ASUS is an Asian computer manufacturer that has been testing the U.S. PDA market for over a year now. They introduced their first U.S. device, the A600, in early 2003. I reviewed it in our March 2003 issue (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/Mar03/zayo.asp) and was impressed by its graphics performance. In the Feb/March 2004 issue I reviewed another device of theirs, the A620 (http://www.PocketPCmag.com/Mar04/asus.asp). I have been using the A620 as my personal device since the review, because of its snappy performance. But there were a few things I didn’t like about it. Fortunately, the new ASUS MyPal A716 addressed all of my criticisms.

Making a good thing better

Like the A620 before it, the ASUS A716 is powered by a 400 MHz processor and comes with 64 MB of RAM and 64 MB of flash ROM. A little over 25 MB of the flash ROM can be accessed for data storage and program installation. Like the hard drive in your desktop PC, flash ROM is non-volatile memory. If your A716 battery runs out completely, the data stored in flash ROM is safe. (That is not the case with RAM.)

Fortunately, it’s not very likely that your A716 is going to run out of battery power. This device incorporates the ASUS “Smart Power Saving technology,” which gives it the best battery life of the current Pocket PCs. ASUS claims that you’ll get 18-19 hours of continuous use, but manufacturers’ estimates are, in most cases, best-case scenarios. An independent test performed by Matt Keys (http://www.pocketmatrix.com/reviews/a716/) rated it at over 12 hours. It’s not 19 hours, but it’s still very impressive. One thing I did not like about previous ASUS Pocket PCs was that none of them had user-replaceable batteries. The A716 remedies this, shipping with a 1500 mAh replaceable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery. In addition, ASUS will offer a 3000 mAh extended-life battery as an option. With a 12-hour battery life for the standard battery, I’m not sure how necessary an extended-life battery would be for the average user. But if you take long international plane trips, or are away from electrical outlets for extended periods, a 3000 mAh spare battery will keep you up and running for a long time.

I love the fact that ASUS included a Type II CF slot and an SDIO slot. (Fig. 1). The card slots are located on the top of the unit, so cards are easy to insert and remove. Also located on the top of the unit are the 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack (Fig. 1, right), the Wi-Fi antenna (Fig. 1, left—the small white cylinder), and the stylus silo (next to the Wi-Fi antenna). You can unscrew the antenna to remove it, but this cuts the range of the Wi-Fi radio.

Fig. 1: The CF and SD card slots are visible here. The little cylinder sticking up on the left is the Wi-Fi antenna.

Like all Pocket PCs, the A716 has four programmable application launch buttons and a navigation pad on the front of the device below the display. I particularly liked the navigation pad, a large round button with a concave face. Your thumb or finger fits comfortably into the concave face and the action of the button is so smooth and positive that it almost entirely eliminates accidental presses.

Also like all Pocket PCs, the A716 has a USB connector port on the bottom edge of the device that allows it to connect to your desktop PC via the synchronization cradle that ships with it, or via an optional USB or serial connectivity cable. It can be powered and recharged through the synchronization cradle. In addition, ASUS placed a power receptacle on the lower right edge, allowing you to connect the A716 directly to the AC power adapter.

Many Pocket PCs have a “jog wheel” on their left edge that lets you move through and select items on the Start menu, in the Contacts list, in program folders, and in dialog boxes. Instead of a jog wheel, the A716 has a unique 3-button arrangement (Fig. 2). You press the lower button to move down, the middle button to move up, and the upper button to select an option. Initially I thought this was an overly complicated arrangement, but I adapted to it quickly and found that it was more conducive to accuracy than a jog wheel.

Fig. 2: The Asus A716 has a unique 3-button alternative to the traditional “jog-wheel” found on many other Pocket PCs. Note also that the IrDA port is located immediately below the lower button.

Using the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities

The A716 has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built into it, as well as an IrDA port. The latter can be used for “beaming” data to and from another IrDA-equipped computer. Wi-Fi is primarily used for connecting to a network. Bluetooth can also be used for network connections, but was originally conceived as a wireless cable replacement for communicating with other computers and peripherals.

You turn the built-in Wi-Fi radio on and off from a menu you access from the Today screen (Fig. 3) or from the WiFiME application in the Start > Programs > ASUS Programs folder. Once on, the device should “sniff around” for active Wi-Fi networks in the area and connect to them if they allow it. I turned the Wi-Fi on and within a few seconds was connected to our company LAN through a Wi-Fi access point located in another room about 30 feet away.

Fig. 3: It’s easy to turn Wi-Fi on and off from the pop-up menu on the Today screen.

When Wi-Fi is turned on, a small bar-graph icon appears in the title menu. You can tap on this icon to open the WiFiME application to check out your signal strength (Fig. 4), check out other wireless statistics and information, or further configure Wi-Fi. (Note that the icon that launches this utility is labeled WiFiME, but when the application opens, the name in the title bar is “WiFiCFG.”)

Fig. 4: The Wi-Fi configuration utility reports on signal strength and more.

You turn the Bluetooth radio on from an icon in the lower right of the Today screen, or from the Bluetooth Manager program, which can be accessed from the Start menu. I performed tests similar to those described in the Mio 558 review (page 12). I’m not in love with Bluetooth as a file transfer method because it requires some effort to set up the initial link between two Bluetooth equipped devices. It’s a lot easier and faster to transfer files by exchanging SD storage cards. Even the relatively slow IrDA transfer is easier to use. However, I got the A716 to recognize a Mio558, set up the file transfer service between the two, and swapped files back and forth. Once the connection was established, it was relatively easy. I also exchanged files between the A716 and my Bluetooth-equipped desktop PC (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5: I used the file transfer capability built into the A716’s Bluetooth Manager application to view the files in the Bluetooth Exchange folder on my desktop PC and transfer a file to the A716 using the “Get File” option.

Built-in software

The A716 comes with the Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Premium software built into flash ROM. This software includes the Windows CE 4.2 operating system, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Inbox, Pocket Internet Explorer, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Notes, File Explorer, Windows Media Player 9.0, Bluetooth Manager, and a variety of other programs. A full description of this software can be found on Microsoft’s Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/prod...).

There are a few additional ASUS utilities built into it, including a simple backup application that lets you save all your data, or Pocket Outlook data only, to a storage card. ASUS Launcher is a simple task switcher that lets you organize program launch icons into folders. There is also the Wi-Fi utility mentioned above, as well as ASUS Settings, a configuration utility that lets you adjust screen brightness, change processor speeds, adjust audio and automatic microphone gain, and more.

Bonus user-installable software on CD

In addition to the built-in software, the A716 comes with Microsoft’s “Companion CD,” which includes the desktop PC applications ActiveSync 3.7, Outlook 2002, and a link to the latest version of Windows Media Player and some Pocket PC games. ActiveSync lets you synchronize data between your desktop PC and Pocket PC, install programs, and copy files back and forth. A second, “Bonus CD” includes the following user-installable programs for the Pocket PC:

• Presentation DX lets you convert, browse, and play back PowerPoint presentations on your Pocket PC; it preserves most animation and special effects.
• Aidem Pocket Painter is an image-processing tool that lets you edit digital photos and images, apply filters and special effects to them, create free-style paintings, and more.
• MoneyTracer lets you track cash, check, and credit card expenditures and income. It provides a monthly view, a daily view, and a list view. It also supports HTM, CSV, and TXT format data export.
• Engineering Calculator is an easy-to-operate 50-function scientific/engineering calculator.
• PaPaGO!5 Navigator is a digital map program with a focus on Asia. It supports GPS with a super-fast kernel map engine and routing.
• Dung Cleaner is a clone of the classic Lode Runner game, with 100 levels.
• Brain Stadium includes three Pocket PC games: Gobang—a traditional checker-type game in which the lining up of five pieces in a straight line scores victory, Reversi—an Othello clone with three skill levels, and Guess Color—a puzzle game in which you try to guess the colors of a random 4-, 5-, or 6-color sequence.
• Monster SIP, Monster Chinese, and Monster KB are Chinese-language utilities that support external keyboards, UI and translation functions, and varying input methods.

A capable, innovative product

ASUS is a Taiwanese company with relatively limited penetration in the U.S. market. However, I am impressed with their innovative products. Some of the user-installable programs seem better suited to the Asian market, but there are enough extras to keep things interesting. The A716 is a very capable device with snappy performance and plenty of expansion capability. It’s a little longer and a little heavier than some Pocket PCs, but it’s packed with features. I particularly appreciate the battery life of this device and in spite of the few criticisms I’ve mentioned in this article, I’ll be using the Asus A716 Pocket PC for a while, as my personal Pocket PC.

The ASUS A716 Pocket PC is priced at $450 and is available in the U.S. through ProPortable.com and MobilePlanet (http://www.mobileplanet.com). For more information, visit the ASUS Web site (http://usa.asus.com/products/pda/A716/index.htm).