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"ASUS, a provider of 3C total solutions, is well known for high quality and innovative technologies", releases its latest Pocket PC offering... ASUS MyPAL A730W...
Introduction
The A730W is the first of the ASUS Pocket PC's to be released with Windows Mobile 2003 SE operating system. The A730W also boasts a VGA screen (which is a pleasure to use) and a 1.3 mega pixel digital camera built into the back of the device. I should also add that the A730W also features a mini flash built into the back of the unit - which can be either set manually or automatically for use with the camera.
With the release of the A730W, ASUS give a clear message that they are not only a serious player in the Pocket PC market, but they are one of the innovators and are here for long term investment.
The A730W is incredibly light! Pre-loaded with the Microsoft PPC 2003SE (second edition) Operating System and powered by Intel's NEW PXA270 chip (running a clock speed of 520mz), the MyPAL A730W is built for high end performance. The A730W comprises of an SD slot, CF slot, BlueTooth, 128 Mb SDRAM, 64Mb ROM while also offering an additional 19.22mb of Flash Disk for additional storage. The A730W comes with built in Wireless and Bluetooth and also a 1.3 mega pixel camera and flash!
The A730W comprises of two separate pieces that lock securely together. The front of the unit (facia and surrounding the screen) is a metallic gark grey colour which gives the unit a very 'up market' look. The bottom, sides and back of the A730W is one moulded piece and is metallic silver in colour. (Both pieces shown below sliding together.)
There is a lock/unlock mechanism on the upper right side of the A730W. When the mechanism is locked, this moulded metallic silver piece cannot move. Unlock the mechanism, and the moulded piece slides off to reveal the battery. This is quite different though I must say gives the A730W a strong, solid feel.
The CF slot and the SD slot are housed in the top of the A730W (as are all other PPC's) however the stylus is housed in the bottom right hand corner of the unit. This takes a little to get used to however once you have used the unit for a few hours, you can't help but get the feeling that the position of the sylus on the A730W feels more natural to remove and insert (compared to having this traditionally at the top of the unit).
The power button is housed on the upper left side of the A730W and just below that is the hardware button manual operation of the camera (the shutter button).
Operating System
The MyPAL A730W comes pre-loaded with the Microsoft PPC 2003SE, Windows Mobile 2003. New to WM2003SE, here's what's new/included:
New Connection Manager - Redesigned to allow you to more easily connect to your corporate network or to the Internet
Enhanced Messaging Support - Composing email messages is easier than ever
Enhanced Keyboard Support - Providing enhanced keyboard support for new devices with integrated or snap-on keyboards
Enhanced Contacts - Optimized search - find key contacts more quickly
Enhanced Calendar - Offering multi-day views with weekends highlighted in different colors
'Pictures' Image Viewer - A great new digital imaging application for the Pocket PC
Windows Media Player 9 Series - Do more exciting digital media
Improved pIE Performance - Improve your browsing experience with an enhanced Pocket Internet Explorer (pIE)
Jawbreaker - the great new popping puzzle game
New Zero Configuration Wi-Fi - Easily find and connect to any 802.11 wireless local area network
Bluetooth Support - Simple to link your Pocket PC and other Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices
Size and Weight
The A730W is a compact PPC. It is 117.5 x 72.8 x 16.9mm. The unit itself 'feels' incredibly light! Given that the A730W houses the 1.3 mega pixel camera (with flash), you can't help but wonder how all of this fits into such a compact size.
Processor
The MyPAL A730W is powered by Intel's latest Xscale PXA270 processor delivering unsurpassed speed enhancements and multitasking ability.
Memory
This memory on the A730W comes with 128Mb of RAM (SDRAM) and 64MB of Flash ROM. The additional 19.22mb of Flash Disk storage within the unit is a nice addition. The benefit of the Flash Disk storage space is that if you perform a hard reset, the Flash Disk is not wiped!
The CompactFlash slot on the A730W is a Type II Card Slot (3.3V/5V) with the SD slot supporting SDIO (3.3v).
System Settings - CPU Scalaing
The A730W comes with a built in CPU Scaling utility. There are 3 settings to choose from when selecting the CPU state.
Turbo Mode unlocks the full power of the CPU allowing it to run at its top speed. You will find this setting of most benefit when playing games and/or playing video. With all good things comes a compromise. When running in Turbo mode, the battery life is significantly reduced.
Standard Mode allows the CPU to run at 'normal' speed. This usually sits around 416mhz and delivers a good balance between speed and battery life. This setting is idea for listening to MP3 audio files and the like.
Power Saving Mode sets the CPU to run at the lowest speed and in turn delivers the greatest battery life. This setting is idea for Excel, Word and OIM (Personal Information Management) utilities.
Automatic Power Saving Mode is 'auto scaling'. The CPU scales up and down depending on the work load. If you are looking to get the best performance versus battery life all of the time, then be sure to select this option!
Multimedia Playback
As with all previous ASUS PDA's (A620/A620BT/A716) the A730W has been designed to enhance multimedia playback, making it a pleasure to run your multimedia applications. Combine the PXA270 chip, the VGA transflective screen and Media Player 9.0.1, and you have a great multimedia sound and video 'studio' right in the palm of your hand.
Screen
The screen on the A730W is quite simply stunning to look at! The screen is a high quality VGA Transflective TFT LCD screen, with a resolution of 480 x 640. After using the A730W for only minutes, you will develop an appreciation for this VGA screen. Zero pixels and crystal clear!
Battery
The battery on the A730W is a Sanyo Li-ion rechargeable/removable 1100mAh battery.
Is an 1100mAh battery going to be enough I hear you ask? ASUS have included 2 x 1100mAh batteries in the box! (NB: You can also purchase the optional 'large' capacity battery which is 1800mAh)
The A730W comes with two-fold security for helping to avoid potential loss of data. There is a built in backup battery on the A730W. ASUS have also included their acclaimed SmartKeeper technology. With SmartKeeper, should your battery reach a critical point, SmartKeeper will automatically engage and backup the entire Pocket PC to a storage card. Once you get to a power source, you simple run SmartKeeper and select 'Restore System'. SmartKeeper takes your PPC back to the point it was at when the battery powered down. You can also run SmartKeeper manually at any time.
Camera
The addition of the 1.3 mega pixel camera (and flash) on the A730W is what really sets it apart.
The A730W comes bundled with four software programs for use with the camera - all of which a conveniently built in to the ROM.
ASUS Camcorder : Use the ASUS Camcorder to take photos OR switch the camera over to video mode and start taking video footage! This is also where you control the flash from, as well as other settings such as Image Enhancements, Contrast, Brightness, File Setting and Shutter Sound effects.
Photo Viewer : As the name suggests, this is where you can access and view photos and videos taken on the A730W. You can also view other photos (ie: not taken on the A730W) via the Photo Viewer.
Photo Editor : A great photo editing program with no less than 18 special functions.
Photo Album : Used to create and manage you photos in an easy to use album format.
Wireless
Wi-Fi made easy! The A730W makes connecting to Wi-Fi a straight forward and easy couple of steps and is is broken down into four main screens: (some information has been edited out of these screenshots for securtiy)
Wi-Fi Status
Site Survey
IP Info
About
What comes in the box?
ASUS A730W unit
Cradle (featuring a side stylus holder)
USB Host Adaptor cable
Travel Sync cable
2 x 1100mAh batteries
2 x Stylus (nicely finished in metal)
Carry case (features belt slot, hand loop and magnetic closure)
Charger
Instruction manual (very detailed)
ActiveSync CD
ASUS Bonus Software CD
Pre-Loaded Software (ROM based)
ASUS Software
Smart Keeper
Camera software
Video software
Imaging software
ASUS Backup
ASUS Launcher
Pocket Word
Pocket Excel
Pocket Outlook
As well as the usual 2003 SE OS software
Summary of Hardware
Processor - PXA270 Intel Xscale (520mhz)
Operation System - Microsoft Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition
Display - VGA Transflective TFT LCD 65,536 Full-Colors Display
Resolution - 640 x 480
Memory - 128MB SDRAM, 64MB ROM, 19.22mb Flash Disk
Card Slot - One CompactFlash Type II Card Slot (3.3V/5V) and one SD slot (SDIO)
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 - Sanyo 1100mAH Li-ion Rechargable Battery
Size - 117.5 x 72.8 x 16.9mm
Weight - 170g
Pro's
Dual Slots (CF Type II and SD/SDIO)
Blue Tooth
Wireless LAN
1.3 mega pixel Camera (with Flash)
Backup Battery
Removable 1100mAh Battery (2 included)
2 x Metalic stylus
Built in XScaling functionality
Additional 19.22mb FlashDisk storage
Cons
None so far!
In Summary
The A730W is truly an amazing Pocket PC.
The A730W sets a new standard high end Pocket PC's with the VGA screen (640 x 480), 1.3 mega pixel Camera and Flash, Flash Disk, SmartKeeper technology and built in Xscale scaling utility.
The A730W is nothing short of stylish and will be a much sort after PPC.
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