ASUS gets official with P835 WVGA smartphone

Last we checked, Mobile World Congress ended a few days ago, but evidently ASUS doesn't mind a bit. Out of nowhere, the company has just introduced its newest Windows Mobile 6.1 (boo...) smartphone, the P835. Without a doubt, the two standout features here are the 3.5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen and support for HSUPA 7.2Mbps downloads. The handset comes loaded with Opera Mobile for web surfing, a trackball, the company's new and improved Glide user interface, a battery good for six to seven hours of talking, a 528MHz Qualcomm 7201A processor, 4GB of internal storage, a microSDHC card slot, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, USB 2.0 connectivity, aGPS and quad-band GSM compatibility. You'll also find a 5 megapixel AutoFocus camera and video recording, and beautifully enough, the phone can double as a WiFi access point to share its blazing fast connection over WiFi with up to ten devices. As ASUS always does, we're left high and dry when it comes to pricing and availability. Full release is after the break.

ASUS Raises the Bar for Mobile Web Surfing and Multimedia Enjoyment with P835 WVGA PDA Phone

Taipei, Taiwan, February 27, 2009 – ASUS, a leading producer of innovative handhelds, today launched the P835, a PDA phone that delivers an Internet browsing and multimedia viewing experience without equal. Designed for business-savvy professionals who appreciate a screen as big as their ambitions, the P835 is equipped with a large 3.5" touchscreen that runs at WVGA resolution-offering five times the number of pixels of most phones and delivering the best document, photo, movie and website viewing experience possible. Apart from being able to display more of a webpage onscreen, the P835 boasts features that greatly enrich users' online experience, including blazing fast HSUPA 7.2Mbps download speeds, a responsive trackball that makes scrolling effortless and Opera Mobile, a user-friendly and full-featured Web browser. It wraps all of its impressive functionality in an elegant touch-optimized interface which is intuitive, interactive and attractive.

Unparalleled Internet Browsing Experience
The ASUS P835 is designed to help users get the most out of the Internet. It is embedded with Opera Mobile, a fast, user-friendly and rich-featured browser that brings a complete Web experience to the P835. Users will be able to perform the full breadth of online tasks-from hopping onto their social networking sites and updating their blogs, to checking email and viewing streaming video. The P835 also enables users to switch between 12-key, half-Qwerty and full-Qwerty virtual keyboard modes, allowing them to choose an input method that best suits their current task. A responsive tracking ball significantly improves scrolling, and the phone's large 3.5" display ensures every webpage is displayed crisply and vividly.

Crystal Clear 3.5" WVGA Touchscreen
The P835 is equipped with a large 3.5" touchscreen that runs at WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) resolution-offering five times the number of pixels of most phones-thus rendering the P835 capable of delivering unprecedented clarity and screen real estate. Regardless of whether it is used for watching movies in full screen, browsing through photos, perusing documents or surfing the Internet, the P835 will provide visual enjoyment on the mobile platform like never before.

New Glide: The Best Mobile Interface, Now Even Better
The P835 features an updated, streamlined and enhanced iteration of ASUS' exclusive Glide-the most innovative, intuitive and interactive mobile user interface available today. New Glide has been given a significant facelift over its predecessor, boasting new icons that take the beauty and interactivity of the interface up a notch-making the best even better. Subtle, bold, modern, swanky or sweet-the P835 has a theme that will appeal to everyone.

Doubles as a Wi-Fi Access Point
The P835 has the additional ability to function as a Wi-Fi Access Point. It can share its high-speed HSPA cellular data or Internet connection over Wi-Fi with up to 10 devices, such as laptops or other PDA phones. Connecting devices is a simple affair thanks to the P835's user-friendly interface, and dropped connections are automatically restored.

Specifications

Networks	HSPA (DL: 7.2Mbps, UL: 2Mbps), UMTS 900/1900/2100 EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Class 12
Operating System	Microsoft Windows® Mobile 6.1™ Professional
Color	Black
Form factor	Bar type
Dimensions	115mm x 59mm x 13.8mm
Weight	148g (with battery)
Standby Time	350hrs with 3G and 300hrs with 2G*
Talk Time	6hrs with 3G and 7hrs with 2G*
Display	3.5" TFT, 65K-color Touchscreen, WVGA (800 x 480 pixels)
Processor	Qualcomm 7201A 528MHz
Memory	4GB Internal Storage + 288MB SDRAM + 256MB ROM
Expansion Slot	MicroSD with SDHC support
Connectivity	WLAN 802.11b+g , USB v2.0, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
WAP Browser	HTTP / WAP 1.2.1/2.0
Messaging	SMS / MMS / Email / MSN / Push Email
Battery	1100mAh Lithium
GPS	Yes (AGPS supported)
Business Applications
PIM	Word (editor), Excel (editor), PowerPoint (viewer), Adobe Reader, Windows® Live, MSN, Voice Commander** and Push Email (Exchange Server).
Other Features	Opera browser, Wi-Fi Access Point, YouTube, Flickr, ASUS Virtual Keyboard, Anytime Launcher, ASUS Today, EziMusic, EziPhoto, Google search and RSS Reader.
Multimedia and Entertainment
Camera	5 Megapixel Auto Focus
Video	Record: MPEG4/H.263 Playback: MPEG4/H.264/H.263/WMV Video Call, Audio/Video Streaming
Picture Format	JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
Audio Format	MP3, WMA, WAV, AMR, AAC and AAC+
Ringtone	Polyphonic (MIDI, 128CH), MP3, WMA and WAV
JAVA	J2ME (CLDC 1.1 + MIDP2.0)

* Talk and standby time are dependent on the network environment

[EpsilonNot Posted Feb 27th 2009 11:59AM]

I see the dreaded "Windows Flag" button- I wonder if this device will receive the 6.5 upgrade?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:02PM]

Does have the windows button so may be possible although somehow I doubt it.

[Techie Posted Feb 27th 2009 1:55PM]

Can someone tell me why they keep using the Qualcomm 528MHz processor? It stinks! Can they get a new series?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 28th 2009 2:38AM]

Here's babe,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH5FuKlEOco&feature=channel_page

[Alexw Posted Mar 10th 2009 10:04AM]

My three year old TyTN had a windows flag key, doesn't mean it will run 6.5.

http://regmedia.co.uk/2006/07/31/htc_tytn_1.jpg

[Wesley Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:02PM]

A stylus, that's like 2 years out of date

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:03PM]

So... ever tried handwriting recognition with the finger then?

[kjb434 Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:07PM]

exactly!

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:14PM]

Yeah but some of us like the old fashion tricks.... Like MMS, tethering, full bluetooth access, video recording etc.. but YES being able to take quick notes, THAT is what makes it out of date... Yes sir, the OPTION to use your finger or a stylus for more precise use is a downside to this device.

[billmiller Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:27PM]

Good point patriotsn1.

When it comes to tethering, this one does it over wifi and you can connect 10 devices...wow!!!

[Mr Death Posted Feb 27th 2009 5:14PM]

My only problem with styli is the sheer number of them I lose on a regular basis. Maybe they should start tethering them to the device with some sort of elastic for simpletons like myself. :P

[Alexw Posted Mar 10th 2009 10:10AM]

@Andy

Wouldn't an ISO standard for stylus be awesome.. That way we could just pick up a 100 pack of generic plastic one, or a 10 pack of classy chrome styluses.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:06PM]

Wow... When does "oh it has windows mobile on it, it sucks" get old? Jeez, just don't buy it, nobody is forcing you. I love Windows Mobile and all options it allows (I can even run Android on my Windows Mobile Tilt.. Let me know when another OS lets you do that) I expect it from the trolls but why would the guy writing the article be so mature as to write "(boo...)".

[kjb434 Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:08PM]

Agree with that.

When will people just get over it an realize WinMo is jumping on the "ooh it looks cool" bandwagon and actually instead produces and OS that can used for real productivity.

[Waveblade Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:39PM]

I think the author would much rather have it be Windows Mobile 6.5

Off the bat

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:41PM]

well it's hard to want an operating system that doesn't, as of right now, have a release date..

[skyblaze Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:57PM]

@patriotsn

perhaps because he (unlike you apparently) very much dislikes windows mobile (just as i do)

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 6:56PM]

its not disliking windows, its disliking the soon to be old WinMo 6.1, who would like buying a very new device, only for a few days would be old OS because phones with WinMo 6.5 would be popping-out of the market? But then again, 6.5 improvements are just skin-deep.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:13PM]

Ctrl+F [3.5mm] .. no find no buy , ie for lame reason
and i suppose that boo was just for the version of WinMO .... it could well be a yahoo for WinMO 7

[billmiller Posted Feb 27th 2009 12:29PM]

Completely packed or fully loaded...whatever you wanna call it.
Best feature (newest too)...tethering over wifi...cool!!!

[skyblaze Posted Feb 27th 2009 1:03PM]

heated winmo discussion 3 articles back for those who keep arguing over it. apparently some dudes giving up an -XPERIA- cuz it sux so bad.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/vmware-mvp-weds-windows-ce-and-android-in-unholy-matrimony-on-du/

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 1:04PM]

Is it just me or are things looking more and more like Newtons?

[Alan Strangis Posted Feb 27th 2009 3:42PM]

CONFIRMED: It's just you.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 1:19PM]

This looks pretty nice

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 1:55PM]

more information about the P835 and comparison with their previous flagship model, ASUS P565:

http://gadgetmix.com/index/?p=3919

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 1:59PM]

The "boo" comment was unnecessary and, in my opinion, unwarranted.

In my case, I'm actually *back* to WinMo from a G1 "Android" phone! The browser is nice, etc., but I got really tired of simple functions (like making a phone call) becoming increasingly more difficult. After two months with the G1, I'm back to my T-Mobile Dash running the WM6.1 ROM. Honestly... it works great!

Anyone want to buy a G1 for cheap? :)

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 5:50PM]

I'll buy your G1. How much?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 2:00PM]

Judging from these pictures...

http://oldcomputers.net/apple-newton.html

...I'd say it's just you.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 2:01PM]

stupid "reply" feature doesn't work :(

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 2:39PM]

Were is the Flash??????

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 2:47PM]

Hey Guys,
Windows Mobile 6.5 is coming out for this phone. There's actually a Microsoft ad on YouTube for 6.5 and it has the P835 as its demo phone. I actually sent this engadget as a tip a week ago but they never got back to me. Go Figure...
I'll post the video when I get home.

Vin

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 5:58PM]

WiFi tethering...... Simply amazing....

[Dhruv Bhutani Posted Feb 27th 2009 11:01PM]

well actually wifi tethering is possible for almost any windows mobile phone with wmwifirouter............ it'll make ur win mo 5/6 phone a wifi router :-)

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 6:01PM]

So this does mean that it itself can connect to wifi right?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 7:00PM]

yes, thats one native capability of WinMo.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 6:48PM]

I read the title as "WGA", which made me wonder why Microsoft would need to validate a mobile version of anything. And then it occured to me: They'd probably find a "good reason" for it.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 8:48PM]

Wow, a trackball! On a WinMo device! This might be the sweetest one I've seen yet.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 27th 2009 10:59PM]

Too bad all of the android rumors weren't true.

No keyboard + no android == No interest