We’re already seeing plenty of smartphones being revealed ahead of their official unveilings at MWC and now one have news on one of the must-see devices that virtually everybody wants to see more of, the Asus Padfone. This truly innovative convergence between a smartphone and tablet could be the hit of the year and introduce many people to the joys of a hybrid device and we have news that it will be unleashed on February 27.

We had previously mentioned the above date as the big day for the Asus Padfone being unveiled but the date is now official as invitations are now being sent out to the media, according to Businessweek. Although it was previously teased at CES in January we should be hearing much more next week at Mobile World Congress. The real joy of the Asus Padfone Android device is that on its own one part looks just like a standard smartphone but then it can be inserted into a tablet compartment for a standard tablet experience. A hatch then closes over the phone leaving the user with a tablet that looks none other than a usual tablet device.

Although the Samsung Galaxy Note has been described as a hybrid, it’s really just a smartphone with a larger screen so that it looks like a mammoth phone or a mini tablet. Where the Padfone differs completely is that this is two separate parts that meld together as one. This means that it takes only one SIM card, you can share applications between both devices, use whichever size screen suits you best at the time and on top of that charge the smartphone with the tablet battery.

We often talk about groundbreaking devices and sometimes that term is used too loosely but the Asus Padfone really does fit the bill as a radical new concept and we reckon it has all the ingredients to be a big success. However whether it will actually take off or not is anybody’s guess. It should be launched on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest Android mobile operating system. You may like to take a look at an ASUS teaser video below this story for MWC next week, which looks very much like it refers to the Padfone.

We’ll certainly be following events at MWC in Barcelona and will let you know more on the Asus Padfone as we hear it. Meanwhile we’d like to hear your thoughts on the Padfone. Would this kind of hybrid device interest you? Do you think it offers the best of both worlds?