Customer Reviews

Asus A626 3.5-inch PDA Windows Mobile 5.0, Wi-fi (802.11 B+g), Bluetooth 2.0 (edr),

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Introduction

This is my review on the Asus MyPal A626 Pocket PC PDA. It is a pure PDA, not a phone, though does have WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.
The basic specs are as follows:

-Intel/Marvell XScale PXA270 312Mhz
-64MB RAM
-256MB Flash
-Windows Mobile Edition 6 with mobile office
-3.5" 320x240 16k color touch screen
-802.11g and bluetooth
-3.7V 1200mAh L-ion Battery
-3.5mm headphone jack, SDIO slot, speaker, microphone, Ir



Build and first impression

First off, the build quality appears and feels quite good. The front Is a brushed steel or chrome with shiny chrome on the edges. The backside of the PDA is a soft gray plastic. The buttons are solid and have a nice feel, but the 4 task buttons are positioned to high to really make good controls if you plan on using emulators or some games on it. Also, the PDA is designed to be held either portrait or landscape, but assume I am holding it portrait when I am referring to it.

The top of the PDA has the centered power button and and offset SD slot. The right side has the 3.5mm headphone jack, hold slider, and stylus. The left side has the USB port. The bottom side has the Ir and reset button. The microphone is above the screen on the front, and the speaker and indicator lights are below the buttons.

Everything is well placed and convenient. My only complaint here is the bright LED indicator lights being right under the buttons, as they are bright and blink instead of staying on steady. I would have preferred them be on top or something less intrusive to the eye.


Basic Usage

Well, coming originally from Pocket PC 2002, I was interested in seeing what was added/changed in Windows Mobile Edition 6. (WME6)
For one thing, it's more Vista like in it's loading bars and in it's resource management. On initial boot, it is already using half of the available RAM, leaving only about 34MB for your programs to run in. Conversely, my PPC2002 device had 64MB, and the left about 42-48MB for program storage and usage. Also, with this device, Windows and your programs are actually stored in the built in flash, Although it has 256MB (probably 248MB or so once converted), only 174MB is available to the user. However, it does come with a lot more, which justifies the OS becoming much larger.

My PCC2002 was a light version to save on memory, so word didn't even have spell check. Well that is there now, excel now does graphics, and there is a power point viewer. Additionally, there are built in drivers and settings for WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. They have also added Transcriber, a new way to write, which I'll give more detail on later.

Other notable new features for people comming from older PPCs are the CPU management, which is adjustable, portrait and landscape rotation, and quick tasks in the bottom right of the "Today" screen. The device is pretty responsive under default settings, but if you put the CPU to "Maximum", it is very responsive, though you sacrifice battery life. I keep it on "auto" most of the time, which is sufficient for most tasks.

The device is comfortable to hold, thought the telescoping stylus is overly light and short, primarily because it comes out of the short side of the device. However, the stylus and screen work well together and are pretty accurate and easy to use. The screen requires just the right amount of effort IMHO.


Audio

Many people like the idea of the iPhone because it is a phone, PDA, and Music player all in one. However, a PPC device can play audio as well, and some do quite a good job of it. The sound of the ASUS through it's headphone jack is just above average. If anything, it's a little flat at it's default settings, so I go to the audio settings, where you get a bass and treble slider, each from -2 to +2, starting at 0. I found +2 for treble and +1 for bass works well for my music and headphones, but I'm sure this varies between headphones used. It also has a 3D setting for sound, which is a slider with about 18 stops, with 0 as the default. I liked it on about 5. With these settings on my headphones, most of my music sounded quite good, with good detail and minimal distortion. However, on songs with heavy deep bass, it didn't distort or quiet, but it could be a little sloppy with some of those notes. Nothing major. Volume levels will go high enough for most, and unless you have the bass on +2 and max the volume with some heavy bass music, you won't get distortion. I used the included Windows Mobile 10 for music, as well as TCPMP for music and AV.

Overall, sound quality is on a similar level to an iPod, but there are some portable music devices out there with better sound. Definitely usable!


Video Playback

With TCPMP, this device is excellent at playing AV. I actually found a patch for TCPMP that allows the device to play flash videos, so I can get on youtube or a similar service and watch the videos full screen on my PDA. They are as smooth as a regular PC is with the high compression video. I have also done a quick test with Divx files on an SD card, but it was a lower bit rate one, which played fine. I have yet to try a higher bitrate Divx video yet, but I don't think it will have trouble. I update this once I give that a go.

The screen is a pleasure to watch video on. While it won't be that bright in direct sunlight, the backlight is even and color seems fairly accurate an pleasing. I give this device props over video iPods because of it's larger screen and ability to play more formats, though will have less space unless you stock up on SD cards.


Battey Life

This is actually a strong point of this PDA. Even with it's modest 1200mAh battery, it's usage life is about 4-24 hours. If you set your playist up, and just let it play at moderate volume with the device on hold so the screen is off, you should easily get over 20 hours. Playing a high bit rate video with the backlight turned up should yield about 4-6 hours. Internet usage with the WiFi on isn't a whole lot better than palying video, but all things considering, I think this is excellent battery life. My HP iPaq 1910 only got 3-6 hours for all tasks, even in it's prime, and had difficulty playing anything but video tailored to it, and that was overclocked.


Software Issues

My only real complaint about this PDA is that Windows Mobile Edition 6, and reported 5 as well, have problems running older PPC software properly. The emulators made for ARM processors and PPC2000-2003 run significantly slower on this device thant hey did on my older, slower PPC2002 iPaq 1910. I am having a hard time finding newer emulators that were made for the newer OS, so I am kind of stuck for now. So if you have specific older software you want to run on it, try the software on a WME5 or 6 device first to see if it has any issues.


[b]Included Accessories[/b]

I was very happy to find the ASUS to come with an extra stylus and a simple soft case for the device. It also came with a USB cable, a wall charger, 3 CDs. and the booklets. The package was very good, and made me feel that ASUS really cares what their customer think.


[b]Conclusion and Who it's for[/b]

The ASUS MyPal A626 is an excellent PDA overall. It has no significant weaknesses, it comes well equipped for the price, and if you know what you are getting, you should be very happy with it.

So who is the Asus A626 for? It is for someone who wants a PDA that can do more than schedule, but you don't need it as a GPS or Cell Phone. The built in flash is ALOT of space for a PPC, as most programs are only 500KB to a few MB, so you can fill it up with programs, and still have the SD slot available. Personally, I don't want my PDA and phone to be the same device, because I don't want to have to not use my PDA so my phone doesn't die, or vice versa. I like having the two devices separately, though you can communicate the two with bluetooth. I would like to see the ability to bluetooth your contacts to your phone, too.

This device has a huge list of things it can do. Scheduling, Music, Video, Voice Recording, Notes, Typing, Games, Internet, and much more with appropriate software or addons. No, it's not also a cell phone, but it doesn't claim to be, so if you're not expecting it, it is a great device, all for about $300.

I spent a great deal of time checking out all PDAs that came with wireless connections. I checked out HP, Dell and Palm and was leaning toward the Palm TX till I came across the ASUS MyPal A626. What caught my eye was the Wireless 802.11b/g connection. The other devices only came with Wireless 802.11b which is approximately five times slower that 802.11g.

This device says it comes with 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM and Microsoft Windows 5.0, but it actually comes as an upgrade (it says so on the box) and has 128MB, 256MB ROM and Windows Mobile 6.0. It also comes with a mini USB cable for syncing, an AC adapter for recharging, and an extra stylus (very nice, it is resizable) and three CDs that include extra software and Microsoft ActiveSync 4.5.

The installed software includes Office Mobile with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Media Player, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Windows Live, Messenger and many others. The programs all run well and fast.

I tried the Wireless 802.11g connection at my local library. I simply clicked on the small icon on the Today screen and selected Enable WiFi. The device quickly connected to the library's WiFi network and I launched IE and was online. The browser loads pages the same as on a desktop/laptop. The speed was suprisingly good. Faster than dialup--comparable to a slow DSL connection (as opposed to the faster 768k DSL). I would recommend downloading the Opera Mobile browser from Opera's website as it includes multiple tabbed browsing which IE does not.

Only two minor drawbacks to this whole package. First, the case it comes with is ok, but hardly strong enough to protect the screen very well. So be careful with it. I would suggest buying a solid metal case to carry your MyPal around in. Second, ActiveSync 4.5 would not install on my computer from the CD. Big problem since you need it to transfer files. The CD kept saying I needed to install Flash 8.0 or later--but it was installed and both my browsers (IE and Mozilla Firefox) were running Flash fine. What to do? Just go to Microsoft's website, type Mobile in the search box and then download ActiveSync 4.5 from their site. It will install easily without using Flash.

This is a great device. The best on the market and the only one with Wireless 802.11 g. I highly recommend it.

I lost my Palm TX and because I was having so many problems with it, I decided to search for a new, more reliable PDA. It was difficult to find because everything else with the same capability came with phone service. The new Asus was not given much attention by reviewers because it wasn't a phone. (Not everyone wants to rely on an all-in-one product). Fortunately I decided to take a chance on the Asus and it is the best PDA I have owned. I have had my ASUS for two months now. Battery life is great and I have never had to reset it--both constant problems with the TX). The screen is clear and easy to read. It comes with a very nice slip holder--not the cheap kind you get with other PDA's. It has a very nice solid feel to it and is easy to hold. The bundled software is Windows Mobile and I was able to adapt to the change from a Palm OS system. I have found that there is a wide choice of outside vendor programs to download on Handango.com. Enough to meet my needs. (Reviewers of PDA's often promote the Palm because it has more software available) If you want a great PDA without a phone get the ASUS. You won't regret it.

I have bought this device about a month ago.... Its great ... It has everything I need... Its fast and completely reliable...
Advantages:
- stainless steel case
- mini USB
- remote presenter
- extra stylus
- antiglare screen
- Slim and light weight
- Extremely long life battery

It doesn't have a phone, which I think is a good thing since otherwise it would consume the battery right away....

I would recommend this device for anyone looking for a pocket pc which doesn't include a phone....

Pros: nice built, nice screen, decent touch surface, good wi-fi, decent battery life, etc... all is as spec'd.
Cons:
- does not reconnect the SD card after resuming from standby. You cannot really use it like an MP3 player keeping your music on the card. Every time you power it on/resume you have to remove and reinsert the card to reconnect it.
- very annoying and distracting bright LED blinking under the ASUS logo (under the mask) when connected to wi-fi (which is all the time, for me).
As most electronics these days, a product rushed to market without proper usability testing.

Follow up:
Installed the firmware update from the Asus site, SD card issue solved.
I also had an issue with some full screen applications not displaying properly. Installed the (older) LCD display update patch and this issue was solved also.
They could have included this older display patch in the newer firmware patch.
Also, they could have notified me of these updates, as I had registered the product. What is the point of registering then?
Since starting to use bluetooth, I notice the similarly annoying blue blinking LED.
There is also an issue with reconnecting my bluetooth device after resuming from sleep.

I feel I should up my rating to 3.5 stars.

Hello,
For anyone searching for a pocket pc that is a good deal and works great the Asus MyPal A626 is a good choice. I have had my A626 for about 6 months now and absolutely love it. I have read alot of reviews on this product before I bought it, and alot more after I bought it. There have been a few that have said this product runs slow and takes too long while switching or opening programs. These reviews say that it takes two or three seconds to open the program, which is too long. Maybe it is my old fashion thinking but even if it takes that long, you are using a pocket pc (which is not a laptop). I have no problem opening programs or having it take too long, I use MobiPocket reader for reading ebooks and this is the only program that takes maybe two seconds to open up. The only time I have had a problem with the device stalling is when I have four or five programs running at the same time.

Another problem I here of alot is the device not working well for music. I love to listen to music, especially on my A626. Asus support website has a new upgrade for the A626 that allows it read SDHC cards. So now I can fit as much music as I want on the device. Once you have the music loaded you can setup playlists any way you want them and start jamming to the beat. To help with battery life and playback set the device on hold which turns off the screen to reserve the battery.

A big problem I have seen with the device is that the wifi and the bluetooth are not very strong, signal wise. I live in a 900 sq ft apartment that has an upstairs and a downstairs. Even with the wifi set on 50 percent power I can get a signal anywhere in my house. You may also turn the power of the wifi up to 100 percent and start crusing the internet. The bluetooth is a wonderful little toy. I can connect with anything I have wanted to so far.

Now I dont want to make it seem like I am harping on these other peoples reviews, but I think sometimes in our evergrowing modern world we get too spoiled. I will be the first one to say that electronics are a great and wonderful thing, but I will also be the first say that they can have alot of problems and defects. My overall impression of the A626 is that it is a well put together pocket pc. I wouldn't trade mine for any other. It has all sorts of upgrades like GPS and many others. I like being able to make my A626 customized to accomadate me. This is a great pocket pc and you will not be sorry for buying it.

It is getting harder and harder to find just a straight PDA without a phone. The Asus fits that role perfectly. The screen is extremely bright and crisp and the unit very responsive. We're Mac users, and it works perfectly with the latest Missing Sync from Markspace. The wireless connected seamlessly with our Apple Airport base station, understanding our 802.11g network, and our WPA2 Personal encryption. Be warned, though. Using the wireless sucks battery life like a vampire in a Bela Lugosi movie.

The only issue we have had so far is the unit will not recognize the memory card periodically, requiring us to remove and re-insert the card. This may be due to a bad card since we bought it from a discount bin. Other than that the unit fits what we want in a PDA perfectly.

If, like us, you don't want a phone slapped onto your PDA or a PDA shoved into your phone, this device is perfect.

If you need a decent PDA without all that phone junk attached, this is it. This is a nicely built PDA running Windows Mobile 6.0. Amazon's description says 5.0 and has for a couple months after the change. I took another reviewers word for it that it was the current version(6.0) and purchased this. Over the last 6 or 7 years I have grown used to having a PDA by my side and this will fit in just fine. It's processor isn't lightening fast, but fast enough to bring my calendar up in a split second. I've used, Palm, Dell, and had some experience with HP, and this by far is the most bang for the buck. You owe it to yourself to try this out. If you want more, try one of Asus' higher models.

Very good PDA. The display is good sized and easy to see. I especially like the fact that you don't need to use a tiny keypad or use special symbols to input text. There is a great feature that allows you to just write on the screen and the device then translates your writing directly into whatever program you are using. Very good feature.

Purchased in mid September and worked OK for a couple of weeks. Still didn't like the fact that it won't recognize sub-folders in Outlook - so if you want all your contacts on the PDA, you have to copy them all into your main "Contacts" folder on main computer.
After two or three weeks, the screen went blank. If I removed the battery and reinstalled it, I would see the splash screen, but once the product was "on" the screen went black. I could snyc from main computer, just couldn't see anything on the screen of the PDA!
I e-mailed ASUS, the manufacturer. They responded a few days later telling me it couldn't be handled by e-mail and to call a number. I called the number and got a recording that said, "We are sorry we couldn't take your call personally. Please leave a number and we'll call you back." I left a message and my number. Never heard from them.
I e-mailed the Seller at the address provided by Amazon. Business apparently goes by both TheFactoryDepot and/or Bright Lights Business. A couple days later I got an e-mail that said, "Will e-mail you tomorrow with instructions on how to get a replacement from ASUS." Two days later, a message was left on my answering machine telling me to call TheFactoryDepot to resolve the problem. I called the number they left on two separate occasions. Both times got a message that said, "This mailbox is full."
I finally contacted Amazon directly, and they have initiated a refund under their A-Z Guarantee, which is truly a lifesaver. The product might be good, and it's entirely conceivable that I just got a bad one. But the complete lack of customer support from both ASUS and TheFactoryDepot/Bright Lights Business makes the product worthless in my opinion.
But hat's off to Amazon - their customer support is top rate!