Slashdot Mirror
Transmeta Powered High-End Portable?
NETHED writes: "CNet is running a
story on the oQo (Very flash heavy) ultra portable computer. 'Along with Windows XP, it will come with a 5800 Crusoe processor from Transmeta, a 10GB hard drive, 256MB of memory, connection ports for FireWire and USB (universal serial bus), and wireless networking connections through either WiFi or Bluetooth.' Sounds like a winner, considering they want it to cost LESS than 1000USD. Now, only if this didn't sound like vaporware."
Hey, comon now, i was just quoting C-Net! :)
--sig fault--
isn't indicative of the speed of their computers.
doh! can you feel the slashdotting...?
This device sounds pretty cool. However, I think Transmeta is going to have a hard time penetrating the corporate market which seems to be where the profits are. Big corporations are so pro-Intel, it makes it tough for the AMDs and Transmetas of the world.
OK, so it doesn't really *need* it, but why not?
Is the storage solid state? (I can't get the article right now). If not, it seems like they could double the storage without impacting the price. Maybe these are "old" specs?
This could have a very interesting effect on MMORPG players. Why ever disconnect (unless your internet access fees are exorbitant)? Just pull it from your station at home, play on the bus/carpool to work, and then stash it in your drawer, checking frequently that your macros are still working properly.
I know I'd find it incredibly usefuly in WW2Online, for those moments I notice a weakness in the front, and just five minutes of game time could make a difference!
But you know that's it's probably too good to be true. Most things like that are.
...connection ports for FireWire and USB (universal serial bus), and wireless networking connections through...
i dunno, is it just me?...but i would think anyone who would be reading this summary on slashdot already knows what USB stands for...
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
What the heck is transmeta? Liquid? Gas? Have fun with your gadget, but I'll stick with my *electricity* powered portable thank you. And don't complain to me if you can't buy a transmeta refill canister at CompUSA. I never saw any.
Sounds to me like the second is just a battery and DVD drive - I assume it also has a regular keyboard, and a larger screen, and therefore won't be so "empty" as implied.
Conversion Rate Optimisation French / English consultant
The question is:
Does linux install on it easily? For most distros, 10GB HDD and 256MB RAM is kick-ass. Add a wireless card and the sick battery life that machine should get, and I'm looking at a perfect take-everywhere client machine. As long as you have a server somewhere that's holding all your big files, this machine is the perfect portable.
--Bennett Prescott
Former Lord Of Packets
Start-up shrinks PC to palm size
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
April 16, 2002, 9:45 AM PT
First there was the pocket calculator. Then there was the pocket organizer. And if start-up OQO gets its way, the next big thing will be the pocket PC.
The Seattle-based company is showing off a full-fledged "ultra personal" computer this week at Microsoft's WinHEC 2002 conference. The computer is slightly thicker but roughly the same size as handhelds currently coming out from Palm or Hewlett-Packard.
The major difference is that the OQO device, which will come out in the second half of the year for around $1,000, is a complete Windows XP computer. Along with Windows, it will come with a 5800 Crusoe processor from Transmeta, a 10GB hard drive, 256MB of memory, connection ports for FireWire and USB (universal serial bus), and wireless networking connections through either WiFi or Bluetooth.
The screen measures just four inches in diameter, roughly the same size as those on a Palm, but the company will also sell docking stations so that it can be used like a normal desktop or laptop. The device measures 3 inches by 5 inches, is 0.9-inches thick and weighs about half a pound.
"We see this as 'This is your only computer,'" said Colin Hunter, executive vice president of OQO. "It isn't a PDA (personal digital assistant). With this device you can dock it in and it is your PC."
The hardware market is notoriously harsh on start-ups. Other companies, including a Taiwanese manufacturer called Saint Song, have also tried to promote miniature PCs before. OQO executives and partners, however, say that current market circumstances have opened opportunities for super-small devices.
The technological foundation to make robust, miniature computers finally exists, for example. The OQO uses the same tiny hard drive from Toshiba that Apple Computer incorporates into the latest iPod. The company also worked with Micron to ensure that memory could be packed into the device as densely as possible.
A lot of the design work at OQO, which was founded by engineers who worked on Apple's Titanium PowerBook went toward reducing the size of the power supply and the overall integration of the components, Hunter said.
Another factor at play supporting handhelds is that consumers and corporate America have become acclimated to portability. The explosive growth, until recently, of handheld devices and cell phones established the market for portable devices.
Once the infrastructure for wireless networking is established, ultra-portable PCs will become more popular than PDAs because they can do more, said Dave Ditzel, chief technology officer of Transmeta. Plus, it also gets rid of the data synchronization problem because everything moves to one device.
"You can do full Web browsing with Internet Explorer. You can't do that on a PDA," he said. The Crusoe processor inside the OQO, he noted, runs at 800MHz and contains 512KB of cache, a data reservoir for quick data access. Current handheld processors max out at 206MHz and have much smaller caches.
The OQO is actually the first of a wave of computers with nontraditional designs. The device weighs 250 grams, about half a pound, but there are other computers coming out that will weigh 800 grams. PC manufacturers will also begin to show off tablets that can convert into notebooks, Ditzel said.
"This is a smaller form factor than Microsoft envisioned," he said. "There is a trend toward everything getting smaller."
Despite the faster chip, the batteries on the OQO run about 9.5 hours, Ditzel and Hunter said. Although the Crusoe processor runs on fairly low amounts of energy, the small screen size helps enormously.
Two different docking stations will also be released with the device. One will allow the PC to be used like a desktop. A second will look like a notebook with a 14-inch screen. However, except for an extra battery and a CD or DVD drive, it will be empty. The OQO will slide into a slot.
The first version of the OQO measures 0.9-inches thick, but thinner versions will follow, Hunter added.
Not ever 6 minutes before the site was /.ed.
/. to a site are. We have to remember that bandwidth DOES cost money at most server farms. If a server farm is hosting a site that was /.ed, and other accounts are affected (other than the one that was targeted by /.), what happens?
I've often wondered about the costs of
just my 2cents
--sig fault--
"The screen measures just four inches in diameter"
How is diameter useful in describing a rectangular screen? Did I learn a different defintion of diameter from everyone else, or is this just very poor writing? I know it can be used for shapes other than circles, but I don't think this use is right.
I hate these putzes who get to write reviews of cool stuff but really have no writing or tech credentials (I submit to you those 2 clowns on zdnet, josh taylor or john something, 2 retards to do piss-poor reviews on cool, new products)
What you gonna do with all that high speed FireWire data transit when you ain't got no hard drive space to store it? I hope they gettin kick-backs from the external drive and removable media fools.
Na'am sayin?
That is pure and simple FUD and you know it. I am running a 650mHz PIII with 256 Megs and 11 Gig and I have more than enought room for everything plus. XP runs just as stable and fast as any Linux box with KDE or Gnome running. (for those of us who like a GUI)
...And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)
The Fujitsu P-Series:
Transmeta 5800
256M ram
20Gig drive
Available with optional builtin wireless
Builtin firewire, ethernet, modem, usb, s-video out and optical digital audi out
builtin (removable) DVD drive / burner
3.5 pounds...
Runs Linux...
"it will come with a 5800 Crusoe processor from Transmeta, a 10GB hard drive, 256MB of memory, connection ports for FireWire and USB (universal serial bus), and wireless networking connections through either WiFi or Bluetooth.'"
;o)
Sheesh - you need all that just to run XP?
Video Game cheats, hints a
I don't agree. I think that Palm OS has a niche to fill, and it does it very well. If you're looking to replace your daytimer, then a Palm OS device is perfect. This is not an organizer, it's a teensy laptop. With wireless. And a color screen. And a 10GB HDD... 256MB RAM...
Drool.
--Bennett Prescott
Former Lord Of Packets
Seems this company thinks the recent paradigm shift in informational technology flow has resulted in a groupthink that points to a
wireless device with a pricepoint below $1k.
Why is it that the heavier the use of buzzwords by a site directly correlates to a heavier use of Flash? I bet I could get grant money to study that!
Under $1000 maybe. I don't consider this so much of "vaporware" though.
I just can't see why you would try to hop into a market that has already shunned you several times before w/a device that seems so weak.
256 is nice but the 10G is just too small these days. I have a 10G drive in my desktop that I have to keep under control (I have a 20G just for music) I could not imagine having to lug around a laptop that had so little space.
What do I know though, right?
Despite this thing sounding like ware de la vapor, imagine the possibilities. All you need is a monitor, a plug, mouse and keyboard and you have your desktop. Need to demo on client's site? No need to checkout a laptop from the corp and forget to change the previous person's nudie pic on the background. Need to download e-mail? Wireless phone right there, or plug in at any internet cafe (hey, they just have to buy $250 for the aux. equipment, not a $2000 machine). Don't have sync problems, can turn it into a laptop, etc. But, you lose it, you're screwed. Also, great technology if you're into the digital soldier concept - only 1 lb for 9.5 hours, and enough processing power to do all the targeting, recon, etc. stuff our boys do.
leaving just barely enough for mozilla
"The screen measures just four inches in diameter"
Um, so is oQo introducing the hot new 1940s-style-television round-screen craze to the market, too?
- A.P.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
http://www.fujitsupc.com/www/products_notebooks.sh tml?products/notebooks/p2000
With less hard disk and no CDRW/DVD
while it certainly was/is not a pc replacement, the newton was very cool. osx on an ipod like device with that gigawire stuff connecting the juice and display device would be quite nice. Hello apple! oh yah, steve didn't like the newton, but woulda bought palm!?
Yes, you can, but think of all the proprietary hardware that machine must have. Even configuring APM (advanced power management) will be a bitch.
--Bennett Prescott
Former Lord Of Packets
This looks kewl and all, but why are ppl trying to get PC functionality from a Handheld device...Handhelds are good at things like keeping appointments, names, reading short E-Mails, Reading E-Books, Math, and generally doing simple tasks...
And why XP? There are no real handheld apps built for it.
Some ppl in the handheld industry are trying too much...
Granted, Bluetooth will be a nice feature once it becomes standard...but that's not what they've done here...
Lets see...I can buy a decent Palm for Real Notebook for less than $1000 total. Now, you might argue that the notebook is cumbersome...this might be so, but then you get a 13 inch screen as opposed to a 4 inch screen...
Handhelds are a tool, they are not a replacement for a Notebook/Desktop...those solutions work very nicely for their intended purpose.
http://slashdot.org/~rho/journal/5872
-------------------------
Stupid people suck.
I totally submitted this story hours ago...and it got rejected. Slashdots editors are phuqed.
/. subs at my web site.
It's a good thing I save all my
(This is not grousing, this is a legitimate bitch - there's a difference).
Coolness. Now just add a real monitor and an external CD-ROM drive and a full-sized slot for my Radeon 8500 so I can play Max Payne oh yeah, and an actual keyboard and this'll be one sweeet box!!
I see from the article that it's an 800mhz processor, but does anyone know how it compares in performance to other 800mhz processors? Yes, I did the requisite Google search but didn't come up with any hard data.
It sounds like a great litte box at a great price, but if it sucks to write/compile code on, it's little more than a shiny toy.
it's not going to stop until you wise up, no it's not going to stop. so just give up.
I believe what your referring to is that the transmeta crusoe processor translates x86 code into its own native code which can be optimized at runtime. Quite a bit of buzzwords there, I hope I explained it correctly. Doesn't have much to do with Windows itself per se..
I don't know about the product, but we turned the site into vapor.
To alleviate DoS effect:
e ss / qo_16apr02.html
http://www.transmeta.com/about/press/special_pr
"Seattle, Washington - April 16, 2002 - OQO (pronounced "oh-q-oh"), today at Microsoft's WinHEC Conference, announced the world's first ultra-personal computer, representing a new PC category that could transform personal computing the same way the cell phone has revolutionized telecommunications.
OQO's first product is a highly functional and versatile handheld wireless computer that easily becomes a notebook or desktop PC. Measuring just 4.9 x 2.9 x 0.9 [inches] and weighing less than nine ounces, OQO's PC is a full-function computer running Microsoft Windows XP Professional and incorporating up to a 1GHz Crusoe TM5800 processor from Transmeta Corporation (NASDAQ:TMTA); four inch, super bright VGA color LCD; Synaptics touchscreen; 256MB onboard RAM; 10GB+ hard drive; 1394 FireWire, USB, audio, OQO-link connectors; and 802.11b and Bluetooth wireless networking.
"We're impressed with the direction that OQO is showing in developing its ultra-mobile, ultra-connected Windows XP-based PC," said Jim Allchin, group vice president of the Platforms Group at Microsoft Corp." These types of small-form-factor PCs, with their ability to deliver the power and richness of Windows any time and anywhere, will enable exciting new user experiences and opportunities."
"The OQO device represents an exciting new mobile computing platform that delivers full desktop applications in a handheld form factor," said Tim Bajarin, computer industry analyst and president, Creative Strategies, Inc. "It clearly breaks new ground and opens the door to a new category in mobile personal computing."
As a standalone device, OQO's ultra-personal computer slips easily into a shirt pocket. When inserted into an OQO-designed enclosure, it becomes a notebook PC. When placed in a cradle with a standard screen and keyboard, it becomes a desktop PC. This modular design allows for ease of use and convenience when traveling, whether to and from the office, across the country, or around the world.
"Modular computers have been identified as one of the most desirable form factors by Giga's IT audience every time we have surveyed for it," said Rob Enderle, research fellow for Giga Information Group. "This is one concept that actually could transform the technology industry and ensure a more steady revenue stream preceded by unprecedented--and potentially incredible--growth."
"After years of designing Apple and IBM laptops, the OQO team felt the time had come for the next step--but a revolutionary one--of the full-featured, wireless PC." said Jory Bell, president and CEO, OQO. "We wanted an ultra-personal computer that you always carry, but that was still powerful enough to be your only PC. We sought a device that incorporates wireless access as a central idea to the whole mobile experience. Moreover, we tried to instantiate something that would make people optimistic about the future."
"Crusoe is a catalyst for innovative, small, cool and quiet computing for emerging wireless platforms," said David Ditzel, vice-chairman and chief technology officer, Transmeta Corporation. "Until Crusoe, no one imagined that you could run Windows XP on a computer weighing less than nine ounces."
The first OQO PCs are expected to be commercially available from leading consumer electronics manufacturers in the second half of 2002.
OQO was founded in 1999 and is based San Francisco. The company includes executives, engineers and designers with exceptional credentials, including key positions at Apple Computer (Powerbook Design), Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory, IBM Almaden Research, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Oracle Corporation and Transmeta Corporation."
I went to the city because I wished to live without deliberation.
if you look at the specs on this computer (at OQO.com)
it says "- media player mode with enough memory for 1000 songs or three feature length movies"
All I gotta say is I hope the MPAA/RIAA dont get ahold of this quote and secondly you can only fit 3 movies (I thought DIVX took care of that)
What is the point of the oQo if it doesn't have a good graphics chipset? It will only be useful for web browsing and word processing. I'd rather get a decent notebook with a Radeon 7500 Mobility. It wouldn't be much bigger than the oQo.
It's not vaporware -- you just won't see it until about 6 months after it is no longer relevant.
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
"Hey! Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!"
*SMACK*(thud)
Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow...
I can't imagine being able to use Windows (or any desktop OS for that matter) on a screen that small. I think 10" would be the absolute minimum in pure ergonimcal terms. What would be usuable would be the Sharp PDA interface running on top of Linux with the ability to switch to KDE or GNOME when plugged into a docking station.
Great job, Transmeta! Now it is time to turn vapour into reality!
The real bottleneck to shrinking computers are no longer really the actual chips and disks. These are getting smaller and lighter and more energy efficient (well, at least the first two anyway).
What has not been effectively shrunk yet is the areas of human interface. The input (mouse and keyboard) and output (computer screen)
On the input size, cameras and microphones are shrinking, so these may be useful. On the output side, I know there are small screens out there, but to get real work done, you often need a big screen area.
evanchik.net
Imagine .NET on these puppies. C# munged down to Microslog's intermediate language, compiled to Intel code, which is then fooged into Transmetacode. Why don't we start a bit higher up the language food chain and stop wasting all those forkin' cycles...
over 200k flash file on homepage and you get slashdotted. Why not use html and QTVR if you really want people to come to your site and see what you have to offer?
m.kelley
life is like a freeway, if you don't look you could miss it.
"Despite the faster chip, the batteries on the OQO run about 9.5 hours, Ditzel and Hunter said. Although the Crusoe processor runs on fairly low amounts of energy, the small screen size helps enormously."
Power consumption of a 4" LCD CCFL is around 1W, which is the same for any 4" - 15" single lamp LCD panel. The small screen size does not help any with the reduction of power consumtion. Power consumtion for this device will about the same as any Crusoe powered laptop since memory and the hard drive will still draw the same amount of power. This unit will only see a 9.5 hour battery life if the CCFL is off and the hardrive is powered down with the processor running at under 20% with not many accesses to memory.
Quidquid latine dictum sit altum viditur
Make it the size of Mobilepro 7xx family and now we have something to talk about as far as a "desktop replacement."
Better yet. Make a lower-end one that has less ram, flash storage instead of a HD and configure processor to emulate a StrongArm. (IIRC, one of the strengths of the Crusoe is that it can emulate other architectures, although I may be wrong.)
Give the user the option of either PalmOS 5.0 or PPC 3.0. Drop the price a bit so that it is competitive with HP Jornada 720. Give the slightly larger form factor of the Mobilepro size (keyboard / screen), it then becomes a viable alternative for a lot of people to a full-blown laptop.
Advantages compared to Palm-sized PDAs:
better keyboard / screen usability
Advantages compared to laptop:
instant on
longer battery life
smaller overall size / less weight
lower cost
Sure you wouldn't be able to carry it in your shirt / pants pocket, but so what? Like I'm going to carry anything that cost me over a couple hundred dollars in my shirt pocket. Put it in your briefcase, shoulder bag, whatever.
I'd buy one.
Sorry, links to Bugzilla from Slashdot are disabled
/.'d before they figured that one out
yes that truly may be the answer, wonder how many times they got
- ibm research
/. article
Strikingly similar in concept.I've looked at different PDAs and other such devices and really haven't seen any I like the look of yet (there was a glimmer of hope for Sharps new offering, until I saw the review on CNET) but this looks really good! I just know I'd sit on it (by accident :)) if I owned one!
Posting the full text of the article is a copyright violation. It should be removed.
When I can 100% run it with voice, it speaks back to me via an earpiece and can project unobtrusive video onto my glasses when, and only when, I want it to.
Add some ultra-high bandwidth networking to that and jack me in baby.
My $0.02 will always be worth more than your â0.02, so
This includes the Libretto L3, a 10" LCD, 600mhz-Crusue version of your own notebook. It's slightly bigger, but I think there are some other subnotes on this site that approach the size of the original Toshibas.
Why do you need this organizer? Why not buy a real laptop? Sure, it's cheaper, but it's a definite product bomb, and the computer software/hardware companies won't support it.
Didn't really mean to be a dick, just thought you were being a little harsh. Hell, maybe he wrote "diagonally" and his editor swapped in "diameter". There is a picture, or at least there was when I looked at the story (yup, still there, almost literally big as life), and the screen is clearly rectangular. I probably would have written "four-inch screen" and left it at that, since diagonal measurements are pretty standard, and for a device described as being 3" x 5", that would be about right (looks like maybe a 1/4" border on the long sides and a 1/2" on the short, so maybe 2-1/2" x 4", so 2.5^2 + 16, take the square root, mumble, mumble, well, I get 4.7 inches -- close enough for jazz), and nobody's going to buy the damned thing based just on this description anyway. (In fact, odds are nobody's going to buy the damned thing period, or even have the chance to. He's probably going to review 6 more products we'll never see before the week is out.)
Actually, what he probably should have said was "itty-bitty screen, roughly the same size as those on a Palm".
This next song is very sad. Please clap along. -- Robin Zander
Still, it looks an awful lot like the next generation of the Newton to me.
fencepost
just a little off
The screen is beautiful. In fact the whole thing is beautiful. These folks are very detail-oriented.
Disclosure: These guys are friends of mine and I'm a (very minor) investor in the company.
- Windows XP
- 5800 Crusoe processor
- 10GB hard drive
- 256MB of memory
- connection ports for FireWire and USB
Which of those make this a "high end" portable? Hell, you can get iBooks with better specs than that. It must be the price that makes it 'high-end'.http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,88563,0
Pictures to give an impression of size near the bottom of this page:s ony3.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/pc/docs/2002/0311/
More interesting descriptions...l
http://www.zdnet.co.jp/mobile/0203/11/n_vaiou.htm
Babel Fish can help you with the Japanese text:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/
~v
a) I won't be replying to any responses to this reply :)
b) Lots of people submitted items about this computer. Same with Argentine Ants. Jet-cooled beer and ASCII Star Wars are both old.
c) Stories can be (and usually are) posted slightly into the future. Whether something was submitted "hours ago" doesn't mean that b) does not still apply.
d) Your site says "About a week ago, I began repeatedly submitting things I thought were important." This is annoying behavior. I can't stop anyone from doing it, but it certainly doesn't make me want to read things so-submitted. It's like mailing in all your letters to the editor with human feces smeared across them. (Or, just mailing the same letter dozens of times, to be a little more analogous.)
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
haha ya, no kiddin.. Throw vmware in the picture and you got yourself quite a mess =)
Do something productive...
:)
Like troll Slashdotters?
slashdot!=valid HTML
I've been wanting this type of device for years. While this may not be the form factor that the world "standardizes" on ten years from now, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
;)
I'm excited by this device.
Turn-offs:
- Screen res is probably very low. (but someday...)
- XP?!? Christ!
- 10GB is a limiter, but not awful (and not their fault)
And, though I'm a typer all the way, I WOULD like to see some sort of handwriting recognition. Even just something comparable to Palm's Graffiti would be fine.
Docking station for home/office: Cool.
Laptop "shell": Gag.
Sure, there are definite benefits to having a BIG, expandable home machine, but I managed quite well for years using only (underpowered, outdated) laptops in my personal life. And the $1000 price point works for me.
And to top it off with a round screen? Suh-weet! That's thinking outside the box, er... hole.
Just my $0.02.
This is what the Libretto COULD have been--an aberrant design branch, that is, due to its lack of keyboard--if Toshiba hadn't turned the Libby into the dwarven Protege clone it's become. If only...
... I just finally got around to overclocking my Libretto (P75 to P100) on Friday!
The colo places around here charge hundreds of bucks a month for a 1U rack slot. Admittedly a 1U enclosure can hold a fullblown ATX motherboard and a couple of 3.5" hard drives, but this OQO thing looks plenty powerful enough for most smaller web sites that don't want to virtual host. And it looks like you can put at least half a dozen of them in a 1U slot. That alone is worth the price of admission. Wow!
hmmm...
i'm writing this on a Fujitsu Lifebook P2040 which is pretty similar... same chip, 256MB, small, light, etc.
great little computer (obviously with some limitations but what do you expect in a small/light package with NO FAN?).
there's info on http://www.fujitsupc.com/
anyway - these cost from $1500 to $2000 depending on configuration. and you have to wait to get one, since they're universally backordered.
as to battery life, i get 2hrs consistently (surfing &such) on the normal battery; you can get hi-cap + drivebay batteries and probably get a good 8-13 hrs depending on what you're doing.
there's a discussion forum at http://www.leog.net/ with lots of info for the curious.
This Like That - fun with words!
There are some things to love about this system. It seems to genuinely be small enough while having a good enough screen. But it has the same problem as other notebooks: there is a computer in there instead of just an interface + a wireless fast network connection.
Take the away the CPU, memory and disk from this system and make it a terminal of some sort, X terminal or Windows Terminal or Citrix client, whatever. Voila, battery life goes way up, weight and thickness go way down. (Do I hear 10mm thick and four ounces?) Add a slice to it if you're going on a plane and you really need to be disconnected. But as long as you're around the home or office, just use it as a connection to your application server. Suddenly its useful life is "until it breaks" rather than "until Longhorn".