Review of the PDA can be compared with a visit to the polyclinic. Thorough "washing stones" of the test is strongly reminiscent of the severe medical board. Therefore, an analysis of the new Pocket PC ASUS MyPal A620 has been decided to hold similar medical examinations. Well, that will go to the doctors?
Therapist
The package that came with the computer includes: cradle, made of transparent and black plastic, synthetic cover, AC adapter and a CD with drivers.
Cradle tiny and light - nothing more, but it fairly stable, the computer is inserted into it without any additional effort, and just as easily removed from it.
Case, though not leather, but made very carefully. In the front and back walls are sewn hard plastic insert that protects the well-screen computer from accidental damage. In addition, inside cover provides a pocket for memory cards or expansion compartment lid. Zip samozastegivayuschayasya that prevents accidental loss of the machine cover.
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Externally, the patient looks pretty good: the young and athletic tightened - which has recently become very fashionable silver plastic case has a thickness of 12,5 mm. Dimensions and weight of a computer too small: the closest in size and weight of the analogues are Mitac Mio 338, Rover PC P3 +, and ViewSonic v35. However, the appearance and the interior of computers at such similar sizes differ quite strongly. The first thing that catches your eye, it's no scroll wheel: on the sides, there is only an IR port and special grooves for mounting of expansion and a stronger adhesion to the cradle. On the issue of lack of scroll wheel, the developers stated that since the computer is positioned as a budget model, then to reduce the cost of all cars from this structural element was dropped. Functions of the scroll wheel itself has very successfully made the navigation button joystick. And fans of electronic books to flip through pages can use a voice recorder button which is located in a rather unexpected place - right above the display. This solution has several advantages. Firstly, to voice recorder button is equally easy to reach, no matter what hand (left or right) you do not keep a computer would. Second, flip through pages by using this button is also very convenient to both the left and right hand.
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Below the display are located: navigation joystick and combined in a pair of application buttons. Since all the buttons on a computer can be programmed to your liking, then shown on the icon button rather relative - it is rather a tribute to tradition.
Directly under the buttons there are two lattice: left-hand grid false, but under the right speaker is placed on your computer. The presence of two lattices is due, most likely, an eye for the future: stereo speakers can only be welcome.
Headphone jack is located on the top panel (so that music can be, without taking the computer out of pocket), symmetrically with built-in headphones is the stylus holder, but directly between connector CFII, covered by a small plastic cap. Removable cover that allows you to connect to a computer different expansion modules format CF, such as jackets handheld iPAQ. It should be noted that at the moment is the smallest and lightest PDA with an expansion slot format CFII. Given the high popularity and a large number of peripheral devices to handheld computers carried out in this format, we can safely say that fans of this computer will be enough, because in this case, you can not throw the already existing expansion device.
The only design drawback is the performance of CFII slot cover, she secured loosely enough. And if the slot is not occupied unit standard CFII, it just rattles.
The bottom panel has a connector for a network adapter, so that, going somewhere, you can not take a cradle (if you just do not need to transfer data to a personal computer).
The stylus is made of molded plastic with a solid tip, without any frills, but quite easy to use.
Oculist
Display, in contrast to the previous model A600 with transflective backlit. Backlight is very bright, almost the same as the iPaq h3970. All products with a brand label, ASUS, whether it's motherboards, laptops or handheld computers necessarily differ if there were any proprietary technologies.
Are not left out and the A620, it is also full of their "widgets". One of them is the ability to adjust the brightness of the display of CPC 256 steps, none of the other PDAs such a smooth adjustment of brightness is not there.
Zero level corresponds to turn-off, and 255 - the maximum brightness of the display. When completely off illumination to perceive the image on the display is difficult. With the backlight off, you can work only outdoors in bright sunlight. However, even a minimum level of brightness is quite sufficient to operate at any ambient light. Optimal conditions for the perception of images - from the 50-th level of brightness.
Surgeon
| Processor | Intel Xscale PXA255, 400MHz |
| Memory RAM / ROM (MB) | 64/32 |
| Display | 3,5 "TFT, 320x240, 64K, trancflektivny |
| I / O ports | IrDA, USB 1.1 |
| multimedia | output headphone / speaker / microphone |
| removable media | CFII |
| battery | built-in Li-Ion battery, 1300mAch |
| Dimensions / weight | 125x76.8x13.3 mm/141g |
How easily can be seen next-generation processor PXA255 clocked at 400MHz. Of the stated 64MB SDRAM user accessible only 38.8 MB. ROM, as with most PDAs 32MB. Unlike the earlier model A600, a new computer user is deprived section of flash memory (My Flash Disk). To save the settings on your computer is a special program Smart Keeper, which saves the settings to a CF card or in automatic mode (when the battery is almost completely flat) or manually.
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Lack of wireless communication modules is not a disadvantage, because the model is positioned as a budget (cheap) handheld computer, available for the masses. In total seven modes: Power Saving, Power Saving + Advanced Performance Enhancement (APE), Standard, Standard + APE, Turbo, Turbo + APE, and the automatic mode, in which the computer chooses one of the modes depending on the type of running applications. For reading text, listening to music or working with CPC as the organizer is quite suitable mode Power Saving. If you are working with large office documents or presentations, then select Mode Standard. If you love to watch movies or play on your computer, your choice or enhanced Turbo Turbo + APE. In addition to the computer's performance, the regimes are different, and battery life. If the Power Saving PC can work about 11 hours, the Turbo + APE only 5 hours, doing the same application.
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So, if your application does not require much CPU load, it is recommended to choose the mode with lower productivity, which corresponds to lower energy consumption. Those who choose may seem too difficult, may not particularly bother and restrict the automatic settings, which work quite well.
ECG and X-rays
To test the efficiency and physical condition of the patient's use popular benchmarks PDAs Virtual Office Benchmark 3.0, BMQ 0.31 and SPB Benchmark from the St. Petersburg company SPB Software House. For a more visual assessment can be reduced compared with a fairly powerful pocket PC Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX 600.
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As seen from the A620 tests showed surprisingly good results, especially when working with video. Of the tests became clear function Advanced Performance Enhancement. It's kind of a button afterburner, which speeds up the memory and graphics. On integer calculations, the inclusion afterburner is not reflected. To test the suitability of your Pocket PC as a personal video player made videos to DivX format with different values of the flow (from 300 to 1200Kb / s). Make a video with more than 1200Kb / s stream for viewing on screen with a diagonal of 3,5''no longer feasible. Two-minute preview of the movie "Invisible Man" is reproduced from memory with the maximum cache size (12MB) using Pocket MVP. At the end of roller measures the average number of frames per second and the percentage of skipped frames during playback. Red marked area where the video is played almost no loss (more than 2% of missed shots), yellow - the boundary region (3-4% missed shots).
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It turned out that a computer capable of playing videos with very high flows in the 1200Kb / s - result for Pocket PC is fantastic. A very long time it was thought that the best possible video playback without loss of the PDA can not have a thread over 600Kb / s.. A620 successfully break those stereotypes. It is best suited for video mode turbo or turbo + APE. On the standard is better to watch video stream 400 Kb / s; standard + APE pulls 600Kb / s, and Power Saving + APE sufficient only to 300kb / s videos.
Physical Cabinet
