Asus to try hand at own-branded PDAs

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article.asp?IR=N&ClassID=100&datePublish=2002/02/22&pages=04&seq=29">http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article.asp?IR=N&ClassID=100&datePublish=2002/02/22&pages=04&seq=29</a><br /><br />Well, it's official: ASUS is making their own Pocket PC. Unlike the announcement we posted a few weeks ago of a prototype device that may or may not make it to market, it looks like ASUS is releasing a Pocket PC to the market with built-in GPRS. Excellent! I wonder if it will be restricted to Asian markets, or if North America & Europe will get the device?<br /><br />"Asustek Computer will launch its first own-branded PDA (personal digital assistant) with a GPRS (general packet radio service) module in mid-April, said vice-president Tzeng Chien-sheng. The PDA will be equipped with Intel’s StrongARM 1110 processor, and run on the Pocket PC 2002 operating system. Asus will follow this up with the launch of a similar model using Intel’s new XScale processor in Q3."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/2002022204029_files/image002.gif" /><br /><br />"Tzeng noted that not all of their new PDA models will have built-in GPRS modules, but users will be able to enjoy GPRS functions by attaching an external module to the SD (secure digital) card slot." <br /><br />Source: Christopher Coulter

[Venturello]

Nice indeed! Asus makes GREAT stuff on their other product line, hope they can come up with something interesting.

Just PLEASE let it be 64Mbs!!

[AKBishop]

All right... more competition means better products and lower prices. And ASUS sure does know how to make better products.

I'm very interested in the GPRS module that connects through an SD slot. I wonder if they'll be kind enough to make drivers for my iPAQ. ;-) That'd be cool.

:-D

[Aceze]

Anybody else think that Asus should forego the SA1110 and skip directly to the XScale processors??? With a handful of XScale machines coming out in 2Q02, who's going to continue to buy SA1110 machines that will be coming out at the same time? At least the machines coming out with the Xscale chips have a chance at being upgradeable, but any SA1110 machines will be stuck with the slow SA1110 chip regardless of OS expandability...

I really hope Asus dont bother with the SA1110, of all the designs of the current batch of PPC's the Asus/NEC PPC is my favourite - but no XScale, no sale!

Aceze

[Dave Conger]

I really hope Asus dont bother with the SA1110, of all the designs of the current batch of PPC's the Asus/NEC PPC is my favourite - but no XScale, no sale!


I feel like they might go SA1110 first to test the market, which isn't really a good plan. I agree, going with the XScale would be what would make me consider this product, not StrongARM like I can buy now.

I really want to know if it has any "special" Asus stuff in it. Like did they but in their own system board, and if so I would like to see some spec compares. Though only a small population of users would probably care about this, I think some of the power users could be interested to see if Asus decided to "supe up" thier PDA or make it basically the same as the other.

[philfp]

I really hope Asus dont bother with the SA1110, of all the designs of the current batch of PPC's the Asus/NEC PPC is my favourite - but no XScale, no sale!


Chicken and egg problem for all manufacturers really. You need to announce new products all the time, but production quantities of XScale are likely to be small and spread out between a lot of PPC vendors for a fair wee while. To come straight out with XScale might mean delaying the release of the inbuilt GPRS PPC, which they might well sell to corporates rather than to us individual punters.

Personally I'd rather wait for XScale, but I appreciate the problem that Asus and others must have in this area.

Phil

[pocketmon]

Yep. Methinks I like what I see... 8O

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/pc/docs/2002/0212/intel08.jpg

Edit: Converted pictures to links to conserve boardspace. It still looks good though... :twisted:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/pc/docs/2002/0212/intel09.jpg

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/pc/docs/2002/0212/intel07.jpg

[jlp]

Technology is really advancing too fast and companies are having a very hard time to include it all: XScale, BlueTooth, GSM/GPRS, PocketPC 2002, Windows CE.NET.

The first PkPC 2k2 are barely here for 6 months (1-2 months for the European market where I live) and now you see the newer generation that make your device totally obsolete, and none include them all.

It's advancing much faster than the desktop, and there at least you can remove a component and/or add more RAM, a second HDD, change the CPU, the graphic card, etc.

But with PDAs, if you want any of the newer technology like an XScale CPU, BlueTooth without sacrificing your unique slot (2 at most if you're lucky) GPRS, an HDD, a newer OS, etc. you have to ditch your device and get another one.

And these are not cheap either.

[FM]

Oh boy,

I did not realise this PPC was new when I played with it last week in Cannes :-0

I was on display at the Infineon booth. So I guess they will be using their GSM chipset in it.

Mmmhhhhh, looks like I missed a good opportunity to take a couple of pictures there...

BTW, Infineon was also showing a very small CF type II tri-band GSM/GPRS card. Nothing comparable to the ugly Pretec bulky card.

[Dave Conger]

Hey, just found a link on PDABuzz to some more pictures of the Asus device at the GSM World Conference....

http://www.pdafrance.com/articles/article.php?cat=dossierdivers&id=108&p=10

The specs say...ARM StrongARM 1110 , 64MB RAM, LCD 64K, Compact Flash II and SD/MMC, Jog Dial. Not a bad little product, though I think XScale would make it go over better.

[jlp]

Dave, this link is not to PDAbuzz.

Anyway the linked article mentions 2 different devices: one including the SA-1110 @ 206 MHz and 2 slots: MMC/SD and a CF type II. The 2nd has the XScale, is thinner but unfortunately they dropped the CF slot. This is crazy. Can't they make it right and give us the same body as the one with the SA-1110 but just change the CPU.

Is is that hard to make it right.

Well I'll have to go for the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX which seems to have it all: CF II, MM/CSD, BlueTooth, phone oriented speaker/mic, calendar and tasks buttons that are circled with a green and red line (you guess y) and offer a GSM/GPRS optional module. All this fitted with the XScale CPU.

This will be my next device unless Casio offers more, and I know they always have. Imagine a Cassiopeia E-300 being a redesigned E-200 with XScale and BT, that's all that's missing to become the hottest, all inclusive PDA on the market!!! Remember that the E-200 has sleeves and USB host capabilities, plus removable main and backup battery, a side scroll button, etc. that already makes it the hottest device of the current generation. Now imagine the E-300 with the EM-500 design and it will become the bloody hottest sunovabeach seller!!!!!!!

[Dave Conger]

Dave, this link is not to PDAbuzz.


Right, which is why the URL is PDA France.


...just found a link on PDABuzz...


...just to clear that up.

[Dave Conger]

Anyway the linked article mentions 2 different devices: one including the SA-1110 @ 206 MHz and 2 slots: MMC/SD and a CF type II. The 2nd has the XScale, is thinner but unfortunately they dropped the CF slot. This is crazy. Can't they make it right and give us the same body as the one with the SA-1110 but just change the CPU.


One problem is you can't really just pull out the processor, you have to put in a new system board that supports the CPU. Since the hardware is different, that could change the form factor. If they market the StrongARM device, they need it to have some perks, and just SD in a thin device isn't really enough. As for with XScale, they can market it as a thin device with XScale which could set it apart from some others that would be thicker with both slots. Plus just having one slot allows them to refine their technology and later introduce another device with both expansions.

[jlp]

[quote=jlp]
Anyway the linked article mentions 2 different devices: one including the SA-1110 @ 206 MHz and 2 slots: MMC/SD and a CF type II. The 2nd has the XScale, is thinner but unfortunately they dropped the CF slot. This is crazy. Can't they make it right and give us the same body as the one with the SA-1110 but just change the CPU.

One problem is you can't really just pull out the processor, you have to put in a new system board that supports the CPU.

I guessed that and didn't want to burden my message with the added lines to the like.

Since the hardware is different, that could change the form factor.
Obviously if they can make a thinner device without the CF slot they can make it slightly thicker by including it.

You and I both know that CF cards represent probably 90 to 95% of the accessory market for expasion cards, and represent all the major type of expansion, from HDD (that you wont see at all in an MMC/SD format, or at least not in the foreseeable future: 10-15 years; it has taken IBM that long to go from the PC Card to the CF type II format!!! and whatever they do CF cards will always have higher capacities) to WiFi LAN cards, from GSM/GPRS accessories to digicams, etc.


As for with XScale, they can market it as a thin device with XScale which could set it apart from some others that would be thicker with both slots. Plus just having one slot allows them to refine their technology and later introduce another device with both expansions.


Most people who want a top of the range device are power users and therefore require more features, else they buy a Palm or a $20 digital diary, so I don't think this reason has any ground. Besides when I'll be on the market for a replacement to my Cassiopeia E-125 (that is quite soon), I won't want to wait for Asus engineers to try to understand the above and give me my 2 slots, Ill go for the Pocket LOOX or maybe the E-200 descendant, whichever comes first here.

[Aceze]

One problem is you can't really just pull out the processor, you have to put in a new system board that supports the CPU. Since the hardware is different, that could change the form factor...


Looks like they can - Fujitsu has been showing off the Pocket Loox with a SA1110 CPU because they cant get enough XScales together yet - but apparently expect them in enough quantities to ship the final product with the 300mhz Xscale (same case, same model, same Bat channel).

Also, is it just me, or does that picture of the Asus PDA posted by Pocketmon look like the case is a little warped at the bottom right hand corner (looks like the back of the case is splitting or warped away from the front)???

Aceze

[Dave Conger]

Looks like they can - Fujitsu has been showing off the Pocket Loox with a SA1110 CPU because they cant get enough XScales together yet - but apparently expect them in enough quantities to ship the final product with the 300mhz Xscale (same case, same model, same Bat channel).


I don't think they are really just switching the chips...I will have to check with Intel and see if this is possible. I wouldn't think the XScales would work with the boards because they are really a redesigned chip. Usually there is a specific companion chip that goes along with the processor, and I would think this is pretty processor specific.

If we can just "swap out" the StrongARM's....maybe someone will come up with an upgrade for our iPAQ's to XScale.

[Robotbeat]

http://www.tomshardware.com/business/02q1/020315/cebit-05.html

I found this at Tom's Hardware. I think it is pretty dumb, since I get much better fps on my iPAQ with Pocket Divx and fullscreen. I don't think this model is XScale, or at least I hope not, because that is pretty shabby mpeg4 performance. (16 fps not fullscreen).