Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 720

It’s hard to think of anything else worthwhile that could have been incorporated
into the package, at least in terms of hardware. The 3.6-inch screen doesn’t
quite match the 4-inch diagonal of a few competing devices from HP and
Toshiba, and the 520MHz processor isn’t quite the fastest thing around,
but they’re not far off, and overall this is a very hot Pocket PC in every
respect.

For devices with 240×320 screens, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition incorporates
few real improvements beyond the new landscape screen mode. For VGA-resolution
models such as the Fujitsu Pocket LOX 720, however, proper hi-res support
now means that the absurdly-small fonts first seen in the Toshiba e800
have now been replaced with ones identical in size to those on 240×320
machines, but with beautifully crisp, clean edges. In the past, text on
Pocket PCs has looked decidedly coarse and rough-edged when compared to
hi-res Palm OS devices, but that’s all changed now. Although it’s arguable
that such a high pixel density-around 220 pixels per inch-is simply excessive,
the difference in clarity between a 320 pixel wide Palm OS screen and
a 480 pixel wide VGA Pocket PC is clearly noticeable, and makes for stunningly
good readability. The default system font size can be adjusted on all
Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition devices, but the smallest size, a fuzzy
mess on standard 240×320 screens, looks tiny but razor-sharp on the LOX
720. Taking good advantage of the new-found resolution, the latest operating
system uses attractive shading on the pop-up keyboard, and for the new
hi-res application icons.

With the inclusion of a flash facility in the integral 1280×960 resolution
camera, we had fairly high hopes of good low-light image quality. Sadly,
images taken with the flash turned out to be horribly grainy, showing
up the mediocre quality common with all low-end digital cameras. Still,
as often as not, PDA-based cameras are needed simply to record an image
rather than to capture something suitable for framing, so, within that
caveat, the camera is a usable add-on. At only 165g (5.8oz) the Fujitsu
Pocket LOX 720 is admirably light and compact, and integral cameras no
longer represent a huge price premium in PDAs, so the ability to take
quick snaps can be seen as a handy feature to have, however infrequently
it may be used.

All in all, if you’re looking for a top-end Pocket PC, you won’t find
the LOX 720 lacking. The build quality is solid, though the styling is
as conventional as we’ve come to expect from Pocket PCs. Built-in software
includes a decent backup utility, a set of connection wizards to help
with Bluetooth and wireless LAN setup, plus the usual camera utilities.
To give maximum compatibility with emerging VoIP services, the LOOX’s
loudspeaker is optimised for voice output rather than simple bleeps.

A version without the integral camera is due for imminent release, the
LOX 710, which will come with 64MB rather than 128MB of memory, a 240×320
screen, and a slower 416MHz processor.