ASUS Bumps Back Release of VGA Pocket PC

ASUS officially unveiled its next high-end Pocket PC last spring, and it was expected to be available this summer. Now, it appears this device won't be available until this fall.

ASUS has announced that the MyPal A730 will debut in Taiwan, its home country, in September. It will certainly not be available outside of Taiwan before then.

Justin O'Dea of PROPortable, the largest retailer of ASUS handhelds in the U.S., currently expects a version of the A730 with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to be released in the U.S. in early- to mid-September.

A version of this device with just Bluetooth is expected in the second half of this month. PROPortable is already taking pre-orders for this model.

More about the MyPal A730

This Pocket PC will have a 480-by-640-pixel (VGA) screen. This will be a 3.7-inch display able to display 18-bit color (256,000 colors).

It will run Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Second Edition, so users will be able to easily switch between portrait and landscape modes. This handheld will include 128 MB of RAM and a 520 MHz processor.

The A730 will sport a 1.3 megapixel camera, which means it will be able to take pictures as large as 1280 by 960 pixels.

It will have both a CompactFlash Type II slot and an SD/MMC slot that supports SDIO.

The MyPal A730 will weigh about 6.7 ounces (190 g).

It will include an 1150 mAh battery, which is swappable. ASUS will offer an optional 1800 mAh battery, as well.

The A730 is one of four Pocket PCs with VGA displays and dual slots that will be on the market in the coming months.

Related Links

• Which VGA Pocket PC is Right for You?
• ASUS A730 Now Available for Pre-order