The most noticeable aspect of the Asus P527 is the economy of its design. More specifically, whereas many smartphones present you with a confusion of buttons, this device has a simple and straightforward layout. The keys are minimal in number and are evenly spaced, and because there is not a QWERTY keyboard, dialing is a smooth endeavor. Surrounding the number keys are a joystick and some shortcut buttons for accessing the many applications. All of this is found in a fairly compact space, and within an aluminum casing with an appealing dull silver finish.

At the top of the phone is a 2.6-inch LCD supporting up to 65,000 colors. Given the price of the phone, one would expect a higher-end screen, but it nevertheless performs reasonably well. Colors don't have the vibrant appeal as they do on 262,000 color screens, but pictures and video are fairly crisp. On the back of the phone is the speaker, which offers adequate volume range and clarity. Also on the rear is a built-in 2-megapixel camera and the pictures taken are quite clear. Video taken with the camera is decent, if a bit choppy.

The P527 is loaded with applications and is especially well suited for the business user. It operates under the Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition, which includes Office Mobile applications. This means that you can open Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other business applications on the fly. If you like having messages immediately, the P527 offers push email, so correspondence is downloaded automatically in real time. Surprisingly, the phone does not offer 3G network support, but if a high-speed connection is imperative you can access the Internet via Wi-Fi. You can also send and receive files via Bluetooth 2.0.

Asus is probably a new name for many consumers as its primary field of business is in computer hardware and motherboards. It has a reliable reputation, which makes one of the bigger flaws of this phone somewhat of a surprise: the processing speed is not up to snuff with other smartphones on the market. Often, especially when using a few applications at the same time, it took a while for operations to perform and for programs to initiate. The weak processor does improve battery life, but that's a bit like saying the dull kitchen knife doesn't wear down the whetstone much.

Some of the more interesting applications work in tandem with the built-in GPS locator. One allows you to record notes and take photos and then send them to Google Earth to act as a travel log. Another allows you to send the coordinates of your location to friends or family (or rescue workers). Meanwhile, you can view detailed maps and receive voice prompts to help direct you to a certain location. There is one particularly annoying aspect to the GPS software, however, which is that it is located on the supplied 2GB microSD card. Most people will probably want a larger card for storage, but because you cannot transfer the application over, you have to swap out the cards anytime you want to view maps or use the other GPS applications. And because the application is rather large (over 1GB), it hogs up a lot of the space.

But back to the joystick: unfortunately, navigating through menus and applications is not as simple as the design of the phone. The joystick is somewhat unpredictable, and even after you become accustomed to it, your intentions can still unexpectedly wander off course. The shortcut buttons do ameliorate this situation, and you can access such things as the GPS applications, the FM radio, messaging, and the voice recorder at a touch of a key. Also, on the side of the phone there is a dedicated button for the camera alongside a volume rocker/jog wheel and the microSD card slot; on the bottom of the phone you'll find a mini USB port, the 2.5mm headset jack, and the stylus for the touch screen. The mini-USB cord (supplied) supplies the power to the phone and it is especially welcome for people accustomed to losing chargers and having to seek out custom replacement models.

The phone on the device works quite well, operating on the quad-band GMS network, and the clarity of incoming sound was much better than found on the average phone. Meanwhile, callers reported that outgoing sound was crystal clear. The noise-canceling properties of the microphone were efficient in eliminating ambient noise, but a slight amount of hiss was picked up on a windy day--nothing to be too concerned about, however. The battery offers 4 to 5 hours of talk time.

Other features on the P527 include a business card reader, RSS reader, meeting planner, voice dialing, voice commands, and speakerphone. Meanwhile, the telephone book can store as many contacts as there is memory. For identification purposes, each contact can be linked with a photo ID or a distinctive ringtone. Overall, the Asus P527 offers a lot for the business user in the way of applications, but the slow processing speed and the lack of 3G support might frustrate a lot of users.

Pros: Simple design, compact size, business and GPS applications
Cons: No 3G, sluggish processor