Stylish, practical, with built-in Bluetooth
There's never been a better time to buy a Pocket PC. We not
only have a variety of powerful low-end devices available, we also have a number
of compact and versatile high-end Pocket PCs on the market, including Fujitsu
Siemens' Pocket LOOX. They introduced the LOOX in Europe last year, but delayed
making it available in the U.S. until now. It's a stylish, feature-rich device
targeted toward "power" and enterprise users. See specs.
An attractive and sleek Pocket PC packed with features
With its sleek lines, rounded edges, and two-tone color
scheme, the LOOX is one of the most attractive Pocket PCs on the market. The
rubberized gunmetal blue grips on the left and right edges are practical as well
as pleasing to the eye. The silver-colored plastic case has a quality feel to
it, but don't drop it—it scratches easily.
Powered by the new XScale PXA250 processor, the LOOX comes
with 64 MB of RAM (59 MB of which is available to run programs and store data)
32 MB of flash ROM (none of which is available to the user), and built-in
Bluetooth capability. A Type II CompactFlash card slot and a Secure Digital card
slot provide ample expansion capability without the need for bulky sleeves.
However, the SD slot is non-SDIO compliant and can only be used to add storage
memory.
The LOOX has a 3.5" diagonal, sidelit touch screen that
displays 65,000 colors. Although the screen uses the older "reflective" display
technology (newer models have "transflective" screens), it is extremely bright
and easy on the eyes. Graphics look good on it, with decent color saturation and
a comfortable level of contrast. Text is sharp and very pleasing to behold. But
I noticed a strange purple-brownish tint if I peered at the screen closely when
using applications that displayed text using ClearType.
One of the best features of the LOOX is the ambient light
sensor, which automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen depending on
lighting conditions. (Brightness can be adjusted manually if you prefer.)
Its non-removable, high-capacity, 1520 mAh lithium-polymer
rechargeable battery provides an estimated 10 hours of battery life depending on
usage. My testing under worst-case conditions (playing games, listening to MP3s)
revealed the battery life to be much shorter, but comparable to other Pocket
PCs.
A pleasure to use
The Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX is functional as well as
stylish. A side-mounted jog dial on the top of the left edge allows easy
scrolling through large documents and Web pages. The IR port is mounted on a
bulge above the jog dial. Underneath the jog dial is the start button, which
brings up SpeedMenu, Fujitsu's task-launching application (Screen1). The right
side of the device features a switch above the record button to toggle Bluetooth
on or off (Screen2). A gold-plated headphone connector on the top left side of
LOOX contributes to the very good sound quality of the device.
Screens 1 and 2 show the features on the left and right edges
of the LOOX.
The smooth, concave application buttons and the directional
pad on the front of the device are comfortable to use, offering just a hint of
tactile feedback. Thoughtfully, Fujitsu made the buttons highly configurable,
and capable of multiple functions thanks to a push-and-hold option. For example,
I have the Start button configured to bring up the Start Menu when pushed, and
SpeedMenu when pushed and held for a couple of seconds. Games especially work
well on the LOOX, and hardcore players can endure long sessions without getting
fatigued from using the device.
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