OQO Examined

D4C5CE writes "The vapor solidifies... After years of waiting and an appearance at CES early this year, some people have finally had the opportunity to try an OQO 'Model 01 ultra personal computer (uPC)' at CeBIT America, and published this report. The device is available to a few lucky pilot customers, but for the rest of us they still won't be shipping before this fall, and they have yet to beat the Zaurus line (hopefully also with wireless connectivity in its clamshell versions soon - Are you listening, Sharp?) to justify a $1500+ price tag."

my thoughts

[mandalayx]

Before you ask "Why?", I listened to a presentation of OQO's business plans and was told that they're aiming for a market of CEOs and folks like pharmaceutical reps (i.e. NOT slashdot readers).

I would be worried, though, about the plan to underproduce in the first year. I think they're going for something like the PT Cruiser, where undersupply is supposed to generate immense demand. I personally don't think that it will be a winning idea for OQO. Maybe for the iPod mini. But one of their competitive advantages is being "first-to-market" (in this particular product space of the ultra-portable) and they'd lose that if they tried to artificially underproduce.

I was told that the price will be $1500 and that it would beta on first-class seats of trans-Atlantic flights this fall. But of course that could all change. These signs all point OQO trying to position itself as a luxury product and thus wouldn't do so well in the mass market.

Interestingly, the presenters suggested that customers would have a desktop, laptop, AND an OQO (i.e. an OQO would not be a replacement for a laptop). I wonder if that is too many gadgets. Personally I will be going for a full featured ultralight laptop (IBM X31 and Sharp MM20 come to mind) instead for that price.

Awesome device

[lancomandr]

Finally this this thing is coming out. I sure have been waiting for a while. Its hard to find a device with the right combination of connectivity media, good input interface, powerful enough hardware, but in a very mobile form factor. I have an eNote Lite, AKA the Lindows MobilePC, which is a pretty damn small machine. However I still have to pull it out and boot it up etc. I tried an iPaq but solely Bluetooth didn't cut it, and text input was too hard. The OQO is something I could take with me in my pocket when I don't want to bring a bag, be always ready to go, has a full qwerty keyboard albeit awkward looking, and with hardware that packs a punch. The only other thing I could ask for is telephone, but thats going a little overboard. $1,500 might seem a little steep, but I'd definately shell it out for this seemingly perfect solution to all my problems.

I agree with the Sharp comment

[Bodhammer]

If Sony can sell the TH-55 with WiFi (and also bluetooth in Europe) for $300 (which I assume there is a software cost for Palm OS) why can't Sharp release a Zaurus Clamshell with WiFi for US even at twice that cost?

Now that Sony is leaving the US market by pulling the Clie, maybe Sharp will get their shit together...

Re:Awesome device

[Amiga Lover]

The only other thing I could ask for is telephone, but thats going a little overboard. $1,500 might seem a little steep, but I'd definately shell it out for this seemingly perfect solution to all my problems.

I'm with you there. Predicting whether this particular machine will be a success is a bit iffy. It's pricey, the specs may be a bit behind due to the time it's taken to come to market, but to me the concept is all there. Why have a different OS (XP vs WinCE) on a desktop and a handheld when the tech is there for both to use the same for *most* users? No reason.

Consistency is king, and this concept has it. It's just needed an implementation.

Apple

[WasterDave]

As soon as Apple make one, my PowerBook's for sale.

You listening? Are you? It simplifies the battery life problem, it simplifies the 'supply of large LCDs' problem, I don't care that the performance is not all that good (provided it's still a G4). I want one. I will give you money for it.

Dave

PDA vs UPC

[kakos]

The comparison with the Sharp Zaurus is sort of stupid. The OQO is meant to be a compact PC, not a personal digital assistant. Comparing them is somewhat stupid.

However, if you must compare them, I think the OQO is light years ahead of the Zaurus. 1 GHz processor, lots of RAM, 10 GB HDD, Firewire, Full-size USB, the ability to run non-embedded OS, etc. I'm personally going to be very willing to shell out $1500+ for one of these. Being able to carry an actual PC (not a quasi-PC) in my pocket is beautiful.

better than my palm, methinks

[ErichTheWebGuy]

It looks only slightly bigger (I have a Palm VIIx) which I hafta keep in my laptop case, it's not very portable at all and I am pretty unhappy with it in general... But that's a different story.

Hell, this here little beauty could replace both the laptop and the palm. Now, instead of carrying a briefcase around, which holds my laptop, power supply, net cards (802.11, ethernet, modem [winmodem builtin :( ]), portable kb for the palm, etc etc... I can carry this cool device on my hip (?) and be just as productive while I am mobile as when I was carrying that big bag of shit around.

What's the answer?

[JessLeah]

"Oh Kwo"? "Oh koh"? "Ock oh"? "Oh Queue Oh"?

Nice Features

[klausner]

I can see this as a PDA and laptop replacement for guys like me who use both. Looks like the PDA market is going to crater in the next year anyway. They have just about all the right features [blogspot.com] except for 802.11g. I particularly like the accelerometer to protect the hard drive.

I think they got the size wrong.

[Gldm]

I dunno, 4.9x3.4x0.9" seems just a little too big to fit in my pocket if you ask me. So it's too big for pockets but too small for a real keyboard or anything.

If you're going into the $1500 price class, you'll need to take on things like Acer's c110 10.4" tablet PC [acer.com]. It's in the same priceclass, has equal or better specs (what's the battery life on the OQO anyway?), and is still smaller than an 8.5x11 sheet of paper and around an inch thick. I'm betting the pen support is better and the ULV centrino will really give the transmeta chip in the OQO a run for the money. Plus I'm betting the RAM and HD are more expandable.

There just doesn't seem to be a realistic compromise between size and function right now, and one of the main reasons why is we're still too keyboard-centric with interfaces. It's just really hard to do even a modest text document on anything the size of a PDA or this thing. Voice recognition keeps being touted as the holy grail and end of all these problems but where is it? I remember VR demos from the 486 days, you can't tell me a 200-400mhz PDA can't manage that much horsepower.

What I'd really like to see is disjointed systems. With bluetooth finally hitting mainstream I want to see a PDA that can autodetect when I've got some portable storage device or HD based mp3 player in my backpack and mount the volume automaticly. If they had that, you wouldn't need much more space on the PDA than just the OS, everything else you could keep on multipurpose portable drives.

Sony delivered already

[my1wong]

Now that we have Sony Vaio Type U [sony.co.jp], I wonder why this OQO took so long to design/produce/whatever!

I have seen Sony Vaio Type U in person. They are sold in shops already. And obviously, the Sony Vaio is more appealing.

BTW, OQO's weight is 14oz (or 397g). Sony Vaio Type U is 550g.

Re:my thoughts

[vocaro]

Interestingly, the presenters suggested that customers would have a desktop, laptop, AND an OQO (i.e. an OQO would not be a replacement for a laptop)

Odd, because if you watch the promo video on their site, the final words are: "It's the only computer you need." It also makes a big deal out of OQO's docking station, saying that it "eliminates the need to sync or use other operating systems." Clearly, OQO's marketers aren't sure how they want to target this thing.

Of course, if OQO only runs Windows XP, it is certainly not the only computer I need. ;)

Trevor

Re:my thoughts

[PhotoBoy]

I think it's also being aimed at evil international terrorists who want to release chemical weapons. Well the terrorist in the lastest season of 24 had one anyway, he even used it to escape from Jack Bauer!

Re:Sony delivered already

[legion9]

Of course the Sony is more refined, but the most redeeming features of the OQO are not even being realized (those features that are part of the IBM MetaPad design from which this is licensed) and that is that it is a truly modular piece of computing hardware. The computer can be removed from the LCD and be inserted into a desktop cradle or you can swap functionality by moving it to a different type of system (say slipping it into a car system.) The design is meant for the computing power to all be contained in a brick-like device that can be moved anywhere. That's where it differs from other pieces of hardware. In its current form of a small-laptop/PDA device, it's limited. In that case, the Sony U series has it clearly beat.

Well, Jack Bauer Had One

[stecker]

The Fox TV show 24 [fox.com] has been a paid-placement bonanza for interesting tech gear for a while. An OQO was used by the CTU (for non-24 fans, that's the "Counter Terrorism Unit") pretty heavily in hours 20 or 21 this year (Season 3). I'm pretty sure that the screens it was throwing off were dummied up, but the hardware was unmistakable. In season 1, there were so many Apple computers used, that it seemed at times like an Apple commercial. In season 2 (and even the previews for season 2), a new Powermac G5 showed up just after they were announced, but before the time that anyone but the Pope and Steve Jobs himself actually had their hands on one.

I've been dying for one since the announcement, and will be first in line to try one (to complement my laptop, multiple desktops and army of servers that I have). Then again, I was first in line to buy a new Newton, the first Linux Zaurus, and the original Rio MP3 player.

I suppose I'm one of the 50,000 suckers [handheldco...rdepot.com] that Handspring co-founder Donna Dubinsky described by saying in a talk I once heard as "50,000 people will buy anything. Talk talk to me once you've sold 200,000." (my weak-memory paraphrase).

Not feeling it....

[PierceLabs]

The device seems to be priced beyond the PDA market so the average person using it would be expecting more functionality than it provides (i.e. laptop capability). But if a CEO really wanted a portable system do they really want a stripped down laptop that is still laptop size or do they want something like the Treo 600? Its smaller, its a phone, and it has the nice data connectivity options all for a fraction of the price.

Now perhaps people really DO want to carry around something this big, but it escapes me as to what they would really want to do with it. Devices in this smaller factor seem to be more suited to trimmed versions of large applications for viewing and light updating/editing of data as opposed to being full time PC replacements. I'll bet good money that by the time this device really hits mass production, there will be better smart phone style devices out there which will offer MUCh more utility while having their costs subsidized by cell phone companies and being overall more useful to the end user.

zaurus owner running to Archos

[sPaKr]

Have you seen the new Archos AV500? Its arm just like the zaurus, should be run openzuarus roms with a few hacks. but it has an 40GB drive.. and soon a 80Gb drive. Supports TV caputer and mpeg4 (D)encoding. Now that rocks. It doesnt have the keyboard, but for an 80Gb drive with a full running linux system Ill suffer the keyboard. Im just waitng for a full mandrake arm port now that would rock!

Linux compatibility?

[JessLeah]

"The OQO Model 01 ultra personal computer (uPC) is a fully-functional Windows XP computer."

Yet another wonderful toy being sold with the word "Windows" plastered all over its site, just because that's necessary to sell anything nowadays...

I remember an old joke that stated, basically, that Apple could come up with an amazing computer that fits in your pocket, is more powerful than a supercomputer, and makes your penis bigger, but the first question people would ask is "Yes, but does it run Windows?"

Will this thing be Linuxable/BSDable?

Are you listening, Sharp?

[pbryan]

Of course. Sharp's entire Zaurus business model is based on the rantings of Slashdot posters. That's probably why IBM also jumped on board and distributed the Zaurus under their own brand. They're building street cred.