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A few days ago Chairman & Chief Software Architect Bill Gates introduced the latest version of Microsoft's handheld operating system (OS), Windows Mobile 5.0. Although PDA and smartphone vendors almost always offer up a platform update with their next product offerings, they don't always do so for their current device lines.

With Microsoft's latest handheld OS, however, a few important manufacturers definitely will release Windows Mobile ugrades. Pocket PC giants Hewlett-Packard and Dell have already announced platform updates for some of their handhelds. And today, FirstLoox.org reports Fujitsu-Siemens plans to follow suit for its high end Pocket Loox 700 series (see image).

The Pocket Loox OS upgrade, like the Dell Axim X50 and HP iPAQ updates, won't ship until this summer. Although it appears certain to cost something, as with HP and Dell Fujitsu-Siemens did not say how much the Windows Mobile 5.0 update will go for. The company plans to make it available to customers through April 2006.

You've Got The Loox
Fujitsu-Siemens was the first handheld vendor out of the starting gate with a Pocket PC that fully supported a VGA display, the Pocket LOOX 720, last fall. Toshiba introduced the first Microsoft-based handheld with a 640 x 480 pixel screen, but that devise could only run a few applications at that resolution.

The LOOX 720 is the flagship model in Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX 700 series, which replaced the Pocket LOOX 600 series as the company's high end offering. The 700 series also encompasses the more modestly endowed Pocket LOOX 710.

Both Pocket PCs currently run Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, but only the LOOX 720 (of course) takes advantage of that platform's support VGA resolutions. The LOOX 710 features a more traditional, for a Pocket PC, QVGA or 240 x 320 pixel screen resolution.

The handhelds measure about 4.8 x 2.8 x 0.6 inches and weigh 6.3 ounces. As with the other high-end Pocket PCs released last fall from Asus, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and the aforementioned Toshiba (see VGA Back in Vogue with...Handhelds), the LOOX 710 and LOOX 720 feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking.

Each Pocket PC supports the Bluetooth 1.2 specification, which promises better performance and power management than Bluetooth 1.1. Bluetooth 1.2 is also backwards compatible with Bluetooth 1.1, which is a good thing, as most Bluetooth peripherals only support the earlier specification.

In addition to dual wireless, you get two types of expansion slots—CompactFlash and Secure Digital—with the Pocket LOOX 700 series. With these slots you can greatly expand memory and use a wide variety of peripherals, such as GPS, scanners, and even a GSM/GPRS card.

Even though each of the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket PCs use Intel's PXA272 XScale processor, the LOOX 710's runs at 416MHz while the LOOX 720 uses a more powerful 520MHz CPU. The LOOX 710 also has half the amount of memory, 64MB, as the LOOX 720's 128MB of RAM.

Another nice feature of the LOOX 720—shared only by one other VGA Pocket PC, the Asus MyPal 730—is a 1.3 megapixel camera for up to 1280 x 960 resolution pictures and video. Both models also have a 3.5mm headphone socket, as well as a speaker and microphone. So that, with the proper software and service connections, the devices could serve as voice over IP phones.

Both Pocket LOOX 700 series Pocket PCs also integrate a swappable 1640 mAh Lithium battery for what the company asserts is 12 hours of uninterrupted use. That's good news for users, as Wi-Fi and larger displays are notoriously power hungry.