Asus strikes again with the launch of a new PDA device, after the announcement regarding the P735. The new device is called P526 aka Pegasus and has been launched after a few months from its predecessor, P525.

Weird that Asus chose to downgrade its PDA lineup just when the handheld market heats up with the latest technologies everyday. It's like they are looking at the battle for PDA supremacy from the heights of their brand name. I don't think that buyers will completely overlook technical features in favor of the brand. Perhaps Asus thought that design sells better than features and hasn't been able (why?) to meet both demands. The newly launched P526 is a living proof that in the year of 2007 there are still "oldish" devices with at least 1-year-old technologies that are pouring onto the market.

Unlike its older (sounds strange because the older should be the newer) brother P525, Pegasus runs Windows Mobile 6 Professional AKU 0.2.0 featuring Windows CE 5.2 Kernel version. Normally that would require a better or at least the same processor as P525 - 32bit Intel XScale PXA270 (416 MHz), but you'll be surprised to discover that Pegasus features an obsolete 32bit Texas Instruments OMAP 850 (210 Mhz) CPU. Even the cache size is lower (16KB) in Pegasus.

Furthermore, the device features 128 MB ROM memory and 64 MB RAM memory (45.8 MB memory accessible), which is identical in both cases. Asus also kept the same 1300 mAh Li-Ion battery that charges the devices. The Bluetooth connectivity got DOWNGRADED from 2.0 to 1.2 version and the 2 Megapixel camera now lacks built-in flash.

Design should differentiate Pegasus from the "older" P525, but you'll be disappointed (again) to find that they are looking pretty much the same. The only visible change is the weight of the new device which got lighter, from almost 160 grams to a mere 115 grams; the rest of its measurements are 58 x 110 x 15.4. Also the TFT touchscreen (65k colors) display got smaller and now measures 67 millimeters (72 mm in P525) and supports the same 240 x 320 pixels resolution.

New features, besides the operating system, embedded in Pegasus are EDGE connectivity and the GPS receiver with SiRF Star III chipset. And NO, it doesn't have Wi-Fi.

I'm very anxious to find out for what price Pegasus will be offered, because P525 costs about 600$.