Monday, October 25, 2004
Loox Like a Winner - A Review of the Loox 720 Pocket PC
Posted by Doug Raeburn in "HARDWARE" @ 09:00 AM
The Wonderful World of Wireless
Like the competition, the 720 comes with both WiFi (802.11b) and Bluetooth. Both are quick to connect and the connections are strong, but the same could be said for the 2215 with its built-in Bluetooth and an SMC Wireless CompactFlash card. What is notable, however, is the ease of using WEP encrypted wireless networks. With both of the iPAQs, the settings were fussy and the interface was disjointed. With the 720, however, connection is simple. When you select an encrypted network, it prompts you for the key and then it figures everything else out and voila, you’re connected. I’m not sure how much of this ease of use is compliments of WM 2003 SE and how much the Loox itself brings into the picture, but it’s dramatically simpler.
The ConnectMate E2C application also makes it simple to switch from one network to another. It stores all configuration and security information for a network under a user-defined name, so switching from my home network to the network at Starbucks is a piece of cake. With this generation of devices, wireless connections are finally becoming easy enough for the “non-geeks” among us to use
Stranger in a Strange Land?
Ordering and purchasing a Pocket PC from a merchant overseas who doesn’t have explicit support for US sales does introduce some challenges. For example, if you order from a US-based retailer like Best Buy or Amazon and you need to speak to someone about your order, you just call the ever-present, ever-handy 800 number. Not so when dealing with a retailer out of the UK… an international call is required. Not to mention the fact that purchasing an expensive tech device from a foreign country tripped the automatic fraud protection at my credit card company, turning a simple purchase authorization into a major hassle, despite the best efforts of the merchant.
Of course, the order fulfillment issues came on the tail of a series of delivery promises from Fujitsu Siemens to the merchants, who then made their own delivery promises, which all fell through several times when Fujitsu Siemens missed the delivery dates. The result was many very frustrated “early adopters” whose need for instant gratification was left unsatisfied for weeks. This certainly was not the merchants’ faults, but they were the ones who got the earful when the customers felt compelled to vent.
Although such an order carries with it the potential for issues, I feel fortunate that everything went as smoothly as it did for me, and the vendor had everything to do with it. I would like to commend the folks at Clove Technology in the UK, who did everything in their power to expedite both the shipments from Fujitsu Siemens to Clove and the shipments from Clove to their anxious customers. They did the best they could under very difficult circumstances, and always remained friendly and professional even in the face of some scathing posts on various sites unfairly blaming them for things that were beyond their control. Since they were so responsive to all e-mails that I sent, I didn’t have to resort to any international phone calls. Based on my experience, I’d order from Clove again without hesitation.
Back to the issues… service could also be a bit more difficult. At this point, I’m not certain if my Loox would have to be shipped to Europe for service, or if a US-based partner would handle service. I’ve heard it suggested that Fujitsu service centers in the US would handle Loox service, but to my knowledge that’s never been verified
Finally, it seems that the lack of marketing for the Loox in North America relegates it to second-string status as far as some third party manufacturers are concerned. For example, the options for cases for the Loox are far more limited than with an iPAQ. In the “premium” case market, Piel Frama offers a case for the Loox, but Vaja has indicated that they aren’t planning to do so. Also, one of the first accessories that I purchase for a new Pocket PC is a replacement stylus from PDA Panache. Not this time, though… they don’t support the Loox. Don’t get me wrong, there are many accessories available for the Loox, but the selection is considerably slimmer than with more widely marketed Pocket PCs.
Conclusion
A few minor quibbles aside, the Loox 720 is easily the finest Pocket PC that I've ever used. It has so many things going for it... the beautiful screen, the fast processor, plenty of RAM, long battery life, dual memory card slots and dual wireless options. Solid build and sophisticated executive styling are further pluses. The competition from HP and Dell may get more fanfare, but if you're looking for a powerful and full featured Pocket PC in a compact ''pocket friendly" package, the Loox 720 should be at the top of a very short list.
Like the competition, the 720 comes with both WiFi (802.11b) and Bluetooth. Both are quick to connect and the connections are strong, but the same could be said for the 2215 with its built-in Bluetooth and an SMC Wireless CompactFlash card. What is notable, however, is the ease of using WEP encrypted wireless networks. With both of the iPAQs, the settings were fussy and the interface was disjointed. With the 720, however, connection is simple. When you select an encrypted network, it prompts you for the key and then it figures everything else out and voila, you’re connected. I’m not sure how much of this ease of use is compliments of WM 2003 SE and how much the Loox itself brings into the picture, but it’s dramatically simpler.
The ConnectMate E2C application also makes it simple to switch from one network to another. It stores all configuration and security information for a network under a user-defined name, so switching from my home network to the network at Starbucks is a piece of cake. With this generation of devices, wireless connections are finally becoming easy enough for the “non-geeks” among us to use
Stranger in a Strange Land?
Ordering and purchasing a Pocket PC from a merchant overseas who doesn’t have explicit support for US sales does introduce some challenges. For example, if you order from a US-based retailer like Best Buy or Amazon and you need to speak to someone about your order, you just call the ever-present, ever-handy 800 number. Not so when dealing with a retailer out of the UK… an international call is required. Not to mention the fact that purchasing an expensive tech device from a foreign country tripped the automatic fraud protection at my credit card company, turning a simple purchase authorization into a major hassle, despite the best efforts of the merchant.
Of course, the order fulfillment issues came on the tail of a series of delivery promises from Fujitsu Siemens to the merchants, who then made their own delivery promises, which all fell through several times when Fujitsu Siemens missed the delivery dates. The result was many very frustrated “early adopters” whose need for instant gratification was left unsatisfied for weeks. This certainly was not the merchants’ faults, but they were the ones who got the earful when the customers felt compelled to vent.
Although such an order carries with it the potential for issues, I feel fortunate that everything went as smoothly as it did for me, and the vendor had everything to do with it. I would like to commend the folks at Clove Technology in the UK, who did everything in their power to expedite both the shipments from Fujitsu Siemens to Clove and the shipments from Clove to their anxious customers. They did the best they could under very difficult circumstances, and always remained friendly and professional even in the face of some scathing posts on various sites unfairly blaming them for things that were beyond their control. Since they were so responsive to all e-mails that I sent, I didn’t have to resort to any international phone calls. Based on my experience, I’d order from Clove again without hesitation.
Back to the issues… service could also be a bit more difficult. At this point, I’m not certain if my Loox would have to be shipped to Europe for service, or if a US-based partner would handle service. I’ve heard it suggested that Fujitsu service centers in the US would handle Loox service, but to my knowledge that’s never been verified
Finally, it seems that the lack of marketing for the Loox in North America relegates it to second-string status as far as some third party manufacturers are concerned. For example, the options for cases for the Loox are far more limited than with an iPAQ. In the “premium” case market, Piel Frama offers a case for the Loox, but Vaja has indicated that they aren’t planning to do so. Also, one of the first accessories that I purchase for a new Pocket PC is a replacement stylus from PDA Panache. Not this time, though… they don’t support the Loox. Don’t get me wrong, there are many accessories available for the Loox, but the selection is considerably slimmer than with more widely marketed Pocket PCs.
Conclusion
A few minor quibbles aside, the Loox 720 is easily the finest Pocket PC that I've ever used. It has so many things going for it... the beautiful screen, the fast processor, plenty of RAM, long battery life, dual memory card slots and dual wireless options. Solid build and sophisticated executive styling are further pluses. The competition from HP and Dell may get more fanfare, but if you're looking for a powerful and full featured Pocket PC in a compact ''pocket friendly" package, the Loox 720 should be at the top of a very short list.
