I have been using the Asus A620BT as my primary device for some time now. So with the A716 I expect the same kind of quality that I am used to with Asus products. Upon first arrival a few things came to mind…

The size is pretty much what I expected for a dual slot dual wireless unit, big. But it would appear that they used the size they had well. This unit comes with a removable battery and a very roomy gamepad at the bottom. The sync cable that came in the box connects to the back of the dock, but also can double as a travel sync cable, hooking directly into the unit. And if you want to know more, then I will force you to keep reading.

-What’s in the Box?

You may also check out some of the included accesories here

For those of you keeping track, it comes with about the same in box items as the Asus A620 did.

-Specifications

• 400MHz Intel XScale PXA255 Processor
• Microsoft PocketPC 2003
• 3.5” Transflective TFT LCD Display (65k colors)
• 64mb Flash, 64mb SDRAM (53mb user accessible)
• Compact Flash Type II slot
• SD/MMC card slot
• 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
• FIR/SIR (infrared)
• Bluetooth Wireless
• 802.11b Wireless
• 1500mAH Lithium Rechargeable Battery (optional 3000mah battery available)
• 135mm x 78mm x 17.6mm (L x W x H)
• 197grams

-Screen

Asus A620	Asus A716

The a716 screen underwent a bit of changes when compared to the a620, unfortunately none for the better. Asus had a good thing going for them when they picked the screen for the a620, and they should have stuck with it. Not to say that the screen on the a716 is bad, I think it’s still one of the better screens out there, but get it next to the a620, and it’s no competition.

It has a very strong backlight, and the screen is very readable, my complaint is the contrast. I would say that in terms of screen quality, it is a bit better than my HP 2215, but no where near my Asus a620. ProPortable talked with Asus on the issue, and as it turns out, these screens are the same ones put in new iPaq’s like the 4150’s.

Another note about the backlight; while it is just as clear and bright as was the a620, Asus has tossed out the 255 level backlight setting and replaced it with a 7 step one. Not to say that I ever needed that much configurability, but it was nice to have and I am sorry to see it go.

-Gamepad

The Gamepad of the a716 is one of the first things that caught my eye when I tore into the box. The buttons are just plain sexy looking. They have a very polished metallic look and finish that really adds some shine to the device. The directional pad has a very nice feel to it, even better then the a620’s d-pad.

I was a little bit leery about the buttons themselves, although they look great; I wasn’t sure how they would hold up in some serious gaming. So as I always do in this situation, I loaded up the SNES emulator with my favorite game (Secret of Mana) and started playing. I can say that I found it very comfortable to game with the a716’s gamepad. But I think that the a620’s buttons still hold a bit over the 716. I would really like to see the next device from Asus have a gamepad intended for gamers. Overall I would call the a716 a very suitable device for gaming, but like most PocketPC’s the button layout could use some tweaking.

-Audio

I am pleased to report that I have been quite satisfied with the sound quality from the new a716. I have not heard any speaker popping or distortion. Even at the highest volume setting the audio is very clear. The 3.5mm stereo plug also provides clear and crisp audio. Asus has kept its treble and bass settings in this model, so if you are an audiophile, you can adjust to your liking.

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