Asus has long been a stalwart PC manufacturer, and they've been striving to make their name known in the PDA market as well. One of their latest devices, the MyPal A639, combines a PDA with a GPS device in a respectable convergence effort.

On the PDA side, the A639 features a 416MHz processor, providing a decent level of performance for running a variety of applications. Asus offers an extensive 1GB of memory. It's a huge amount for a PDA, although once you start adding GPS maps, it can get eaten up rather quickly. Luckily, there's an SD slot for expanding the storage or capabilities of the PDA.

The A639 runs Windows Mobile 5.0, so you can open all your Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) on the device. It also features Windows Media Player for playing MP3s or viewing video clips.

The 3.5-inch TFT screen offers 320x240 resolution and is transflective--meaning it's lit from both front and back and easy to view in all manner of lighting situations, from pitch black to direct sunlight. You can easily switch from landscape to portrait mode to view video files in widescreen and scroll through Word documents in portrait.

The built-in microphone and speaker let you use this PDA as a voice recorder, and there's a headphone jack for listening to audio or video files in stereo sound. Manipulating the menus can be handled via the touchscreen or the D-pad and programmable buttons on the bottom of the PDA.

Connectivity options include 802.11b/g wireless, so you get fast Internet connectivity from your favorite WiFi hotspots. Bluetooth technology is built-in, so you can synch this PDA with your PC without having to plug in any cables as well as hook it up to Bluetooth peripherals such as headsets and printers.

On the GPS side, the A639 features a swivel-out antenna, providing better reception than other combo devices. Indeed, we got an initial lock in under two minutes with subsequent locks even faster. Even in GPS mode, this PDA's battery life impressed us, lasting longer than seven hours before needing a recharge.

At 6.6 ounces, this PDA is a bit larger than average. It's still easy to port around, but it won't go unnoticed when you drop it in a pocket. If you can handle the sticker shock, the Asus MyPal A639 offers a well-designed PDA with GPS capabilities and the storage capacity to handle both functions.

Pros: Good combo design, bright screen
Cons: Quite pricey

Warranty
1 year, limited