Want a PDA without the toppings? Anthony Newman tries out the Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 420, and finds that familiarity doesn't necessarily breed contempt.
Recent reports have suggested that the PDA is dying - and that the Smartphone is holding the smoking gun. For many applications, it is argued, a Smartphone can do everything that a PDA can, with the added benefit of smaller size, more tightly integrated wireless features and more robust input measures. The PDA's fight-back is in its 'wow' factor - features like biometrics, integrated GSM as well as dual wireless, cameras, dual memory slots, keyboards and so on. Although, looking back at announcements from 3GSM, even these distinctions are blurring. Is the day of the normal PDA dead, then?
Comfortably numb
The Pocket Loox 420 from Fujitsu Siemens does little to dispute the assertion, and indeed doesn't even seem to notice that times have changed. While the original LOOX was groundbreaking in design and features, the 420 is just too normal - there's little to distinguish it from Pocket PCs of two years ago, and precious little against some smartphones.
 | | Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 420 |
No nasty surprises
The spec-sheet reads like an old friend: the usual 3.5", QVGA, TFT transflective screen, 4 application buttons, SDIO slot, IR, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 64 MB RAM, 400 MHz Intel PXA255, 3.5mm headphone socket and so on. There's an absence of the standout features discussed above - no camera, VGA screen or interesting input methods. But there is plenty of quality: the package evokes a bygone age of premium Pocket PCs, like the first iPAQ, where an attractive cradle, slip-case, multi-plug travel adaptor, USB cable and spare stylus are included.
Fashion is fickle, but style is timeless
The design of the Loox 420 is unassuming: smoky grey and silver plastic, very svelte, easy to hold (small at 113 x 70 x 14 mm and 125 g) and easy on the eye. It's good-looking, in a mature way, as befits a device as refined as this. Touches like rubber grips, to hold the unit on a desk, and buttons that are recessed just the right amount, show thought in ergonomics, while the usual Pocket PC design flaws keep popping up: two flashing LEDs right above the screen to keep you all-too-well informed of wireless activity, for example, and the pokey little stylus that's standard fare. However, the last couple of years haven't quite passed Fujitsu-Siemens by: there's a removable battery included, with a backup battery for good measure, but no non-volatile file store is present.
Quiet confidence
In terms of performance, life from the 1100 mAh removable Lithium Ion battery proved average, lasting a working day of on-off usage, although use of the two wireless modes knocks that down considerably. 802.11b range and resilience was satisfactory. Bluetooth (which can co-exist with Wi-Fi just fine on the 420) also performed flawlessly, and applications ran just fine on the 400 MHz processor, which produced decent benchmark results.
 | | Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 420 |
In terms of sound, the headphone jack impressed, as did the speaker, hidden under the D-pad, while both input and output have plenty of software controls. The screen, although only QVGA and 'only' 16-bit, also holds up its part of the bargain, being both bright and clear, supplemented by a ClearType tuner. Aside from a backup client and Speed Menu, included software is non-existent, following the modern trend. We remember when Pocket PCs came with bucketloads of software, but Dell's attack on margins has seen to that.
Availability
The Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 420 is available now for a recommended retail price of 329 EUR.
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