PadFone 2 runs on a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM. The new 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 HD Super IPS+ display uses scratch-resistant Corning Fit Glass and delivers sharp, detailed images with accurate colors, ultra-wide viewing angles and 550 nits brightness for stunning outdoor visibility, Asus said in its press release. It also boasts a new 13 megapixel high performance camera with a burst mode capable of capturing up to 100 shots at a lightning fast six shots per second. It is also able to shoot 1080p HD video at 30fps or 720p HD video at 60fps. A low f/2.4 aperture and dedicated image signal processor ensures quality pictures even in low-light. The PadFone 2 will be available before the end of December in parts of Europe as well as Singapore, Hong Kong, India, japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and the UAE. SPECIFICATIONS PADFONE 2 SPECIFICATIONS