ASUS P750

Amid the plethora of stylish, fashion-orientated smartphones, the ASUS P750 isn't going to wow you with its looks. Instead, this rather bland-looking smartphone aims to please under the hood, with a more than reasonable features list including HSDPA connectivity and GPS.

The P750 isn't going to win any awards for its design. This boxy looking unit is also rather chunky, but considering its size it's rather light. The handset is finished in matte black plastic, but shadow chrome edging and a row of silver navigational keys below the display do break up the bland look.

The P750's display is recessed rather deeply, so using your finger won't suffice to operate the phone. A stylus is located in the bottom-right corner of the unit, and the display is fairly responsive to soft taps. The screen has reasonable viewing angles, but the resolution is a little lower than we expected, so text isn't as crisp as it is on some competitors.

Despite the chunky size of this unit, ASUS hasn't included a keyboard, instead opting for a standard numerical pad. Thankfully, the handset supports T9, in addition to the standard Windows Mobile on-screen keyboard; heavy e-mailers will still be disappointed with the lack of physical keyboard. The keys are reasonably comfortable and provide decent tactility, though they are a little close together. For general browsing, the five-way navigational joystick bears the grunt of the work; however, it's a little low and sometimes requires a little too much effort to push from side to side.

The P750 runs the Windows Mobile 6 operating system, so it includes all the features most users will need, including Excel, PowerPoint and Word Mobile applications, Windows Media Player and a range of PIM functions. For e-mail, it's easy to configure for use with Microsoft Exchange 2003, while you can also use standard POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, including Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. A suite of Windows Live applications includes Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail, Spaces and Live Search. ASUS has also included its own menu called ASUS Launcher, enabling you to add, edit and organise your most commonly accessed programs for a bit of extra convenience.

GPS is also a feature and ASUS ships the unit with navigational software and Australian maps on a 1GB microSD card. The software, ASUS GO Navigation Software 2006, features a similar interface to previous Mio GPS units, so it's fairly easy to grasp. Australian Sensis R14 maps were included with our review unit. Because the P750 runs Windows Mobile, you can purchase and install any number of mobile GPS applications. The P750's GPS takes a little longer than a dedicated in-car unit to find a signal, but it is fairly responsive once up and running. Perhaps the best inclusion is a car kit, which has a suction cup window mount and cradle.

Being an HSDPA-capable device, the P750 has dual cameras — one on the front for video calls and the other on the rear for photos. The 3-megapixel camera unfortunately lacks a flash and autofocus, so it's not recommended for any sort of serious use.

Connectivity is a strong point of the P750 as it supports HSDPA 3.6, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0. For multimedia use, its 2.5mm headphone jack isn't ideal, though an adapter to use regular 3.5mm headphones with the device can easily be purchased. The P750 has a microSD card slot for extra storage and a 1GB card is included in the sales package.