ASUS P525 (PPC PHONE. OFFICIAL LYN CLUB)

The Official LYN's ASUS P525 Club starts in Post #143, Page 8.


ATTENTION! For those who're ready to whip out their wallets, cheque books / credit cards to purchase a Pocket PC (PPC) phone, namely the Dopod 818 Pro (HTC Prophet), O2 Xda Atom, HP iPAQ rw6828, etc., I suggest you think twice coz' HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!

Introducing...


ASUS P525


Photo courtesy of ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

ASUSTeK Computer Inc., the Taiwan-based co. which specializes in motherboards, graphic cards, notebooks, etc., has unveiled it's latest PPC phone to the world recently at CeBIT 2006, Hannover, Germany.

The P525 has come a long was from its predecessor, the P505 (MyPDACafe review). Here're the official specs from the user manual:-

1) Processor: Intel® XScale(tm) 416MHz application processor
2) Operating system: Microsoft® Windows Mobile(tm) 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition
3) Memory: 128MB Flash ROM, 64MB SDRAM
4) Display: 2.8", 65,536-colour, 240 x 320-resolution, transreflective TFT touch screen
5) Frequency band: Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz)
6) GPRS: Class B, Multislot class 10
7) Camera: 2.0M pixel CMOS with flash & Auto-Focus (AF) & built-in flash
8) Connectivity: WLAN (Wi-Fi) (IEEE)802.11b, Bluetooth V2.0, Infrared (SIR), USB Client 1.1 (mini-USB)
9) Battery capacity: 1300mAh Li-ion
10) Expansion slot: miniSD
11) Audio: 2.5mm audio port, built-in microphone & speaker
12) Weight: 160g (with battery)
13) Dimension: 116.8 x 59 x 19mm

Other features:-
14) Standbytime: 150 hours (approx.)
15) Talk time: 5 hours (approx.)
16) Ringtone: 128 polyphonic ringtones (Midi/MP3/WMA/WAV)
17) Java: J2ME (CLDC 1.1 + MIDP 2.0)
18) WAP: WAP 1.2.1 / WAP 2.0
19) Supported video formats: MPEG4, 3GP (recording)
20) Skype, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
21) Voice recognition enabled
22) Alpha-numeric keypad with multifunctional buttons

Sorry, no 2.5G (EDGE), 3.0G (UMTS) / 3.5G (HSDPA).

A very useful feature's the "Xscale underclocking utility" that enables the user to set the P525 to either "Turbo", "Standard", "Power Saving" / "Automatic Accord" mode to fully utilize the P525's processor & battery power.

Interestingly, a "Biz Card Recognition" prog. enables the digitalization of printed text on business cards (with reference to major languages & writing styles) so that contacts can be stored (digitally) in the P525 (sweet... ).

Another useful feature's called "MySecret" which provides information security by enabling saved files such as word documents, spreadsheets, videos, photos, etc., to be saved as MySecret files, thus protecting them from unauthorized views. I believe it's an encryption prog. that further protects private & confidential files in case the P525 gets lost / stolen.

An interesting thing's that the official Taiwanese site mentioned that the P525'll have a built-in English-Chinese / Chinese-English dictionary, but the official Global (English) site didn't mention that the dictionary'll be a feature in the P525. I suspect that the dictionary's only available in Taiwan's / probably in major Chinese-speaking regions' P525.

Although it's not confirmed to be available in M'sia, it's confirmed by CNET Asia to be available in S'pore "within the next few months" (Asus to launch P525 in Singapore) (S'poreans, rejoice! ). M'sians need not lose hope as its availability in S'pore & the P505 here last year could be a sign that the P525'll be available in M'sia as well, maybe a little later than S'pore though (well, better late than never ).

Yet, more updates on CNet Asia (Asus phones coming soon?). It seems that ASUSTek's 1st international overseas HQ in S'pore's officially opened. Looks like there's no stopping the P525 coming to the island country now.

Further research on the P525 has also yield an unconfirmed "alternate version" of the P525 with a silver casing instead of the conventional metallic black. I believe this's the 1st prototype of the P525 & the differences're merely cosmetic only, with the internal specs exactly the same.


Photo courtesy of SlashPhone

OFFICIAL NEWS & PRODUCT SITES'RE UP!!!
The official news & product site of the P525've been spotted on the M'sian, S'porean, Thai & Filipino ASUSTeK website, albeit the spec.s on the websites're still incorrect. But the point here's, if the official product site's on these regional websites, that could mean that the P525'll (almost definitely) be available in those countries soon..., / could it already be there? <insert The X-Files theme here > Keep your eyes open for the P525, fellow forumers.

BTW, for those who would like to know where to contact ASUSTeK M'sia, here're the address & contact no.s:-

ASUS Malaysia
G-2, Ground Floor, IT@SPS
Wisma SPS, Jalan Imbi
55100, Kuala Lumpur
Wilayah Persekutuan
Malaysia
+603-2148-0827
+603-2145-8379

OFFICIAL QUICK START GUIDE & USER MANUAL'RE UP!!!
The English Quick Start Guide & User Manual're available for download on ASUSTeK's support site. So's the French & Chinese ver.s Now, everyone (well, everyone who're English, French / Chinese language readers, i.e. ) can get an understanding of the workings of the P525 before it's officially released outside Taiwan & Hong Kong.

COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS BY 1ST-HAND USERS'RE UP!!!

PIC. OF THE P525 UP ON PHONE STAR COMMUNICATION SDN. BHD.'S WEBSITE!!!
This could only mean 1 thing, my friends: The P525's just 1 step away from its confirmed release in M'sia! YAHOO!!! I said 1 step away coz' the next step's to contact Phone Star to confirm once & for all that the P525'll hit M'sian shores. Head on to their website for more details. BTW, the Product page didn't show the P525 in its list, but its pic. on the main page's sufficient enough to end all doubts.

FYI, Phone Star's the official M'sian distributor for mobile phone brands such as ASUS (Asia) & Sagem (Europe). It's also the distributor of the P525's predecessor, the P505.

BTW, their address & contact no.s're

Phone Star Communication Sdn. Bhd.
30, Jalan 4/146, Amcorp Office Park, Bandar Tasik Selatan,
Jalan Sungai Besi, 57000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-9057 8668 (Hunting Line)
Fax: +603-9057 1282 (Service & Repair)
+603-9057 4282 (Sales & Marketing)
+603-9057 6282 (Finance & HR)

<NEW!> THE P525'S M'SIAN DEBUT IN PIKOM PC FAIR II 2006 IN K.L.!!!

Yes, ladies & gentlemen, boys & girls. After 3 months since the birth of this thread, the P525 was finally unveiled in M'sia at the recent PIKOM PC Fair II 2006 in K.L. Con. Ctr., K.L.

It was confirmed by our fellow forumers that it'll be available from the 23th Aug. onwards at a recommended retail price of RM 2588.

ASUS P525 (PPC PHONE. OFFICIAL LYN CLUB)

The Official LYN's ASUS P525 Club starts in Post #143, Page 8.

View the links below for the links (like, duh... ).

Other links:-
1) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Global: News: Always Connected with P525 Quad-Band PDA Phone: 29th May, 19th June
2) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Global: Home > Products > Mobile Phones > P Series > P525
3) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Taiwan: Products : Mobile Phones : P Series : P525
4) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Malaysia: Home > Products > Mobile Phones > P Series > P525
5) ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-: Download > PDA > P525
6) Phone Star Communication Sdn. Bhd.: http://phonestar.net.my/
7) SOGI: http://www.sogi.com.tw/news/content.asp?newsno=3333
8) PhoneDaily: http://www.phonedaily.com/news/?news_id=4159
9) PhoneDaily: http://www.phonedaily.com/news/?news_id=4458
10) Phonedaily: http://www.phonedaily.com/news/?news_id=4550
11) CNET Asia: Product Reviews : Handhelds : Asus P525?
12) <NEW!> CNET Australia: Reviews: PDAs & GPS: ASUS P525
13) <NEW!> The Star Online: TechCentral: Home User: Asus goes Windows Mobile
14) Hardware Zone: Articles > Events > ASUS Grand Opening in Singapore
15) VR-Zone: Vrzone.com Article: Interview with Benson Lin, ASUS APAC Business President
16) PDANEWS.de: CeBIT 2006: A first Impression of the ASUS P525

Reviews:-
1) <NEW!> Digit-Life.com: ASUS MyPal P525 GSM Communicator
2) PROPortable: Asus P525 Pocket PC Phone Overview
3) Mobinaute: http://www.mobinaute.com/mobinaute/article...=20060726170716
4) PPCReviews: http://www.ppcreviews.net/content/view/756/7/
5) MXP: http://www.mxp.cn/doc/DocTestView.aspx?ID=0000002469
6) GO3C: http://www.go3c.com.tw/Item_List_0.php?INO=PDASP502
7) gophone.com.tw: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3
8) SOGI: http://www.sogi.com.tw/park/content.asp?a_id=1311
9) PhoneDaily: http://www.phonedaily.com/news/?news_id=4497
10) blog.xuite.net: http://blog.xuite.net/spy.su/stateoftheart/6767107
11) tw.myblog.yahoo.com: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!CThzcUmG...rchive?l=f&id=6
12) Pocket PC Thai: http://www.pocketpcthai.com/modules.php?na...order=0&thold=0
13) Pocket PC Thai: http://www.pocketpcthai.com/modules.php?na...owcontent&id=56 (A more comprehensive review from the earlier one, a.k.a. Part 2. The translated version's incomplete. So, you'll need to go to the original untranslated ver. to view the complete review.)
14) MrPalm.com: http://www.thai2english.com/trans.html?query_id=161170
15) MrPalm.com: http://www.mrpalm.com/getcontent3.php?tid=391: Page 1, Page 2
16) msnth.com: http://www.msnth.com/msn/mobile/pdareview/article1.asp
17) OverclockZone: http://www.overclockzone.com/spin9/review/phone/asus/p525/: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5
18) pocket.com.il: http://www.pocket.co.il/cgi-bin/pocketil/v...style=pocket375 (This's an Israeli site & it's in Hebrew. Couldn't find a Hebrew website translater out there. Anyone out there who knows Hebrew, care to shed some light on this review for us? :wink:)
19) Mobilarena: http://mobilarena.hu/c.php?mod=20&id=1181 (This's a Hungarian site & it's in Hungarian. Couldn't find a Hungarian website translater out there. Anyone out there who knows Hungarian, care to shed some light on this review for us? :wink:)

Other forums' links:-
1) Mobile-Review.com: Asus P525
2) GeoExpat.Com: Asus P525
3) PPCSG: Official thread for Asus P525
4) NotebookReview.com: OFF TOPIC: However appealing to most... production Asus p525 PPC Phone in my hands.
5) Pocket PC Dubai: Nice Pics of Asus P525
6) discuss.com.hk: http://www8.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?...&extra=page%3D1
7) HKEPC Hardware: http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/viewthread.php?ti...&extra=page%3D2
8) Mobile01: http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=61&t=172763&p=1
9) RingHK: http://board.phonehk.com/viewthread.php?ti...&extra=page%3D1

Do check out this post occasionally for future updates.

ASUS P525 (PPC PHONE. OFFICIAL LYN CLUB)

The Official LYN's ASUS P525 Club starts in Post #143, Page 8.

As we wait with bated breath, here're some pic.s of the P525 to whet your appetites. More pic.s of the P525've been uploaded on Post #41 (page 3) to salivate to even more.










Cont' below...

ASUS P525 (PPC PHONE. OFFICIAL LYN CLUB)

The Official LYN's ASUS P525 Club starts in Post #143, Page 8.

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: Sep 10 2006, 03:55 AM

...Cont'd










Photos courtesy of PhoneDaily

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: Jun 28 2006, 06:59 PM

So far, details of the date of launch's still very sketchy, but like I've mentioned, it's confirmed to be available in S'pore "within the next few months" (Asus to launch P525 in Singapore).

Besides, it was 1st unveiled at CeBIT 2006 recently, so don't expect it to be available really soon.

Well, you definately can't compare it to the 3.0Ged Dopod 900. It's like comparing apples with oranges. But compared to the Dopod 838, well, you 're wise enough to make your own conclussions, right? I see, you can compare (P525 vs. 838)

1) Intel's PXA270 (416MHz) processor vs. Texas Instrument (TI)'s OMAP (195MHz) processor.
2) Camera resolutions [1.3M pixels vs. 2.0M pixels (with autofocus, mind you )]
3) Triband vs. quadband
4) Non-EDGE vs. EDGE
5) Numeric (T9) keypad vs. QWERTY thumbboard, but I doubt the price difference'll be significant

BTW, please don't raise your voice. I-can-hear-you-loud-&-clear.

Err... Actually, Serj, I'd only owned 1 PDA phone which was the Dallab DP900 as shown in my signature. I still consider myself a PDA / PDA phone freshman as the 1st PDA / PDA phone experience I'd was June last year on the DP900. But ever since, I was obsessed with PDA phones & always take the opportunity to research PDA phones on the net, keep myself updated with news of upcoming PDA phones & try out as many PDA phones as I can at shops, fairs & exhibitions. That's how I acquire the PDA phone experience.

Yes, I've my sights well on the P525. It basically has all the features I look for in a "complete" PDA phone.

Well, price-wise, it depends on your budget & definition of "expensive" when it comes to PDA phones. I'd discussed 'bout it in my previous post (Post #5). Do check it out there. Anyway, IMO, it won't cost more than RM 3000 (US$ 790) coz' it's greatest competitors're the Xda Atom [RM 2988 (US$ 786)] & iPAQ rw6828 [(probably) RM 2588 (US$ 681)].

Well, upon further research, I'd found some sites stating that it'll be available in more countries than we'd thought earlier, with the expected launch date'll be sometime in June & the retail price'll be not more than euro 600 (US$ 765, RM 2770, S$ 1220).

1) Pocket PC Italia
2) PDAddict
3) pcdebolso.com
4) portalPPC.com

But of course, rumours're rumours. Don't expect them to be entirely true. Remember the iPAQ rw6800 series? It was rumoured to be available in Apr. Now, it'll only hit the stores at the end of this month, possibly by next month for them to gain a good footing.

It's best to ask straight from ASUSTek themselves, but even that won't guarantee you answers coz' you know how the corporate business world works. They'll never reveal the actual facts till' they think the time's right. Anyone knows the contacts & addresses of ASUSTek's regional offices (M'sia, S'pore)?

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: May 30 2006, 06:00 PM

Well, I did consider it before, but I would like to've a PPC phone which can take macro shots. 1.3M pixels' not good enough for that. I'm a person who needs a lot of notes-taking, be it from afar (notice boards, billboards, etc.) / up close (reference materials, etc.).

BTW, I was a Dallab fan till' I discovered the reasons for selling my DP900 off. But IMO, the DX8's a great device. The features're comparable to Atom & rw6828. The only thing that Dallab might lose out's the brand dept. Many people consider the brand as a deciding factor. They aren't willing to invest in some brand that's "unheard" of & not popular due to the assumption that the quality of the popular brand's better than the unpopular one. This statement holds true for some part especially when the Atom was debuted (shameful ROM, even worse than the 818 Pro, but fortunately rectified in time), but a serious buyer would go for the features 1st rather than the brand. One such person's yours truly when I bought my DP900.

Another thing's that Dallab have received a lot of bad rap lately from some groups due to their marketing strategy: using the M'sian Book of Records as their selling point. Well, IMO, it's a double-edged sword in a way that the strategy's good to expose the DX8 to more people so that buyers would consider an equally competitive & cheaper alternative than O2, HP, Dopod, etc. On the other hand, the M'sian Book of Records has been somewhat "tainted" of its value: Longest row of satay, highest fruit tower, longest human chain; records that don't serve a good purpose to the people & don't bring any benefits. But once again, a smart buyer would be wise enough to overlook the "icing on the cake" & go for the features instead.

OK, back to the topic, please. Sorry, moderators.

Well, afhm, the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX T830's a wonderful device. In fact, I've been folowing up on the device since its announcement last year. It was 1 of the PPC phones I'd considered to acquire.

Unfortunately, it's only available for the European market & I don't have the convenience to order it from overseas. Acquiring it's 1 thing, servicing it's another.

Besides, a huge space's allocated for the QWERTY thumbboard & functional keys, making the screen much smaller, in fact, 240x240 pixels small.

OFFICIAL SITES'RE UP!!!

1) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Global: News: Always Connected with P525 Quad-Band PDA Phone
2) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Taiwan: Products : Mobile Phones : P Series : P525

Hello, fellow forumers. I'm back (with a big grin on my face. He he... ) bearing the latest updates on the P525.

As y'all know from my last update, the P525 was officially launched in Taiwan on the 29th May, & of course, it'll be a matter of time before consumers get a hold of the PPC phone & subsequently, post reviews of the device on the net, complete with self-shot pic.s of the device, snapshots from the P525's cam. & even vid. samples! (Oo... ) Finally, 1st hand reviews from the users themselves worth looking forward (& salivating ) to.

Unfortunately, there's a downside to the reviews. Most of them're from the 1st few Chinese (Taiwanese, more specifically) customers who've purchased the P525. Thus, most of the reviews're in Chinese. But thanks to translation websites, non-Chinese language readers can also grasp a significant amount of understanding from the reviews. One thing to take note though: the translations aren't perfect, so there're certain words / phrases that might not make sense. Some're even quite hilarious. Better still, Chinese language readers can simply click on the original untranslated pages in the links.

Therefore, without further ado, here're the links to the reviews. Enjoy.

1) http://blog.xuite.net/spy.su/stateoftheart/6767107
2) http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!CThzcUmG...rchive?l=f&id=6
3) http://www.gophone.com.tw/report/hottest/content.jsp?sn=0606010003: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Other forums' links:-
1) PPCSG: ASUS p525 - small review availiable!
2) Mobile01 (This one really needs to be read in Chinese coz' website translations're not cut up to this site. Req.s registration to view the pic.s though)

Yet, more updates on CNet Asia (Asus phones coming soon?). It seems that ASUSTek's 1st international overseas HQ in S'pore's officially opened. Looks like there's no stopping the P525 coming to the island country now.

Now, don't y'all just wanna throw your Dopod's, O2 Xdas, iPAQs, etc. out of the window? Hee hee.... (My grin just got wider... ) Whadaya think, fellow forumers? Regret buying those devices so early? OK, OK. Patience's virtue.

BTW, my 1st & 2nd posts on the 1st page of this thread're constantly updated for the convenience of 1st time viewers to this thread. All my links're also there, so do check them out from time to time. Thanks.

OFFICIAL PRODUCT SITE'S UP!!!
1) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Global: Home > Products > Mobile Phones > P Series > P525

Take note that the spec.s of the P525 on the Specifications page're incorrect. I guess ASUSTeK's webmaster was too eager & excited to post the page.

THE P525 SPOTTED IN S'PORE!!!
In the hands of Mr. Benson Lin, President of ASUS Asia-Pacific, i.e. during ASUS' grand opening of its 1st international overseas HQ. The pic.s're further proof that the P525's coming to S'pore & imminently, M'sia & subsequently the rest of the world.
Mr. Lin also mentioned about the P525 & its approx. S'pore launching date in an interview with VR-Zone.
1) Hardware Zone: Articles > Events > ASUS Grand Opening in Singapore
2) VR-Zone: Vrzone.com Article: Interview with Benson Lin, ASUS APAC Business President

Another review link on the P525:-
1) Pocket PC Thai: http://www.pocketpcthai.com/modules.php?na...order=0&thold=0

Another forum link on the P525:-
1) Mobile-Review.com: Asus P525

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: Jun 22 2006, 01:01 AM

<Deleted>

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: Jun 28 2006, 06:47 PM

The official news & product site of the P525've been spotted on the M'sian, S'porean, Thai & Filipino ASUSTeK website, albeit the spec.s on the websites're still incorrect. I suppose they simply copied the pages entirely (& blindly ) from the main Global site. But the point here's, if the official product site's on these regional websites, that could mean that the P525'll (almost definitely) be available in those countries soon..., / could it already be there? <insert The X-Files theme here > Keep your eyes open for the P525, fellow forumers.
1) ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Malaysia: Home > Products > Mobile Phones > P Series > P525

OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE'S UP!!!

With the P525 on sale in Taiwan, its official support site's up & running on ASUSTeK Computers Inc. Upon my visit there, I've found out that they've uploaded the Quick Start Guide & User Manual for the P525. The catch's, the guide & manual're in Chinese (Mandarin, to be exact). So, for those Chinese readers out there, consider yourselves lucky devils. For non-Chinese readers, too bad... You've to either get a person to translate the manuals for ya (if you're too impatient to wait for the English ver., i.e.) / simply wait for the official English ver. to be release, which also means wait for the P525 to be released outside Taiwan. Now, with the guide & manual available for public download, we'll get a good idea on how the P525 works & its potential <insert sinister laugh here >.
1) ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-: Download > PDA > P525

Official launch of the P525 in Taiwan, along with the J208 & M310:-
1) SOGI: http://www.sogi.com.tw/news/content.asp?newsno=3333
2) PhoneDaily: http://www.phonedaily.com/news/?news_id=4458

More reviews of the P525 here:-
1) SOGI: http://www.sogi.com.tw/park/content.asp?a_id=1311
2) PhoneDaily: http://www.phonedaily.com/news/?news_id=4497

New pic.s of the P525've been uploaded on Post #1 & #2 (Page 1) to salivate to even more.


Photo courtesy of PhoneDaily






Photos courtesy of SOGI

Glad to hear bout' that, nevland. You're not alone. I too, am rooting for the P525 & I've absolute trust in this device. I truly believe that our patience'll be justly rewarded when the P525 finally arrives on our shores. Though we should expect initial teething prob.s (just like the Xda Atom's horrible ROM & the iPAQ rw6800's faulty LCD screen ), that's usual for newly-released PDAs. At least in the end, we'll get to try out all the devices available before finally purchasing the ideal one for ourselves. Though the next big device after the P525's the HTC TyTN, 3G's not everyone's cup of tea, & microSD?! Why?!!!

By the way, the name's Terrasmark.

Yes. Not everyone would want a full QWERTY thumbboard, yours truly included, coz' it occupies a lot of space on a PDA, forcing the touch screen to be smaller (like the HP iPAQ 6500/6900 & Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX T830) / the unit to be bigger (like the BenQ-Siemens P51). Integrating a slider mechanism to hide the thumbboard when not in use (like the HTC TyTN / O2 Xda IIs) still won't please everyone, yours truly included (again ), coz' the slider might become loose after repeated sliding, causing you to've an "automatic slider".

Nice to hear that a LYN forummer actually tried the P525 hands-on. Way to go, Jessica Al... I mean, nck_ck. Hope to hear more bout' the device from you.

OFFICIAL ENGLISH QUICK START GUIDE & USER MANUAL'RE UP!!!
The English Quick Start Guide & User Manual're available for download on ASUSTeK's support site. So's the French ver. Now, everyone (well, everyone who're English / French language readers, i.e. ) can get an understanding of the workings of the P525 before it's officially released outside Taiwan & Hong Kong.
1) ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-: Download > PDA > P525

More reviews on the P525:-
1) Pocket PC Thai: http://www.pocketpcthai.com/modules.php?na...owcontent&id=56 (A more comprehensive review from the earlier one, a.k.a. Part 2. The translated version's incomplete. So, you'll need to go to the original untranslated ver. to view the complete review.)
2) www.pocket.com.il: http://www.pocket.co.il/cgi-bin/pocketil/v...style=pocket375 (This's an Israeli site & it's in Hebrew. Couldn't find a Hebrew website translater out there. Anyone out there who knows Hebrew, care to shed some light on this review for us? )

More forum links on the P525:-
1) discuss.com.hk: http://www8.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?...&extra=page%3D1
2) HKEPC Hardware: http://www.hkepc.com/bbs/viewthread.php?ti...&extra=page%3D2

Hello, fellow forumers. I'm back bearing more news & articles on the P525. But 1st., a moment for me to say something...

As the threadstarter, I try to provide updates on the P525 whenever I've the opportunity. But as this's a public forum, updates from other forumers're most welcome. I don't have the privilege to visit phone / mobile device stores regularly, thus, am not able to be on the lookout for the P525 / enquire 'bout its availability from them from time to time. So, I'm hoping that those who frequent those stores could help post some updates on the P525 here. Thanks.

Without further ado, here're more articles & good news of the probable availability time of the P525 in M'sia. Here goes...

THE P525 NAKED!!! STRIPPED OFF OF ITS COVER!!! PHOTOS UP ON THE NET, IN ALL ITS GLORY!!!

PhoneDaily's public relations personnel recently invited ASUSTeK's P525 development team for a rare opportunity to get a little more "intimate" with the P525, sans its cover. During the interview, the development team also explained the concept behind the makings of the P525, their intentions of its design & of course, how to dismantle your own P525 to pieces, literally.

From the pic.s, one can't help but to be impressed by the intricacies of the P525 & how such a small component could function as a phone, PDA, camera, etc., all within the confines of a small space. Of course, as the unit involved's a demo unit, it could be opened without worrying about voiding its warranty (i.e., if it has one ). So, fellow forumers, please don't try this at home unless your (future) P525's warranty's expired / you plan to intentionally void its warranty.
1) PhoneDaily: http://www.phonedaily.com/news/?news_id=4550

POSSIBLE TIME OF THE P525 M'SIAN DEBUT!!!

The possible time of the P525 M'sian debut was spotted at Mobile88.com, the M'sian online mobile device store. In the Comments page of the P525, a comment was posted stating that the P525'll be available sometime in Aug. By then, it'll be available at major shopping malls & IT / mobile retail stores, while the price's TBA. From my experience researching on the P525 online, I believe it'll retail at around RM 2600-2700, which's essential for it to compete with the likes of the O2 Xda Atom Exec & HTC TyTN, also slated to be released by then. But seriously, the TyTN caters to UMTS (3G) users who don't mind it's microSD expansion slot (ha ha! The TyTN's "Achilles' heel" ) & dishing out more than RM 3000 for it.

The source of the comment's difficult to be verified as anyone could login & post any rumours in it. Nevertheless, the stated debut date's extremely plausible based on info compiled from the net.

There's also a possibility that the P525 could make its M'sian debut at the upcoming Pikom PC Fair 2006 on the 11-13th Aug. This claim could be backed by the fact that ASUSTeK'll be one of the exhibitioners there. The Pikom link below shows the location of ASUSTeK's booth, which's Booth B12 in the KLCC Ballroom (Level 3) of the KL Convention Centre. If that's true, other booths selling mobile devices could possibly be selling the P525 too, namely PDA Junction (Booth 118, Exhibition Hall 1) & PDA Expert (Booth 523, Exhibition Hall 5).
1) Mobile88.com: Asus P525
2) Pikom: PC Fair 2006: KL Convention Centre, KLCC Ballroom

Therefore, fellow forumers, the time's nigh when we could put our seemingly endless wait & anxiety to rest & finally've a P525 we could call our own!

BTW, for those who would like to know where to contact ASUSTeK M'sia, here're the address & contact no.s:-

ASUS Malaysia
G-2, Ground Floor, IT@SPS
Wisma SPS, Jalan Imbi
55100, Kuala Lumpur
Wilayah Persekutuan
Malaysia
+603-2148-0827
+603-2145-8379

More reviews on the P525:-
1) PROPortable: Asus P525 Pocket PC Phone Overview
2) Taiwan.CNET.com: http://taiwan.cnet.com/computer/mobile/rev...0000281q,00.htm
3) MXP: http://www.mxp.cn/doc/DocTestView.aspx?ID=0000002469
4) OverclockZone: http://www.overclockzone.com/spin9/review/phone/asus/p525/: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5
5) MrPalm.com: http://www.thai2english.com/trans.html?query_id=161170
6) MrPalm.com: http://www.mrpalm.com/getcontent3.php?tid=391: Page 1, Page 2
7) msnth.com: http://www.msnth.com/msn/mobile/pdareview/article1.asp
8) Mobilarena: http://mobilarena.hu/c.php?mod=20&id=1181 (This's a Hungarian site & it's in Hungarian. Couldn't find a Hungarian website translater out there. Anyone out there who knows Hungarian, care to shed some light on this review for us? )

More forum links on the P525:-
1) GeoExpat.Com: Asus P525
2) Pocket PC Dubai: Nice Pics of Asus P525
3) NotebookReview.com: OFF TOPIC: However appealing to most... production Asus p525 PPC Phone in my hands.
4) RingHK: http://board.phonehk.com/viewthread.php?ti...&extra=page%3D1

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: Jul 23 2006, 05:50 PM

PIC. OF THE P525 UP ON PHONE STAR COMMUNICATION SDN. BHD.'S WEBSITE!!!

This could only mean 1 thing, my friends: The P525's just 1 step away from its confirmed release in M'sia! YAHOO!!! I said 1 step away coz' the next step's to contact Phone Star to confirm once & for all that the P525'll hit M'sian shores. Head on to their website for more details. BTW, the Product page didn't show the P525 in its list, but its pic. on the main page's sufficient enough to end all doubts.

FYI, Phone Star's the official M'sian distributor for mobile phone brands such as ASUS (Asia) & Sagem (Europe). It's also the distributor of the P525's predecessor, the P505.

BTW, their address & contact no.s're

Phone Star Communication Sdn. Bhd.
30, Jalan 4/146, Amcorp Office Park, Bandar Tasik Selatan,
Jalan Sungai Besi, 57000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-9057 8668 (Hunting Line)
Fax: +603-9057 1282 (Service & Repair)
+603-9057 4282 (Sales & Marketing)
+603-9057 6282 (Finance & HR)

1) Phone Star Communication Sdn. Bhd.: http://phonestar.net.my/

REMINDER: Do visit Post #1 of this thread from time to time for updates on the P525, especially the "Other forum links" section which includes a forum from our counterparts from all over the world regarding the imminent launch of the P525.

Yes, nevland. In fact, the person who contacted Phone Star's 1 of our forummates. That person's DigitalKL & he's just as eager as many of us for the P525 to be released. He regularly keeps us updated on MyPDACafe (MPC), in which I've a similar thread on the P525 there.

He also mentioned that the marketing (distributing) of the P525'll be done by Phone Star & they ain't telling us the exact launch date, but said that it'll be launched very, very soon, as a matter of fact, in a matter of days!

Do check out my MPC thread for more updates outside LYN.
1) MyPDACafe: ASUS P525 (PPC Phone. Coming Soon....)

Almost everyday after I'd discovered the P525 & subsequently creating this thread, I've tried to've sweet dreams of the P525 by thinking of it every night before I go to sleep, but to no avail. Then, out of the blue last night, my wish came true, even though I'd forgotten exactly how the dream went, but it was definitely about the P525. Later during the day, I went to pick up a copy of the New Straits Times. As I flipped the pages of the Tech & U pullout hoping to find good news on the upcoming Pikom PC Fair, my hope was realized...


Excerpt courtesy of Tech & U (Page C6), New Straits Times (Thursday, August 10, 2006)

BTW, the news's not found on their website, but on the newspaper itself.

Could my dream mean something? A premonition come true? Or just a moment of over enthusiasm. The latter would seem the most logical, no argument about that. :wink: But lets get back to the point here...

THE P525 M'SIAN DEBUT AT PIKOM PC FAIR 2006, K.L.!!!

After 3 months of anxiously waiting for the arrival of the P525 on M'sian shores, our patience'll finally be rewarded with the unveiling of the P525 at the upcoming Pikom PC Fair 2006, K.L. leg!

The news' certainly good news, not just to LYN members who openly share their desires in this thread to own the P525, but to all forum readers out there keeping themselves updated on the availability of the P525. I thank y'all for your tremendous support for this thread.

From the excerpt above, the P525'll be sold bundled with freebies, but Mr. Lim stopped short of revealing the retail price of the P525 itself & whether it'll actually be sold at the fair. IMO, the P525

(a) could be sold at the fair,
(b) could be pre-ordered at the fair, together with the bundled freebies, /
© couldn't be available for sale at the fair, but the offer still stands when the P525 finally goes on sale.

Again, IMO, reason for possibilities (a) & (b): competition. As y'all know, the Dopod 838 Pro & O2 Xda Atom Exec've just been launched & together with HP & their IPAQs (especially their rw6800s & hw6900s) & possibly E-TEN's G500 / M600+, they could steal a chunk of ASUSTeK's potential customers.

Reason for possibility ©: the P525 might still req.s fine-tuning & ROM fixing to prevent it from teething prob.s. If this possibility happens, then (personally) ASUSTeK, do what you must for the benefit of the P525 not becoming an unnecessary burden to your potential customers like what'd happened to Xda Atom & IPAQ rw6800s customers when they were initially released. Though some forumers out there might disagree with my statement & can't wait any longer for the P525, I'm sure most of you wouldn't wanna constantly travel back & forth to your seller because of software prob.s & bugs in the P525.

I guess that's enough of speculations for now. Whether the P525'll be sold today / not, the only way to find out's to visit the fair at KLCC. Once again, thank y'all for your support for the P525 & for keeping this thread strong til' the M'sian debut of the P525. In approx. 10 1/2 hours, M'sians & visitors to the K.L. leg of the Pikom PC Fair'll witness, for the 1st time with their very own eyes (yours truly included), the P525 in all its entirety.

More reviews on the P525:-
1) Mobinaute: http://www.mobinaute.com/mobinaute/article...=20060726170716
2) PPCReviews: http://www.ppcreviews.net/content/view/756/7/
3) GO3C: http://www.go3c.com.tw/Item_List_0.php?INO=PDASP502

Hello, fellow forumers. I'm back to share my experience on the P525 during the recent PIKOM PC Fair II 2006 in K.L. Con. Ctr., K.L. I know, I know. This might soud old to ya, but this's the only time I can truly dedicate my time to write this post. Anyway, here goes...

THE P525'S M'SIAN DEBUT IN PIKOM PC FAIR II 2006 IN K.L.!!!

Yes, ladies & gentlemen, boys & girls. After 3 months since the birth of this thread, the P525 was finally unveiled in M'sia at the recent PIKOM PC Fair II 2006 in K.L. Con. Ctr., K.L.

Fri., 11th Aug.
10:45am
I'd arrived at Suria KLCC. Every step of my way towards the con. ctr. was constantly preoccupied with the thought of the P525 in my hands. When I'd reached the entrance, there was a long queue waiting for the opening of the fair. My patience tolerance just went a rug lower...

11am
Finally, the entrance was cleared for the 1st few visitors. The crowd was orderly. I slowly inched my way into the Conference Hall. As I looked around the hall, I'd noticed there were some exhibitors who were still putting the finishing touches to their booths (note to self: Next time, don't come to fair early ). I didn't wanna rush to ASUSTeK's booth immediately as there was no turning back to prev. halls in the con. ctr. So, as usual during my prev. visits, I went window shopping, slowly strolling as my enthusiasm & excitement builds up for the "main course" (Man... It took a lot of patience just to get a paper bag from the Intel chics for me to keep my papers ).

11:30am
After exiting the Conference Hall, it was a U-turn & a long walk to the other sect. of the con. ctr. to the Ballroom, the hall where ASUSTeK's booth was located. It was actually near the exit of that hall. I walked slowly to their booth, wanting the P525 to dramatically appear within my sight. & there it was, ASUSTeK's booth. At 1st glance, there was only notebooks. Then, my eyes scouted for the P525. There it was, at a corner of their booth, inside a display cabinet as tall as an avg. person, with only a glass slider between the P525 & my glimmering eyes <insert holy voices here>.

As i got closer to the display, there was a gentleman explaining the P525 to a visitor. From their gestures, they seemed like they were close to securing some business deal. Then, they exchanged business cards. Hmm... Looked as if the P525 really attracted serious attention.

As the visitor walked away, I slowly stepped into the gentleman's sight. From the exhibitor tag he was wearing, I could tell that he was 1 of ASUSTeK's staff. Even though I'd known much bout' the P525 from the net, being a polite visitor & pretending that I'm not familiar with the P525, I asked him to generally explain bout' the P525. He responded by asking me what I wanted to know bout' it. Hmm... From that kind of response, i could tell that he didn't think that I was a serious customer. Well, I can't blame him anyway coz' the P525's target customers're the business-conscious group & I wasn't wearing a Hugo Boss business suit / something with a hundred dollar tie to match.

Anyway, I asked him bout' the spec.s of the P525 that stands out among other PDA phones in the market. Of course, y'all fellow forumers don't need another round of explanation on its spec.s. I then asked him if it's on sale yet, the retail price & the free Bluetooth headset & 1GB miniSD card bundled with it as claimed by The New Straits Times. To my surprise, he told me that he was the 1 interviewed by the daily! The gentleman was Mr. Jacky Lim Jiann Yee, ASUSTeK M'sia's channel manager.

Before I could ask any further questions, he told me he was in a hurry to go somewhere. He then passed me over to Mr. Michael Ku, ASUSTeK M'sia's sales specialist. I then directed my earlier question bout' the promotional offer for the headset & miniSD to Mr. Ku. (This's where the fun starts...) Knowing that I'm a potential customer, Mr. Ku reached for his pocket for something (heartbeat began to hasten...). He took out a P525 & hand it to me for a test run! <Insert holy voices here...>

He said the recommended retail price's RM 2588 which, IMHO, is in direct competition with the O2 Xda Atom & HP iPAQ rw6828. The Bluetooth headset being offered's the Jabra BT150 while the miniSD'll be the Sandisk 1GB miniSD. The offer's only limited to pre-orders during the fair & the headset's only for the 1st 100 pre-orders. Any other offers after that'll depend on the sellers carrying the P525. He added that the P525'll be available within 2 weeks, possibly around the 23rd-25th Aug. They'll have a soft launch on the 23rd where journalists & members of the media'll be invited (yours truly not included... ).

P.S.: It was later confirmed by our fellow forumers that it'll be available from the 23th Aug. onwards.

Under Mr. Ku's watch, I tested the P525. My mind was full of excitement at that moment that I'd forgotten exactly what I'd planned to test. I asked him if there were any brochures of the P525. He said that the brochures were still on their way to the fair & told me to come by later for it.

Unfortunately, all things must come to an end. As I parted with the P525, Mr. Ku gave me (supposedly) his business card which was actually Mr. Lim's. Mr. Ku told me to send my pre-order via e-mail to the person on the card. Without questioning any further, I left ASUSTeK's booth & continued my window shopping.

2pm
I went back to ASUSTeK's booth for the brochure, but Mr. Ku said that they'd yet to arrive. OK. I left the con. ctr. knowing that I'll return on Sun. anyway to get myself an MP3 player.

Sun, 13th Aug.
12pm
Once again, I went to ASUSTeK's booth to get the brochure. A girl was distributing them around. With a sigh of relief, I finally got mine. Mr. Ku was also there with a couple more P525s to be shown. I approached him & asked whether the pre-order should be sent to him / Mr. Lim, at the same time, reminded him that he gave me Mr. Lim's card. He apologised & gave me his business card & told me to send my pre-order to him instead. I then left to purchase my MP3 player.

As I left the fair, I didn't feel more impatient to own the P525 as I'd predicted before. Instead, I felt like the heavy burden of anxiousness & anxiety from waiting for the P525 for 3 long months, & even longer since I sold my Dallab DP900, had been lifted off my chest, for I know, in my mind, that the P525's here to stay. Although it was not available for sale yet, but it sure got potential PDA / mobile phone buyers seriously considerating their next purchase.

Here're the links to the scanned brochures (courtesy of DigitalKL):-
1) http://files.photojerk.com/DigitalKL/P525-1.jpg
2) http://files.photojerk.com/DigitalKL/p525-2.jpg

My verdict on the P525 during the brief test run:-
1) The overall feel of the P525 was nice & solid. Didn't feel like it was made out of cheap material. Fits snuggly in my hand unlike those tiny smartphones.
2) The stylus was solid & nice to hold. Has an ideal length. It felt as solid as an HP iPAQ's stylus (not the lousy rw6800s kind) (1 of the best). Non-telescopic kind.
3) The touch screen was quite unresponsive, but the processor & OS speed themselves were fast. Didn't get to check the ROM date & ver. It was later confirmed by DigitalKL that the test unit was the old ver., thus the coming batch'll be a diff. 1. No worries there.
4) The somewhat unconventional joystick placement wasn't a prob. at all as it was short enough not to hinder pressing the no. "2" button, but tactile enough for easy navigation. Keypads were nice to press as they give a solid "click" feeling. The keypads lighting up during use was also a cool addition.
5) The "Hold" switch on the side of the P525 disables the touch screen & its backlight without turning off whatever data being displayed on it. It also disables the keypads together with their lights.
6) The sound quality was awesome for a PDA phone. Even though there was only 1 speaker, the sound quality was akin to a stereo speaker. But don't expect the P525 to replace your hi-fi unit as its just a PDA phone. It was also loud enough to be heard even when there were noise around the fair, but not too loud to scare the bejezzles out of unsuspecting members of the public.
7) Camera was quite slow as it's feature-packed & 1's spoiled for choices on the photography options & effects. Could be improved by ROM updates. Once again, no worries there. I couldn't gauge the effectiveness of the Business Card Reader (BCR) software as Mr. Ku's hands were shaking during pic. taking, but the auto-focus feature really worked wonders! Even with his hands shaking, the BCR software could process the data well (although not perfectly, but still...).
8) It's in black! How cool's that?!

While We wait for the availability of the P525, do keep each other updated, OK? Til' the next post, fellow forumers.

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: Aug 19 2006, 07:29 PM

Hello, fellow forumers. It seems that I'd yet another dream of the P525 again last night. It seems that after I've a P525 dream, something concerning the P525 appears / happens during that day. This time, instead of flipping through The New Straits Times, I flipped through The Star's In.Tech instead. Guess what?

THE P525 FEATURED IN THE STAR'S IN.TECH / TECHCENTRAL!!!

A feature article on the P525 appeared in the paper! Here's a link to the article on The Star Online's TechCentral:-
1) The Star Online: TechCentral: Home User: Asus goes Windows Mobile

I'm not a superstitious person. I don't intend to be one. But after what'd happened from my dreams, though I don't believe in the existence of premonitions, what I'd experience, I can't deny <insert The X-Files theme here... >. I know, I know what y'all think. Y'all think that I'm just being too excited bout' the P525 coming. True, I'm excited. But if that's the case, I should've had P525 dreams every night. Instead, I only've them when news bout' the P525's bound to appear during those particular days!

OK, OK. Enough bout' my dreams. Back to the main topic here. From the article above, the final paragraph states that "the P525 is available immediately for RM 2588". Is that true? As far as I know, the P525's only available, the earliest by the 1st Sep. due to the delay in its shipping. Furthermore, the authorized dealer who handles my pre-order of the P525 hasn't called me regarding its availability. I wonder where did the writer sourced the info from. If that's really true, I guess it's another round of scouting for the P525 at the local com. / mobile device stores. Once again, keep your eyes open for the P525, fellow forumers.

BTW, my dream last night was bout' me finally owning a P525 & opening its box to reveal the very small (as in Nokia 6100 small ) P525 & a 1GB miniSD card taped together with a 64MB microSD card to the box. Weird...

Now, if only I can dream of the next lottery no. ....

To be honest, nevland & julchin_09, I feel the same way too. Market trend-wise, it's hurting ASUSTeK. But once again, not everyone has wallets big enough for a RM 3000 / more PDA phone. Budget conciousness's what controls a buyer from over-endulgence/expenditure beyond their limits. Furthermore, UMTS (3G), HSDPA (3.5G) / higher isn't everyone's necessity yet. True, it's a good investment for the future. But until they're stable, competitive & affordable enough, I rather utilize a Wi-Fi hotspot (which's broadband, BTW) than to bear the current sky-high cost of data transfer provided by our mobile service providers (read: Money minded little emperors ). IMHO, investing in a solid device overall that complements your own needs' wiser than complementing / following the social trend for the sake of "not being left behind" / "being one with the common".


More link(s) on the P525:-
1) CNET Australia: Reviews: PDAs & GPS: ASUS P525

More review(s) on the P525:-
1) Digit-Life.com: ASUS MyPal P525 GSM Communicator

Hello, fellow forummers. I'm back bearing great news & a big smile on my face. He he... You thinking what I'm thinking? May I formally announce that...

THE P525'S FINALLY AVAILABLE IN M'SIA!!!

Yes, ladies & gentlemen. After more than 3 1/2 months of waiting... & waiting... & waiting... & "waiting for elephants to fly", the P525's finally here! The 1st M'sian customer has been found & that person happens to be a member of MyPDACafe (MPC) (not yours truly, BTW ). A round of applause, fellow forummates!

BTW, here's a link to the thread on MPC:-
1) MyPDACafe: ASUS P525 (PPC Phone. Available NOW!)

OK. Seeing that it's immediately available for RM 2480 from the distributor themselves, Phone Star Communications Sdn. Bhd., it doesn't come with the Bluetooth headset supposedly stated from the brochure. Hmm... No wonder the authorized dealers who handle our pre-orders said that it'll only be available (with the Bluetooth headset & 1GB miniSD card) early next week.

For the contacts & address of Phone Star, do visit their website / go to Post #1, Page 1 of this thread.

This post has been edited by Terrasmark: Sep 2 2006, 12:18 AM