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Spb
Benchmark 1.1:::...
Spb
Benchmark is a tool for measuring Pocket PC device performance.
Spb Benchmark measures various aspects of Pocket PC device
productivity and speed. Unlike other benchmark applications
for Pocket PC, Spb Benchmark also carries out some tests
that could be more informative for an average user such
as Pocket Word, Pocket Internet Explorer and File
Explorer performance tests, JPEG file opening, Audio (mp3)
and video (avi) performance.
Graphics
Index Score
Platform
Index Score
CPU
Index Score
Overall
Index Score
What
ever ASUS have had to do to squeeze in the wireless components
appears to have impacted on the performance levels. Although
it's still a speedy performer, it falls short of its older
brother the A620 and even play second fiddle to the 4150.
The
graphics score was noticeably lower than was seen on the
A620 which was a real surprise as this was one of ASUS'
strong points in the past. The overall score looks very
disappointing though if we look at the other players on
the graph it's not as woeful a score as it might at first
seem.
GXmark
1.19:::...
GXmark
is a free benchmarking utility to evaluate and compare gaming
performances of different devices. It's actually a really
cool looking series of tests that show what games developers
could be achieving if they put their minds to it, and if
they didn't have to cater to the slowest devises as well
as the fastest.
Compared
to the reference iPaq 3600 the A716 scores well as you might
expect.
Yet
once again I was somewhat bemused to see the 4150 romping
away with a win when the two are put side by side. More
importantly it's a speed advantage you can feel in real
use, not just one that's only evident in benchmarks.
Conclusion
Impressions
From Use:::...
The
3DVelocity 'Dual Conclusions Concept' Explained: After
discussing this concept with users as well as companies
and vendors we work with, 3DVelocity have decided that where
necessary we shall aim to introduce our 'Dual Conclusions
Concept' to sum up our thoughts and impressions on the hardware
we review. As the needs of the more experienced users and
enthusiasts have increased, it has become more difficult
to factor in all the aspects that such a user would find
important, while also being fair to products that may lack
these high end "bonus" capabilities but which
still represent a very good buy for the more traditional
and more prevalent mainstream user. The two categories we've
used are:
The
Mainstream User ~ The mainstream user is likely
to put price, stock performance, value for money, reliability
and/or warranty terms ahead of the need for hardware that
operates beyond its design specifications. The mainstream
user may be a PC novice or may be an experienced user, however
their needs are clearly very different to those of the enthusiast,
in that they want to buy products that operate efficiently
and reliably within their advertised parameters.
The
Enthusiast ~ The enthusiast cares about all the
things that the mainstream user cares about but is more
likely to accept a weakness in one or more of these things
in exchange for some measure of performance or functionality
beyond its design brief. For example, a high priced motherboard
may be tolerated in exchange for unusually high levels of
overclocking ability or alternatively an unusually large
heat sink with a very poor fixing mechanism may be considered
acceptable if it offers significantly superior cooling in
return.
The
Mainstream User ~
Classy,
elegant, compact, these are all words I'd avoid using when
describing the A716, but that doesn't mean it's a poor product.
The size could be an issue for some people, but it's not
just size for the sake of it. In return you get the flexibility
of a CF slot and battery life that's superior to any PocketPC
I'm currently aware of. Unfortunately, if battery life and
a CF slot aren't important to you that relegates the A716's
standing to that of a rather large, slightly clumsy device
that can't really compete with HP's very accomplished 4150.
The
problem with me saying that though is that it sounds like
this is a poor product, and it really isn't. It's just big,
and only you can decide how much that matters to you. In
truth it has probably as many advantages as it has disadvantages
when it comes right down to it.
The
feel and spacing of the buttons makes the A716 particularly
good for gaming and the performance, while not quite the
best, is also perfectly suited to game play. The headline
features like Bluetooth and WiFi are also extremely well
implemented so as a total package there's not a whole lot
to gripe about. In fact it does exactly what it says on
the box.
A
very competent device that further strengthens ASUS' presence
in the mobile computing market!
The
Enthusiast ~
ASUS
continue to forge ahead with great products covering a diverse
range of features. Intel's
beefy 400MHz XScale processor, while not operating quite
as efficiently as we've seen from competitors and from ASUS
themselves, still powers the a716 to some very impressive
performance levels while the integrated Bluetooth and
802.11b are implemented well and work perfectly.
The
size of this unit is something that will play a factor if
you plan on humping your PocketPC with you everywhere you
go, but the extra battery performance may be enough to help
you overlook this drawback, as might the added flexibility
that comes from the CF slot. Let me remind you though the
the SD slot ISN'T SDIO and so if you own SDIO peripherals
like a camera or barcode scanner you won't be able to use
them on the A716. Having said that, there's nothing I know
of that's available for SDIO that isn't also available in
CF format, in fact there's more peripherals available for
your CF slot at the moment.
The
screen, while lacking slightly in contrast is crisp and
bright and the colours quite neutral, but its sensitivity
to stylus touches, on my model at least, was below that
of HP's screens.
Wireless
works great, as does Bluetooth, but remember you can't use
both simultaneously, something likely to be an issue for
users of Bluetooth headsets and other small groups of users
who particularly need this functionality.
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