Though not as abounding as brands like HTC, Asus does accept a few PDA-phones in its portfolio. The company's capital differentiator aback its beforehand MyPal-branded accessories is the admittance of GPS in best of its devices. This carries on in the accepted ambit and extends to the accessible calendar as well. Asus' accepted flagship archetypal is the P750, a Windows Adaptable 6 handheld with HSDPA as one of its connectivity features. It retails for S$1,188 and is accessible in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Design
Ranging from apparatus catered to enthusiasts to notebooks for a advanced spectrum of consumers, Asus has a appealing acceptable clue almanac aback it comes to quality. We begin that to be accurate additionally in the P750 which has a solid build. With ambit of 113 x 58 x 17.4mm and a weight of 130g, this PDA-phone is appealing bunched for its chic of products. It isn't as glassy as some added Windows Adaptable handhelds from brands like HTC and LG. But accustomed that it has a numeric keypad, we'd say Asus has done a appealing acceptable job with the anatomy agency alike admitting the architecture isn't that exciting.
The microSD agenda aperture is begin on the right.
The advanced of the accessory is mostly taken up by a 2.6-inch QVGA display. Below that, you get a joystick navigator and a numeric keypad for cardinal and argument input. There are actually a cardinal of adjustment keys begin about the keypad including an OK key for accepting out of airheaded quickly. Admitting it occupies a actual baby apparent area, we begin the keys on the keypad acceptable to blazon with. One baby ache we had is that the "2" button, for some aberrant reason, requires added force to depress. So if you are appliance minimum force for the blow of the buttons, hitting "2" will accord you a non-response and will crave a re-press.
The bezel about the awning has a brushed metal accomplishment while a chromed band runs about the edge. The blow of the P750 including the aback appear in a buttery material--one that is accepting accepted amid abounding handhelds because it feels acceptable in the hands. The abandon of the P750 are actually crowded. On the larboard are a jog punch and articulation recorder adjustment key while on the appropriate are a anchorage for an alien GPS antenna, the ability switch, a displace hold, camera bang and a microSD agenda slot.
The ability about-face is one aspect of the architecture that we actually liked. It works actual abundant like those Authority switches begin on music players--moving it up from the absence centermost position turns the accessory on or off, while affective it bottomward locks it. This allows you to keylock the P750 no amount which appliance you appear to be in, clashing abounding added WM handhelds which can be keylocked alone from the Home screen.
On the abject of this PDA-phone are two ports, one mini-USB and one 2.5mm audio connector. A stylus aperture is additionally begin there abutting to the appropriate edge.
Features
Among the handhelds from Asus, this is the aboriginal to appear with HSDPA connectivity. In this case, that agency it can hit a abstract abstracts alteration acceleration of 3.6Mbps over the cellular network. As always, this is usually abundant lower and is abased on the affection of your operator's arrangement in your accepted location. This handset additionally has a triband GSM radio, so adrift in the US won't be a problem. Aside from the cellular features, the P750 additionally comes with the approved crop of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity options.
The Asus Launcher interface--nice to attending at, but not all that useful.
GPS has become a approved account on Asus' account of blueprint on its handhelds. The P750 comes with the Sirfstar III GPS chipset, a frequently acclimated basic for accessory aeronautics and one of the best in the market. Asus bundles some software which makes use of this feature. One of them is Travelog, an appliance which can chase you on your campaign and again acquiesce you to consign a book which is acclimated on Google Earth to clue your journey. Another is LocationCourier which sends your coordinates to agreed contacts via SMS. These are all nice to have, but the best important appliance for a GPS handheld is missing--maps. Asus has not arranged any aeronautics software or maps with the P750. Best PDA-phones with congenital GPS we accept appear beyond so far accept been awash with applications like MapKing and a chargeless bounded map. So those because affairs the P750 should agency in the amount of affairs maps alone afore activity for it.
Other applications begin in the P750 accommodate a namecard scanner, a apple time clock, an RSS clairvoyant and a advancement application. There are additionally some which accomplish the interface added user-friendly. Like with all accepted HTC products, Asus has a ambience alleged Auto Cleaner which lets you columnist and authority the abutting button to abolish an appliance instead of aloof aspersing it to the background. There are additionally tiny icons on the Today awning which acquaint you aback Wi-Fi or GPS is in use, and additionally gets you to assertive settings quickly. There is alike an Asus Launcher which makes the absolute interface attending added like a approved adaptable buzz with a grid-style card layout. Unfortunately, it didn't assume to accommodate new programs installed in the menus, authoritative it abortive for approved use.
Two cameras are begin on the P750, one for picture-taking at the rear and one for video calls in advanced aloft the LCD. The 3-megapixel camera at the aback has an autofocus affection and takes appropriate abundant photos for a camera-phone. We did acquisition the bang lag actually bad, so don't be afraid if you absence some fast-moving activity because of that.
Performance
We had no accession problems with the P750. It did able-bodied for articulation calls and video calls formed out appealing all right, too. But as with abounding phones, it will be adamantine to actually apprehend what the added affair is adage outdoors in a blatant ambiance appliance the P750's speakerphone.
With a 520MHz Marvell processor, this handheld did feel appealing responsive. Alike admitting it has alone 64MB of RAM, we did not acquisition it to be apathetic in accustomed accustomed use. That said, we wouldn't apperception it accepting 128MB of RAM instead so that active alike added memory-intensive applications in the accomplishments won't account the accessory to apathetic down.
The P750's array is rated for 3.6 hours of talktime. We managed to get three days' use on a distinct charge--excellent for a touchscreen device. Admitting this additionally depends on acceptance patterns, it's appealing safe to say that circadian charging won't be actually appropriate for most.
Conclusion
Asus has gotten it mostly appropriate with the P750. It comes with all the requisite wireless options and doesn't accept any anathema flaws. It alike comes with a appealing acceptable array including a car holder and charger. The above shortcoming we would accept to say is the abridgement of arranged maps--which makes the accouterment of a car kit a little ironic. This additionally makes the S$1,188 amount tag feel a little expensive. But if you are attractive for a WM6 handheld with a numeric keypad, there aren't abounding to accept from, and we'd say this Asus P750 is a appropriate choice.
