Next OQO handheld PC could have cellular capability
By Conrad Quilty-Harper 
posted Oct 22nd 2006 12:15PM
posted Oct 22nd 2006 12:15PM
Jon Fortt over at The Utility Belt has been informed by "someone who would know" that the next iteration of the OQO will feature cellular capabilities, along with other improved specifications including a brighter screen, a better keyboard, more RAM, and a larger hard drive, all at the same price as the current model -- um, can anyone say Osborne Effect? With the addition of some form of wide area wireless network access, the OQO would become even more of a "middle" (subnotebook / ultra-UMPC / über-smartphone) device than it already is, and since we're in an indulgent mood, we could even envisage a time when cellphone carriers give the OQO the most glorious feature of all: subsidies. That prospect, dear ladies and gentlemen, gives you one more reason to mark your calendar for the start of the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8, as Mr. Fortt was told this was when the new OQO is to be unveiled.[Via Handtops]
hopefully they have also fixed the overheating problems the first one had.
They got fired from Apple.
Now, if only it came with Mac OS instead of Windows
real funny
That would be pretty cool. I have had the opportunity to use an OQO extensively, and they are pretty cool machines. They are small enough that people have a difficult time grasping the fact that they are a full-fledged ("regular") computer. Also, the two OQO's that I have used could get pretty hot, but they never overheated.
Now, if only it came with Ubuntu
It doesn't need to "come with Ubuntu". It's fully capable PC so you can just install Ubuntu on it. Or any Linux flavor for that matter.
If this has proper battery time I'm sold even if it's double the current price.
Yeah, can't you boot/install Linux from a USB thumbdrive? That'd be perfect for this thing.
solution to the overheating problem: replace the HDD with an HHD or a NAND SSD, and slightly underclock the CPU, or replace it with a more energy efficient architecture. It'll help the battery a lot, too.
this thing with EVDO Rev. A would be a dream. but the battery would cry for mercy. and those other features sound good too, but for a PDA sized laptop, how much better of a keyboard do you want? 4x4px OLED keys like an optimus micro 113?
reasons I like VAIO UX better than current generation OQO, and would gladly save up for an OQO if the next gen has these:
NAND SSD instead of hard drive
fingerprint reader
camera
black paintjob
...and EVDO wouldn't hurt.
I don't think you've used an OQO or you'd know that it has one of the most efficient processors made (transmeta crusoe) and it uses a variable clock rate that changes with demands of the cpu, so you don't simply underclock it, it underclocks itself... Its fan can be controlled, and while it does get warm, the fan can be set at a higher rate to keep it relatively cool. But it doesn't get as hot as the MacBook Pro (also sitting here in the lab with me)
The biggest problems with the OQO are:
- Keyboard lacks lighting and keys don't give a lot of feedback
- Stylus Digitizer can't access the screen edges properly and doesn't work when resolution changes the one larger than the screen
- Wireless 802.11 is very sensitive to positioning of the device
- Because of the cpu, it sometimes performs poorly
- Graphics chipset is very bad...3d capabilities are a joke
- the screen is very dim and can't be brightened to an acceptable level
Other than that, its not a bad little device. I have one sitting right here, along with a Vaio UX180p and a Vaio UGN-V71P and both of those kick its butt in performance and usability, but neither is quite as portable.
WHAT IS THE CAP LOCK KEY?
"...reasons I like VAIO UX better than current generation OQO..."...
...obviously don't include size. I don't know if you've used the UX yet, but it is chunky as all heck. "OOOOOOOOWWWW it's a BRICK...HOUSE!" Heavy on the BRICK.
But other than that, the UX is pretty cool. And by cool I mean HOT. It too heats up to uncomfortable temps (though afai could tell, not dangerously so)
C'mon Flipstart! WHERE ARE YOU MAN ?!?!?!?!?
I second Ken Walker.
It would be more interesting with Mac OS.
Don't know how do-able the keyboard is though? I find the Sony UX series terrible to type & I can't get used to that track button.
Does anyone know of a way to get the Intel Mac OS running on this or on those Sony ultramobile PCs? Is that even possible?
nice
I'm furious at OQO. I bought my Model 15 weeks ago, and it has been having lock-up problems since the day I received it. It's still under the 1-year warranty, so I thought I was covered, right? Well, it turns out that their tech supports is very unreliable. In retrospect, I *should* have returned it within the 30-day money back guarrantee and suffered the 15% restocking fee, but it's far too late for that now.
I've re-imaged it twice myself, and for the past 15 weeks, have been following OQO tech support's instructions in trying to figure out the issue. I've even sent it in for repair, and all they did was add scratches to it, and send it back to me still broken! I've been paying $60/month on top of that to Sprint, for a device that I cannot use for more than 15 minutes before it locks up!
Because of all of this, I recently asked for a return-for-credit, or at least allow me to upgrade to the newer model (I offered to pay the difference), but after 20 days, I got denied. They're saying that I'm effectively stuck with this broken unit, but that they're willing to re-image it themselves (never mind that they've already scratched it up)!
I'm fed up with this. 15 weeks of this is enough. I urge you to heed this warning and STAY AWAY from OQO! Even if you get a unit that works properly right out of the box, if anything goes wrong with it, you're likely to get tremendous headaches dealing with their tech support/customer support.
Furiously,
-Dan.
PS: I'll keep updating this website with the full transcripts of my conversations with OQO at: http://dan.bourque.googlepages.com/oqotroubles
Cheers,
-Dan.