The first thing that strikes you about this smartphone is its size. Slightly longer and thicker than a credit card, the Asus P320 certainly qualifies as one of the smallest Windows Mobile smartphones around. Weighing just 105g, it is highly pocketable too. The downside to having such a diminutive size is its small display. Measuring just 2.6 inches, the display poses a challenge for those without good eyesight. Using the virtual keyboard feels like a big test in hand-eye coordination, especially when you are on the move.

To make things more challenging, the raised frame around the display makes it difficult to use your finger to access the already narrow vertical scroll bar along the right edge of the screen. The P320 is one smartphone that you would probably not use to type long e-mail or notes with. Asus has provided a couple of useful utilities that help mitigate the effects of the small display. The first is the Asus Today function. This is an add-on to the Windows Mobile Today screen which provides a quick view of messages and missed calls, calendar appointments, weather information and RSS feeds. There's also the Asus Launcher. Using this icon-based program launcher, you can organize and call up any programs from a single page, including configuration setting screens.

The P320's small size doesn't mean fewer functions. It has almost all the features that you would expect from a smartphone - a 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a MicroSD card expansion slot and a built-in GPS chip. While it is full-featured, the P320's performance isn't up to the mark. Its 200Mhz processor noticeably struggles when running multiple applications at the same time. One thing I like is the phone-lock switch on the right side of the gadget. Typically Windows Mobile devices have only software-based locking, so it's refreshing and gives the peace of mind to have a hard switch, knowing that your phone won't be accidentally turned on while in your pocket or bag.