The Asus PadFone, first unveiled back in 2011 during a dramatic presentation by ASUS chairman Jonney Shih, was initially laughed off as too gimmicky by some.
But the two-in-one (smartphone and tablet) device has gradually won its share of fans. Now the company has unveiled new versions of the device bound for the U.S.
See also: CES 2014: 5 Tech Trends to Watch
During this week’s International CES, Asus revealed that its new PadFone X will be carried by AT&T exclusively in the U.S. Featuring a 5-inch HD display that also integrates with a 9-inch tablet, the device runs on Android KitKat 4.4 and comes in a slick, black brushed metal casing.
“The PadFone X is first of its kind in the U.S. It combines leading technology, a beautiful design and a remarkably seamless application experience – all on the nation’s fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network,” said Jeff Bradley, AT&T senior vice president of devices, in a statement.

Asus also announced a smaller version of the device called the PadFone mini, a 4-inch smartphone integrated with a 7-inch tablet.
Powered by an Intel Atom Z2560 processor and offering 8GB of storage, the PadFone mini also has a micro SD card slot that allows the unit to be upgraded to 64GB capacity. The device, offered in black, white, red, blue and yellow, also comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front side camera.
Where the original PadFone may have seemed like an eccentric piece of engineering, the size of the PadFone mini truly allows the user to tread the line between fully functional smartphone and tablet usage in a easy to carry form factor.
Pricing and availability dates have yet to be announced.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Images: Asus