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.

Besides...

[demondawn]

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.

Great, I've got to have one!

[Roofus]

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?

a really cute laptop

[oever]

For quite a bit less you can get a real laptop like the Dell Latitude X1 [stud.ntnu.no]. 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.

Pretty cool

[EggyToast]

Now that it has more RAM and storage space, it really is a pretty sweet pocket computer. I especially like that it has both USB and Firewire, as a nod that it can function quite well as a portable device and a full computer in its own right. Very attractive for anyone looking for an ultra-portable laptop that's not totally gimped.

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.

Re:Besides...

[BHS_Turf]

It is not a slashvertisment because it runs a Transmeta CPU. Anything that SlashGod Linus has touched is relevant to everyone that reads Slashdot. The news is that the device has been improved, and makes Linus' work look even better.

Not to troll, but ...

[SilicaiMan]

... what would the average slashdotter need such a machine for?
(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.

For that price...

[Kozar_The_Malignant]

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.

What "hack?"

[StarKruzr]

It's a standard x86 PC with a Wacom tablet built in. There are no magic wismos here.

Re:Great, I've got to have one!

[Minwee]

Despite being so widely covered, I have never heard of it.

Would it have been that hard to call it an "Itty Bitty Computer" in the writeup, instead of linking to a slashdotted site and assuming that everybody knows all about it?

Re:Besides...

[interiot]

Engadget says it's cool [google.com]. I say it's cool. Wired thinks it's cool [google.com]. Digg thinks it's cool [google.com].

I can understand that if you don't think it's cool, that your initial impression might be that this is a Slashvertisement. But I think it's established that it has somewhat wide appeal (not necessarily practical appeal, I don't know how many of these people linking to it are actually forking over the $2000 for one, but they still like to drool). At the very least, it's unlikely that Taco had to receive money to post this.

quit complaining.

[TenLow]

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.

Mini Laptop

[Sundroid]

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.

Re:Besides...

[jjshoe]

does healthcare needs this? quick answer, yes.

you're out in the field several buildings from your desk, how do you look up the remedy ticket to make sure you're in the right room when your shop has gone paperless? right now you're stuck finding a desktop or opening up a clunky laptop. you can't use a palm sized device because the screen size/resolution can't handle displaying something like a remedy ticket. there are a zillion and one more situations like this.

Battery life was the problem, still is

[Anonymous Coward]

The biggest drawback to the the 01 model was battery life. It only runs for 3 hours, about what a standard laptop does. What is so great about a device that is finally small enough to carry around and use all day when YOU CAN'T CARRY IT AROUND AND USE IT ALL DAY!!!??? When it dies with an hour to go before lunch and you have to leave it on your desk charging over lunchtime, then it dies again before you even start the commute home, what the heck good is that?