Interview with Daniele Rizzi, Handheld PM of ASUS Italy

What is the state of the Italian market for PDAs and Smartphones? It is a highly competitive market where the major players are gaining ground with solutions focusing on the integration of various features, primarily GPS and UMTS. To succeed in this sector, it is increasingly important that products offer good battery life to ensure maximum freedom of movement and substantial built-in memory, allowing the storage of numerous digital contents. For this reason, we can say that the interest in the Italian market is progressively shifting from pure PDAs to more complete solutions such as Smartphones. What is the relationship of consumers with this market? The many features contained in such a small device make this type of product extremely appealing to consumers, who favor mobility, connectivity, and want to have everything always at hand. What is Asus’s vision? Our range of solutions is continuously expanding, especially in the smartphone sector, which has a roadmap full of innovations (just think of the newborn ASUS P535). Soon, we will also introduce a new offering for satellite navigation, characterized by a particularly interesting quality/price ratio. I am referring to the upcoming ASUS S102 model. Who is your typical client? It ranges from the businessman who primarily needs to synchronize his PDA data with his notebook to anyone who wants access to more advanced features than a classic mobile phone offers. Those who choose ASUS can also always count on a refined and elegant design without any compromise in terms of technology. Who are your competitors? They are certainly all the major market players, including HTC, HP, ACER, Nokia, and MIO. What does Asus offer more compared to competitors in Italy, why choose you?Those who choose our product know they can rely on undisputed know-how and ASUS’s ability to always be at the forefront in offering all the most advanced technological solutions. Our products also offer two years warranty, are characterized by a refined, pleasant design carefully detailed in every aspect (such as the internal antenna in the new models), provide numerous functionalities for full mobility, and guarantee maximum reliability. What are the innovations in the sector?Today, the market offers solutions marked by strong and growing integration between PDA functionalities, phone, and navigation system, all packed into increasingly compact and lightweight products. More and more attention is given to connectivity and display size to ensure better viewing, for example, of satellite maps or classic office documents. How did the last year go and what are your future goals?The last year was more than satisfactory, and our primary goal now is to further strengthen ourselves in a rapidly growing market with an increasingly wide and complete range of solutions in the field of Smartphones and satellite navigators.