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From http://www.oqo.com/hardware/specs/:

* 1GHz Transmeta processor
* 20GB hard drive (shock-mounted)
* 256MB DDR RAM
* Dimensions: 4.9" x 3.4" x .9"
* Weight: 14 ozs
* 800 x 480 W-VGA 5" transflective display (indoor/outdoor readable)
* 3D accelerated graphics with 8mb video RAM
* QWERTY thumb keyboard with mouse buttons and TrackStik®
* 802.11b wireless
* Bluetooth® wireless
* 4-pin FireWire® (1394)
* USB 1.1
* 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
* Microphone
* Digital pen
* Removable lithium polymer battery
* Battery life up to three hours, depending on usage
* OQO docking cable includes:
o 3D accelerated 1280 x 1024 VGA video output
o Additional USB
o Additional FireWire (1394)
o Ethernet
o DC power
o Audio out

additional features

* Active hard drive protection that safely parks hard drive heads upon detecting freefall
* Screen that slides on rack and pinion mechanism to reveal thumb keyboard
* Shift, control, function and alt keys that have smart-lock with LED indicators
* Thumbwheel allows for traditional scrolling as well as enhanced features
* Ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts backlight to appropriate level
* External antenna connector for 802.11b (in addition to built-in diversity antennas)

included accessories

* Power cord & AC adaptor
* Docking cable
* Desktop stand
* Digital pen
* Carrying sleeve

Your post was modded troll because it deserved to be. You posted a few lines about why *you* didn't see the point of something because it didn't fit *your* needs. Your post had nothing intelligent to say about anything, and did not contribute anything except for the narrow little opinion from "Justin World".

The only reason I see for USB TV tuners is for laptops or other machines without the ability to add something internally.

That's FANTASTIC that these are the only reasons *you* see for this device! We're all VERY proud of you! Other readers of slashdot have (*gasp*) imaginations, and can find uses for all sorts of uses for things. Perhaps someone would like a TV capture device that they can easily share amongst several PCs, maybe they simply want to take advantage of their unused USB 2.0 ports, maybe they don't want to be botherered opening their case when they don't need to, maybe they want to hook it up to an oqo (while you have been "doing that sort of stuff since you were 9 or 10", the majority of consumers have not, another illustration of the fact that you live in "Justin World" and should probably expand your horizons).

I don't mean to sound like a dick, in fact, I'm trying to do you a favor, no one likes the guy who knocks something and then has nothing to back it up but "cuz thats how i see it".

You're a troll who added nothing to the conversation and were modded as such. I'd say the mods were actually quite correct.

That was probably an OQO. There was a prototype at CES earlier this year. I held it in my hands for a few minutes. I thought about slipping it in my pocket, but then remembered the security guards and metal detectors at the doors. I did get a cool brochure though...

Here you go then...

... as Tablet PC's. iPod killer, my ass. This thing is too big. If portable TV's were popular, people would be carrying them everywhere, but they're not. There are portable DVD players out there, but I've never actually seen anyone running around with one either. Microsoft just thought "hey, let's make it better than the iPod by adding video." Unfortunately, that was the wrong idea.

If they had any brains, they would simply add HD capacities to their existing Pocket PC PDA's so they could store a lot of media. Something this size would only catch on if it were a portable XBox, combining the Media Center features with it. In fact, if they combined the XBox and a Windows Media Center set-top box, and let this thing be a portable extension, then maybe this would work. Then again, why bother with that kind of a setup if this device is already on the market?

Um, I apologize if I mis-understood your post, but the OQO and Flipstart ARE full IBM-compatible PCs which last time I checked was a 100% open standard. The both run Windows XP. You could install Linux on them if you wanted to as well (as long as drivers are available for their video/audio chips). Granted they are not available just yet, but working systems have been shown to the public.

These devices are meant as a single replacement for both your Zaurus and your desktop PC. Why have two devices, constantly syncing data or not having the applications you need on hand? At least that's the theory. I believe this first generation will be too underpowered to be of use to me.

If only the OQO would update its specs. It's an antique and it's not even available yet. I'd put at least:
1) 1Ghz Pentium M (instead of Transmeta)
2) 512MB RAM (instead of 256MB FIXED)
3) 40GB Hard Drive (instead of 20GB)
4) 802.11G (instead of B)
5) USB 2 (instead of USB 1.1)
6) Compactflash and SD card slots (None available)

I Guess based on this list the only things I really like about the OQO are the form-factor, built in keyboard, and the transflective TFT for indoor/outdoor use. I really wish it wasn't going to be such a POS due to lousy specs, I'd be first in line to get one...

I'd be interested to see a hardcore Newton fan actually make a list of what it would take to get him to switch to something new.

Suppose the Oqo ever emerges from vapor as something you could actually buy. Then put a Linux 2.6 kernel on it, and your choice of desktop (KDE or GNOME). In some ways this would be better than a Newton (faster processor, color screen). How would a Newton user like this? What essential Newton features are missing?

I understand that the Newton used a "data soup" more than explicit files. Is GNOME Storage anything like this?

steveha

its a laptop that has a touch screen... something like this is what should be replacing the portable market shortly...
http://www.oqo.com/hardware/basics/
there is a great video here http://www.oqo.com/hardware/video/

its a laptop that has a touch screen... something like this is what should be replacing the portable market shortly...
http://www.oqo.com/hardware/basics/
there is a great video here http://www.oqo.com/hardware/video/

I think that the PDA world will take a dive once Handtop computers become available. Computers like the OQO, Flipstart and the Sony VGN-U70 will start to take over. Why have a PDA when you can bring the actual applications and data you want with you anywhere.

Things may not really take off till the second generation of these devices, but I'm looking forward to taking one of them for a test drive.

You mean like the OQO?

If OQO keyboard slides down , why is the sexy lady on the main page holding it upside down?

If OQO keyboard slides down , why is the sexy lady on the main page holding it upside down?

I read that article yesterday. Closer to the second half of the article, did you see that OQO is shipping ? Wow, finally off the vaporware list.

The specs of 1 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB HDD, USB 1.1, 802.11b, XP Pro, 5'' LCD are nice, but $2000 price tag is a bit high for what's supposed to be a PDA killer.

I read that article yesterday. Closer to the second half of the article, did you see that OQO is shipping ? Wow, finally off the vaporware list.

The specs of 1 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB HDD, USB 1.1, 802.11b, XP Pro, 5'' LCD are nice, but $2000 price tag is a bit high for what's supposed to be a PDA killer.

Slightly off topic I guess (as neither are hardened devices), but there are a couple of imminent bits of kit you might want to look at:

First up is the Flipstart by one of Paul Allen's spin-off companies. I haven't seen any physical models around at all, but it looks interesting - a full XP PC based around a Transmeta chip, with a very nice (on paper) 1024 x 600 screen, and an innovative external LCD display for notifications and MP3 controls. I'd really like this to see the light of day.

Second up is the OQO, which has been in vapour for a while, but hardware has been previewed at recent tech shows. Spec-wise it's similar to the Flipstart, being powered by a Transmeta, but has an innovative slide down keyboard arrangement.

Both look pretty interesting and will probably suit your needs to a degree, although as a first generation tablet PC user, I can say that the Transmeta chip isn't up to running a lot of apps at the same time that require a lot of horsepower. That's not to say it can't run apps, it just takes a while to fire up. Once it's running - say Photoshop - it's fine.

On a sidenote, I used a GSM card in my tablet for a while and it was awesome. Coupled with a Bluetooth card and the TC1000's built-in Wifi, it made the tablet incredibly versatile. I doubt that I'd move back to a standard laptop for size/weight/battery life reasons, so my next consideration is probably going to be a more powerful tablet, probably a TC1100. Although for ruggedised PC fans, HP are about to release the TC3000.

Not just one deficiency. In addition to size, there was the wonky handwriting recognition, and the price.

You can roll it up into one meta-deficiency: the Newton didn't make a good PDA. From comments I'm reading here, it makes a heck of a compact mini-laptop. But that's not how it was sold.

The reason the Palm took off big-time is that the Palm made a great PDA. The size was perfect, the handwriting recognition was solid, and the price was reasonable ($300 at introduction). The Palm doesn't work as well as the Newton as a mini-laptop, though, so if that's what you want, don't get a Palm.

I've always been annoyed that Steve Jobs killed the Newton outright, when there was a loyal core user base that wanted Newton to not die. A group of Newton developers got together and made a serious bid to license the Newton from Apple, and Jobs refused. I don't know if he expected to introduce an Apple PDA, and wanted Newton dead so it couldn't compete; or if he just didn't like the Newton since it wasn't ever his baby.

The good news is that in the near future, you should be able to put together a Newton-like package: take one of the new small computers with a touch-screen (like the Oqo, which may actually ship someday) and run a GNOME system on a Linux kernel. Now run GNOME Storage. (I haven't used a Newton, so I don't really know how the "data soup" system works; if I'm wrong and GNOME Storage isn't Newton-like, perhaps there is some other free software project that will be Newton-like.)

Once there is free software that is Newton-like, you can have your Newton happiness and no one can take it away from you.

steveha

You mean something like the OQO?

Sorry, here is the link to download the spastic, brain-damaged edit job: monkeyOQO.mov

But the last change I can find on their web site http://www.oqo.com was a link to the 2002 vaporware awards. You know it's bad when a company cites a vaporware articles about their product as product press. Maybe it is time to shut the web site down, huh?

What about the OQO Ultra-Personal Computer (UPC)? It runs Windows XP, and is the size of an iPod.

Antelope Modular Computing Core Debuts Next Week

CNet's Michael Kanellos reports on start-up Antelope Technologies' plans to launch its Modular Computing Core (MCC) next week. The PDA-sized Windows PC's MCC technology is based on the IBM Meta Pad (announcement) which Antelope Technologies licensed from IBM. Priced at $3,970, it's expected that the MCC will be primarily for corporate fleets where mobility is a requirement. Antelope's MCC was previously on Slashdot and it seems that the company has beat vaporware OQO (Slashdot) to real product status. Will the Nimble V5 (Slashdot) be next?

With a little help from Moore's Law, I think most personal computers will be replaced by something like oqo's "ultra-personal" computer. It's like a PDA, but it runs regular Windows XP (and so presumably could support Linux). And once our input/output devices like keyboards and monitors support something like Rendezvous/Bluetooth, we can just dock our oqo brick with our workstation or take it with us.

How 'bout one of these?

The ones in the pictures are from an older design, but the functionality is still very similar. Should be available to the public in a few months.

Is it just me, or wasn't this on /. a long time ago? I guess there has been a lot of progress since then, but I do remember hearing about a personal server device that Intel was working on a while ago. This kind of reminds me of OQO too. What ever happened to that project? Seems dead: www.oqo.com.

With the emergence of smaller form factor PCs like the oqo it really does not seem SO far fetched that MS might introduce a handheld gaming system.

However, it seems that absolutly everyone is entering the market including Nokia and sony.

Does MS really want to fight it out with sony on the handheld platform, when they have been utterly beaten on the console one?

Regardless, since it would probably be based on x86 hardware, it might make an excelent portable linux system ;)!

And devices for this kind of usage are already appearing: Sony, Toshiba, and a few other companies have developed personal wireless file servers. Internet connectivity comes via a Bluetooth phone. Wireless head sets and keyboards give you sound and data entry. And a wirelessly networked PDA gives you a screen.

However, it makes sense to include a small screen on any wireless server you carry around, like Oqo, Antelope, and Tiqit are doing. Also, it makes sense to keep certain functions separate, like the cell phone, file server, and screen.

This has been a dream of people for many years, and people have already been persuing it. Check out:

http://www.oqo.com/

for more information.

Personally, I think that computing has moved (rightfully so) more towards a use-centric model, rather than a technology-centric model. We have more computing power at our personal disposal than we ever need. (Re: iPAQ's amd Palms) Howerver, in order for all that computing power to be useful , it needs to be surrounded by a good metaphor, and needs to be centered around people's information, lifestyle, wants & needs, and activities.

I feel that this explains Apple's recent resurgence in popularity, and the good direction that Jobs has the company going in, as well as the successful Sony Clie brand, and the newer camphones.

Technology may sell, but usefulness sells more.

Cheers,
Ken

At least this one's less vaporous than the Oqo, which, whenever it may be released, will be no more powerful than any of the remote controls on my coffee table.

It's all a trade-off between power, size, and cost. And it doesn't look like Vulcan has any better technology than anybody else.

Doesn't it seem there's another handheld, x86 compatible bit of vapor about every year or so?

OQO Press release

But as you will read that hasn't been updated in over a year.

I'd agree with the posts about the Newton (excluding fanatics) that the Newton still holds it's own, even now because it can use 802.11 PC cards and play MP3's plus control iTunes

To all that want a Pocket Computer - I would strongly suggest a top of the line Clie or The Sharp Zaurus

all it is is a miniature laptop. there's really nothing special about it. personally, i like the design of this thing. now, if something like that ever became available, i'd be all over it.

What about the OQO?

What happened to this? It was supposed to be out by now but they haven't updated the website in eternity. It would have had laptop and desktop enclosures to solve the actual typing problem when you needed to use it as a full-on PC, and was just generally loaded with good features. But since I don't seem to be able to buy one, what's the point

Oh yeah...*cough* keys on this Vulcan thing to small!

A distinction needs to be made between Flash navigation, and Flash for other purposes. Cartoons and games in Flash are great. If I hear about some cartoon or game or whatever, I go to the website, wait for it to download, and have a good time. OTOH, if I hear about some new product I don't want to hit their website, wait 30 seconds for crap to download, and then have a popup telling me to upgrade Flash. Bite me. Remember OQO? The Flash on their site was such an impediment to obtaining information that they actually had to re-do the site. In the end, most people on the web want information and Flash navigation lowers the signal/noise ratio to sometimes unacceptable levels... unless of course a Flash animation was the signal you were seeking, in which case you should link it from a normal HTML page, thank-you very much.

If you want something today, get a mini laptop from Fujitsu, Sony, or Dynamism.

Regardless, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one waiting, perhaps in vain, for the Oqo. Like the author, I was more than ready to whip out any number of credit cards for one when it was first announced. If I were to get one now, it'd probably just be a remote control to my HTPC.

... that OQO thingie looks a lot like a lage-screen iPod.

They also have similar specs; except the CPU... and Kodak is rumored to be shipping small OLED displays to Apple... Maybe that's why it's still vaporware. Coud a Crusoe execute PPC instructions with proper code morphing software?
(Yes, it's just a stupid idea. No, I have nothing to back it up with. :)

... that OQO thingie looks a lot like a lage-screen iPod.

They also have similar specs; except the CPU... and Kodak is rumored to be shipping small OLED displays to Apple... Maybe that's why it's still vaporware. Coud a Crusoe execute PPC instructions with proper code morphing software?
(Yes, it's just a stupid idea. No, I have nothing to back it up with. :)

Check out the OQO. By default, it runs Win XP or Linux rather than WinCE, but you can run WinCE for x86 on it if that's your fancy -in most single-app/embedded situations it would likely perform better and be more robust than WinXP at least!

The OQO is a bit expensive and it's not out until April... But the cheaper model has a 800 MHz Transmeta CPU, 256 MB RAM, 10 GB HD, USB, FireWire and docking ports (adds VGA, PCI and AGP bus interface). Not sure what the shock protection is like, but you could always run it out of a RAM disk.

Basicly it is a beafy palm pilot, with a touchscreen display for around a thousand bucks. It has all the pda advantages with the computing power of a tablet. It can even be used as a desktop system (plugs for a normal monitor and keyboard/mouse).

It looks like the HPC from OQO would make this a moot point. Their unit is quite sufficient if it's anything resembling the Sony Picturebook which served me well for awhile.

The point here is that there should be something available for lower priced handheld units. The capability is there. As you and other respondents pointed out, the market might not be. Someone made a very good point about getting old code to open stores and another mentioned readily available code in journals and such.

Well pen computers are common... look at Apple Newton. The original Newton 100 to 120 didn't do it right, but Apple did the right thing for Newton 2000 and 2100, sad that Steve Jobs killed it. Check Wired : Apple's Newton Just won't Drop. Also the Go pen computing operating system. Both Go and Apple suffered the "first mover disadvantage". Too early. Hand recognitions were crappy for early models.

Now let's not worry about how evil is Microsoft first. Really the reason I use a computer because I write crappy stuff and want to express my idea QUICK. I bet many people can type more than 50 words per minute. Try do that with that Tablet PC. Yea that's why the Danger PDA and the Treo comes back with the keyboard. Also if you notice from Microsoft's propaganda, other than their classic "editorial", you should be able to see that Microsoft wants people to write more of their idea in their handwritten form... okay... taking all my notes electronically, is it easier if I bring a smaller Wacom tablet with a small Sony VAIO or my beloved Powerbook ? This way I can draw and type productively. (Yea Apple adopted Newton's handwritten technology into Inkwell also)

Also, now get to the price of a $1000 to $2500 USD for one of this table, for its handwritten purposes, I might get a yellow pad papers at OfficeMax for $5 USD, still serve me well.

Also I wonder if I lose of the table PC, then I've ruin the rest of my day with it. I did that many times with my Palm.

I'd rather bet on the OQO more. Yea some of the employees are ex-Apple, somebody correct me if I'm wrong

not if you had one of these babies!

Why all this hype? The OQO PC is really small, AND it has all the functions of a normal computer, which means you could potentially put Linux on it given the drivers. You could consider THAT a 'Tablet PC'.

Smaller is cooler, yes. But what use is a PC like this? It's small in size, but without the benefit that most computers that are small bring- mobility. The MicroPC provides portability, but in practice, not more than a laptop (with or without a head!). So why would one want to spend the extra money or suffer the limitations? The size of this thing could be kind of useful if it could be "converted" into a full laptop or desktop (with PCI, AGP slots and HD bays) ala the OQO or MCC. But it's not. It's not been designed to accept a battery and a small touchscreen-endowed display, to make it into a bulky mobile computer for when a full-speed computer is needed (there are situations when this could be needed). but nope- it's just a small version of a regular computer. Whoooop-de-doo!

Sure, given the choice, I'd rather have a small, out of the way computer rather than a big noisey PC desktop. Er, well, I have had that choice, and I went with the iBook. :P But given the choice between something even smaller for the same price and capabilities, I'd take the small one. But what the MiniPC worthwhile?

Why is it that Slashdot people and Wintel nerds often love these things, but rail against something like an iMac or eMac? A MicroPC has all the drawbacks of an all-in-one design and then some.- with the exception of a built-in monitor (on most [all?] iMacs and eMac models, the built-in can be bypassed or use as a second monitor).

There has to be folks out there on /. that are thinking "WOW! I must have one!" I'm interested in your opinion- what draws you too this? To look cool at LAN parties or to brag to those on IRC? I'm seriously curious- any insight would be great.

About the only advantage Palm units had was battery life, and even that was being challenged by lithium-powered PPC units such as the iPAQ.

What iPAQs were you thinking of? The only iPAQ model I've seen that gets decent battery life is the iPAQ 3100 series (which I own). It has a black and white screen (rather than color) which is the reason it gets any reasonable battery life. But all the other iPAQ models with color screens get a piddly 2-3 hours of batter life. At least the Jornada 720 gets around 8 hours with still a color screen, at the expense of something that most people is too big to fit in a pocket. For me, a J720-sized device fits fine in my pocket, but it's too fragile to trust to a pocket, so I carried it around in the leather case that came with it.

Needless to say, I got sick of the small screen of the iPAQ and the fragile feel and unreadable screen in the out of doors of the Jornada 720 and will be going back to the Newton until a worth while PDA comes out. It looks like the OQO will be my next PDA, my next dekstop, and my next laptop. If that's not good enough, I guess I'll have to keep living with my Newt or make my own.

The problem with the XScale CPUs isn't that the OS doesn't support the instruction set, at least not entirely. You get less MIPS out of a 400 MHz XScale than you would out of a SA110 at 400 MHz. The XScale CPUs have a much higher MIPS-per-watt ratio than the StrongARM line, but a lower MIPS-per-megahertz. I think it's a worthy tradeoff, but regardless, the PalmOS won't get much more out of the XScale than PocketPC does. But I guess we'd have to actually have XScale PalmOS units available before we'll know, but hell, any decently clocked device running PalmOS 5 is still not available.

For that sort of thing, the OQO is where it'll be at. The core of the device is a PDA-like device with a 640x480 4" touchscreen. It has built-in Airport and Bluetooth, Firewire and USB. There is a cable to give you a VGA port. In addition, there is a docking station to turn your OQO into a desktop machine, with usb, firewire, VGA, and I believe PCI slots even. Can't recall if there's PS/2, or if it's assumed one uses PS/2 for that. *And* there's a laptop docking shell, in which you plug your OQO, rather like a battery in the laptops found today., basically turning your OQO into a laptop with ports, builtin KB, touchpad/mouse device and screen.

The OQO has a 10 GB HD, 128 MB of RAM ( or more ) and a Transmeta 1 GHz processor. You can run regular x86 OSes- Linux and XP are the options available from the factory.

The Pen interface is great, if it's done well. For a PalmOS device, the pen interface falls apart when you're doing more than simple organization/PIM/game tasks. The Newton did it best, and the PocketPC does it OK- you can get a quite decent WPM (I can easily achieve 40-45 on my Newton) when you're using *real* handwriting recognition and not just a soft-keyboard or character recognition like graffiti or jot.

For me, the OQO is pretty much the Holy Grail of computing. When they're released (should be fairly soonish), I plan on selling my iBook and Jornada 720 to buy an OQO and use it as my main computer. Luckily, you can get *real* HWR on Windoze, but not Linux, not at least in a way that consumers can get to it. Motorolla has it's Lexicus QuickPrint system ported to x86 Linux, but there's no way to get it if you're not an OEM. QuickPrint isn't anywhere near as nice as Netwon HWR or ParaGraph's CalliGrapher, which is available on PocketPC, WinCE, and desktop Windoze.