Asus Working on the Eee Phone

Asus has made big splash with its Eee PC line of inexpensive subnotebooks and desktops, and now is developing a smartphone for this series. Jonney Shih, chairman of Asus, gave his long-term vision for this device in a recent interview with the New York Times. He says that it will someday act as a sort of remote for the digital home, controlling the computer screens that will be on every wall of the house. “That Eee phone may become an interactive control. The whole digital network is the key.” Shih had much less to say about the near-term plans for the Eee phone, such as its specifications or when it will be released. Still, earlier unconfirmed reports say this company is set to release its first smartphone running Google Android OS in the first half of this year. This could easily be the first Eee phone. But it could also run Windows Mobile, as Asus has made devices running Microsoft’s mobile operating system for years.

via New York Times

Asus P565

Asus P565 Specs

Datasheet+Views:	7203 views since addition of datasheet (September 25, 2008)
Datasheet+State:	Preliminary specifications
Expected+Release_Date:	January, 2009
Dimensions:	60.5 x 102 x 16 millimetres
Mass:	120 grams (battery included)
Software+Environment
Operating;System:	Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Browse devices running this OS
Microprocessor,-Chipset
CPU:	32bit Marvell PXA930 Browse devices based on this microprocessor
CPU;Clock:	800 MHz
Memory,:Storage-capacity
ROM+capacity:	256 MiB
RAM+capacity:	128 MiB
Display
Display-Type:	color transflective TFT , 65536 scales
Display-Diagonal:	2.8 “
Display;Resolution:	480 x 640
Sound
Microphone(s):	mono
Loudspeaker(s):	mono
Audio_Output:	2.5mm
Cellular+Phone
Cellular:Networks:	GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS2100
Cellular;Data;Links:	CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA
Call+Alert:	40 -chord melody
Vibrating_Alert:	Supported
Speakerphone-:	Supported
Control+Peripherals
Positioning:Device:	Touchscreen & TouchPad
Primary-Keyboard:	Not supported
Directional-Pad:	5 -way
Scroll-Wheel:	Not supported
Interfaces
Expansion_Slots:	microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash, SDIO
USB:	USB 1.1 client, 12Mbit/s mini-USB
Bluetooth:	Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Wireless_LAN:	802.11b, 802.11g
Infrared:Gate:	Not supported
Multimedia-Telecommunication
Analog-Radio+Receiver:	Not supported
Digital:Media;Broadcast:Tuner:	Not supported
Satellite_Navigation
Built-in_GPS;module:	Supported
Complementary;GPS-Services:	Not supported
Built-in:Digital_Camera
Main:Camera:	3.1 MP
Autofocus-(AF):	Supported
Optical-Zoom:	1 x
Secondary:Camera:	0.3 MP
Additional-Details
Battery:	removable
Battery+Capacity:	1300 mAh

source pdadb

Suspected ASUS P565 turns up, gets detailed

Nothing is quite official about this ASUS phone just yet, but the current speculation is that it’s actually the ASUS P565 and, judging from some newly-detailed specs, it looks like it shouldn’t have much trouble attracting its share of interest. Leading the way is a speedy 800MHz Marvell Tavor processor (apparently a first for any phone), and a still relatively uncommon 2.8-inch VGA screen, which should go nicely with the VGA camera for video conferencing (you’ll get 3-megapixels for still mages). Otherwise, you can expect European HSDPA connectivity, built-in GPS, a 1300mAh battery that promises 3.5 hours of 3G talk time, and Windows Mobile 6.1 for an OS (with ASUS’ Glide software on top of it), of course. No word on a price just yet, but word is this one is on track for a release as soon as October.

Is ASUS prepping a 5-megapixel Omnia challenger?

It looks like ASUS has more in store when it comes to touchscreen phones than that P552w we saw the other day. According to pictures leaked to the Mobile01 forums, the company is planning an Omnia-esque device that will feature a large (WQVGA or WVGA) touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera, a trackball for non-touch navigation, and the predictable 3G radios / WiFi. Not much is known about the device at this point, though speculation is running rampant on the forum as to CPU specs and on-board memory. It’s likely this will be at least competitive in comparison to recent Window Mobile devices we’ve seen of this variety, though nothing’s certain till we get word from ASUS… which we’re waiting patiently for, fellas.