The new ASUS MyPal comes with integrated Bluetooth, a Type II CF slot, and plenty of built-in storage memory
The new ASUS MyPal A620BT is a powerful Pocket PC with fast graphics and excellent expansion capabilities. It has a simple rectangular design with rounded edges and a metallic silver finish. It’s light, but has a reasonably sturdy feel to it. ASUS also offers the device without integrated Bluetooth (the A620). Other than the Bluetooth capability, the A620 and the A620BT are identical.
Turbo, Standard, and Power Saving modes
The device is powered by an Intel PXA255 processor that can be run in Turbo Mode (400 MHz), Standard Mode (300 MHz), Power Saving Mode (200 MHz), or Automatic Mode, in which the device senses the needs of the program currently running and adjusts the processor speed to meet them (Screen 1). These modes are selected in the ASUS Settings utility, located in the Settings folder. While many of the newer Pocket PCs are rated at 400 MHz, actual performance varies because of other design decisions. As it turns out, the A620BT is currently the fastest “400 MHz” Pocket PC available, according to benchmark comparisons done for a review of the iPAQ h4150 (http://www.bargainpda.com/reviews/default.asp?reviewID=240).
Screen 1: You can adjust the speed of the A620 from the ASUS Settings application.
The A620BT has 64 MB of SDRAM, 55-58 MB of which can be accessed by the user to store data and run programs. In addition, the A620 has a whopping 64 MB of flash ROM, a little under 32 MB of which is available to the user for file/data storage. You can expand storage memory even further using the card slot. ASUS chose to include a Type II CompactFlash card slot instead of the increasingly popular SDIO slot. For the time being, it’s a good design decision that offers you the maximum amount of expandability—there are more accessories available in the CF format than in any other card format, plus you can use SD cards with an adapter.
Good screen and battery technology
The A620BT has a 3.5-inch diagonal, 65K-color transflective touchscreen—the same screen size and screen technology found in the iPAQs reviewed on page 14. Apparently, HP and ASUS get their displays from different sources, as although the differences were small, I found the ASUS screen just a little easier to read indoors and the iPAQs just a little better outdoors. The benchmarks I mentioned above also indicate that the A620 has the fastest graphics system of currently existing Pocket PCs. In my own tests, it handled graphics-intensive games and video well.
The device comes with a non-replaceable 1300 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery. ASUS promotes the A620BT’s “Smart Power Saving” technology and gives a battery life estimate of 18-19 hours in Power Saving Mode. But that’s 19 hours until the battery is completely empty while continuously running an application that is probably not very demanding—in other words, a best-case scenario. An independent worst-case scenario test—playing a video in Windows Media Player—resulted in 4.5 hours of continuous use until the battery ran dry. That’s actually pretty good for a Pocket PC with a 1300 mAh battery.
I like the round, relatively large navigation pad and the application buttons located below the screen. The navigation pad in particular is a little more responsive than the ones found on most other Pocket PCs. Combined with the fast performance of the device, this pad makes the A620BT an excellent choice for a Pocket PC gaming platform. The application launch buttons are larger than those of most other Pocket PCs, making them easier to press.
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