The Heritage of ASUS

If you're as hardcore as me, you'll know what I mean when I mention the Asus P55-T2P4 and the Abit IT5H. The P55-T2P4 was an Intel Triton HX motherboard that supported an 83MHz bus speed, essentially the first "designed for overclocking” motherboard. I mention Asus's modern heritage from the early days of the modern era of high-performance home computing because a unique feature of the A620 is its "Advanced Performance Enhancement" which optimizes the CPU's cache for faster performance (at the expense of battery life).

We think it would be worthwhile to add an overclocking tool, but for the moment, you can only choose between 400, 300, and 200MHz clock speeds. Asus also has a very useful "Automatic" mode, which will throttle down the CPU when it is not in use and speed it up when appropriate.

Having a fast CPU is important for playing videos on the PDA, games (i.e. full-speed SNES emulation), and for searching through large reference books. With the internal, non-user upgradable 1300mAH Lithium Rechargeable Battery you can run the PDA for up to 19 hours in the slowest clockspeed with no backlight. You can expect 5 hours or so in turbo mode with the backlight on all the time.

Turbo mode is useful for games.

Most of the time, you won't need the extra speed. Where it comes in handy is if you have a large contacts database, or if you're running advanced multimedia applications such as games, or DivX on your PocketPC. Access to medical reference books were my primary concern and the problem is that you need both physical reference books and pocket digital versions depending on your task, but they're sold separately. Therefore, every time you buy a medical PDA application, you're doubling the costs of your education without any guarantee that you'll be able to continue using the application if you switch platforms. As a consequence, it's in your best interest to get as few apps as possible with the most comprehensive information to save money – the thing is that big complex databases require more time to search. Therefore, performance was a primary reason we liked the Asus A620.

The Spb Benchmark shows the ASUS A620's graphics performance being almost twice as fast as its nearest competitor, and overall performance that is 37% faster than an iPAQ 2215 running the same Intel Xscale PXA255 400MHz CPU. It's 5% faster than the fastest 400MHz iPAQ, but compared to the PXA263 400MHz in the new Dell Axim X3, the ASUS CPU runs 24% faster.

Trans-reflective 3.5" TFT LCD
The Asus uses a transreflective screen, which provides excellent color and contrast. For comparison, I'll use Alexis's non-cracked Pocket PC.

Both screens are set to maximum brightness.

Notice the ASUS performance

Compact Flash

No one's ever been able to decide on the ideal memory format. On the one hand, you would like something small and thin such as an SD Card. On the other hand, most people would like to have one memory format be compatible with their PDA and their digital camera. While the SD Card and Sony Memory Stick duke it out in the low-end, Compact Flash remains the platform of choice for massive storage. It offers proven reliability, low-cost, and excellent performance. Moreover, Compact Flash is the platform of choice when it comes to high-end digital cameras. Even Sony's flagship consumer DSC-F828 supports Compact Flash.

CF card slot.

Asus Software Bundle

Besides the standard Pocket PC 2003 Premium software bundle, Asus includes a modest bundle of commercial software including IA Presenter (a Powerpoint reader), IA Album (a photo album), IA Zip (Zip compression software), all 3 of which are fairly useful. Asus includes 4 full-version games, but only the Puzzle Bobble clone is worth playing. Asus should really consider bundling a single copy of Argentum or other similarly high-end game instead.

SmartKeeper is an Asus developed application, which allows you to backup your RAM to compact flash. What makes this app so useful is that unlike manual backup tools, this software will automatically copy your data to the CF when it detects that the battery level is too low.

Asus Hardware Bundle

Included with the Pocket PC unit itself is a cradle, an AC adapter, and a surprisingly nice protective case. Only one stylus is included with the A620 – which is standard for the course. That said, given ASUS's tradition of supporting the high-performance user, we would have hoped that ASUS would have trumped their competition by including additional accessories such as a screen protector, and a spare stylus.

The case may lack style, but it's still a definite step above the cases that are bundled with other PDAs. I'll pick up an aluminum case as soon as one is available.

Optional Asus Hardware

Running on compact flash allows Asus to have a wide range of upgrades. These run from the standard keyboard and wireless CF card to things a bit more exotic such as an FM tuner and GPS. If Bluetooth is your thing, the A620BT integrates support for an additional $100. Currently there is no aluminum hard protective case for the Asus A620, however InnoPocket may have one in the future.

System Specifications

400 MHz Intel XScale PXA255 (200 MHz bus)
Microsoft Pocket PC 2003
3.5" Trans-reflective TFT LCD
16-bit display
320x240 resultion
32MB Flash
64MB SDRAM (58.7MB user accessible)
CompactFlash Type II Card Slot
Integrated Microphone
125mm x 76.8mm x 13.3mm
141 grams

Street Price $307 (at ewiz.com) ewiz.com)

One thing missing from the Asus A620 is the scroll wheel that other PDAs feature. The scroll wheel makes one-handed use of the PDA possible.