Fujitsu gives Loox PDA a face-lift

The company has been showing off a new Loox PDA at the CeBit trade show this week. It announced plans Wednesday to begin selling the Pocket Loox, which is based on Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 software, in the United States this May for $599. It will also sell the device in Europe and Japan. The 5.9-ounce Loox incorporates Intel's new PXA250 Xscale processor along with 32MB of ROM (read-only memory) for application storage and 64MB of RAM for data. It will also offer a 3.5-inch color touch screen display and handwriting-recognition software. A pair of Compaq Flash and Secure Digital slots will allow for add-ons such as wireless modems. The PDA (personal digital assistant) will operate for about 15 hours on a single charge of its built-in battery. An optional add-on battery can extend battery life up to 24 hours, the company said. --John Spooner, Special to ZDNet News