14 DAY TRIAL // Asus was also present at the Consumer Electronics Show, and just as the others, the Taiwanese manufacturer had a device to present to the public. To be more specific, Asus unveiled the MyPal A696, that comes equipped with a GPS module thus supporting navigation. The compact handheld also comes with WiFi (b+g) for connectivity and packs an Intel Xscale 416 MHZ processor.
Other features include a 3.5 inch 65k color TFT LCD with a 240 x 320 (QVGA) resolution, 256MB of ROM, 64MB or SDRAM, Infrared and Bluetooth 2.0 for connectivity and an SD memory card slot for memory expansion that supports SDIO, SD and MMC cards, which will most likely be very useful if you intend to store more maps than the internal memory can allow.
The A696 is Windows Mobile 5.0 powered, with all the software and features a device of this type includes, which means you won't have to compromise. It brings some fun features as well, like integrated mic and speaker for audio, as well as a 3.5 mm earphone jack. It measures 117x71x16 mm, weighs 165 grams and includes a1200mAh lithium ion removable/rechargeable battery.
This handheld will apparently be Asus' upgraded version of their older A636N, a PDA phone with a built-in GPS that provided high functionality and excellent battery life. While we don't really know whether the A969 will sport the same spectacular battery life, we'll just have to wait for more information, which won't take long, because the U.S. release of the handheld will apparently occur in February, when more details will probably be revealed. After it has been released, the A969 will cost you approximately $500 in the U.S., and around ?399 if you live in Europe.