The memory card position is important here. You'll never fit navigation software and maps in the onboard memory -- a little over 60MB was free on our review device. But there is flash memory expansion by way of SD cards, and the slot is very conveniently located on the right edge of the casing, so you can pop a card containing your navigation software in as and when it is needed.
Fujitsu Siemens generally does a good job of providing extra software on its Pocket PCs. In this case there is quite a large range. It runs from relatively simple stuff like a backup utility and a Zip file manager to a freebie utility to get you started with the GPS antenna.
This can be used to save your current location as a point of interest (POI) and then navigate you back to it later -- though only in a straight line. It proves the antenna is working, but you'll need software for serious navigation.
FSC SpeedMenu pops up when you long-press the left-edge camera button. It lets you launch applications, lock the keys, get to the Bluetooth manager and access the Running Programs window so you can close programs and free up memory.
There's a replacement voice recorder with functions not available in the Windows Mobile recorder, such as editing and adding to recordings, and a nifty little utility for panning around a Web page by dragging on the touchscreen instead of constant horizontal and vertical scrolling. You also get voice control software and the ClearVue PDF reader.
Performance
The Pocket LOOX T830 is going to be well over-specified if all you want is a diary and contact book, and we found in general it was rather on the large side for lugging around every day, which made us reluctant to carry it. But on the other hand, it did just about everything we could have wanted from it, and well too.
Call quality was good, and the camera performed okay too, though we'd have liked a mirror and flash. The battery life is acceptable though not outstanding. Fujitsu Siemens quotes four hours of talk time, though this will be less if you use 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or the GPS antenna seriously.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Nick Hide
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Glen Micallef 11 May 2007
Good: Good processing power, understated elegance, GPS, WiFi, BT, 3G, screen renders colours very well
Bad: A 2mm unused black border round all edges of the screen
Comment: I believe this is the best product I've ever bought. It's the only product I own that is worth every penny I paid for it. By the way, I did NOT pay the price listed here, but about £200 less. This device is crammed with useful features and it's good at multitasking. My only issue is with the screen, as mentioned above, that 2mm black border round the screen, which could have been used, since the screen is not very large, at 2.4". Apart from that, the screen has excellent resolution due to the small dot pitch, colours are vibrant (unlike certain devices that fail to display e.g. some shades of red) & has good contrast, being readable even in sunlight. The package comes quite loaded with stuff to get you started. Solid build quality; even my friends & colleagues have remarked about this. I sincerely cannot understand CNET's ratings sometimes; they compare it with the O2 XDA Orbit, which has a meagre 200MHz TI OMAP processor, a microSD slot, proprietary earphone jack, and isn't even a 3G phone and give it a rating of 8.2, then they rate this amazing piece of kit at 7.9. I think the T830 beats the Orbit hands down. Some have complained that the T830 is somewhat bulky, but it fits well into most trouser & shirt pockets, probably due to its design. Thanks for reading
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