Monday, January 22, 2007
Asus Launches Ultra-slim A686 and A696 GPS PDAs
Posted by Paul Martin in "HARDWARE" @ 08:35 PM
"With the overall PDA market slowly dwindling into oblivion, Asus is attempting to keep the PDA kickin' for just a bit longer, and the company's latest duo actually isn't half bad considering the GPS functions and relatively slim enclosure. The A686 / A696 units ditch the MyPal moniker from days past, and rather than adding that bulky GPS antenna the side, Asus has bumped up the style points by crafting a stainless steel frame with a non-protruding GPS antenna. Both units pack Windows Mobile 5.0, 802.11b/g, a SiRF Star III receiver, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 64MB of SDRAM, 3.5-inch 320 x 240 resolution touchscreen, integrated speakers / microphone, audio recording capability, rechargeable battery, and it comes in at just 1.57-centimeters thick."
Despite the negative view of the PDA market, Engadget offers a good summary of two new Asus offerings. The 802.11g is a nice touch! Though I'm not a GPS user yet, I can certainly see the benefit, assuming that it wasn't too big of a drain on battery life. The 696 offers 256MB Flash ROM but only 64MB SDRAM. I'd still like to see more. :D Is GPS a killer feature for you?
Despite the negative view of the PDA market, Engadget offers a good summary of two new Asus offerings. The 802.11g is a nice touch! Though I'm not a GPS user yet, I can certainly see the benefit, assuming that it wasn't too big of a drain on battery life. The 696 offers 256MB Flash ROM but only 64MB SDRAM. I'd still like to see more. :D Is GPS a killer feature for you?
