ASUS A686/696 GPS PDA

Written by Adam Gosling

Thursday, 23 August 2007

If you're looking for a sli, polished GPS device with a big display, Windows Mobile 5 and a media player, the ASUS A686 and A696 handhelds could be on your list if you are willing to forego phone capabilities. New to the Australian market at least the A686/696 personal digital assistant (PDA) has full global positioning system (GPS) capability, runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 on its Intel Xscale processor (416MHz on the A696). The device is also a media player with Windows Media Player Mobile and front-mounted speakers and plays a variety of video and audio formats including .wmv, .wma, .mp3, etc as well as a huge library of games available for the Pocket PC platform. The A686/696 is ultra-slim at only 15.7mm and weighs 165gram. The device has an embedded, non-protruding antenna making it an easy pocket job. With integrated Bluetooth 2.0 and enhanced data rate, the A686/696 speeds up data exchange with a huge range of peripherals by up to 2-3 times over conventional Bluetooth technologies. ASUS' user friendly ‘Remote Presenter' application also allows the A686/696 to link to another computer via Bluetooth and control presentations. You can sync the A686/696 with your computer to carry email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes. Being a Windows mobile device it supports Pocket Outlook, Calendar, Contacts, File Explorer, Internet Explorer Mobile, Excel Mobile , Word Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, has Voice recorder, and Notes. All data is stored in flash memory so precious information remains stored regardless of battery power. Both devices are said to be available already with the A696 priced at RRP AU$599, but the A686 is advertised from Australian Internet stores from A$435 or so, without the navigation software. www.asus.com Specifications   CPU: A686: Intel Xscale processor 312MHz A696: Intel Xscale processor 416MHz Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 (Pocket PC) Display: 3.5" brilliant transflective TFT LCD with 65,000 full colors, 240 x 320 resolution and touch screen Memory: A686: 128MB Flash ROM, 64MB SDRAM A696: 256MB Flash ROM, 64MB SDRAM Battery: 1200mAh removable/ rechargeable battery Dimension: 11.7 x 7.08 x 1.57cm (L x W x H) Weight: 165g with battery GPS: SiRF Star III chipset (GPS) Expansion Slot: SD card slot (SDIO/SD/MMC) Audio: Integrated mic and speaker; full duplex record and playback; 1 x 3.5mm earphone jack and MP3 stereo speaker Communication: A686: Bluetooth v2.0 (EDR) /USB 1.1/ SIR (115.2 kbps Max.) A696: WLAN 802.11b+g/Bluetooth v2.0 (EDR) /USB 1.1/ SIR (115.2 kbps Max.) Personal Assistant Tool: - Windows Media Player Mobile supports full screen movies and music playbacks - Provide PIM functions including Pocket Outlook, Calendar, Contacts, File Explorer, Internet Explorer Mobile, Excel Mobile , Word Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, Voice recorder, Takes and Notes - Synchronisation with desktop or portable computers of email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes Related news items Broadcom Enthusisam for 802.11n Wavers -06/09/2007 iPhone Gets Enterprise Credibility -16/07/2007 Dell Options Mobility Or Grunt -03/07/2007 MOTOROKR E6 Debuts In Aus -02/07/2007 Toshiba Gets Serious With New Gaming Laptop -27/06/2007 Newer news items Six Month Wait For Garmin nüvifone -03/02/2008 Google FInds Mobiles Without GPS -28/11/2007 Garmin Does Phone Nav -04/10/2007 Nokia Buys Map Company For US$8 Billion -02/10/2007 Australia's First Free Mobile Navigation Service -13/09/2007 Older news items GPS Satellite Cooperation -30/07/2007 Nokia Finds A Faster GPS Solution -19/07/2007 Location Services Finding Their Place -04/04/2007 Vodafone GPS BlackBerry Ready In May -29/03/2007 Nokia Says N95 Now Shipping -22/03/2007 Tag This Now: