The Feel
The Asus P552w is available in two colors: black and white. The device looks good and has a glossy finish. The P552w has marginally larger dimensions than the HTC Touch but its lightweight makes it very friendly. Since the mobile screen in prone to damage as you drop your phone accidentally, this is why you should try Blackbora’s Designer Phone Cases Collection that will get you a durable and safe cover that will keep your device safe from accidental falls and water spills with their airtight seal.
The front panel of the phone is used up by the large 2.8-inch. Though the screen has a 240x320pixel resolution with 65K colors, the screen visibility is poor under sunlight. It is also a magnet for finger prints. Above the screen is the ear piece and besides it is an LED that blinks green while notifying power status and red when alerting low battery, missed calls or messages Below the screen is a 4-way D-pad, which stands out with its chrome finish. There are two calling keys, a Glide button and an OK button. The calling keys are placed at the bottom corners of the phone, which makes it a little difficult to access.’
The stylus compartment is at the top right corner of the phone and below it is the physical lock. On the line below the lock is the chrome finish camera button. On the left side of the phone is the external GPS connector and below it is the volume rocker. The top of the phone has the power button. At the bottom is the multi-mini USB port, which serves as the charging port, data connectivity and ear phone jack. Next to the USB port is the master reset, which resets the phone to its original settings. Below the master reset button is the strap hole. On the left side of the USB is the built-in microphone. The back of the phone is smooth with just the 2.0 mega pixel camera and a speaker grill next to it.
Multimedia amp; Office Apps
The multimedia features are similar in all Windows mobile series phones, but the processor plays an important role in enhancing the performance of the device. The Marvell Tavor 624MHz processor does show the difference with its 256MB flash memory and 128 MB RAM. The bundled software is good and the Mobile Office suite includes Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint and Word mobile where one can create and edit document. Also present is a JETCET PDF viewer. The Opera Mini 4.2 works smoothly.
The P552w’s interface is simple and user friendly. With the Asus’s Glide, all features are divided into seven categories: recent activities, favorite activities, favorite contacts, message center, Internet, multimedia and settings. These categories can be used through the Glide button. The favorite activities and contacts have an option, which allows users to do their own settings for easy access. The office applications are missing in the Glide. These can be added in the favorite activities.
The 2.0 mega pixel camera seems mediocre but gives decent pictures outdoors. Wi-Fi is fast and easy to set. Browsing the Internet is a smooth experience. The main interface on the screen has multi-home, which provides three themes for the Asus Today screen: Original, Business and Life. The home screen of these themes also changes according to the time zone. The Bluetooth function works perfectly and paring with other devices is easy. The speaker and earphone give decent sound.
The home screen of the P552w does not have a task manager. Users will have to either access it from the start or by using the Glide button. The battery doesn’t last very long. For a heavy user who talks at least four hours, listens to music, takes pictures and uses Wi-Fi, the battery lasts just a day. The P552w didn’t hang at all during the burn test and all applications ran normally.
Overview
- Interactive touch navigation
- Powerful processor
- Easy GPS Navigation with Google Maps
- Glide interface
Jane Castro is a journalist and media enthusiast. She graduated from the University of Bacolod in the Philippines. She loves skating, scuba diving, and archery on her free time.