Press Release
Cased in stainless steel and packing the latest technology, the ASUS A696 perfectly marries the two worlds of consumer electronics and extreme luxuryHemel Hempstead, England, 26th June 2007 - To answer the needs of discerning consumers who require a highly versatile and functional PDA, ASUS has launched the A696 ultra-slim GPS PDA. This palm-sized wonder is of a high standard of design and quality and caters to the user's expectations for personal accessories.
Standing distinct from most of the PDAs on the market, the ASUS A696 is not only ultra-slim at only 1.57cm, it incorporates full GPS functionality without the protruding antenna, and is encased in stainless steel instead of plastic. Together with the anti-glare touch screen, the A696 exudes a solid and high quality feel expected of luxury accessories.
Global Positioning
Global Positioning System (GPS) puts an end to fumbling with maps by harnessing satellite technology to pinpoint one's precise location and to provide useful journey information. No mere gimmick, the A696 has a great variety of everyday applications like trip planning and navigating venues, taking users anywhere, for both fun and work. Utilising Destinator Technologies' powerful routing engine and feature rich navigation content, the A696 also boasts a QuickNav button making it quicker and easier to travel directly to a predetermined address or POI (Point of Interest). Other features include a random POI search facility that directs you to points of interest in your surrounding location, a simple and clear user interface and an innovative trip planning feature with intermediate stops and route optimization function.
On the A696, GPS technology comes in an extremely slim PDA with an embedded antenna discreetly hidden from view and the information is displayed on an anti-glare 3.5-inch color screen providing a better view while driving. In addition, the A696's GPS module uses the latest energy-efficient SiRF Star III chipset, enabling accurate navigation over extended periods.
Pocket Power
In situations where a notebook computer is too much to carry, the A696 can get much work done: wireless capability Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) keeps the executive connected to email, the Internet and corporate networks, while Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate speeds up data exchange with a huge range of digital peripherals (phones, printers, etc) by up to two to three times over conventional Bluetooth; with ASUS' user-friendly application "Remote Presenter", it can also be easily used to link and control presentations on a computer via Bluetooth. Most critically for a workhorse handheld, all data is stored in Flash memory, so precious information remains stored even if all battery power in the handheld has drained away.
Entertainment
Running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, the A696 is also a true multimedia handheld with front-mounted speakers that plays video and audio formats (.WMV, .WMA, .MP3..etc), as well as the huge library of games available for the Pocket PC platform. It's simply the most versatile mobile entertainment gadget for its size.
Combining a powerful suite of applications into an ultra-slim PDA that exudes a high-quality feel, the ASUS A696 is the power accessory of choice for the well-heeled and well-traveled.
General Specifications:
Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, Intel XScale 416Mhz processor, 256MB Flash ROM, 64MB SDRAM, Wi-Fi (802.11 b+g), Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR), SiRF Star III chipset (GPS), 3.5-inch 240 x 320 anti-glare touch screen, 11.7 x 7.08 x 1.57cm, 165g, 1200mAh removable/ rechargeable battery, integrated microphone and speakers, full duplex recording and playback
More information
For more information on the A696 and other ASUS handheld solutions, please visit the company homepage at www.asus.com.
