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Updated OQO Model 01+ with USB 2.0 and More RAM
xanthines-R-yummy writes "OQO has announced the availability of the OQO Model 01+. The new model has more RAM and USB 2.0, which were probably the main deficiencies in Model 01." They now start just short of $2k but they still look very yummy.
Please, i need one :)
being a blatant slashvertisment (I mean, there's not even an article about it, it's just a link to OQO's website), this doesn't really seem all that impressive. Especially in the $2000 range, when for that price I can have a decent desktop PC (with better specs than this thing) AND a decent PDA. Do people in "healthcare and public safety" really need this sort of computing power at their fingertips all the time? And if so, shouldn't there be a better way to give it to them then that horrific looking mini-keyboard? Of course, I'm biased, I suppose.
Going back to school for entry-level jobs?
According to TFA, it's 4.9x3.4x.9 inches, which as far as I can tell doesn't leave a whole lot of room for batteries. Considering that it's running a 1Ghz processor, and a fairly sizeable full color display for a portable, that has to be draining on the battery. I mean, it looks exceptionally cool, but I don't think I'd want one if I had to recharge it every hour.
If you're looking here for something insightful or thought provoking, you're probably looking in the wrong place.
Now, what the hell is an OQO? The writeup was a litle* lacking
* little = completely missing any and all relevant information. didn't want to waste time doing a real writeup, eh?
I don't know about you guys, but I am curious to know if its been hacked to run Linux (pick your distro)...
I'd rather have a nice Zaurus like the C3000 then.
It is the only computer you need.
I was wondering how this works if you need more than the 800x480 resolution built-in monitor. However, I checked the specs and you can get video out of up to 1280x1024 VGA. It would be nice if it had DVI out.
Bradley Holt
For quite a bit less you can get a real laptop like the Dell Latitude X1. This one is also very small and light but has a real keyboard. This machine is _smaller_ than A4, weighs only 1.1 kg and runs linux very well.
DNA is the ultimate spaghetti code.
Of course, the downside is that it's kind of pricey. But, given what else is out there, it seems to sit nicely among its peers -- it costs more, but it seems to offer a lot more as well.
I have a small portable video device, an Archos 420, and while I got it pretty much just for the portable video and photo abilities, I do know it would be nice to hop on the internet for various reasons without having to stow my laptop -- after all, that's why I got the small portable video thing in the first place.
Something like this that not only can play video, but also surf the web and do pretty much anything a decent computer can do is great for portability. But kudos to the company for an ultra-small, high-functionality computer that doesn't skimp.
A colleague of mine purchased an OQO to test in our work environment, and though it worked well overall, the MAJOR shortcoming was its VERY limited WiFi range. We could not hit access points with the OQO that we could easily hit with several PalmOS and PocketPC PDAs. This was a real deal killer, because of its limited range.
Also, while its all-in-one cable was nice for travel purposes (minimizing what you have to carry) it was cumbersome on the desktop. We would have rather seen a nice docking station/cradle instead of the kludgy "friction-hold" stand/all-on-one cable combination.
It is certainly a stunning and elegant device, but it still needs some improvements here and there.
My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
No, seriously. I've commented to them and asked a number of times whether it supports Linux; and until it does, I will stick with my Zaurus. (Actually I only have a C860, no 4GB microdrive or whatever, but I don't come close to needing more than the gigs of SD I have.)
Linux is not just a gee whiz thing in the palm. Having all your full-blown apps in your palm is far, far more useful than any stripped-down PDA apps could be. Firefox? Check. Thunderbird? Check. GIMP? Check. Nethack? Doom? ScummVM? Vim? Emacs? GCC? Perl? Python? Ruby? Checkcheckcheckcheck...
Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
640K ought to be enough for anybody.
(This is a serious question. I'm curious to know)
Now, don't misunderstand me. Those machines look amazing, and I would love to get my hands on one. But, apart from the initial 5-minute infatuation, I think I would simply place it in a drawer, where I would eventually forget that it ever existed. But, maybe that's just me.
I seem to remember OQO showing prototypes of (back then) incredibily small PCs four or five years ago. It seems that their products have taken too long to materialize, and in the mean time the rest of the industry has really started to catch up with them. In the end, I believe their target market is too small; most folks will be happy purchasing a Dell that's 25% larger but less than 50% of the price -- and all the time, the trend of miniaturization across the entire segment marches onward. OQO will become a small footnote in the history of laptops -- a great idea, but too long on the drawing board and not to market soon enough.
I demo'd one of their 01 models a few months back and signed a nice NDA that prevented me from discussing this newer Model 01. What's missed in the announcement is that the older, original 01's also got a free wifi antenna upgrade and from 802.11b to 802.11b/g. This change was emailed out about 2 or 3 months ago when OQO Ebay'd a charity OQO, but this means that the 01+ now has the extra RAM & disk storage, plus USB 2.0, but *also* an upgraded radio. Many, many people had complained about poor, directional issues with the original 802.11b radio/antenna.
:)
Engadget also covered this and mentioned the Model 02 that they hope to see soon. My NDA bars me from discussing this, but since Engadget spilled the beans, let's just say that I was told there'd be an "upgraded Model 01" before the end of the year and a newer Model 02 out before the end of quarter 2 next year. The Model 02 should have some significant updates including *possibly* having a different CPU instead of the Transmeta among other things. Considering the Model 01+ actually happened, I can only hope the Model 02 will be forthcoming as well.
I for one didn't get the Model 01 simply because I steer clear of the first generation of new devices like this. The unit I demo'd confirmed why I didn't buy one. The upgraded 01+ looks appealing, but I'll probably hold out for the Model 02 sometime next year. But once I get it, I'll be a happy man... I'll have a Treo 650 (Palm-based, not a Winblows version) in one pocket and my OQO in the other.
http://blog.mobileoptimized.com/
http://mobileoptimized.com/
I can get a Sony Vaio TX with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a 60 gig drive, and a real keyboard that weighs 2.75 pounds. No, it won't fit in my pocket, but it will fit in anything I carry around. It also has the two holy grails of /. It will run Linux, and it is liquid cooled. :-)
No, I don't own one, and I don't work for Sony.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
It's a standard x86 PC with a Wacom tablet built in. There are no magic wismos here.
+++ATH0
I hear the Model 01++ will feature that neat 6.8 Ghz optical-quantum technology. They probably won't be able to fit a terabyte of ram, but I'm hoping for at least 512 GB.
Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. --Nietzsche
you're all complaining about this, that, and the other, but you're missing the most important part: It's cool and you cant afford one. Thats why you are blasting it. Nobody needs a computer. Nobody needs a PDA. Nobody needs a fullsize anything. You need food, water, and shelter. Anything else is a luxury, and this is just one of the many things on the list of james bond like gadgets that you want, but wont admit because you've spent your money on the food, water, and shelter.
The basic idea behind OQO is to fill the gap between laptop and PDA. MS came out with tablet pc, but the jury is still out on that one. I personally would like to see something like a "Mini Laptop" that has the following essential features:
#1 Rectangular landscape screen about 4" x 8" in size, with a keyboard about the same size so the Mini Laptop can be snapped shut into a compact case no bigger than a 6" x 9" 300-page hardcover book.
#2 Runs full Windows, or Apple, or Linux operation system.
#3 Priced under $1,000.
Then perhaps I'll consider buying one.
Sun and Fun
If you are like me, the first thing you did is to check and see if Linux runs on it...
Linux Devices Review
Tuxmobil list of successful installs
and
Handtops guide to installing Debian
Note:
It is also possible to make it a dual boot (of course!), just in case you actually wanted XP.