GPS navigation is not one of those things most users consider to be crucial in a PDA-phone, at least not in the same way as features like W-Fi and Bluetooth are. But even though most consider it to be a bonus rather than a requirement, it is surprisingly found in quite a few entry-level devices even when high-end ones give it a miss. Examples will be devices from Mitac and E-Ten, companies which tend to put a GPS chip into every handset they sell, even the 2.5G ones. Another of these manufacturers is Asus, and a good example is its upcoming P527 handheld.

Pros

Like the Asus P525 before it, the P527 comes with a numeric keypad. This makes it easier to punch in phone numbers for dialing and even for keying in text compared to writing on the screen. It also eases in users switching over from regular mobile phones as most of those have numeric keypads as well.

As mentioned earlier, the P527 will come with GPS for navigation. This utilizes the SiRFstar III chip, that we've generally had good experiences with in other devices like the Dopod U1000 and Mitac Mio A501.

Like many other Windows Mobile PDA-phones, the P527 comes with quite a few wireless connectivity features. Granted, it's doesn't have HSDPA or 3G, but all others like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are available. A bonus is the inclusion of an FM tuner.

Other notable features of the P527 are a 2-megapixel autofocus camera, a microSD slot with support for SDHC cards, and a 2.6-inch QVGA display. It is also reasonably compact with a thickness of 15.4mm and weight of 125g.

Cons

Even though it is obviously not targeted at power users, we can't help but feel that Asus could have put a bit more oomph into the P527. The combination of the 200MHz TI OMAP850 processor and 64MB RAM has been around for a while--a little more speed would have been better for performance.

Bottomline

Though you will not get top-of-the-line performance with the Asus P527, it should make for a decent mobile phone and organizer for those who also need GPS in their device.

Unfortunately, the Asus P527 will not be found in stores everywhere in Asia Pacific. The company has said that this will be for selected markets. Right now, there is only confirmation that it will not be available in Singapore--we will provide an update once Asus gets back to us specifically on where it will be sold in Asia. Likewise, pricing information is not yet available immediately.