Product Reviews

If you thought Pocket PC was just a name, think again. The two new products from Fujitsu Siemens and Toshiba both include a 400MHz processor, making them as fast as many existing PCs.

The processor itself boasts a brand-new design, with Intel's 32-bit XScale-based chips consigning older StrongARM processors to the silicon scrap heap. The PXA250 uses a 0.18-micron manufacturing process and includes 16-bit SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) instructions to enhance audio and video decoding. There are a number of other minor enhancements too, including better power-saving options.

The extra firepower isn't particularly useful when using apps such as Pocket Word or Excel, or even when browsing through contacts. The real difference comes when using your Pocket PC for entertainment, such as viewing video. Whereas playback of complicated scenes is slightly jerky on 206MHz machines, neither the LOOX nor the e740 dropped a frame in our tests. The added clock cycles are also handy when viewing Web pages on Internet Explorer, which has always been a test for any handheld PC.

The e740 also boasts ATi's new IMAGEON 100 display co-processor. This includes support for MPEG-4 decoding, while promising higher frame rates in games and crisper displays. Unfortunately, there was no sign of enhanced speed in the 2D platform game RocketElite (in fact, the LOOX was faster), but new releases like Tomb Raider could prove its worth.

With all this new technology, we're slightly surprised to see that neither device includes 128Mb of RAM. This is a price rather than design decision, but it's a shame nonetheless. These devices are designed for high-quality media, so that space will be quickly consumed.

However, with Bluetooth integrated into both devices, you could stream MPEG-2 video from a broadband-connected notebook. With a suitably equipped GPRS phone, you could even stream low data rate MPEG-4. But we suspect most people will connect to their

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phone via Bluetooth for email or Web browsing.

Toshiba also offers an 802.11b version of the e740, which adds wireless networking opportunities (or a 'vanilla' version, if you want to save money). But with both the e740 and 600E playing host to a Type II CompactFlash slot, you can add a separate 802.11b card easily. Fujitsu Siemens also offers a GPRS plug-in module, bringing the LOOX into O2 xda territory (see Product update, p102).

All these added communications place a toll on the PDAs' battery life, but the LOOX 600E lasted for three days (130 minutes in total) out of the cradle under quite demanding use, and the e740 kept going for a similar length of time. Plus the Toshiba has the added bonus of a more detailed battery monitor and the option of a larger battery -Êjust beware that this almost doubles the unit's depth.

Of course, the screen lighting has a big impact on battery life. As the LOOX includes a light sensor, we allowed this to take control and were satisfied with the results. Its only problem was a tendency to switch the backlight too low, but the screen was always visible. We should also praise the TFT itself, which has better viewing angles than the e740's, although this fights back with a super-bright setting.

Where the e740 indisputably beats the LOOX is styling. While Toshiba's PDA boasts a brushed aluminium finish, Fujitsu Siemens settles for a two-tone plastic look. However, they aren't the sleekest PDAs on the block, or the lightest, and Fujitsu Siemens compounds matters by including an overly large protective wallet.

The e740 has one other unique selling point. For an extra £21, you can buy a connector that adds a VGA out and USB port. The former means you can project presentations without a notebook (at 800 x 600 resolution), and Toshiba bundles software for precisely this purpose. The USB port allows the addition of a keyboard, and we were pleased to see that a generic keyboard worked without any problems. This kind of innovation shows exactly how much potential PDAs have as serious computing tools.

So which should you choose? This depends on your priorities, but you won't be disappointed with either. The Pocket LOOX's greatest attractions are its screen and the clean integration of Bluetooth and the 400MHz processor. But the e740 shares the last two features and also offers style and immediate business benefits thanks to the add-on module. As such, the e740 wins this duel, but it just falls shy of a Recommended award due to the prohibitively high price.

Tim Danton