A little-known company called OQO has unveiled
what it calls the world's first "ultra-personal" computer, a PC the size of a
handheld computer but with the power  of a full-size desktop.
The OQO is a fully functional wireless PC powered by a Crusoe
TM5800 processor that runs at up to 1 GHz and uses the
Windows XP Professional
operating system.
The modular product can be converted into either a
desktop or laptop. Measuring 4.9 by 2.9 by .9 inches, the OQO weighs less than
nine ounces and can fit easily into a shirt pocket, according to its designers.
Power in Your Pocket
Small peripherals currently on the market,
such as Palm handhelds
and Microsoft Pocket PC-powered devices,
are extensions of full-size PCs and must be synchronized with them.
But OQO executives said their first product
is a full-fledged, standalone PC that can be carried around as easily as
a deck of cards.
"We wanted an ultra-personal computer that you always carry but
that was still powerful enough to be your only PC," OQO CEO Jory Bell
said in a statement issued at a Microsoft conference, where the product
was unveiled. "We sought a device that incorporates wireless access as
a central idea to the whole mobile experience."
Price: About $1,000
When inserted into an OQO-designed enclosure, the miniature PC
becomes a notebook computer. When placed in a cradle and connected
to a standard screen and keyboard, it becomes a desktop PC.
The OQO features full Web browsing with Internet Explorer and has a
four-inch "super bright" VGA color LCD -- about the same size as a Palm screen.
It also has a Synaptics touch-screen, 256 MB of memory, a 10 GB
hard drive, a USB port, audio and
Bluetooth wireless technology. It runs
for three to eight hours on battery power, depending on how it is being used.
The company said it is still negotiating with manufacturers but
expects the first machines will become available in the second half of
2002. The devices are expected to sell for about $1,000.
Whole New Category?
OQO claimed the product represents a new PC category
that could transform personal computing in the same way that cell phones
revolutionized telecommunications.
"I've been an advocate for modular computers for three years now,
and every time we've done a survey with IT folks, the largest percentage
have said that if somebody can build this right, they'd buy it," Giga Information Group
analyst Rob Enderle, who has seen a non-running prototype of the machine, told
NewsFactor. (continued...)
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