Asus is one of the top names in Android tablets, thanks to the company’s successful partnership with Google on Nexus 7 tablets as well as its popular Transformer Pad line of tablets with optional keyboard docks. But the company also wants to start selling smartphones in the US.
That’s a tougher market to crack, because in order to be successful in the US smartphone space you need to do more than just offer a device with decent specs and design. You also need to work with US wireless carriers on pricing, availability, and distribution.
AllThingsD reports Asus is starting to take those steps, and could launch its first phones aimed at the US market in 2014.
The company’s highest profile phones so far aren’t just phones.
Asus got a lot of attention with the introduction of its Padfone line of smartphone/tablet hybrids. While the Android phone functions as the brains of the device, Asus also offers an optional tablet dock with a compartment for the phone. Slide the phone into the dock and you can interact with your apps on a bigger screen while reaping the benefits of a bigger battery.
More recently, Asus also introduced the low cost Fonepad, which is a 7 inch Android tablet that also happens to make phone calls.