Pocket PC Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Designed for business-savvy professionals who appreciate a screen as big as their ambitions, the P835 is equipped with a large 3.5" touchscreen that runs at WVGA resolution-offering five times the number of pixels of most phones and delivering the best document, photo, movie and website viewing experience possible. Apart from being able to display more of a webpage onscreen, the P835 boasts features that greatly enrich users' online experience, including blazing fast HSUPA 7.2Mbps download speeds, a responsive trackball that makes scrolling effortless and Opera Mobile, a user-friendly and full-featured Web browser."

Apart from the big screen and Asus' updated Glide interface, the P835 boasts a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, 288MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, Micro-SD slot, AGPS, and 5MP AF camera. The P835 also offers the capability to act as a WiFi AP for up to ten devices, which is a real nice capability to have. I'm a bit dubious about the trackball - the placement might make it a little awkward to use with one hand - and the battery is a little small for a premium device. Everything else makes this a pretty fine top-of-the-range contender for ASUS. Read the rest of the press release for more details. Read more...

"I'm not going to beat about the bush here, I'll just come right out with it. I just love the O2 XDA Zest. I am fortunate as a WM reviewer to have a good selection of the latest devices to hand and the Zest is my device of the moment. I have an HTC Touch Pro, an HTC Touch Diamond and several other high spec devices sat gathering dust on my shelf while the Zest goes in my pocket every morning and back on charge every night. I've been trying to figure out just why I find the Zest better than the smaller flashier Diamond for example and I think it all comes down to O2 and ASUS having found the perfect balance of hardware and software. On paper the Zest is not the best device in stores at the moment, and it's not the prettiest, but it's just so easy to use (once you replace the SIP keyboard that is). It’s complete. The fact that O2 have launched the Zest as their first PAYG XDA as well is utterly amazing. £250 for what in my opinion is the most usable device on the market today? That's just a bargain, and to be frank, you should all go and buy two today (everyone needs a spare!)."

4WinMobile has reviewed the ASUS-built Xda Zest and given it a whopping 91%. If you're looking for a device that hasn't been touched by the hands of HTC, this may fit the bill.

"Asustek Computer's handset business has fallen short of expectations in 2008, but the company is strengthening its R&D to offer up to 10 new models, almost all supporting 3G and a touch user interface, in 2009, in a bid to compete with its main rival High Tech Computer (HTC), according to industry sources in Taiwan. Asustek shifted its handset development focus entirely to smartphones in 2007 and set some goals for 2008, the sources indicated. But mainly due to transitioning 3G chip platforms as well as the appropriation of R&D efforts to develop handsets based on Google's Android platform and Nuvifone handsets on an ODM basis for Garmin, Asustek has only launched seven new smartphones so far in 2008, much fewer than its initial target of 13-15, the sources pointed out."

According to industry sources, ASUSTeK's total shipments in 2008 amounted to a mere 3% of HTC's. They have a steep hill to climb if they're to improve on that in 2009, and the improvement would have to be pretty significant to grab HTC's attention. Whatever happens, competition is healthy; one can only hope it will prompt both companies to introduce new and exciting technologies into their handsets.

"ASUS today introduced the ASUS P565, a business PDA phone that boasts an 800 MHz processor—the fastest in the world at the time of this announcement. Featuring ASUS’ latest touch-driven user interface—Glide—the stylish, leather-accented P565 delivers graphics and system performance beyond anything else on the market at present, posting Vsbenchmark scores almost two times that of competing products in its class. This enables the P565 to glide through resource-intensive tasks effortlessly and to handle heavy multitasking exceptionally well—making it ideal for businesspeople who demand uncompromising performance and maximum speed from their productivity tools. Rounding off its impressive feature set is a 2.8" touchscreen running at a high resolution of 480 x 640 pixels, delivering an unprecedented degree of clarity that does wonders for both personal photographs and spreadsheets."

Most of today's PDA phones aren't all that dissimilar: they try to nail that "touch" experience, and offer similar wireless functionality, similar cameras, similar displays, you name it. So, what does ASUS do to stand out? It goes back to basics and offers something that most of these devices lack: a fast Marvell TavorP 800MHz processor. Admittedly, the leap from the ever so common 624MHz isn't profound, but it's a welcome leap, nonetheless. This Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional device also packs 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, 3G connectivity, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, GPS (SiRFstar III), a 2.8" VGA touchscreen, a 3.0-megapixel auto-focus camera, and a microSD slot. Not bad at all... oh, except for the rather dismal inclusion of USB 1.1.

"Nothing is quite official about this ASUS phone just yet, but the current speculation is that it's actually the ASUS P565 and, judging from some newly-detailed specs, it looks like it shouldn't have much trouble attracting its share of interest. Leading the way is a speedy 800MHz Marvell Tavor processor (apparently a first for any phone), and a still relatively uncommon 2.8-inch VGA screen, which should go nicely with the VGA camera for video conferencing (you'll get 3-megapixels for still mages). Otherwise, you can expect European HSDPA connectivity, built-in GPS, a 1300mAh battery that promises 3.5 hours of 3G talk time, and Windows Mobile 6.1 for an OS (with ASUS' Glide software on top of it), of course."

While nothing is incrediably wow-ing about this ASUS offering (although the VGA screen is a nice touch over the dated QVGA we've seen OEMs continue to peddle), it does do my heart good to see that GPS is somewhat of a standard feature now. And 3 MP+ cameras are a nice addition too. Who knows, within a few years, perhaps a Windows Mobile device will wow us again!

"A mysterious Asus phone dubbed the "Omnia Killer" due to it's Omnia-like appearance, showed up recently on the Intertubes. Speculation has been running rampant (an 800mhz processor?) about the possible details of the phone. Thanks to wmpoweruser.com, the phone has finally been given a name and some specs to go along with it. From now on it shall be known as Asus Glaxy7 (its' codename is missing an "a"?)"

I'm not sure how hard it would be to kill the Omnia, as I've heard both good and bad praise of the device. Asus may be ready to step it up a notch with the Galxy7, if the specs posted are to be believed.

"ASUS today launched the ASUS P552w PDA phone which features Glide – an innovative touch-responsive user interface that makes navigating and performing tasks on a mobile phone more intuitive and interactive than ever before. Equipped with a 624MHz processor and a host of market-leading features such as 3.5G HSDPA connectivity, GPS and seamless Google integration*, the ASUS P552w PDA phone is a perfect fit for the rising tide of young, tech-savvy professionals who appreciate a good-looking mobile companion that packs a wealth of fun features and yet is no slouch when it comes to work."

The P552w is here. First, let's take a look at the hardware. On the surface, it looks great with its Marvell Tavor 624MHz CPU, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and microSDHC slot. Dig a little deeper and you discover a handful of features that are the bane of its existence. Take, for example, USB 1.1, tri-band GSM/EDGE, and mere 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA. Ouch.

Next, there's the software. Kudos to Asus for incorporating Glide - it seems visually impressive. But at the same time, I can't help but notice the following. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So, Asus, when I say your Multi-Home application bears an uncanny resemblance to one of your competitors' applications, it's just flattery, right?

Read more...

"The latest Windows Mobile upgrade brings minor, but very welcome additions to the platform. In this article, we'll cover both the Standard (non-touchscreen) and Professional (touchscreen) editions and show you what's to love about the Windows Mobile 6.1 update. Now, you'll notice this is not a full version upgrade, but just a ".1" upgrade so you know you can't expect a full overhaul. It really feels like just a quick update intended to fill in a couple of gaps between the Windows Mobile and Apple iPhone functionality. You'll notice some similarities between the Standard and Professional operating systems (such as the Internet Explorer and Text Messaging updates), but you'll also notice some odd differences. Read on for our thorough rundown of the next version of Windows Mobile to hit your phone!"


[Windows Mobile 6.1 in the flesh! From left to right - Standard and Professional]

Pocketnow.com has brought us a quick review of Windows Mobile 6.1. This review contains a ton of screenshots and two videos of WM 6.1 in action on both the Standard and Professional handsets! All in all, I'm really excited to get my hands on either a device that is equipped with this new update or a Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM image for my Emulator. Oh man, good times! You guys have no idea how relieved I am that this didn't turn out to be a huge April fool’s joke from Microsoft!

You can see the videos (I promise it isn't another Rick Roll) for the Standard platform here and the Professional platform here. Enjoy!