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Introduction
The ASUS a636 combines the needs of today's PDA user with the comfort and ease of on board GPS receiver allowing seemless intergration of Pocket PC and Co-Pilot Live (by Travroute).
ASUS have again gone that one step further and looked toward the furture with the release of the a636.
Incorporated with the latest SiRF Star III GPS chipset and 25mm x 25 mm GPS Patch Antenna to enhance digital signal reception which drastically improves sensitivity. The a636 has a unique two-way antenna for easy angle adjustment offering a more speedy and stable connection. Combine this with 'what comes in the box', and you have a total solution!
So, if you rely on your PDA as an intergral part of your business and/or lifestyle and you are looking for a point of difference offering ease of use, functionality, practicality and satelite navigation system that has an easy to use interface... then the a636 has to be at the top of your list!
Operating System
The MyPAL a636 comes pre-loaded with the Microsoft Windows Mobile 2005 operating system. To date (17-5-06), this is the latest Windows Mobile Operating System release from Microsoft.
One of the BIG changes to the Windows Mobile 5 Operating System is the allocation of memory. In WM5 (Windows Mobile 5), the device uses 'persistent memory' which is quite different from previous releases of the OS (operation system).
With Persistent Memory, the device uses ROM to store data (ie: 'My Documents') and so when the device looses battery power... the data is retained!
Perform a hard reset, ru the setup and your data is there for you (data which was contained within the 'My Documents' folder).
Think of it as a hard rive in a desktop PC. When the device looses all power, your data is retained :)
To find out more about... "What is Windows Mobile", take a look here.
Size and Weight
Given its offering, the a636 is a compact device being 122 x 73.2 x 18.8(19.45)mm (L x W x H)6.9mm. Given the a636 comes with a built in GPS receiver... you can't help but wonder how ASUS have managed to 'fit' all of this into a device that weighs only 186g(with battery)!
Processor
The a636 is powered by Intel's latest 416MHz Intel® XScale™ processor delivering unsurpassed speed enhancements and multitasking ability.
Memory
Build in 128MB Flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM (User accessible storage Flash ROM: 85MB for Western language, 82MB for Eastern language).
SD card slot (SDIO/SD/MMC)
On Board
- Support single slot
- SD card slot (SDIO/SD/MMC)
- Support IEEE 802.11b WLAN
- Support Bluetooth V. 1.2
- Support SIR 115.2kbps Max
- Support USB 1.1 Client
- Photo album supports picture slide show and video playback
- Build in Windows Media Player, support full screen movie and music playback.
- Provide PIM function including calendar, contact, file explorer, Internet Browser, Pocket Excel, Pocket Word,Voice Recorder, Tasks, Notes
- Synchronization to the desktop or portable computer of e-mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes.
- MyPal a636 with WiFi built-in (while MyPal a632 with second miniSD slot).
GPS
- The a636 has the latest SiRF III GPS chip and with it's positioning, performance is more precise and faster
- Advanced swivel antenna supports both landscape and portrait navigation display
- 25mm*25mm Patch Antenna for better signal performance
- High-quality speaker delivers impressive sound and is located on the front of the unit
- Removable Li-ion battery expands battery power when outdoors.
Hardware Buttons
The a636 has been designed with ease of use in mind.
The hardware control buttons are situated on the facia of the unit next to the speaker.
There are the standard Pocket PC buttons such as Calendar and Contacts however the a636 has a couple of additions:
- The hardware buttons are displayed so that the unit looks great in landscape mode (eg: when using Co-Pilot LIVE and GPS)
- One of these hardware buttons maps to the 'Mode Switcher'. 'Mode Switcher' is similar to using 'Alt / Tab' on a desktop PC allowing you to jump from one open program to another.
- The a636 also comes with a set of hardware buttons which double as:
- 'one handed use scrolling and activate'
- allow for switching between 'day and night mode' (while using Co-Pilot LIVE)
- allow for 'zoom in and zoom out' (while using Co-Pilot LIVE)
- and allow for volume increase and decrease (again while using Co-Pilot LIVE)
System Settings - CPU Scalaing
As with all ASUS PDAs, the a636 comes with its own built in CPU Scaling utility. There are 4 settings to choose from when selecting the CPU state.
- Maximum (full throttle - 100% of the CPU being used all of the time)
- Normal (standard use - CPU running at 316mhz)
- Power Save (power conscious mode - CPU rans at 200mhz)
- Auto (auto scaling) (CPU auto-scales depending on load)
ASUS Status
One of the great additions on the a636 is the 'ASUS Status' on the Today Screen.
When you tap on the 'ASUS Status' icon (the red 'A' as shown second icon in from the right on the image below), you are presented with a pop-up menu.
The pop-up menu (as shown below) gives you direct access to the following:
- CPU Scaling
- Backlight Setting
- Battery Power
And the ASUS Status displays:
- Program Memory
- Storage Memory
- Flash Disk Memory
- SD Card memory (if applicable)
- and 'ASUS Status' Settings where you can configure the 'ASUS Status' settings to your liking, as shown here:
Battery
The battery on the a636 is a rechargeable/removable Lithium Ion 1300mAh battery.
I can't get over the efficiencies with regards to power usage on this device. For a 1300mAh battery, it out performs other PDAs boasting 1400mAh batteries.
With Auto-Scaling switched on, you will get a comfortable 24 hours use out of the device.
Connections
One of my personal favourites on the a636 is under Settings / Connections...
 
If you are like me and you like to have complete control over the 'connection type' with your PC or Laptop, or you are in a position where you IT department does not allow you ADMIN rights to your PC, then you will be nothing short of impressed with this!
The a636 allows you to choose which type of USB Interface you would like to use when connecting with your PC. As I mentioned above, if you do not have ADMIN permissions on your work PC... you will love this! Here's how it works...
When a Windows Mobile 5 device connects to a PC, it connects by default as a Network Interface. Now if you do not have ADMIN rights to your work PC then a WM5 device simply cannot connect as you do not have the rights to allow an additional network interface.
When you select 'Transmission as Serial Interface', the a636 will connect to your PC as a serial device and so whether you have ADMIN rights or not, you will be able to connect and sync your device with your work PC.
Speaker and Controls
The a636 comes with GPS 'ease of use' in mind. The speaker has been located at the front facia of the unit so as to make the projection of sound (voice when using Co-Pilot LIVE) as easy to hear as possible.
The controls also have been designed with ease of use in mind (for the GOS lover) with the volume and day and night function situated on the front panel right next to the speaker.
Display
3.5" Brilliant Transflective TFT LCD 65k Full-Colors, 16-bit Display QVGA, 240x320 resolution with touch pad
Special Screen Lock Design - The Screen Lock design prevents accidental activation of features. When you turn on lock function,not only screen but also the whole key pad will be locked,there is less porwer consumption and the usage time can be effectively prolonged.
If you are a user who likes to switch between Portrait and Landscape for various applications... then ASUS have have made it easy for you!
One the Todat Screen of the a636 in the 'footer' area of the screen, you will notice a 'portrait/landscape' icon (third in from the right on theimage below) which allows for easy transition from Portrait to Landscape at the tap of an icon.
What's in the box?
ASUS a636 unit
USB Travel Sync Cable
AC Adaptor
Protection Case
Stylus
Removable/rechargable 1300mAh Li-ion battery
Car Kit (holder and gooseneck)
Car Charger
Manual, Quick Start Guide and Warranty Card
ActiveSync/Outlook CD
Summary of Hardware
Processor - Latest 416MHz Intel® XScale™ processor
Operation System - Microsoft Windows Mobile 5
Display - 3.5" Brilliant Transflective TFT LCD 65k Full-Colors, 16-bit Display QVGA, 240X320 resolution with touch pad
Resolution - 240X320
Memory - Build in 128MB Flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM (user accessible storage Flash ROM: 85MB for Western language, 82MB for Eastern language)
Card Slot - Support single slot - SD card slot (SDIO/SD/MMC)
Multimedia - Integrated Microphone and Speaker
Record - Full Duplex Record and Playback
Ear Jack - One 3.5mm Earphone Jack and MP3 Stereo (through audio jack)
Infra Red - FIR/SIR
Battery - WELLDONE 1300mAh Li-ion Rechargable Battery
Size - 122 x 73.2 x 18.8(19.45)mm (L x W x H)
Weight - 186g(with battery)
Pro's
- The latest SiRF III GPS chip
- Option to purchase a636 bundled with Co-Pilot LIVE (great bundled price)
- Windows Mobile 5 Operating System
- 1300mAh removable battery (with exceptional performance!)
- Box comes with car charger and car kit (cradle and gooseneck)
- Quality and position of speaker
Cons
- QVGA Screen (I'd like to see a big brother to the a636 offering a VGA screen. Having said that, the a636 comes with the latest SiRF III GPS chip and so there had to be a trade off somewhere.)
- All plastic stylus (Personal preference on this one... I'd like to see a stylus upgrade to an alloy version. Same functionality, just looks a little nicer)
In Summary
Whether you are after a Pocket PC for business or for pleaseure, the ASUS a636 will certainly meet, and in most cases, exceed your expectations.
The 1300mAh battery on the a636 is by far one of the best I've seen for a long time on a device of this nature.
The option to save some serious money and purchase the a636 bundled with Co-Pilot LIVE is a clear benefit.
Having the GPS chip on board lends the a636 incredible ease of use when it comes to the installation, setup and useability of Co-Pilot LIVE.
If you would like to find out more about the ASUS a636 or purchase one, please contact us for a quote.
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