Asus revamps GPS-PDA offerings, kicks out A686 / A696

With the overall PDA market slowly dwindling into oblivion, Asus is attempting to keep the PDA kickin' for just a bit longer, and the company's latest duo actually isn't half bad considering the GPS functions and relatively slim enclosure. The A686 / A696 units ditch the MyPal moniker from days past, and rather than adding that bulky GPS antenna the side, Asus has bumped up the style points by crafting a stainless steel frame with a non-protruding GPS antenna. Both units pack Windows Mobile 5.0, 802.11b/g, a SiRF Star III receiver, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 64MB of SDRAM, 3.5-inch 320 x 240 resolution touchscreen, integrated speakers / microphone, audio recording capability, rechargeable battery, and it comes in at just 1.57-centimeters thick. The A686 is powered by an Intel XScale 312MHz processor with 128MB of Flash ROM, while the A696 picks up a 416MHz CPU and double the Flash ROM, and both units should be making their way onto store shelves soon for currently undisclosed prices.

[Via MobileTechReview]

[Shibathedog @ Jan 19th 2007 4:37PM]

I might actually get one if its around 300

[editor @ Jan 19th 2007 5:20PM]

More details and more pics: A696, A686.

[Eric Glassman @ Jan 20th 2007 3:12AM]

Like their motherboards, ASUS makes high end stuff. I was already looking at the MyPal. This looks awesome.