Windows Mobile is a good OS for PDAs, but it won’t do everything that your regular version of Windows on your desktop/laptop computer does.

Doing a Google search, the one that popped up most often was the open source DIVX player. While I applaud open source and fully support it, but this particular piece of software does have its problems. I read quite a few reviews, and most comments from people said that it often crashed, and was a pain (if not impossible) to uninstall. Also, this was not confined to one type of PDA/mobile running Windows Mobile.

And then I stumbled on TCPMP. It’s a simple media player. But it has everything that you find in a good player: full screen, contrast and luminosity control, image rotation, fast forward.

I haven’t tried it on anything other than my A636N PDA, but it works flawlessly on the Asus whereas nothing else I had tried before would.

The download link on that page does not work, but I did download it from here. You can find both the CAB and the activesync files there, and if you so desire, the source code.

The ASUS 636N is a PDA and GPS in one. There are other similar products but for the price and features you can’t go wrong. These two units have been around for a while, and the A639 has recently been released that supersedes the 636 range. So I thought the time to buy was right.

Anyway, let’s get to the features and specs …….

Here’s a pic of the A636N:

The specs are as follows:

PU Latest 416MHz Intel® XScale processor
Operating System Latest Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 ( Pocket PC )
Display 3.5″ Transflective TFT LCD 65k Full-Colors, 16-bit Display QVGA, 240X320 resolution touch panel
Memory 128MB Flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM
User available storage ROM 75MB for western languages 71MB for eastern languages
GPS Latest SiRF StarIII GPS chip
Embedded 25mm*25mm swivel patch antenna
External antenna jack

Expansion Slot One slot – SD slot(SDIO/SD/MMC)
Audio Integrated microphone and speaker
One 3.5mm earphone jack and MP3 stereo
Communication Bluetooth 2.0
WLAN 802.11b + g
SIR (115.2kbps Max)
USB 1.1 Client GPS navigation
Battery 1300 mAh, removable/ rechargeable Li-ion battery
Dimension 122mm x 73.2mm x 18.8mm/19.45mm(L*W*H)
Weight 186g (with battery)
Note *Enhance Bluetooth 2.0 to Bluetooth EDR (Enhanced Data Rate).

The difference between the A636N and the A636 is that the A636 only has 11M wireless and Bluetooth 1.1. Unfortunately they both have a USB 1.1 interface. USB 2.0 was introduced in the A639.

For GPS navigation, I use TomTom software. It works well on this unit, and TomTom appears to be the software of choice. It works well, especially as I can turn the display sideways on the A636N for better viewing of maps/routes. From what I was reading around the net, the SiRF StarIII GPS chip was a must as it locked onto satellites quicker than other chips and performed better. Works well for me! As you can see from the picture, the antenna is on a swivel mount, which folds neatly behind the unit when not in use.

The other must in purchasing a PDA was getting one with a removable battery – which the Asus has got. If the battery fails, then all I have to do is replace it, not send the whole unit away for repair.

As far as the PDA side of things go, it perform like any other PDA similarly equipped. Windows pocket mobile is flawless, and connectivity to other devices via bluetooth and wireless is easy.

Installing apps is via USB connectivity to a PC running Microsoft Activesync. Again, easy to do.

What I was really impressed with is that the A636N came with all the cables/adaptors necessary – including the suction mount (and charger) for the car when using the GPS function. So the only additional purchase I had to make was a decent sized SD memory card to store all my data. The Asus comes with a 64M card.

Here’s a pic of the A636N mounted on the bracket attached to the windscreen via the suction cap:

Overall, I think the Asus 636N is a great product for a great price. It’s certainly a step up from my old LCD palm Pilot.

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