Zayo A600 Pocket PC only $199!

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobileplanet.com/private/pocketpcthoughts/product.asp?dept%5Fid=2621&pf%5Fid=MP940500&listing=1' target='_blank'>http://www.mobileplanet.com/private...40500&listing=1</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.mobileplanet.com/assets/product_images/MP940500.gif" /><br /><br />"The powerful, flexible Zayo Pocket PC is designed for the active user, with 64 MB SDRAM, 32 MB Flash ROM, and class-leading 400MHz Intel XScale processor and super-bright display. And you'll have more time to enjoy your Zayo with up to 12-hours battery life from the standard lithium polymer rechargeable battery. The Zayo's proprietary, ultra-low power, super-bright LCD touch screen display with 64,000 colors is a true revelation, providing clearer images and less eyestrain, especially in sunlight conditions. Cooler running and lower power consumption means less draw on the CPU and improved battery life, too."<br /><br />If you're looking for a heck of a deal on a Pocket PC, this is it - the Zayo A600 consistently benchmarked very well and was considered one of the fastest Pocket PC 2002 devices. I don't know what Asus' plans are for 2003 upgrades, but regardless, $199 is an incredible price for a brand-new, metal-cased, 400 Mhz Pocket PC. 8O

[Enderet]

8O Can anybody who owns this PPC benchmark with Jasons little app? I am really interested in seeing how this lil PPC runs. Also any other feedback from other users would be appreciated. I just bought my 2210, but having an extra PPC is never a bad idea. 0X

[entropy1980]

This sucker is fast, small, and light...... this is a great deal... for a while it was way overpriced but this makes it a very good deal.

[Enderet]

PXA-250 or 255?

[GoldKey]

What type of cards does this take?

[Enderet]

It appears to be SD

[Enderet]

I would probably go for it if I knew it came with the 255. Too bad all reviews I have looked at say it comes with the 250

[isilver]

This sounds to good to be true. How can they sell this product with what it is offering for that price. There has to be a catch.

[Enderet]

This sounds to good to be true. How can they sell this product with what it is offering for that price. There has to be a catch.

Not necessarily. It probably means that the new Zayo is coming up and it is going to be pretty good. The benchmarks that have appeared across other boards seem to indicate that it runs faster than the 2210/5, which is something very impressive. The new Zayo 620 comes with WinMobile and a PXA-255. Oh and the benchmarks were made with Jason's app. I believe.

[entropy1980]

PXA 250, but believe me if you don't need PPC 2k3 then this would be a great device it is incredibly fast...

[T-Will]

Metal case... *droool* :jawdrop:

[palmsolo]

I saw an ad for the new Asus MyPal in the Mobile Planet catalog I just received yesterday and if I remember correctly it stated it came with a 400MHz 255 processor, Windows Mobile 2003, and an integrated CF slot (no SD slot) for $349. I'll have to pull it out when I get home to check the specs again.

[MichaelA]

This device supports a CF 'jacket'. Anyone know where this can be purchased, and the cost? I think the single SD slot is a limitation, but with the jacket, it would be an excellent little device!

[Kati Compton]

Cool. This one intrigued me when I was looking for a PPC. It's cute, and if I remember correctly, the buttons light up blue. ;)

[Sanjay Srikonda]

Under the specs in the "Included in Box" section is the following:

Included in box:
Zayo A600 Pocket PC, cradle, stylus, protective case, mini USB cable for cradle (CF Jacket), AC adapter (5V/3A), quick start guide, users guide, warranty card, Microsoft companion CD

What does the mini usb cable for cradle (CF jacket) mean? Does this mean it comes with a CF sleeve as well?

[Sslixtis]

saw an ad for the new Asus MyPal in the Mobile Planet catalog I just received yesterday and if I remember correctly it stated it came with a 400MHz 255 processor, Windows Mobile 2003, and an integrated CF slot (no SD slot) for $349. I'll have to pull it out when I get home to check the specs again.

I believe you're remembering the new ASUS MyPal A620 Pocket PC (http://www.mobileplanet.com/private/pocketpcthoughts/product.asp?dept%5Fid=2621&pf%5Fid=MP940511&listing=1)

:lol:

[KAMware]

I purchased one of these when they wer $300. It is a very slick, good looking and good performing PPC. It does not come with the CF sleeve. It has the ability to set the processor speed manually or automatically.

All the buttons do light up blue when you press one of them.

It is small and the metal case really makes it feel good.

This is a great buy at $200!

:D

[Jason Dunn]

This sounds to good to be true. How can they sell this product with what it is offering for that price. There has to be a catch.

It's an older model, and they're clearing out old stock making way for the new one. Not too surprising really. :-)

[quidproquo]

One word.....

WOW! Great price!! 8O

[Crystal Eitle]

Does it have a jog dial? And how is the display in sunlight really?

I could see this thing being a sweet little e-book reader.

[Lday]

Does it have a jog dial? And how is the display in sunlight really?

I could see this thing being a sweet little e-book reader.

The specs say "Side Up/Down Buttons", maybe this is a jog?

[Gamma Ray]

Jason, your front page article brings up an interesting point. Since an XScale is an XScale, unless you actually say "last year's PDA" or 250 processor, we have no idea if this is a great buy or just clearing old inventory. As you can see, the whole thread was focused on trying to figure this out. Kind of a time-waster for people who were looking for a "new" PDA. MORAL: This is still a good price and I appreciate your post HOWEVER you need to be more specific now that everyone is rolling out the new 255 PDAs...

[Jason Dunn]

This is still a good price and I appreciate your post HOWEVER you need to be more specific now that everyone is rolling out the new 255 PDAs...

Considering I don't own one of these, I have no clue as to whether or not they have PXA250's or 255's. Regardless, even with a PXA250, every review I read about this device said it was very, very fast. And I've seen the benchmark for the A620, and it's off the charts speed-wise: so I have great faith in Asus' ability to do their Taiwanese Kung Fu and make ANY Xscale processor sit up and dance. :wink:

[Covert]

It has a PXA-250, but it's still very fast.

[KAMware]

If you want to read a complete review of this unit go here:
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/zayo-review.html
:D

[heov]

I own one of these. I also own the CF jacket.

It uses a PXA250 @ 400MHz.
It has an option for "Advanced Performance Enhancement"... which improves video performance greatly... making it the fastest pxa250 (proven w/ MANY tests. search), and holds it's own on many pxa255s, if it's not better. Now the a620 uses the pxa255, and also has the Advanced Perforamance Option to make it faster. The a620 is hands down the fastest ppc out there w/ a 800-900 BMQ score, highest quakefps, and best video performance. it's about 1.4x faster than the a600. I don't own the a620 though.

OCing is a new world. Zayo can be OCed to 472, 500, and 531 (528). 500 is the most stable. OCing makes it even faster.

The casing is metal, it is small, and it's very light. It does have a jog dial, like the old casios and jornadas... it's an actual wheel... like the toshibas.

no button problems for gaming... buttons seem to work great for gaming, but teh speaker is in the dpad, so the noise could be muffled while playing games.

Battery's okay.. 1250mAh.

Screen's a little better than teh toshiba e740... it's a nice reflective one.

It has a proprietory Asus usb/serial connector and a standard DC/AC jack on the bottom of the unit. When cradled, the usb cable is a standard USB cable w/ the mini jack on one end and the usb on the other end. so you can use any generic USB cable, like the ones that come w/ digicams and stuff. I've tried it.... heck, maybe you can attach a usb2 cable, but i doubt you'd get any performance increase.

The jacket has a CF type 2 slot on top and an internal 1250?mah battery. It drains from the expansion first, then the main battery. It makes the unit about twice as thick. i bought mine from www.escstore.com

The CF jacket as a mini usb jack on the side, so you can use the same cable (it comes w/ one too), or any other standard usb cable.

things you should know...
it's not SDIO
the buttons light up when pressed... can't turn this feature off. cool @ first, anoying later... really don't care after a while.
cheap stylus
255 incremental backlight setting. one for ac and one for battery (2 sliders).
EUU3 is out there... doubt there'll be a 2k3 upgrade.

Any othe questions?