PDA and Subnotebook Killer? 250
Purdah writes "I found this site with a description of a new type of palm sixed PC. It runs windows and would be great for mobile uses like music and movies (says it can store 3 movies).
Extracts below are from the official website: complete Windows XP wireless handheld computer, cradle to dock with a keyboard and monitor, transforming the OQO to a full feature desktop machine, media player mode with enough memory for 1000 songs or three feature length movies, optimization for cool running and miserly power consumption" Looks a little vaporous to me, as well as thick.
But there's an awful lot of potential if they get it right.
Killer app? (Score:2, Interesting)
Cell phone... arrrg! (Score:2, Interesting)
I still insist that the ultimate device would be an iPod with a screen that runs the full length of the device with cell phone and pda technology.
Price? (Score:2, Interesting)
"It's not available yet, and Oqo doesn't expect to manufacture its devices on its own, so it has said nothing about a ballpark price for the units."
Does anybody have any realistic estimate for what these will cost?
(That quote is from the Forbes.com article here [forbes.com], btw)
Enormous potential (Score:3, Interesting)
On the site they mention you'll be able to get a Laptop shell accessory that you slide the oQo into, instantly making it a full-keyboard full-monitor laptop. In the corporate world it may be cheaper to buy everyone one of these rather than buying everyone a full blown desktop workstation, laptop computer, and PDA device.
Also it's built by some former Apple engineers (probably ones who worked on the iPod) which makes me hopefull that it won't be just vapourware.
Specs (Score:5, Interesting)
Well ignoring the first part, lets get some perspective on this:
The OQO is:
My only concern is the battery life? What do you reckon? 45 minutes tops?
And of course the insane price this will be.
maybe something new..? (Score:1, Interesting)
Did we post this one - I can't remember..
Ridding the World of Vaporware (Score:1, Interesting)
The value of small video (Score:3, Interesting)
Every time I watch a movie on the small screens in airplanes, I feel like I'm staring through a keyhole. It seems to me that in order for a new product to be successful, (in general, discounting the monopoly and marketing advantages some companies enjoy) it has to offer something better by a noticable factor than previous products.
All the efforts to squeeze video onto palmtops, cellphones, and so on seem to be missing the point that the user experience is really crappy on these things.
The genius of the iPod, imo, is that it makes listening to music easier. Downloading, sorting, and selecting the tunes you want to listen to is easier than with competing players. It might not be by a huge factor, but the accumulation of slight advantages here and there results in a superior product.
Shrinking video down to such a small size may seem akin to putting video games on a Gameboy screen, but I think it's different. Movies are not made for such small screens, whereas Gameboy titles are specifically produced for the screen size used for display.
I'm skeptical that this will ever appeal to anything but a limited audience.
not to replace PDA (Score:2, Interesting)