Asustek readies launch

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,103673,00.asp">http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,103673,00.asp</a><br /><br />The hardware giant Asustek has been taking a loooong look for a loooong time at the Pocket PC market. Are they finally ready to make a move? This PC World article discusses the MyPal A600, an Xscale 400-MHz based Pocket PC 2002. Asustek is defintely seated well for a pretty interesting ride, judging by their brand recogniton and market share in Asia. They demonstrated a Chinese version of the Pocket PC 2002 software last year. Summary of the specs: 400-MHz Intel PXA250 processor, CF slot, 64MB RAM, 32MB flash ROM, a 3.5-inch TFT LCD, 15 hours battery life.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/china_01.jpg" />

[marlof]

You can see a picture, and read more about this device, on the Asus website (http://www.asus.com.tw/inside/pda_a600.htm).

[RickP in AZ]

From the ASUS website:
>MyPal A600's CF card adaptor

See, I almost got excited there for a minute... Though the adapter is very, very small it is still a far cry from integrated CF. Oh well back to trying to decide whether to keep my new e740 or trade it for the e550g or to go back with my tail between my legs to the iPAQ...

Sigh, sometimes I hate being a tech-junkie and slave to my technolust.

[Jonathon Watkins]

There's always the LOOX - I am getting mine delivered any day now. :?
It's getting very good reviews so far.....

[JonnoB]

Although a mistake not to have integrated slots (IMO)... I am glad to see another option becoming available and someone to innovate a bit on decreasing size.... an often mentioned downer from the Palm camp.

[Jonathon Watkins]

... innovate a bit on decreasing size.... an often mentioned downer from the Palm camp.
Hmm - I find it hard to believe that Palm users will flock to the PPC even if the new devices are smaller than existing Palms. They will then probably be TOO small. :) Size does matter - but we are nearly there in terms of minimum PPC size. The smaller the device - the smaller the screen, which is a bad thing for most of us enthusiasts. I think the Palm 105 is about as small as you would want to go - and it's really a bit too small for general use. I got a few 105's for people looking for a dirt cheap PDA, and they have great difulty reading the screen - even on Max magnification.

I do wish that there was a dirt cheap PPC I could have gotten them - but we're not there yet. Roll on the $300 Dell PPCs - though by the time they get to the UK they'l probably be £300 ($450). :roll: :(

[daveshih]

Hey, Andy,

What's the picture for?

:wink:

Dave

[T-Will]

A couple things really caught my attention, first, FINALLY a Pocket PC with an alluminum alloy case (probably like the Jornada 540 series case), second, "CF card adaptor also takes advantage of the 24 orbiting satellites for mobile navigation" (built-in GPS with the adapter, neato!), finally, a 15 hour battery life (that's what I'm talkin' about...this should be a standard battery life in PDA's). It looks like a pretty cool Pocket PC, but I don't wan an addon CF slot, also is there a built-in SD slot???

[Take1]

Hmm. That picture looks like the Buddhist temple in The Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe Hawaii...

[Foo Fighter]

Any new info on this device, such as availability? :?

It looks pretty damn wicked. And it has a metal body. Does it have a transflective display by any chance?

[Jonathon Watkins]

Foo - how did you get that image in your post? In the FAQ of the BB SW it says that you can link to an image already on the web. However when I viewed the source of the html page I saw this (lightly edited to stop the picture displaying):
&lt;span class="postbody">asus2.jpg&lt;br />
img src="files/372_1029210085 .jpg" alt="asus2.jpg" />&lt;/span>&lt;br />

I was expecting to see the URL from what the FAQ was saying. So - is it possible to upload pictures so they show in posts - or do you need to link to other sites to get the pictures in? Please DO tell. :)

[Steven Cedrone]

So - is it possible to upload pictures so they show in posts - or do you need to link to other sites to get the pictures in? Please DO tell. :)

When you post, use the "add an attachment" feature right above the "Preview" and "Submit" buttons...

When you add a graphic, it will appear at the bottom of your post...

Steve

[Jonathon Watkins]

EDIT - OK - it works. :D
I don't know why it didn't before. So - picture posting here I come. :-)
(This also means that the FAQ is wrong as it says that you can't do it). The FAQ above says:
Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use either the BBCode [img] tag or appropriate HTML (if allowed).

(The picture was taken with my 'keyring' - the e'spion digital camera (http://www.digitaldreamco.com/shop/espion.htm). It is the size of two thumbs put together & I carry it everywhere! :D

[Steven Cedrone]

It appears to have worked to me.

Steve

[Certified Optimist]

Hi there,

Found the ASUS in a computer mall here in HK. The OS is unfortunately in Chinese... (not my first, second or third language...), so I stopped asking then. I didn't confirm whether this was the X-scale version, but I don't think ASUS has produced any other PDAs.

It did look rediculously thin though next to the other PDAs...
:D

[Jonathon Watkins]

It appears to have worked to me.

Steve

Umm, why has the "add an attachment" feature gone? I can't see the picture any more either..... :?

[Jason Dunn]

We had to remove the "Add Attachement" hack - it was causing some phpBB instability. We'll try to get it added back in later, but no promises...

[Jonathon Watkins]

Understood. It was nice while it lasted. If you get it working then great. :D If not then we can understand. Stability above features any day! :P :P Thanks.