I had been looking for a small, powerful PDA for a while and managed to narrow my searches down to a short list of just two. I had a few specific requirements in mind such as a good, clear screen, GPS, a fast processor and sufficient memory. So in the end it was a toss up between the Acer N311 and the Pocket Loox N560…
The two aforementioned PDAs were very similar in specification, but the N560 just shaded it on memory and power, which was what helped me in finally deciding on the N560. And it has not disappointed. The screen is a bright and clear 3.5" touch sensitive screen (as you would expect with a PDA), and is very responsive and accurate when you are using the stylus. I would recommend getting some screen protectors as it can get dirty and greasy very easily (I would point at this point though, getting hold of these kinds of accessories has proven a little difficult as most major and well known suppliers don't seem to stock products for the Pocket Loox models). The Acer may have had a slightly larger screen (3.7" compared to the N560's 3.5" screen), but in reality that extra little bit would make very little difference as the screen on the N560 is plenty large enough. It fits nicely in your hand, and weights only a little more than normal mobile phone.
When I received my shiny, new PDA, it came in a box probably
half the size of a regular shoe box, and within it contained a single CD and some documents, the PDA itself, a stylish leather case with the Fujitsu-Siemens logo engraved on the front, a spare stylus, a charger (with two different plug heads so it can be used in a normal UK three-pronged socket, and a EU two pronged socket), a docking station and USB connecting cable. It also came with a lithium rechargeable battery (which requires a 12 hour charge time before you can first use your PDA!).
The CD contains the software to allow you to connect and 'synchronise' your work or home computer with your PDA. It basically allows you to copy and keep up to date the files and emails on both your PDA and computer so that no matter where you are you have the most up to date information at your finger tips. The installation and on-screen instructions were a breeze, and there were no problems in setting it up and using it. The written manuals and documentation for the PDA itself however were virtually non-existent. You get a few different coloured pieces of paper, and a thick manual. When you see the manual you think you are in for a long read and will at least have something to fill the 12 hours you have to wait for the battery to be initialised, but this is not the case. The pieces of paper just inform you of warranty information, accessories available, and that it conforms to various wireless standards. The thick manual is the safety manual, and has about 200 pages in it; only 6 of which are actually what you need to read. The rest are just those six pages repeated, but in various other languages. The only useful bit of information is the quick start guide, which is a series of 12 images depicting the stages you need to go through to assemble and connect your PDA and install the software. The actual use of the PDA is left up to your own powers of investigation.
There are a number of features included with the PDA, such as GPS, Bluetooth, wireless (both b & g), voice recording, and connectivity through USB and SD cards (which is not provided). The voice recorder has a dedicated record button on the left side of the PDA (which is where the actual microphone is situated), and is capable of reasonable quality recordings. It also includes a headphone jack so you can connect your headphones and listen to your recordings or MP3s without having to disturb the people around you (it has a built in speaker as well, which is of good quality for such a small device). I have not had any problems with the wireless connectivity features, and it detects and connects to all my wireless networks (even my neighbours). It does struggle if the signal is weak, but so does my laptop so I am not going to hold that against it. It takes SD cards as its flash memory of choice, and these slide into the slot situated across the top of the PDA so it is easy to access and doesn't get in the way. It also has a nice feature which I was not expecting when you connect it via the docking station to your computer. The end of the USB cable forks into two cables - a male and a female USB connector. The male being the one that goes into the PC USB port, and the female which I first thought was for allowing you to still use the same USB port as normal when the PDA is connected, but as it turns out it is actually so you can connect USB pen drives straight to your PDA (these appear in the file explorer on the PDA itself).
The GPS is the largest disappointment with the Pocket Loox N560. It does not have any sat nav software included (unless you opt for a sat nav bundle, but those only seemed to be available for the N520 model). The only GPS software that you have is a small application which searches for GPS satellites and then tells you where abouts you are (via longitude and latitude etc - nothing visually appealing I'm afraid). It shows the number of satellites you can see and the quality of each of those 'connections', but if you are indoors it can be some time (if ever) before you get a good enough reception to actually see anything useful. It does, thankfully, work a little better when outdoors and in the car, but it is still a little slow.
The battery life on the N560 is claimed to be 8 hours and 500 hours when in stand by mode. I would be surprised if my battery life did last the full 8 hours if I were using it non-stop and especially if I were using the GPS and wireless abilities. The Windows Mobile OS (v5.0) does give you plenty of warning though when the battery is running low, and gives it's first warning when the battery is below 50% and then further, more firm warnings as the remaining battery life decreases. There are many ways to conserve battery power, and if you put everything on a low power setting, then it is possible for you to achieve the 8 hours. Recharging does not take very long, and when it is connected via the USB docking station, it will automatically start to recharge (and is still usable).
In summary, if you are after a powerful, small and compact PDA with many features I would strongly recommend the N560. Apart from a couple of small issues, which you could probably expect from a PDA with as many features, and that can be applied to so many different scenarios, then it is worth the money (£330 was the price tag for mine), and it comes with enough software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint plus the usual software you would expect to find with a Windows operating system) to allow you to get started almost immediately, and is easy to use for both the young and old alike. I have not had any issues with it yet, and have not regretted purchasing a PDA, and more to the point, I have not regretted purchasing the Pocket Loox N560.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Handheld - 64 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA255 - Infrared, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth - Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003
Handheld - 128 MB RAM - Screen: 3.6 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA272 - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Infrared - Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition
Handheld - 128 MB RAM - Screen: 4 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA310 - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic
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