CNET Asia has apparently received word that not only will ASUS' Lamborghini-branded ZX1 smartphone be canceled (as we mentioned earlier this month), but the company will also be putting the brakes on its forthcoming P560 and M536 phones as well. In a statement issued presumably to CNET, the company claims that the project has been postponed due to the "technical immaturity of a key component from one of our suppliers," though they seem to have left the door open for a reboot. We know one thing for sure -- it's clear that the P560 and M536 weren't those "more important devices" the company made reference to previously. They probably need the resources for another 25 versions of the Eee PC.

[Thanks, chauco]

What could possibly constitute a "zesty" smartphone? We're not sure, but if O2's latest Xda device intends to live up to its name, we're going to find out. An ASUS-sourced handset bearing the "GM5 / Crystal / Xda Zest" name just garnered approval from the Global Certification Forum, and as we all know, anything starting with "Xda" is pretty much a lock to see duty on O2 as a Windows Mobile smartphone. Nothing is known about the thing at this point beyond what the GCF tells us, which ain't much: triband GSM, 2100MHz WCDMA with video calling, and -- you'll never believe it -- it supports "browsing." Hot dog!

[Via the::unwired]

Word on the street (and by "street" we mean mysterious corners of the internet) is that Garmin's upcoming Nuvifone will actually be manufactured by the ubiquitous and varied ASUS. According to "industry sources" -- that rare breed never seen yet often heard -- the two companies have been working on the device for the past two years, with the computer-maker lending a hand in the RF technology department amongst other things. The sources further claim that the Nuvifone will be the first in a series handsets, with plans to roll out new models through 2010... the year we make contact. More on this breathtaking bit of news as we get it, faithful readers.

[Via Unwired View]

Tough time to try to hype a new skin for Windows Mobile, we'd say, what with juggernauts HTC and Sony Ericsson both trying to knock balls out of the park with TouchFLO 3D and the XPERIA's shell, respectively; that's not stopping ASUS from giving it a go, though. The Taiwanese manufacturer has chosen Computex as the stage to officially take the wraps off its "Glide" UI concept, the first shot of which we saw in the leaked shots of the P560 a few weeks back. Features of the shell include ASUS Today, a home screen replacement; Anytime Launcher, a straight-up app launcher; EziPhoto for photo management and EziMusic for a glorified media player. Nothing too groundbreaking here, but hey, can't blame 'em for trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Buried underneath the hoopla surrounding the announcement of ASUS' Lamborghini-branded ZX1 at CeBIT, the more mellow P560 was also announced, featuring pretty much every spec the average WinMo buyer could want these days in a package that speaks far, far less about the car you're driving (or wish you were driving, anyway). HSDPA, WiFi, 3.2 megapixel autofocus cam, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, GPS, microSDHC slot, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, and Microsoft's freshest build of Windows Mobile Professional -- 6.1, that is -- all have managed to find their way into the P560's unassuming shell. Not bad, though the €500 (about $772) price tag could scare a few folks away when it launches next month.

[Via Navigadget]

It's not going to satisfy your unending hankering for 3G, but ASUS' P320 does have at least one thing going for it: it's mighty small. The so-called "Galaxi Mini" first broke cover back at CeBIT, offering GPS, WiFi, and a 2 megapixel camera in one of the smallest Windows Mobile 6 Professional packages to hit the market. Add that to the fact that it's looking a heck of a lot better in black than the sickly mauve the ASUS gals and dudes were showing off a couple months back, and we might just be sold. No word on a release date or whether it'll be officially offered stateside, but with that FCC certification under its belt, at least owners will be able to rest easy knowing that they're emitting only the finest, government-approved electromagnetic radiation available.

Seriously, ASUS, what in the heck were you thinking? If you're going to imbue your P750 with a feature as hotly desired (particularly in the Windows Mobile world) as VGA resolution, what could possibly possess you to not merely gloss it over, but to artificially downgrade your high-end beauty to plain old QVGA? Blasphemy, we say -- and thankfully, some of the folks responsible for first noticing ASUS' indiscretion have come out and fixed it. Members Sorg and GreateVK from asusmobile.ru have crafted a rough fix, and say that a final version should be available to everyone within a week. If that's not an awesome (and unexpected) present to P750 users around the world, we don't know what is.

[Via MoDaCo]

Here's one you may not have heard before: a manufacturer decides to stick a VGA touchscreen in some handset model not because it wants VGA resolution, but just because it got a killer deal on them. That's the rumor being floated on a handful of sites and forums about ASUS' monster P750 Windows Mobile 6 Professional device, with some sharp-eyed contributors noticing that each logical pixel on their devices' screens are actually comprised of -- count 'em -- four physical pixels. Indeed, a quick glance of the spec sheet for the alleged part number used reveals a "VGA/QVGA dual viewing mode," so the story seems to check out, and folks are apparently already hard at work enabling full 640 x 480 resolution on their beloved devices. Good luck, everyone!

Alongside decidedly flashier announcements, ASUS has also chosen CeBIT to debut its diminutive, modestly-specced P320, a Windows Mobile 6 Professional piece sans 3G that we first spied last month. It's not going to turn any heads, but hey, that's what the ZX1's all about; the P320 is really here to get down in the trenches, get dirty, and get some work done, all while making sure it doesn't dwarf the hand it's in. We'd prefer, oh, any other color besides flesh tone, but thanks to a positively miniature 99 x 55 x 13.35mm outline, 2 megapixel camera, and WiFi, we might just be willing to overlook it. What's more, there's no mention of GPS on the spec sheet, but we're going to venture a guess the necessary circuitry is on board thanks to a side button conveniently labeled -- you guessed it -- "GPS." Check more pictures after the break, or just hold out for a release whenever ASUS gets around to it. Your call.

Here you go QWERTY fans, ASUS' M536. This touch-screen follow-up to the M530W runs Windows Mobile 6.1 under that 2.43-inch, 320 x 320 display. Inside you'll find 802.11b/g WiFi, 256MB of flash, and GPS. While it sports 3.6Mbps HSDPA on the 2100/1900/850 bands, it's unfortunately limited to GSM/EDGE/GPRS riding the 900/1800/1900 frequencies. As such, we'll bet this one is heading straight to Europe, Statesiders. Our hands-on was brief due to that fingerprint scanner. Still, we'd bet that this business minded handset will come sporting ASUS' own sultry WinMo overlay whenever it does launch. Be sure to check the gallery over at Engadget.

Regardless of the cause, we certainly like the trend of these enhanced touch-screen UIs dominating the high-end cellphone market. Now meet ASUS' GUI slickness destined for their newest touchscreen devices including the ZX1. Starting with a Windows Mobile 6.1 core, ASUS slathers on a new customizable Multi-Home 3D interface meant to simplify access to your today screen, life and business applications. Think HTC's TouchFlo only sexier. ASUS even threw in some "album cover flow" to the media app and the ability to more easily manipulate all your digital media with enhanced figure gestures. You can even drop everything into a visual carousel if that's your preference. See for yourself in the video after the break.

While poking around the ASUS booth this morning we had a chance to witness the world premier unveiling of the ZX1 Lamborghini. We even took a few shots before it went under the glass. However, the real treat is the UI based on a Windows Mobile 6.1 core running special ASUS tweaks. It's "just like the iPhone" according to our friendly ASUS guide. The device is expected to fetch an unsubsidized €1,000 ($1,500) price tag when this 3G world-phone launches in Europe this May. Maybe you'll think it's worth it when we get back to you in a few with a video of the GUI albeit sans all that Lamborghini theme nonsense.

So it now looks like that rumored high-end ZX1 Windows Mobile 6 Professional handset from ASUS is a lock for a CeBIT announcement, though we're going to be totally honest, we're not certain it's worthy of the Lamborghini name. Granted, we've got to withhold judgment until we get one in our hands, but outside of a Lamborghini badge-shaped nav pad and a speedometer-inspired clock on the home screen, we're not seeing anything special about the darned thing. On the plus side, it's a 3G world phone with HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 and quadband GSM / EDGE, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera out back with a VGA sensor up front for video calling, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, microSD expansion, GPS, WiFi, and the typical QVGA display. We guess the 13.2mm thick shell is notable, but Lamborghini notable? More on this one as soon as we catch it in the wild.

Long a tradition in ASUS' notebook line, it seems like the storied Italian marque might be making a fateful move from the lap to the pocket. The rumored ZX1 handset from ASUS is said to be a fairly high-end smartphone -- and frankly, Lamborghini should expect nothing less -- with Windows Mobile 6 Professional, a 520MHz core, integrated GPS, HSDPA, and to loosely translate the French source, "all the colors of the Lamborghini brand." It looks like ASUS will be targeting the Touch crowd with this one, too, thanks to an expansive touchscreen that we'd guess will be at least a bit finger-friendly. If this all checks out, we can expect the ZX1 for about €650 (about $963) this summer following a CeBIT announcement.

[Via Unwired View]