Windows Phone Thoughts: Loox Like a Winner - A Review of the Loox 720 Pocket PC

Benchmarks


Figure 21: Benchmark index.


Figure 22: CPU index.


Figure 23: File system index.


Figure 24: Graphics index.

There were few surprises in the benchmarking results. When compared to the results posted by Jason for the X50, the CPU and File System indices are right in line given CPU speed. And the Graphics index results are not unexpected either, given the Dell’s graphics accelerator. But the 720 beats the 2215 and 5450 quite handily. Firstloox.org tested the 720 at playing .avi files and found video playback to be very smooth.

Beyond the Benchmarks
Benchmarks are all fine and good, but how does the Loox perform in everyday use?

Overall, I’m very satisfied. Responsiveness shows marked improvements over the 2215. Most noticeable is the speed with which Agenda Fusion and Pocket Informant display when activated from an application button. Both products also switch views instantaneously, and changing category filters on a large set of contacts takes under a second.

Large spreadsheets still load fairly slowly, though faster than on the 2215. But once a spreadsheet is loaded, searching, sorting and other functions are very speedy. I imagine that this has as much to do with the Loox’s more generous memory headroom as with the faster processor.

Most games also performed very well, from simple games like Solitaire and Jawbreaker to more graphically complex games as Toki Tori and Landware’s Shanghai Pocket Essentials. Toki Tori in particular was much smoother and more responsive than with the 2215. The only game that I’ve played so far that’s slower than on the 2215 is Astraware’s Diamond Mine.

In everyday use, the Loox 720 provides a satisfying sense of speed, especially compared to my 2 iPAQs.

A few more observations:

• The battery cover is very thin, although it fits well.
  
• The power switch is a little too sensitive.
  
• Buttons and joypad have a quality feel, and the joypad seems quite responsive.
  
• The stylus is too thin and light, but it’s adequate.
  
• The reset button can’t be pressed with the stylus… the top of the stylus must be removed, which provides a small pointer for pressing the button.
  
• The loudspeaker is easily the best that I’ve ever found on a Pocket PC… it sounds crisp, rather than tinny like most others.