ASUS M530w smartphone

Taiwanese electronics giant ASUS has revealed a new smartphone, the M530w. Aimed at business users, one of the device's main selling points is support for four different e-mail servers, including POP3, IMAP4, BlackBerry 4.0 and Microsoft Exchange. The phone is further able to receive push mail through Outlook, and uses a PC-like QWERTY keypad to making typing easier.

UMTS allows roaming 3G abilities including video calls, while 802.11b/g Wi-Fi provides a local alternative. The still camera, notably, is a two-megapixel autofocus model with a macro function, which should offer an edge when scanning business cards. Bluetooth 2.0 enables high-speed device sync.

The phone also has entertainment options, since it supports AAC, MP3 and WMA audio files, and can play MPEG-4 video using the H.263 codec. Storage is limited to 256MB of built-in memory, but this can be compensated for through streaming media.

Regions and release dates for the 530w are unknown; since it only operates on tri-band (900/1800/1900) GSM networks, however, it is unlikely to join fellow ASUS products in North America. Europe and east Asia are more likely targets.

By Electronista Staff