There is a lot of chatter in the tech community about the convergence of smartphones and tablets. There is a term now for phones with bloated screens: "phablet." One company is going in a new direction altogether with a device called the PadFone.

The PadFone X is not neccessarily a completely new form factor, but rather both devices at once. It combines a 5-inch phone that can be docked to a 9-inch tablet. The thinking seems to be, "Why use a phone that is as big as a tablet and won't easily fit into my pocket, and how much does it suck to use a phone for things a tablet could accomplish much easier with its larger screen?"

Tech Times recently reported news of the Asus PadFone after leaked details were revealed online and again when it was announced that the phone would be released by mobile carrier AT&T.

AT&T placed quite the heavy wager on the hybrid device, especially since it was a new idea with no real proof of demand. There were clues, though. In the United States, customers are a tough sell. They are either unsatisfied with a small screen or annoyed by one that is too large for their convenience. So it's a toss-up. In Europe and Asia, however, consumers have taken to the large phablets, many citing their easier use for everyday computing.

Asus and AT&T will now bring the device to American stores, it was reported. The phone is what powers and runs the tablet. But when you just need a phone, you can remove it kind of like a slide-in camcorder battery. It rests behind the tablet in a slot.

Results in app use vary, according to another report. Apparently, when switching between the phone and the tablet, some apps and videos start where they left off and others simply do not. The phone works like any other smartphone running Android.

Another possible benefit to using this phone-tablet setup is that there is no need for file transfers between devices or through the cloud. The two operate in concert with data. Also, the tablet can make calls, too. Headphones are all that are required.

According to recent reports, the price points on this device are quite attractive. With a contract, you can snag one for about $200. Without the contract, the device will run $550, the usual price for a midgrade or high-end tablet, only this is two-in-one.