ECS Tablet Shell Dock Turns Your Smartphone Into a Tablet

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The Asus PadFone concept might not exactly be unique, as ECS plans to sell a $200 dock for converting your iPhone or Android smartphone into a tablet.

If you don’t want to replace your existing smartphone with the Asus PadFone when it comes to market, ECS might have something for you. The Taiwanese computer manufacturer is showcasing a (non-working) prototype of a tablet shell that can accept various smartphone models. Imagine being able to plug in your iPhone, Windows Phone or Android smartphone and get an expanded interface through the tablet touchscreen.

ECS plans to sell the tablet shell for$200, which will support HDMI, SD card slot, USB port and a camera. ECS has not provided information on how the tablet will handle different smartphone types and different screen resolutions. But for now, it’s a good idea, and I think ECS is banking on the buzz generated by the Asus PadFone and other hybrid devices like the Asus Eee Pad Transformer and the Samsung Sliding PC7 (not necessarily smartphone hybrids, but tablet/netbook hybrids).

Would you buy a $200 tablet shell for your smartphone? How about a shell that incorporates both a touchscreen and a keyboard? Maybe someone has a prototype of such a device.