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COMPARISON OF HI-END POCKET PC PDAS В.П. Михайленко Научный руководитель - Т.В. Примакина
Карманные персональные компьютеры (КПК, наладонник, палмтоп) - это компьютеры, помещающиеся на ладони или в кармане. Они были изобретены первоначально как персональные органайзеры, но со временем стали более универсальными. КПК можно использовать как блокнот, органайзер, игровая приставка. На нем можно читать книги, выходить в Интернет и слушать музыку. Одним словом, КПК -это то, что нужно пользователю, когда доступ к настольному компьютеру невозможен.
Introduction
Personal digital assistants (also called PDAs) are handheld devices that were originally designed as personal organizers, but became much more versatile over the years. A basic PDA usually includes date book, address book, task list, memo pad, clock, and calculator software. Newer PDAs also have both color screens and audio capabilities, enabling them to be used as mobile phones, web browsers or media players. Many PDAs can access the Internet, intranets or extranets via Wi-Fi, or Wireless Wide-Area Networks (WWANs).
What is a Pocket PC?
According to Microsoft, the Pocket PC is "a handheld device that enables users to store and retrieve e-mail, contacts, appointments, play multimedia files, games, exchange text messages with MSN Messenger, browse the Web, and more."
From a technical standpoint, "Pocket PC" is a standard from Microsoft that sets various hardware and software requirements for mobile devices bearing the "Pocket PC" label. For instance, any device which is to be classified as a Pocket PC must:
- Run Microsoft's Windows CE, PocketPC edition
- Come bundled with a specific suite of applications in ROM
note: the name Windows Mobile refers to both the Windows CE operating system and a suite of basic applications
- Include a touchscreen
- Include a directional pad or touchpad
- Include a set of hardware application buttons
- Be based on an ARM version 4 compatible CPU, Intel XScale CPU, MIPS CPU or SH3 CPU. (Pocket PC 2002, previously codenamed Merlin, works only with ARM-based CPUs.)
A Pocket PC runs Windows Mobile operating system(based on Windows CE and .NET), which is pared-down version of Windows. It has the same look, but not all of the features of Windows. You'll see familiar Start Menu, taskbar, Control Panels (called Settings). Navigation is pen-based, or you can use your finger if you aren't afraid of scratches and smudges on the screen. Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition offers both landscape and portrait orientations and support for VGA resolution. All have one or two expansion slots (Compact Flash and SD) which allow you to add more memory, modem, network cards, etc. Most Pocket PCs have a USB sync connector, to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook.
Pocket PCs are generally a bit larger than Palm OS devices (the main difference is in the OS running on the PDA), though some models are now as small as some Palm OS PDAs. You'll get the following applications with Pocket PCs: Pocket Outlook for mail, calendaring, contact and task management, a Notes Application, Pocket Internet Explorer, Pocket Word and Excel. Input is done using the stylus and the on-screen keyboard or built-in joystick, or via handwriting recognition programs included with the units.
Pocket PC models with Windows Mobile Phone Edition include cellular phone, and are available on CDMA networks as well as GSM networks. Non-Phone Edition models do not have built-in mobile phones.
They all include a stereo headphone jack and Windows MediaPlayer, which can play MP3 files and Windows Media format movies (ASF and WMV). There are several free and commercial video players that can play MPEG1, AVI and DivX files. You get Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, and Pocket Internet Explorer as well as a calculator, MSN Messenger and Pictures for viewing photos. Many come with Terminal Services and MS Reader. Handwriting recognition is a part of the operating system and works well.
All PPCs come with MS ActiveSync, the desktop synchronizing application for Windows desktops. It syncs your Outlook data to the PDA (you can select what will be synced, for example: you can choose to sync contacts but not email if you desire). ActiveSync supports "partnerships" with 2 different computers (i.e. home and work) on the Pocket PC, and file/application install capabilities (in "guest" mode) from as many PCs as you like. You'll also use ActiveSync to install applications and transfer files to the PDA and to backup the PDA. Unlike Palm OS PDAs, backup isn't automatic, so do remember to choose the backup menu item in ActiveSync on the PC regularly to backup the PDA, or turn on automatic backup.
Battery life averages three days on a charge with average use. All Pocket PCs (and Palm OS devices except the Tungsten T5) will lose all data stored in memory if the battery drains completely. So do remember to charge your Pocket PC and back it up too!
Most PPCs have 32, 64 or 128 Megs of RAM (memory), and 32 megs or more of ROM (where the OS and built-in applications are permanently stored). They run on XScale ARM family processors at speeds of 200 to 624 MHz, depending on the model. The specs vary depending on the price of the unit, just as with notebook and desktop computers. But all of these devices pack quite a lot of power in a small package! Most PPCs also have one SD card slot (generally used for memory cards and SD WiFi cards) and some have a CompactFlash Card slot, generally used for adding more memory (these are the same memory cards many digital cameras use). The CF expansion slot can also accommodate CF modems, wired Ethernet cards, Bluetooth cards and WiFi (802.11b wireless Ethernet networking) cards. Current Pocket PCs with CF slots can accept both type I and II cards. The older high end iPAQs (3600/3800/3900 and 5000 series) could slide into an accessory sleeve that allowed them to use PCMCIA cards such as the Toshiba PC Card 2 and 5 gigabytes hard drives and full size PCMCIA network/wireless cards such as the Verizon AirCard. In the end of 2004, HP announced that they would no longer manufacture sleeve compatible iPAQs.
All Pocket PCs come with IrDA infrared ports, a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, a stylus, built-in speaker and microphone, syncing cradle or cable, rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, color display and hardware-based navigation buttons. Several models feature integrated WiFi and/or Bluetooth wireless networking.
So the PPC has Palm functionality, often with greater processing, memory and graphics capability than many (but not all) Palm OS PDAs. The Pocket PC operating system is more demanding however, so it needs more processing power and memory compared to Palm OS PDAs.
A Little History of Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile 5.0 was released in the early summer of 2005. Windows Mobile 5 devices began hitting the market in September 2005. They offer all of the features of Windows Mobile 2003 SE, and add improved mobile versions of Internet Explorer, Word, Excel and Outlook. WM 5 adds PowerPoint Mobile, which can read and display PowerPoint presentations, basic GPS driver support (drivers are no longer required for GPS devices) and
more. The user interface was improved to make one-handed operating possible (still a ways to go here), and to make the device more intuitive.
Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition was announced in the summer of 2004. It varies little from Windows Mobile 2003. The most significant feature of Second Edition is the ability to support larger displays such as VGA (Pocket PCs have always had QVGA 240 x 320 displays) and both portrait and landscape display orientations.
Windows Mobile 2003 (sometimes called Pocket PC 2003) was introduced in June 2003. It has many similarities with the original Pocket PC 2002 operating system, but it has numerous bug fixes, a better version of Pocket Internet Explorer that supports many current browser standards, improved networking capabilities and support has been added for XScale optimized applications. It's built in the Windows CE 4.2 core, while older versions are built on Windows CE 3.0.
Pocket PC 2002 was introduced in the end of 2001. It's similar to the original Pocket PC operating system, but the user interface and networking capabilities were significantly improved. Generally, Pocket PC 2002 units physically differ from their Pocket PC forbears in 2 ways: they have more built-in memory for storage, and faster processors. Pocket PC 2002 models were replaced by Pocket PC 2003 models in the summer of 2003. The original Pocket PC OS and models were introduced by Microsoft on April 19, 2000. Models with WinCE are discontinued and were replaced by Pocket PC 2002 in the end of 2001.
History of the Personal Data Assistant (PDA)
Genesis. Back in the late 1970s and early '80s, if you wanted to make a note of someone's phone number, you either used a notepad, a diary organiser or a RolodexTM, which was hardly portable(You've probably seen a Rolodex. It's that rotating card index device that sits on a desk. You can remove and add cards as you wish. The cards are slightly bigger than a business card.). Of these, only the latter was searchable as it could be continually reorganised into alphabetical order. What was needed was something that could be organised to an order that suited the user, could be configured to their needs, was portable and above all, was easy to use.
The Ringbound Organiser. The ringbound organiser, commonly called the Filofax (Although there was another popular one later called Time Manager and others that were more a general organiser, such was the success of the Filofax that the brand name has evolved into a generic term for similar organisers.), entered the popular scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the yuppies saw that it was good. It became their symbol. It was small, about the size of an A5 page, and came in a variety of colours and textiles, including genuine leather. It contained a basic set of sheets for diary, notes, addresses and phone numbers, tasks and other office-related activities, plus dividers to keep each section separate. They used up to six rings, rather than the conventional two so that the pages could not move around and therefore the holes would not tear thus keeping the pages secure from falling out.
However, what made it unique was that the user could purchase new sheets for it, like the next year's diary, and other sections for almost any task you care to mention. There were sections for projects, meetings, minutes, maps, travel information, etc. There were even some computer applications that could print pages that would fit in the Filofax.
Believe it or not, the Filofax was first created on 6 June, 1921, by Norman & Hill, Ltd. in London. It was based on an American design from World War One (There is an obligatory, but reportedly true story of a soldier in 1943 whose life was saved by a Filofax which deflected a bullet.) and its name means 'file of facts'.
Electronic Organisers. Electronic organisers eventually supplanted the Filofax, but not without a fight. When the first models hit the market, they were expensive and had only a few functions. It took some time before they became a viable alternative to the Filofax.
Conversely to the norm in technology developments, later models increased in size. They also increased in functionality. At first they could do little more than store names and telephone numbers. Later versions could store notes, memos and run a basic daily planner.
All electronic organisers suffered from the same problem: compatibility. Many would not communicate with other devices, and even the ones that would connect to a PC would do so using different formats, so that if you upgraded to a newer model, it was often not possible to copy all your data across to the new machine.
A few manufacturers even created an organiser in a watch. They held telephone numbers and could hold basic schedules.
Evolution
The Personal Information Manager, or PIM, is the direct ancestor of the modern PDA. It set out all the ground rules that modern PDAs still follow. These included:
- PC link
- Standard functions, including calendar, address book, etc
- User-friendliness
- Stylus input (on some models)
- Upgradable with new software by PC link
These features made the PIM a formidable tool of its day. Most had the ability to link to a PC to back-up files, synchronise with email and set up alarms from the calendar. Some could communicate with each other, usually using cables or infrared (IR). Again these suffered from compatibility issues with other manufacturers.
The PC link also allowed the user to install new software and download files. They could read large numbers of emails on the move and write responses to them, play games and the PIM introduced the idea of the portable e-book to the general public. The user could install software and download entire books to the PIM and read them on the go. This was an entirely novel concept.
The leading PIM manufacturers tended to be the same companies that were famous for their electronic organisers, companies like Sharp and Casio. One of the more famous PIM manufactures was Psion. Their first organiser looked like a mutant scientific calculator and was the same size and weight as a standard brick (it is classed as a PIM by most because it had a PC link ability, but lacked the usability of a PDA). It has an ABC keyboard, rather than a QWERTY and only a two-line display. Still, despite its apparent cumbersome appearance and limited abilities in comparison to modern machines, it was very powerful and very useful. At one time Marks and Spencer in the UK used them for stock control in their stores and it was a common sight to see an assistant punching away at one. They were the yuppies' first machine of choice to replace their ageing Filofaxes.
The Modern Outlook
The leader until 2005 was the PDA. Most people will be familiar with their overall design. Most are closely based on the highly successful Palm Pilot and HP iPAQ models, using a stylus input on a touch sensitive screen and scratch pad (an area off the screen to write numbers in - ie, to prevent scratching the screen.). Arguably the very first PDA like this was a device called the Apple Newton (the Apple iPod bears a remarkable resemblance to the Newton). It featured a touch-sensitive screen and a stylus to enable the user to write on it. It also came equipped with innovative handwriting recognition software that, once trained to the user's handwriting, could accept an entire word at a time and convert it into text on the screen. This is something that even modern PDAs cannot do. Unfortunately, as with many PDA designs, it was ahead of its time.
The recognition software was about 85% accurate. This sounds good, but in effect means that it misinterprets 15% of the letters entered into it. This is most famously satirised in an episode of The Simpsons, where the text 'Beat Up Martin' becomes 'Eat Up Martha'.
Other designs have gone after the Psion style, a fold-out design that resembles a small laptop computer - however, this design has fallen out of fashion due to the overall size of the device and the keyboard input makes it hard to use on the move without a surface to work on. Successful models (all called 'Series') include the Psion 3C, Sienna, 5, 5MX7, Revo (a cut down, smaller series 5MX) and the Psion 7, the only one of its brothers to bear a full colour screen. Psion stopped making PDAs in the late 1990s. Most could install new software and some had expansion slots for extra memory or devices, like modems.
The third common design is a clam-shell - this is currently rare, but used by some of Sony's Clie PDAs, where the device folds out with a screen and camera on the upper section and a full QWERTY keyboard and scratch pad on the lower. Smartphones
Smartphones are devices that are very similar to network-enabled PDAs, but are designed to function as a phone first, with added subordinate PDA functionality. Examples include the Sony Ericsson P800 and P900, the Nokia 6600, Motorola MPx200, Siemens SX1 and many of the new 3G phones, such as the Motorola A835 or the NEC e808. Operating Systems
The main operating systems used by PDAs are:
- Palm OS
- Symbian
- Windows Mobile
Palm OS was developed for the Palm Pilots and is very user friendly. It comes with conversion software to enable the user to read Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.
Symbian was originally part owned by Psion and wrote the successful EPOC software that will be familiar to any Psion owner. It acts in a similar way to Windows, allowing the user to create directories, move and copy files and view properties. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows, and can convert most Office documents. Sony Ericsson devices still use it.
It is worth pointing out that many PIMs had their own operating system also. The Sharp series used a system called 'Synergy' and Casio used 'PVOS' for their highly successful Pocket Viewer series.
Compatibility
With these new devices has come a new wave of compatibility between them. Most now share a common communication method, Bluetooth; a wireless communication system using radio signals. Data can be sent from one PDA to another via Bluetooth even if they are from different manufacturers. This has led to a new phenomenon called blue-jacking, where a person sends an empty phonebook entry with a message in the title, so that anyone nearby with their Bluetooth on gets a message.
Hi-End Pocket PC
Hi-End Pocket PC profile has distinctive features, we can define some general ones: two slots for extension, two wireless adapters, VGA-screen, relatively big dimensions, price of $500-600. Very often expensive PDAs are positioned as corporate devices and thus have no cameras.
Asus A730W is the modification of Asus A730, it differs from Asus A730 in an integrated Wi-Fi module, larger RAM, extended standard kit and the shell color. At first I
didn't want to include the A730 in the list, but different productivity performance and different standard kits made me enter both models in the list.
Here we have Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 720 and 718 modification, which I'll treat the same, Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 718 has no camera and is cheaper. Well, my list involves 5 handhelds: Asus MyPal A730 Asus MyPal A730W Dell Axim X50v
Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 720 HP iPaq hx4700
Design
All of the current handhelds has a successful design. Each model has its individuality. No doubt, professionals worked out the design. I won't judge, which model has a more interesting design or looks more attractive. Within their own product lines, these models carry the best design.
Assembly quality, dimensions, weight
As for the quality of the shell, the model by HP stands out from the line - most of it is made of magnesium alloy. Other handhelds feature high assembly quality, but still they are made of plastic. There is a certain backlash in FS LOOX 720 (depending on the sample) and Asus A730. In all, HP iPaq hx4700 has better assembly quality, and other models stay at the same level.
HP iPaq hx4700 is the biggest and the heaviest model (due to its large screen and capacious battery), and Asus A730W - the smallest.
Asus A730 HP iPaq hx4700 FS LOOX 720 Dell Axim X50v
Height, mm 117.5 131 122 119
Width, mm 72.8 77 72 73
Depth, mm 16.9 14.9 15.2 16.9
Weight 170 g 186.7 g 170 g 175 g
Material Plastic Magnesium alloy Plastic Plastic
Manufacturer Asus HTC HTC HTC
All models are equipped with two slots, i.e. they are definitely bigger than single slot PDAs and weighty compared with HP iPaq 1940, for example. Many still postpone the purchase of a VGA Pocket PC waiting for smaller size solutions, however there is none at the moment. Talking about dual slot models, we can say that Dell, Fujitsu Siemens and Asus have almost optimal dimensions. You won't feel its weight or size, when the handheld rests in the pocket of the jacket or in the belt case, but not in the pocket of the shirt or jeans.
Ergonomics
This time again HP handheld stands out for its ergonomics - there is a touchpad instead of an ordinary joystick, like in notebooks, but of smaller size. There are two main shortcomings about it - you have to get used to it, even if you had an experience with notebooks, this touchpad isn't adjusted for arcade games. However some of my friends find the touchpad of the iPaq hx4700 very comfortable.
The ergonomics of FS Pocket LOOX 720 is close to the classical ideal. The device has convenient grooves at sides and big buttons and the joystick, it lies comfortably in hand, and it's the only model with the scrolling wheel. With the default settings the buttons have a backlash, which prevent from playing arcade games and emulators. It's possible to improve the situation by switching off the button hold function, for example with ButtonHold Switcher.
HP iPaq hx4700
FS LOOX 720
Dell Axim X50v
Asus A730
Dell X50v lacks the scrolling wheel. The joystick and buttons have no backlash, however they are too small and located very close to each other, providing little comfort in gaming.
Asus model fits games better with its comfortable buttons. If you plan to use your Pocket PC as a game console, I advise to pay attention to Asus A730 or FS LOOX 720, Dell
X50v is less appropriate here, and HP iPaq hx4700 isn't designed for it at all. The winner in ergonomics is FS LOOX 720 (the scrolling wheel, comfortable big buttons and grooves at sides).
Standard kit
Let's pass over to the standard kit of the VGA Pocket PCs. Almost all handhelds come with cradles. Asus and Fujitsu Siemens add to the package extra styluses. Asus A730W has the fullest kit, which includes a USB-host cable to plug peripherals and an extra battery of extended capacity. Dell and HP models have comparatively poor packages.
Asus A730 Asus A730W HP iPaq hx4700 FS LOOX 720 Dell Axim X50v
PDA + + + + +
Extra stylus + + - + -
Cradle + + + + +
Cable for charging without the cradle + + + + +
USB-host cable - + - + -
Carrying case + + - + +
Screen protective cover - - + - -
Extra battery - + - - -
Manual + + + + +
CD with the software + + + + +
All these PDAs can be charged without the cradle and via USB. HP iPaq hx4700 lacks the carrying case, but there is a translucent screen cover instead. I think, there is no need in the case, if you handle the PDA carefully, the screen cover will be enough. Dell and Fujitsu Siemens supplied simple and cheap-looking cases in the kit. They will do at first, till you buy a good case. The vertical case for Asus model deserves some good words - it can be attached to the belt, has a wrist strap, soft inside, closed by hidden magnet lock. It makes pleasant impression.
Comparison of displays
One of the most important criteria in the PDA choice is the screen, you should pay due attention to it. All PDAs can be divided into two groups. The first group includes screen made by Sony - HP and Fujitsu Siemens models. The rest models with matrixes by Sharp belong to the second group. Sony matrixes prove to be fairly better with viewing angles, brightness, the image doesn't get inverted, even if you look at a zero angle. Subjectively they render colors better.
Asus A730W HP iPaq hx4700 FS LOOX 720 Dell Axim X50v
Diagonal claimed 3.7" 4" 3.6" 3.7"
Real diagonal 3.68" 3.96" 3.56" 3.68"
Backlight levels 7 52 10 7
Auto backlight - + - -
Manufacturer Sharp Sony Sony Sharp/Samsung
HP iPaq hx4700 is equipped with the best screen, which is the major plus of the device. It's bigger and has a wide backlight settings range, a perfect minimum backlight level, it's good under the sun, there are auto backlight settings depending on the illumination. In a word, it is the best. Then goes the screen of the LOOX 720, the device features less backlight levels, a shorter diagonal, the image quality is that by Sony (viewing angles, color rendering). The third place is shared by Dell and Asus, both models have comparable features. If we have a closer look at the models, we'll notice that white colors on the Asus screen get somewhat blue, but you'll see it with the naked eye, only if you lay HP and FS handhelds with it.
The HP screen is larger by 0.3-0.4" compared with others. There is an opinion that only screens with a 4" diagonal (not less) can ensure a normal work with the VGA screen. I think it's not true, other diagonals do provide a comfort work. Yes, there is a certain difference, like between 15" and 17" monitors, but that's not crucial.
Battery life
All the models are equipped with removable Li-Ion batteries of different capacity.
Asus A730W HP iPaq FS LOOX Dell Axim
hx4700 720 X50v
Removable + + + +
Battery type Li-Ion Li-Ion Li-Ion Li-Ion
Standard battery capacity 1100 mAh 1800 mAh 1640 mAh 1100 mAh
Extended battery capacity 1100 mAh + 1800 mAh (jacket) 3600 mAh — 2200 mAh
Weight of PDA with 118 g ~86 g - 51 g
extended battery
Weight of extended battery 288 g ~230 g - 197.6 g
HP iPaq hx4700 is an absolute leader in battery life test, it lasted longer in all modes, another plus for this model. FS Pocket LOOX 720 performed also well. Asus and Dell PDAs stay behind due to weaker batteries.
Interface
The standard Bluetooth + Wi-Fi pair is available in all these models, except for Asus A730, which has only Bluetooth.
Asus A730W HP iPaq FS LOOX Dell Axim
hx4700 720 X50v
Bluetooth version Bluetooth 1.1 Bluetooth 1.2 Bluetooth 1.2 Bluetooth 1.2
Broadcom drivers 1.4.1 b54a 1.5.0 b2000 1.5.0 b1800 1.5.0 b2600
hands-free/headset profile -/+ +/+ +/+ +/+
Simultaneous work of Wi-Fi + + + + +
Bluetooth
Dynamic for VoIP - - + -
Wire headset + + + +
Wi-Fi version 802.11 b 802.11 b 802.11 b 802.11 b
WEP/WPA security +/+ +/+ +/+ +/+
IrDA SIR SIR/FIR/CIR SIR/FIR/CIR SIR/CIR
Bluetooth. These models come with Broadcom drivers, which have long become a kind of industry standard. We faced no problems with Bluetooth functionality, all profiles worked smoothly. The built-in Bluetooth radio technology enables Internet access via the phone, data synchronization with PC, data exchange, creation of local networks, gaming and so on within 10 meters distance.
Wireless-Fidelity. Wi-Fi standard wins more and more popularity in the world, mainly due to Intel Wi-Fi has become almost an integral part of new handheld computers and notebooks. It can be used to enter the Internet within wireless access zone and from the home access point, as well as to make calls via Internet (VoIP). In all, wireless modules in all given models work at the same level. Built-in utilities for Wi-Fi are weak (for example, you can't set WPA in the LOOX 720, however as a matter of fact this PDA supports this wireless connection security standard), you'd better install some exterior manager such as PocketWinC.
IrDA. An infrared port can differ in speed: Slow Infrared (SIR, 115 kbps), Fast Infrared (FIR, 4 mbps). There is also Consumer Infrared (CIR) that features long distance effect, it can control remotely home appliances. We won't go into details, just tell you that there is no PDA with full CIR support, only SIR or FIR with different signal power. That's why you can use them as a remote control, the maximum active distance varies from 20-30 cm to 10 m depending on the chip.
External and internal memory
All top Pocket PCs carry from 64 to 128 MB onboard. A part of this size is busy with the operating system at the start, in the specifications you come across this size usually. As a matter of fact less memory is available - some of it is busy with preinstalled applications and some of it is additionally reserved by the OS. 40-50 MB of RAM is usually enough for the normal functioning, and 30 MB is already tight (you have to think of other places than RAM to install applications). However large RAM is not always good: the copy of the reserve memory is larger, and the battery life in the standby mode gets shorter (only memory is fed).
Asus A730 Asus A730W HP iPaq hx4700 FS LOOX 720 Dell Axim X50v
RAM 64 MB 128 MB 64 MB 128 MB 64 MB
Available RAM 45.45 MB 107.43 MB 62.28 MB 123.23 MB 61.78 MB
Actual available RAM 33.05 MB 94.2 MB 48.67 MB 113.52 MB 48.18 MB
Available integrated Flash 19.22 MB 19.22 MB 85.06 MB 28.68 MB 91.43 MB
Taking into account prices for flash cards and the size of internal flash memory, the latter is of little use. Besides its speed is too low. It can be used to backup data and store small files (it's of help in the iPaqs, as when the battery is drained to 10%, external cards get switched off).
All the models have both SD/MMC and Compact Flash slots. Thus there is no problem in extending total memory size to 5-6 GB (the package with 1 GB SD + 4 GB CF costs some $430). Each slot can be used to plug peripherals (for example, GPS receiver).
Dell X50v is leading with its storage card speed, and Flash memory is very slow in all PDAs. The maximum read speed makes up 2.1 Mbps (Dell X50v). However, in the USB 2.0 card reader the same SD card can be read at 9.6 Mbps. That is, the read speed in the PDA isn't limited by the card speed, but by the slot speed. The read speed from the Flash memory is low.
As for the write speed the results are similar - the speed is up to 1.3 Mbps, and much less for the integrated Flash memory. In the USB 2.0 card reader the write speed makes up 2 Mbps, compared with the slot speed the lag is less.
PDAs do not deal with stream video and do not convert DVD files. In all, there is no need in high speeds. In usual usage you won't notice the difference in slot speeds, the extreme speeds prove to be unclaimed.
Sound
All PDAs have the standard 3.5 mm audio jack, so you can use your favorite headphones.
The sound quality in Fujitsu Siemens, HP and Asus is high, it's possible to use these handhelds as an MP3 player. The model by Dell has subjectively worse quality because the sound post processing is off. HP iPaq stands out for its very high maximum sound volume. Well, there is nothing more to add here.
Productivity
All these Hi-End Pocket PC are equipped with Intel XScale processors. You can manually adjust the clock rate on all models except for HP iPaq hx4700. See the table below:
Asus A730W HP iPaq hx4700 FS LOOX 720 Dell Axim X50v
Processor maker Intel Intel Intel Intel
Type XScale Xscale PXA270 Xscale Xscale
PXA272 PXA272 PXA270
The highest clock rate 520 MHz 624 MHz 520 MHz 624 MHz
Manual clock rate + — + +
adjustment
Graphics subsystem — ATI Imageon 3220 — Intel 2700G
Acceleration type - 2D — 2D/3D
Video memory — 2 MB — 16 MB
I've used the SPB Benchmark package to test the productivity.
HP iPaq hx4700 is on the top. See also that Asus A730W gained much higher speed compared with Asus A730. Dell X50v comes last, however with a slight gap from others, because the test didn't involve graphics subsystem, and standard interfaces, for example GAPI, aren't adjusted to the 2700G accelerator. Thus we have the following picture, under the graphics test (with Game API) the device with the graphical accelerator is behind the others. Note, there is an exterior GAPI driver optimized to Intel 2700G.
The maker of the graphical chip Intel had to provide some explanations to the public. It says, currently programs (including graphic test packages) and games do not involve high level API (Application programming interface), such as GDI, OpenGL ES and Direct3D Mobile, each application should be optimized to certain hardware (ATI Imageon, Intel 2700G). That means, in near future before the switch to high level API, programs and games are divided into two camps: the one supports graphical accelerators and the other - don't. This process is familiar to the computer industry, remember first graphical accelerators for PC, when games were specially adapted to 3Dfx. The same way will follow handheld computers, probably the process will take less time, but not an instant. And now we have to put up with the fact, the majority of applications do not use opportunities of application programming interface.
Software
All given handhelds are powered by Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC SE. Let's compare the set of additional applications, whether preloaded or stored on the CD.
Asus A730 HP iPaq hx4700 FS LOOX 720 Dell X50v
Preloaded extra applications Asus Backup; Asus Camera; Asus Launcher Pocket Informant 5; ClearVue PDF; ClearVue Presentation; DockWare; HP Image Zone; HP Protect Tool; iTask Album; E2C; FSC Backup; FSC SpeedMenu; Camera Switcher Bar; Data Backup; Home
Full versions on CD Only trail versions, non-adapted to VGA. Calculator, some simple games and the software to work with the Chinese language. ClearVue Office Suite None Enigmo; Stuntcar Extreme
Voucher to buy the software www.mmcode.com activate applications from the bonus-CD 4 points at www.iPaqchoice.com 5 points at www.PocketLOOX- Choice.com None
Almost all models have the voucher for certain number of points (see the table above), which can be exchanged for applications at special sites. So you have a chance to get very good application by this way. HP iPaq has the richest package, Pocket Informant is of great value. Dell model has a poor set of preinstalled applications, an extra CD with 2 games compensate for it in part. Asus A730 features the poorest set of preinstalled programs, and the extra CD has an unclear set of trial applications. Besides they are adapter to VGA-resolution, among them you can come across the map of Hong Kong or the program to work with the Chinese language.
To complete this chapter, I'll note, all basic applications for Pocket PC are already adapted to VGA-resolution by developers, the situation was improved since the release of Toshiba e800. The only weak point here, there is a shortage in really good games, fully adapted to VGA-resolution, you can count them by fingers of your hand.
Built-in cameras
As I said in the very beginning, the presence of the built-in camera greatly restricts the corporate use of PDA, the devices equipped with built-in cameras are often the subject to ban. For example, influenced by corporate customers Fujitsu Siemens had to release the modification Pocket LOOX 718, which wasn't initially planned. Only Asus has no version without the camera. I won't go into details with cameras of Asus A730 and FS Pocket LOOX 720, just in brief. The picture quality is comparable in both models, the flash is useless, the model by Asus has richer camera settings, however the camera itself is slower.
The Future
Future products currently in development include a speech-to-text interface. You say it, it types it. This is already available on desktop computers, but at present requires time to train
the program. It also needs a boom microphone attached to headphones, so that the microphone stays a constant distance from the user's mouth, and it is very susceptable to background noise. As the PDA would be used outside and in noisy offices, it would need to overcome this problem. One suggested solution even included a camera so that the device could lip-read.
However you feel about PDAs, you are likely to see a lot more of them in the future. With their wireless connectivity, they will start to integrate themselves more and more into everyday lives. People have already started using them for dating; the PDA transmits what kind of person it is owned by and what type of person they are looking for. When it finds a match in the room, it alerts its user.
Summary
The price for these models varies about $600, only Asus A730 stands out with $500. Let's give marks from 1 to 10 to all PDAs in the assessment by main features to complete my review.
Indicator Asus A730 Asus A 730 W HP iPaq hx4700 FS LOOX 720 Dell X50v
Ergonomics 8 8 6 9,5 7,5
Screen 7,5 7,5 10 8,5 7,7
Battery life 7 7,5 10 9 7
Price, Europe $510 $570 $620 $600 $600
I think, the price, the ergonomics, the battery life and the screen are the key features. In my opinion the handhelds are ranked in the following way:
1. Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 720
2. HP iPaq hx4700
3. Dell Axim X50v
4. Asus A730W
5. Asus A730
I tried to make the most objective comparison I could, in different views, considering different features. All the PDAs I tested do differ from each other, I can't say for sure one of them is worse than others: every model has its peculiarity.
Literature
1. http://www.mobiletechreview.com/
2. http://www.pdagold.com
