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OQO Ultra-Portable Impresses At CES

Posted by simoniker on from the oh-the-anticipation dept.

carpoolio writes "One of the most-talked about gadgets at CES last week was the OQO ultra personal computer (uPC). TechTV gave it a Best Mobile Device award, and deservedly so. It's a fully functional PC that fits in your pocket. Running on a 1 GHz Transmeta Crusoe processor, the uPC packs a 20 GB hard drive, 256 MB of RAM, and has a color screen that slides up to reveal the keyboard. The price? Sub-$2,000. Photos available on OQO's Web site. Similar devices have come and gone in recent years, but this one really looks nice." OQO seems to be slowly migrating from vaporware to a release date - a CNET News article notes that "OQO said Thursday that it will begin selling the device in the second half of 2004."

3 of 268 comments (clear)

  1. Upgrade. by Humba · · Score: 5, Interesting
    This is sooo much better than my OQO 1.0
    OQO 1.0



    The only real change I noticed from the original spec was a 20Gb HD, vs 10Gb in the first.

    --H

  2. I checked this out a couple days ago... by BFedRec · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It does look sleek and sexy, but not the most practical. It fills in where a power user needs a PDA, and it seems to have the function built in to become a desktop. But the problem is that it's filling a pretty small niche of people who want more than a PDA but less than a laptop. It's not practical to use this as you primary work travel PC as the keyboard is a thumb-board and isn't good for quick entry. It is an ultimate PDA... but you've got to be a pretty high-roller to spend two grand on your glorified PDA.
    Sadly it's probably a niche market item. I hope they find a way to make those innovations really work with a practical product, but I fear they'll be innovating in the field but not financially leading it. I'd love to try one out but don't see it as a practical addition to my tech tool belt.

    CharlesP

    --
    wordtrip.com
  3. Uses? by Dark+Lord+Seth · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Really, what are the uses of these kinds of tiny devices? Heck, for PDAs as well. They're nice toys but they lack power, easy of use and most importantly, a good use. I've only encountered a FEW situations that made me think "Yes, a PDA would be a good tool for this job." and that mostly involves truck drivers and route planners. For the rest I can't seem to find a use for these things. And I'm supposed to seel em for crying out loud.

    As I see it, TINY computers ( PDAs and these toys alike ) are like solutions waiting for a problem.

    --
    Hate me!