Pocket PC Pocket LOOX: first among equals

Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX - first submitted by the public pocket computer with the new generation Intel XScale processor at the core of PXA250. Even in Russia, where the premiere of new devices are carried out much later than in Western Europe and North America, he was introduced at the end of March. Was presented, but on the shelves did not appear (it is connected, obviously, was that Intel simply did not have time to make enough chips XScale). And now, after so many months of waiting, Pocket LOOX seem to still sell. By the way, will sell is not "the first PDA with a processor with the next generation." Toshiba and Hewlett Packard had before. Nevertheless, by design, the richness "stuffing" and Extensibility Pocket LOOX remains one of the most advanced handheld computers to date. So, offering you his detailed review based on the experiences of foreign experts from the "living" machines. In Moscow, unfortunately, Pocket LOOX is not yet available.

Set

So, the box:

Front

and back

Pocket LOOX next to the box

Since the test involved is not the final release version sample in the box did not have a CD with Microsoft ActiveSync and some additional software. But the box was cheholchik (very simple, made of thick black material with Velcro) and cradle synchronization.

Case Included

The cradle is very nice. Pocket LOOX is inserted into it quite reliable and durable. Maybe even too well, because to him to pull himself pridezhrzhivat cradle. In addition, the buttons are arranged so that the process of taking out the PDA from the cradle is very easy to accidentally press SpeedMenu. Behind, as in any cradle, power socket and cable for PC connection.

Design, cabinet, screen

Pocket LOOX Vesma looks solid and gives the impression of quality made machine. Despite the fact that the body is made of plastic, it does not look "cheap stuff", and besides quite durable, no creaks and wobbles, as if it should be compressed. Blue-gray ends well with a silver front and rear panels. In general, things stylish: Not trusting the official data, the owners LOOX decided to measure it yourself.It turned out, surprisingly, that the weight of the device, even a little less than the stated amount. After weighing on two scales - electronic and traditional - it turned out that the Pocket Loox weighs 175 grams, as stated in its characteristics and is written on the box, and 169. Well, so much the better for it. It turns out that today is the easiest Pocket PC with a processor with XScale. Declared Weight Compaq iPaq Series 3900 - 184 grams, and the Toshiba e740 - 190 grams. In general, the modern models only Toshiba e310 and NEC MobilePro lighter than Pocket LOOX. But in these two times less internal memory, a weaker processor and only one expansion slot. Pocket LOOX looks pretty "well-fed," but this is misleading. Its maximum thickness 18 mm, which is not much more than the same iPaq 3900 (15,9 mm). Begin to consider. At the bottom of the power supply, communication port, covered by a lid connector for expansion modules: Only the top slot for Compact Flash cards and the edge of the charging indicator: On the left side, by tradition, are (from top to bottom) infrared port, dial Jog-Dial (as it just is not called, but the essence - a switch that wiggle up and down allows you to move between menu items and keystrokes to select them), the button fast the menu SpeedMenu, slot cards Secure Digital / MultiMediaCard. By the way, while removing cars from the cradle arm very naturally falls on the button SpeedMenu and, of course, includes the PDA without your wishes. Right-left power button and the recorder on / off switch built-in transmitter Bluetooth: Rear only a hole for soft reset. Please note that back in the cradle there is a place to connect the machines together with a plastic plug-ins. Unfortunately, the next picture turned out badly because of the bounce flash. On it - the front panel. Above right - the charging indicator, close button on / off, even to the left speaker grille. Lower right shows a small hole is very sensitive microphone (even at the average level of sensitivity he had no difficulty recording the human voice from a distance of about one meter). The speaker is, incidentally, is also quite loud. His audible even through the noise of the engine and with the windows open in the car on the highway. Joystick, perhaps too small for easy navigation, but rather sensitive to depression. To see what else, and to run programs on the Pocket LOOX one is enough left arm - all controls are within reach of the thumb. Just click SpeedMenu and the device turns on. Navigate through the menu by using Jog Dial.Pressing the SpeedMenu returns one menu level up. The bottom of the menu itself is a file manager, and a list of running applications. Of course, the text entry will need to take a second hand and get the stylus.

Here is the "quick menu"

The stylus is attached to the springs, (as opposed to earlier models of iPaq is symmetrical, so it is impossible to insert "other party") pocle which he has a habit of getting stuck tightly. At first glance, the stylus is unusually short, but upon closer examination it appears that he is drawn as a telescoping pipe cleaner. The stylus is good - not too heavy nor too light, with a fairly robust and does not bend even in the push condition. Transflective screen, as on the last series iPaq, much brighter than the iPaq 3800 and with very good contrast. He has eight brightness settings, plus the possibility of automatic adjustment. And to change the light Pocket LOOX reacts much faster than the same iPaq, which is always required "time for reflection."

Adjust the brightness of light

In this case, even the first level of illumination is sufficient to distinguish the image on the screen in the dark. Touchscreen requires more hard pressed than most PDAs, but soon get used to it. In such rigidity is even its own advantages, especially when entering text in the program Transcriber (handwriting recognition). The fact that a soft-screen electronic "ink" slightly "blurred", which leads to a deterioration in the quality of recognition. On a more rigid, like a Pocket LOOX, this is not happening. At least, the machine recognized the test phrase "quick brown fox ..." three times in a row without a single mistake.

Performance

First, the performance was verified using the Virtual Office Benchmark. Its principle of operation of this - it plays on your PDA number of consecutive identical action (for example, draws triangles), and considers how many times this action computer time to run for a certain period of time. Each test was run ten times to avoid accidents and mistakes in the testimony. The higher the number in the results table, the better the result. The results of each test for the Pocket LOOX, for clarity, compared with the results, which showed two other handheld computer with Intel XScale - Toshiba e740 and Compaq iPaq 3900, as well as "handheld" from the previous generation processor - Compaq iPaq with Intel StrongARM 206 MHz. The most difficult was to render test results that showed different values: from 25.25 to 26.82. The table made usrednennny result. Once again I must remind - in testing is not the final version of the device, but the ROM version from her very recent, on June 30: Thus, the test results:

	Pocket Loox 600	iPAQ 3900	Toshiba e740	iPAQ 3800
CPU: Floating Point	12.65	12.66	12.65	8.05
CPU: Integer	26.95	26.94	26.99	15.55
Graphics: Bitmaps - BitBit	26.35	24.13	75.53	16.49
Graphics: Bitmaps - StretchBit	0.80	0.80	0.25	1.10
Graphics: Filled: Ellipse	1.06	0.52	1.00	0.54
Filled: Rectangle	1.35	2.10	5.10	0.56
Filled: Rounded Rectangle	0.96	0.50	0.75	0.52
Memory: Allocation	10.70	11.16	11.49	8.71
Memory: Fill	0.93	0.92	0.95	> 0.54
Memory: Move	0.37	0.37	0.39	0.87
Text	3.11 (ClearType is turned off) 2.97 (ClearType enabled)	3.13	1.65	2.22

What did the tests: Floating Point - floating-point operations are needed in high-precision mathematical calculations, which, for example, can be used when working with spreadsheets in Excel. Here PDA XScale showed equal performance, and two times higher than the old StrongARM. Integer - integer calculations are used for basic arithmetic operations where there are no fractions. Again on the XScale devices are similar in performance and greatly outperform iPaq 3800. Bitmaps - BitBit - drawing a bitmap (BMP) image while preserving the original image size. Here Pocket LOOX slightly ahead of both the iPaq - old and new, while there is a huge gap between Toshiba e740. How do you explain this gap is unknown, and in "real life" he does not manifest. Bitmaps - StretchBit - rendering bitmap image by resizing the original image. Completely incomprehensible test. Pocket LOOX and iPaq 3900 on a par and three times faster than the Toshiba, but at the same time (fantastika!) is noticeably slower iPaq 3800. Ellipse - from top left to bottom right and fills an ellipse is drawn in red and blue zelnym. LOOX ahead of all but the gap is not great. Rectangle - same with the rectangle. Here Pocket LOOX all behind, and from e740 to four times! Rounded Rectangle - again the same thing, but a rectangle with rounded edges. Here LOOX consistently shows the highest result. Why do I have a very similar drawing two very similar rectangles PDA show such different results are difficult to explain. Allocation shows how fast the Pocket PC can be booked and osobozhdat memory. This operation is a variety of applications and perform in their daily work more often. The new processors faster than the StrongARM, but a little different. Fill - a block of memory (500 Kbytes) is filled with data. Fill rate shows how fast your computer will run. And again XScale faster than the StrongARM, but within their own "caste" preserves parity. Move - the transfer of a block of memory. PDA XScale again close, but (again, fantastic!) Strongly lose old StrongARM. Apparently, this explains the low growth performance of new processors otnostitelno StrongARM. Text - shows how fast the text is drawn on the screen. Note that the use of ClearType font smoothing slightly reduces the speed of rendering. Now one of the most interesting stages of the process - testing the multimedia capabilities. Let's start with the video in MPEG4. When a site is PDA Buyer's Giude preparing a review Toshiba e740, his team searched the movie trailer of "The Matrix" volume 2.6 MB (and very decent quality), with caching turned off. Of the 1,887 personnel Toshiba e740 missed 164. The first show of the same trailer on the Pocket LOOX is issued on 18 missed shots. Then testing was conducted four times - all on a self-powered and without caching, with all settings left in the values ​​of "default".Result in the screenshots: So it is quite possible that in the first pass 18 frames was a simple accident. In addition, it should be noted that the PDA Buyer could not test the iPaq 3970 in conjunction with Toshiba - the first refused to play DivX in general. However, after installing the patch, which eliminated the problem of display (the display could not display DivX), iPaq video still shows and never missed a shot voobshe. To complete the picture, and testing was conducted DivX playback from a memory card (before it was about the clip lying in the main memory). Five repetitions - and no one missed shot. The next step was the testing of MPEG video in the program Pocket TV. Each of the five clips played over the three times, before each playback LOOX perezegruzhalsya and recharged. Clips played as a CF-card and from main memory. Thus,

• starwars.mpg - a two-minute trailer for "Star Wars", 114 Kbps, 160x120 resolution. Video recorded at 23.976 fps, Pocket LOOX issued in 1923
• topgun3d.mpg - 30-second clip about the movie Top Gun, 256 Kbps per second, 160x120 resolution. Clip recorded with frame rate 27.97 per second, LOOX play it at a speed of 24 frames
• XPsmartTagsPPC - advertising the new features Microsoft Office, 345 Kbps, 240h160. Advertise recorded at 25 frames per second, played at 19
• ipaq.mpg - Advertising iPaq (sorry, no advertising Pocket LOOX). 414 Kbps, 240h160, 25 frames per second. Playback - 13 frames per second
• monstersinc-high.mpg - Advertising famous Disney movie "Monsters Inc.", 600 Kbps, 320x240, 24 frames per second. Playback - 7 frames (if the file is in main memory - 9 frames per second)

Note. Need to be reminded that this is not the final version of the device and not the final version of the ROM. Before they go on sale it will probably be updated. In addition, the developers Pocket TV for testing got much better results similar to those that were on the other XScale-machines. So that we can hope that with the change ROM video performance Pocket LOOX increase. A small addition - Quake on Pocket LOOX provides 7.9 frames per sekndu against 7.2 for Toshiba e740. Now that excites buyers handheld computers almost above anything else - about the length of battery life. To check that capable Pocket LOOX was conducted two tests. For the first volume and brightness were set to maximum, but with the expansion card in the regime of infinite repeat scroll video WMV. The video has been dynamic, with lots of sharp change of personnel and loud music. Surprisingly, a warning about low battery (which included a 20% charge left) appeared already cherz 2 hours, 2 minutes. Video continued to play without reducing the volume and brightness, eight more minutes and stopped at 14% battery charge when the Windows Media Player has refused to continue the conversation. After that, machine managed to work another 17 minutes, until finally, at 9% it is turned off and switched back to a single charge refused. The total time of use was approximately 2.5 hours. The second test was conducted in the same way, except that the volume and brightness were exhibited at the averages. After that, more than 2,5 hours of videotape she had already endured. In this case, with each successive test time slightly, on a couple of minutes, but increased (the latter recorded for 2 hours and 33 minutes). It is interesting that out of testing (during setup, work with Bluetooth, etc.) Pocket PC worked without podzyaryadki more than 5,5 hours. Perhaps it is a more accurate picture of how it will work in everyday life.

Bluetooth

Built-in wireless Bluetooth - did not feature Bluetooth, as it was during his early development. They are equipped and HP iPaq, ending at ** 70 :-), and one of the modifications Toshiba e740.Nevertheless, this function has been relatively new, so dwell on the possibilities of wireless Pocket LOOX. Pocket LOOX successfully connected to the two available anywhere as hand devices - laptop and cell phone. But before attempting to establish a connection, you need something to configure. When you first run Pocket Plugfree - Program for working with Bluetooth on the Pocket LOOX - need to specify an arbitrary PDAs to other devices to identify it in the network, and a password to connect paired devices: You will then see a list of functions, of which the most interesting for us to be connected to the serial ports (serial ports) and work with ActiveSync: The program then asks the question, if you want to select the folder that you will have access to wireless devices on the network: Now Plugfree start, looking for other wireless devices within range and, if they exist, and they turn on the transmitter, finds: Choosing a laptop (he called HOME) and the Pocket LOOX begins to search for possible ways to interact with him, and then displays this list on the screen: When one of the COM-Port, Pocket LOOX is connected with it: Pocket LOOX is Bluetooth-peredtchik Class 1, which means that he can communicate with devices located on it for 100 meters. During testitrovaniya relationship remained at a distance of 40 meters with a little. With the T39 is not everything went so well - the phone has Bluetooth Class 2, which connects only to within 10 meters. However, at this distance, the installation of communication and "pairing" phones have passed without any problems. Unfortunately, work with ActiveSync test failed. Vaio notebook easily contacted PDA, ActiveSync has found that a certain device tries to connect, but, of course, the virtual COM-port can not completely replace the USB, and drivers have been installed for the USB-only connection. So that ActiveSync does not realize who is trying to contact him, and the connection is not established.

Conclusion

As always, potential buyers are most interested in ease of everyday use: the duration of battery life, screen quality, etc. The ability of the battery are described in detail in the second part of the review. Need only be noted that drawing conclusions until the release version of the sample device early. The screen is excellent - not zamylenny such as the iPaq 3600 and more vivid than the iPaq 3800.Usually enough for a comfortable work weakest illumination. Gamers will appreciate the ability to simultaneously use two hardware buttons. The speed of Quake though not much, but higher than those of competitors, demanding to hardware resources Argentum is also working on cheers. In addition to the standard for Pocket PC 2002 software for Pocket LOOX have a few "bonus" programs. Read more about them. LX BackUp allows you to easily save the entire contents of RAM to Flash-card (unfortunately, not the ability to selectively archive data). Pocket Plugfree, which we have discussed above, provides a wireless Bluetooth-tuning the network and interact with other devices. Battery Gauge graphically shows how much spent and how much is left on battery power, Backlight allows you to configure the eight levels of brightness or turn on auto-regulation. CPU Setting allows you to slow down the processor to conserve battery power. In addition, the package includes a program NYDITOT Virtual Display version 3, which will turn the image on the screen and change the resolution. Sound, even in the dynamics of clean and quite loud. Well distinguished all the words. No claims, and the phone jack. Testing was conducted a few days, but during all that time did not reveal a trace of dust under the screen. But this is a problem many PDAs. Another of the interesting observations - if you insert or remove the CF-card, Pocket LOOX some reason self-activated. Thus, the overall impression of the machine. What she is good and the bad. Should I buy it? First up:

• Perfectly implemented Bluetooth, so even a class 1 (with a radius of 100 meters to applicable)
• Successful design for single-handed
• Bright, high contrast transflective screen with a uniform illumination
• Perhaps, after all the fastest XScale-PDA in the field of video games
• The easiest among PDA devices on XScale
• Variable speed of the processor to be extended, according to preliminary estimates, the term avtnomnoy of about one-third
• A good set of additional software

However, there are drawbacks:

• As is the case with all new Pocket PC, Intel XScale does not show all that he is capable. Because of this - low growth proizvodtelnosti compared to previous models based on StrongARM
• An Inconvenient Backup program
• Program to monitor battery charge does not show interest - only the schedule
• Very simple case included
• One of the main drawbacks - battery life is less than desirable

In general, the Pocket LOOX leaves a very pleasant impression. You can not even focus on the fact that in most tests it really is not much, but it is superior to other PDAs. The difference in performance still too small and it is worth bragging solely for promotional purposes. The point rather is that this PDA is working exactly as it should. When testing other models in their daily work with PDA often have a sense of dissatisfaction: everything seems to be great, but different minor setbacks severely spoil all impression. Then design a la - "Made in Nizhny Tagil, a very valuable bonus program is not working correctly, then the equipment is very poor. Some PDAs can exceed the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX for individual parameters. Somewhere slightly better screen, somewhere a little more software bundled somewhere attractive, futuristic design. But by the sum of the Pocket LOOX, according to those who held it in his hands, can compete with any other handheld on the market. Sources, Materials: