09-28-2005, 08:00 PM
|
|
Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
|
|
A Preview of the Fujistu-Siemens Pocket LOOX N520
Following confirmation of some specs of a couple of upcoming Pocket LOOX devices, Mobile-review.com has just put together a short preview of a pre-production N520. I won't go into all the details of the review, but there are a couple of points worth noting. Firstly, the benchmark results should be taken with a grain of salt. As we saw with reviews of the Axim X51/X51v, the benchmark discrepancies between a Windows Mobile 2003 SE device and a Windows Mobile 5.0 device are astounding, though in a real-world scenario, they are barely noticeable. Secondly, because Mobile-review.com had their hands on an early engineering sample, you might want to keep in mind that some of the specs are likely to change when the device hits production - notably, the Wi-Fi is likely to be upgraded to support 802.11g, and the ROM should be expanded to 128MB. As a competitor to some new and upcoming GPS-enabled Pocket PCs (e.g. HTC Galaxy), I think we might have a real winner on our hands.
|
| |
|
|
|
09-28-2005, 10:14 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,079
|
|
I'm really afraid adding GPS to a PPC will double its price. Just look how much expensive the Universal is with GSM: a grand.
A lot more than PPC + cell phone. And not that much smaller than both combined either.
Even tho this one Loox smaller than previous models without GPS.
But it's the price I'm concerned about: take a Loox 400, add a GPS antenna and software and you Loox at double its price.
|
| |
|
|
|
09-28-2005, 10:54 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
|
|
Meh. It will never make it to the US so reading any review/preview is just geek torture. :? :| :cry:
__________________
PDA History: Palm Pilot 5000 -> Apple Newton 2100 -> Casio E-11 -> iPaq 3650 (64MB Upgrade) -> iPaq 3700 -> Casio EM-500 -> HP Jornada 568 -> HP iPaq hx4705 www.spreadfirefox.com |
| |
|
|
|
09-28-2005, 11:07 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 71
|
|
I ordered my Loox from Clove in England. Got it fast, no problems whatsoever.
|
| |
|
|
|
09-29-2005, 02:24 AM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 87
|
|
Windows Mobile 5 is designed to work with two soft keys that would allow for easy one handed operations...
Kinda amusing that even this device doesn't have such buttons. I wonder how long it will take for general PDAs to have them... I don't want to remap to other keys to support that functionality.
|
| |
|
|
|
09-29-2005, 08:28 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,079
|
|
Not the first time WM5 promises are broken.
And here for a good reason: smaller devices; adding two more buttons would make this PPC larger. Just press the screen buttons.
BTW what happened to the promise of longer battery life supposedly because the device doesn't need to power RAM anymore?
I bet this will NEVER happen because it means 1) you'd loose ALL UNSAVED DATA when you turn the device off (there supposed to have NO suspend mode anymore, hence the supposed longer battery life since the device is off) and 2) you'd have to waste 15-20 seconds each time you turn your device on again to restart your programs and load associated files.
That's a whole topic in itself, but I never got any clear answer.
|
| |
|
|
|
09-30-2005, 08:20 AM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 316
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by jlp
BTW what happened to the promise of longer battery life supposedly because the device doesn't need to power RAM anymore?
I bet this will NEVER happen because it means 1) you'd loose ALL UNSAVED DATA when you turn the device off (there supposed to have NO suspend mode anymore, hence the supposed longer battery life since the device is off) and 2) you'd have to waste 15-20 seconds each time you turn your device on again to restart your programs and load associated files.
That's a whole topic in itself, but I never got any clear answer.
|
Mike Calligaro confirmed in one of his Windows Mobile Team Blog posts that WM5 still suspend exactly the same as their predecessors (Pocket PCs do by default; Smartphones don't at all). The extra battery life comes from the removal of their "72 hour" requirement... up to WM2003SE, devices that shut off due to low battery had to keep the RAM powered for that long, but WM5 devices can run them bone dry since important data is kept in nonvolatile storage. So that particular problem, at least, does not exist. And as for the soft keys problem, I'm with you. That is a touchscreen they're being displayed on, and other buttons can always be re-mapped. It's just not worth making such a small device bigger over those.
|
| |
|
|
|
09-30-2005, 01:40 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 87
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by gibson042
<snip>
And as for the soft keys problem, I'm with you. That is a touchscreen they're being displayed on, and other buttons can always be re-mapped. It's just not worth making such a small device bigger over those.
|
Agree to disagree? 
I have seen my current device (Axim X30) on the internet torn apart. It is quite interesting seeing devices taken apart with all their innards photographed. Now, for ULTRA small devices, the ones with no physical room on their casing for extra buttons... fine... I understand that they don't want two more buttons on the front. I believe Asus arguably has such a device comming out (the 4 buttons run right into the screen leaving no room top/bottom to put any soft buttons and the only argument is that maybe the buttons can be put to the left/right... but that might mean that the user accidentially activates them!).
As for this device (picture in first post), there is some space above the buttons (where the Fijitsu Siemens logo is). Small buttons can be placed in this area that could serve as the software buttons. Hardware wise, this would be a pretty easy change I imagine (there isn't much needed for a button). Case wise, the case size wouldn't change at all, at least I see no reason why it should. In fact, I don't see how two extra buttons could cause harm...
As for "TOUCH THE SCREEN!!!" arguments... I don't want fingerprints all over it.... Seriously, I can touch the screen already! I have tapped with my nail at my screen before (yes, I have a screen protector) when I needed to do something and I am too lazy to remove the stylus. However, a key point here... Windows Mobile 5 is supposed to be easier to use with one hand. While I could use one hand and push the touchscreen soft buttons with my thumb... I would most likely overshoot and hit whatever area is above the soft keys, that is if the device recognizes my thumb at all (these screens like to see one point of pressure, IE from a stylus, and they don't work well when the see an area of pressure, IE from a thumb, unless you press somewhat harder).
So, I'm not convinced that soft buttons would increase the size of the devices at all... but I do know that without them, I got to sacrifice a bit of functionality (loose the ability to button launch two applications) in order to have their functionality. Besides, the more buttons the merrier...
However, two soft keys rank up there right below a jog wheel... I'm not certain that I will ever see either of them in a non-phone PDA again... but if I do, it would be a major advantage for that device, at least in my eyes.
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2005, 01:42 PM
|
|
Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,479
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by gt24
Windows Mobile 5 is designed to work with two soft keys that would allow for easy one handed operations...
Kinda amusing that even this device doesn't have such buttons. I wonder how long it will take for general PDAs to have them... I don't want to remap to other keys to support that functionality.
|
Urm look at the picture, it DOES have those softbuttons.
Look ON THE SCREEN.
|
| |
|
|
|
10-01-2005, 04:55 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 87
|
|
I know I know that they are on the screen... what I'm saying is that I would prefer not to have to touch the screen... After all, PDAs might not have soft buttons yet (or... what I mean is hardware buttons that perform that functionality)... but smart phones certainly do, even though you can touch their screens...
Just look at a picture for the new Palm Windows Mobile Treo... (a mouthful of words). You see two hardware buttons in there for the soft key thing.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
