ASUS intros the P552w touchscreen phone

On Friday, ASUS announced its latest entry into the highly competitive and exciting world of tweaked Windows Mobile phones, with the introduction of the P552w. The full-touchscreen device boasts a speedy 624MHz CPU, a 240 x 320 QVGA display, HSDPA / UMTS radios, 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP), 256MB of flash memory, 128MB of DDR, plus support for microSD / SDHC cards. What's really of note, however, is the inclusion of a skinned UI utilizing a technology called "Gester," which is controlled via slides of the finger, pinching, and flicks (think HTC's TouchFlo). The company is tacking on a few pieces of proprietary software as well, such as "EziPhoto" and "EziMusic," and claims that the device has "seamless Google integration." Clearly ASUS has backed away from that 3D interface we saw at Mobile World Congress this year, though we suspect the new UI -- dubbed "Glide" -- bears more than a passing resemblance to it. No word yet on release dates or prices, but you'll know when we do.

[Via Electronista]

[Phoenix @ Sep 8th 2008 4:26PM]

Everyone's cloning the HTC Touch

[fieldcar @ Sep 8th 2008 4:41PM]

Why would anyone copy that PO...
(walks to the end of the hall)
(skitters out the exit)

[SirPasta117 @ Sep 8th 2008 4:43PM]

Im surprised its not called Eee Phone

[Zeus.:God @ Sep 8th 2008 4:48PM]

Maybe since it looks so much like a mouse, they should have called it the "Eee Phone".

[Techie @ Sep 8th 2008 7:09PM]

I can't really say anything about it because I have never tried it but it sure look ugly compare to other Asus products.

[bobengle3 @ Sep 8th 2008 7:13PM]

It not only looks exactly like the the Touch, But the specs are nearly identical. The only difference is Sprint disabled WiFi on the Vogue.

[d @ Sep 8th 2008 8:14PM]

Which, of course, is a clone of another touch-screen phone...

[Matthew C @ Sep 8th 2008 4:28PM]

its got better specs than some "netbooks"

[PhiPhi @ Sep 8th 2008 4:29PM]

No it doesn't.

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 8th 2008 4:30PM]

Yes. It does.

[stillen @ Sep 8th 2008 4:40PM]

@PhiPhi

Actually yes it does. There are netbooks out there that do not come standard with GPS, Bluetooth, HSDPA, and a touchscreen. There are netbooks out there with 400Mhz procs...

Super awesome comment though...it had so much.....substance.

[1234321 @ Sep 8th 2008 6:53PM]

where do you see a netbook with 128MB RAM and a 624MHz (NON-x86) CPU

[imacmatt09 @ Sep 8th 2008 4:29PM]

I'm surprised they didn't call it the eeephone.

[letstakeawalk @ Sep 8th 2008 4:31PM]

Came here to say this...

[Rogue_Genius @ Sep 8th 2008 4:46PM]

Perhaps they did not want to be confused with some other touchscreen phone whose name begins with a vowel?
*shrug*
waits for the fruit company flaming to begin...

[gentux @ Sep 9th 2008 4:32AM]

"waits for the fruit company flaming to begin..."

yeah Orange is bulls**** you're right. I would never buy a SPV. http://www.orange.ch/vrtmobilephones/offers/orangePhones?ts=1220948979253

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 8th 2008 4:31PM]

Soon to be rebranded "Eee Phone." With 40 or 50 variations to follow.

[fieldcar @ Sep 8th 2008 4:37PM]

only if it becomes popular though...

[Juxtah @ Sep 8th 2008 4:34PM]

So when someone creates a good thing, no one should try and improve upon the concept? That's the technology market, suck it up, some one gets a good idea may or may not implement it. Other companies take the idea and put their own spin on it, which can be better or worse and the best ideas constantly get improved upon.

[Ricardo @ Sep 8th 2008 4:38PM]

Looks like a bar of soap with a screen.

[Evan @ Sep 8th 2008 4:39PM]

240 x 320 QVGA -- are we back in 2004?

[Juxtah @ Sep 8th 2008 4:41PM]

It's actually not bad, assuming it's around 2.5" that sort of resolution is actually very nice to look at. Certainly not looking to rival the iPhone or some of HTC's offerings, it's certainly fine for phone duties, though I'm a little skeptical of how effective web browsing would be.

[Leindurstit @ Sep 8th 2008 5:10PM]

2004? That's being a little too generous.

[kjb434 @ Sep 8th 2008 5:18PM]

Yes, there are better things than QVGA, but do i really need a VGA screen on a phone? QVGA does the job pretty damn well.

So i don't thin a new phone supporting only QVGA is bad. Most people won't even notice the difference from QVGA or VGA except for reading it in a spec list.

[iEye @ Sep 8th 2008 4:39PM]

ePhone, the new revolutionary phone from Asus... now with 3E

[RAQ @ Sep 8th 2008 5:55PM]

I'm loving Asus more and more. Keep it all coming Asus just keep the prices low. The more Windows Mobile phones there are the closer it becomes to becoming a totally flawless UI.

[Zak @ Sep 8th 2008 6:31PM]

Yes, totally flawless. That's what I think of when I think of Windows Mobile. Totally flawless.

[Sandra @ Sep 8th 2008 4:48PM]

*yawn* Someone tell Asus 2007 called, it wants wants it's phone back.

[j03b0b @ Sep 8th 2008 5:11PM]

Wow. Your comment was so tasteless and a such a waste of space that I just had to let you know that you epically failed. Way to go.

[Hugh @ Sep 8th 2008 4:49PM]

Crikey!!! Look above and see the common apple species of troll!

Apple didn't invent smartphones.

[Mr. Ford @ Sep 8th 2008 4:57PM]

Coldplay is the worst U2 clone yet.

[axiomatic13 @ Sep 8th 2008 5:05PM]

Just don't expect any support from ASUS. You won't get it.

[scooler @ Sep 8th 2008 5:04PM]

That's the 5-way button from the Treo 800w!

[RWD @ Sep 8th 2008 5:05PM]

i feel like one of only a few people who like the look of this. It appeals to me more then the Htc :O and ofc the iphone. if it comes unlocked as a standard rather then contract and if it's not got a huge amount of fatness then i may consider this when or after release, which i'd hope is pre-holiday period.

one major flaw i find is the lack of substantial onboard memory, yes i can upgrade with memory card, but 256mb on-board is quite weak.

[Tim @ Sep 8th 2008 5:11PM]

Pinching? Like multi-touch pinching?

[adam @ Sep 8th 2008 9:57PM]

how do you pinch --without-- multi-touch?

[Ayle @ Sep 8th 2008 5:14PM]

DON'T FEED THE TROLL! Check that guy profile: he is a total douche.

[R0b @ Sep 8th 2008 5:16PM]

Ceci n'est pas un iphone

[jojo @ Sep 8th 2008 5:24PM]

It looks horrible (it looks like my electric razor).

Why can't Asus make something stylish - its not just the features cpu power etc screen size ....

Asus might make a phone that has all these new features.
But if it looks like it crawled out of a toilet bowl would you actually buy one.

[keven @ Sep 8th 2008 5:36PM]

Is this even comparable to Iphone
http://www.pricestealer.com/deals/3/Cell-Phone-Deals/

[Ondra Soukup @ Sep 8th 2008 5:42PM]

oh, one more of those "me too, me too" devices...c'mon people, they are...late and rubbish anyways :D

[j.d.ripper @ Sep 8th 2008 5:53PM]

If you look at this guys other posts, I think he's actually an Apple hater.
He's just trying to stir up the anti-Apple crowd and get them together in an anti-apple movement.

[andres @ Sep 8th 2008 5:55PM]

your name is very misleading

[simon @ Sep 8th 2008 6:09PM]

Dear Sir,
Your comment only shows that you are neither.

Sincerely,
S

[ARK @ Sep 8th 2008 6:41PM]

That is not the phone in the picture, It says "FULL TOUCHSCREEN" in the description, but that doesn't match the picture.

I think the Picture is a photoshop mockup.

[Kevlar @ Sep 8th 2008 8:56PM]

Its interesting that iPhone knock-offs list their specifications as if these numbers equate to useful functionality. It would be like Ford listing that a car had twelve hundred pounds of steel- that is data is utterly meaningless in terms of how the device will help you do what you bought it to do.

Why not focus on what a device can do for the user, and not on what parts its made of and how fast they go?

http://www.learnucd.com/kevlar/why-is-the-iphone-popular

[CJ @ Sep 9th 2008 6:38AM]

Because most people want to know the specifications, and leave it to reviewers to impart that important information.
Most power users, those that are most likely to buy a phone like this, want to know what kind of specs it has, rather than how easy it is to use.

You see, I'd much rather know what speed processor is running, and if it has a memory card slot, than if it has an easy to learn interface.

[taylor @ Sep 8th 2008 9:59PM]

not impressed : (

[Sacharin @ Sep 8th 2008 10:49PM]

Please, WTF just not get a Iphone?

[Metamorphic @ Sep 8th 2008 11:03PM]

The iTouch has more pixels and sounds better.