BARCELONA, MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2012 –When Asus first announced the PadFone at Computex 2011, they did so with a level of gleefully cheesy showmanship that set Apple fans sarcastically hailing chairman Jonney Shih as South Korea’s next Steve Jobs. To many Apple fans, the PadFone — a laptop with a tablet inside with a phone inside the tablet — represented the worst of the rest of the industry’s “kitchen sink” approach to beating Cupertino. If we can’t build a phone to beat the iPhone, a tablet to beat the iPad, or an ultraportable to beat the MacBook Air, why not beat one device to beat all three at the same time?

But it’s wrong to dismiss the PadFone just because of cheesy showmanship, or because it’s not likely to topple Apple’s three pillars in one go. We had a hands-on with one, and it’s far from a cheesy device. In fact, it’s actually a little marvel.

It’s been a long time coming but we finally have an official word on the ASUS PadFone and when to expect it on shelves. While no exact date was given (or price), ASUS announced that the PadFone would be coming in April. This 3-in-1 mobile solution is one of a kind in a mobile world that’s all too familiar. Its unique design allows users to dock their phone into the tablet for a seamless transition from the small screen to the big and vice versa. The PadFone has gone through some changes on its long journey and now features:

We already know ASUS is planning to unveil their unique Padfone at Mobile World Congress and we’re quite excited about this device. They’ve released a little teaser video using a matryoshka doll as a metaphor for the Padfone’s unique design which allows you to dock the phone inside its accompanying tablet for larger viewing. The video refers to the functionality of a phone + a tablet + a keyboard dock for endless possibilities and is a refreshing break from the same old designs we’re used to seeing.

It looks as if the ASUS Padfone will indeed debut at Mobile World Congress according to a report from Paul O’Brien of Modaco. It’s been in production for quite some time and continues to undergo changes before its final release. Many of you have been waiting for the phone that fits inside a tablet concept to hit the market and you may be surprised to find it looking a tad different than the last time you saw it.

As CES approaches, we are bound to get wind of many yet-to-be announced devices, like the one we see in the above image. This leaked image obtained by NOTEBOOKitalia reveals a mysterious 7″ ASUS Android tablet. Unfortunately the image didn’t come with any information to help identify itself, but we can sure speculate. We’re thinking this will end up being either a 7″ Eee Pad Transformer Prime, 7″ Eee Pad Memo, or possibly even a 7″ ASUS Padfone (though we doubt it).