Keepin' it real fake, part CXXVII: OQO G900 mimics Palm Centro

Well it seems OQO is lowering raising the bar from the handset it appears to be aping by packing more goodies into its decidedly Centro-inspired set. The G900 features a 624MHz CPU, 128MB memory, quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE, a 2 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile 6.1, Bluetooth, and raises the bar with a dash of WiFi. Of course, this set may not find its way to a provider's shelves near you, but it's refreshing to see KIRF done right, and perhaps even done better for a change. Come on, sing it with us, Go OQO Go!

Update: As some readers have pointed out, this handset actually appears to be an OQO clone knocking off a Palm Centro, so yeah, it's just gotten better.

[Ian @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:32PM]

No, wait. They switched the numbers to the opposite side of the keyboard. That makes it 100% original.

/sarcasm

[Tohi @ Aug 3rd 2008 5:56AM]

Sean Cooper,

Please make the correction. This device is NOT put out by (US computer producer) OQO as suggested in the article. I have in my hands the OQO Model 02. The Logos of my device and this Chinese Clone do NOT match (Specifically, the font of the Q differs from the original).

You may want to clarify to avoid confusion.

[THJ @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:36PM]

Damn, I figured it was only a matter of time until the knock-off factories start 1-upping the originals. WMWifirouter + this would be a nice cheap pocket router.

[who? @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:38PM]

Crap level = same.

Before I get attacked- I put a movie on there (3GP) and it froze it after a minute of playing (brand new and all!). It sucks. Period. There isn't even a power button! I had to take the battery out to get it working again!

CENTRO = EPIC FAIL


BTW- Who was the genius at their HQ that decided to make it impossible to turn it off? Idiot... At least this fake has a power button.

[oki @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:51PM]

you are an idiot if you cant find the power button its the biggest button on the phone..

.. But i have an Iphone :-)

[who? @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:16PM]

YOU are the idiot! I swear to god, it is impossible to turn it off (short of removing or running down the battery).

That button is not the POWER button, because it doesn't turn the POWER off. You cannot turn the Palm Centro's power off.

The button you may be thinking of is the button turns off the PHONE. I suppose you could call it the PHONE button.

Speak not of that which you do not know.

Your reply = EPIC FAIL

[oki @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:25PM]

dont tell me i dont know the phone i worked for palm

, find out yourself how to turn it off

[who? @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:37PM]

Worked for Palm eh? I can see why they fired you... ;p

Just Google it- there is no way to turn the Centro's power off!

[Abuzar Baloach @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:38PM]

Actually, he is right. The Palm I had turned off the PHONE with the powerbutton, and put it in some sort of standby mode.

[who? @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:46PM]

@ Abuzar Baloach

Thank you, a voice of reason and intelligence at last!

Case closed folks, nothing to see here, move along....

[loosely_coupled @ Aug 3rd 2008 1:59AM]

ITs the same way with the Treo models --- you can't turn the damn things completely off without removing the battery!

[Za @ Aug 3rd 2008 2:13AM]

People would listen to you if you didn't sound like an rambling buffoon.

Okay, so:

I have a Palm Centro for Verizon, and was actually having this discussion today with a friend of mine who also has a Palm Centro for Verizon.

We established that the so called "power" button only turns the device on if the device is already off. So if the battery is placed in the phone for the first time, the button with the red markings on the far right will turn the thing on.

Once it is on, however, this button will not turn off the phone. If you hold it, the antennae shut off. Bluetooth as well as CDMA turns off. This is the equivalent of "off" as far as airplanes are concerned, for example. This means I can continue to use my calendar on a plane, or in a foreign country where I don't get service.

However, the statement is correct. There's no "off" power button anywhere on this thing, and I've looked. It may be buried in a menu, but there definitely is no "off" button, and so if the Palm were to lock, and mine hasn't since I got it several weeks ago, the only way to reset would be to remove and reseat the battery.

Thank you, and goodnight.

[nd @ Aug 3rd 2008 3:22PM]

Wow. Don't you guys get it? If the antennas are off and you tap the power button, then it goes into a standby mode. With no antennas on, this standby mode is basically as good as off. I took my Treo to the Boundary Waters for 8 days this way and used it as an alarm clock- still had like 1/2 a charge when I got back to land! No need for a true power off...

[who? @ Aug 3rd 2008 3:33PM]

@ nd

Wrong, it is not as good as a power button. Mine froze up, remember? Turning off the antenna doesn't do sh*t to help with that problem, does it Einstein?

Every device on EARTH should have a button to turn off the power of the device in case of malfunction, it's just common sense.

[Reader @ Aug 3rd 2008 4:50PM]

As stupid as it sounds, I think the power button is somewhat of a dying feature. I never turn my phone off really, I have silent mode if I want it quiet and airplane mode if I don't want any interference. Not that I'm making excuses for Palm, I don't have one, I just think it's not a terrible idea to not have a power button.

[who? @ Aug 3rd 2008 4:54PM]

@ Reader

What would you have us all do when our devices freeze up then? Take out the battery? No way that that is a sign of good technology.

There needs to be a reset button at the very least.

[Reader @ Aug 4th 2008 6:53AM]

Yeah I don't use smartphones, don't have a need for them, so I don't know what it's like to have your phone freeze.

[Watts @ Aug 4th 2008 11:01AM]

"What would you have us all do when our devices freeze up then? Take out the battery? No way that that is a sign of good technology.

There needs to be a reset button at the very least."

You shouldn't have to reset it often enough to require a button. I've had my Centro for 9 months, and have only had to reset it a few times. Taking the battery out is just as easy as sticking a paperclip into a recessed reset button like old Sony Clies. Would you want a reset button that was easy to hit (even by mistake)?

The sign of good technology is that it does not need a power off button besides the one for the phone.

[grull27 @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:39PM]

Why would you make a crappy imitation of an already-crappy phone?

[who? @ Aug 3rd 2008 12:35AM]

Amen brother!

[George @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:44PM]

If they can fit all that in a centro, why can't Palm?

[oki @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:52PM]

yeah seriously,

[JohnTitor @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:50PM]

well if you ask me it looks the same shape but bigger than a Centro, dare I ask for a VGA touch screen, if there's one company that knows how to pack everything into a device its OQO

[oki @ Aug 3rd 2008 1:34AM]

thats true isnt OQO the one with that one orange phone? that pretty much had everything in it?

[Lazarpandar @ Aug 3rd 2008 4:05AM]

OQO didn't even make the device, they don't make anything other than pocket sized computers.

This is actually pretty careless reporting, go to oqo.com and see if you can find anything on mobile phones. This has happened before too, its some chinese knockoff company

[Lazarpandar @ Aug 3rd 2008 4:06AM]

(the picture's website www.139yes.com should give it away anyhow)

[Chuck @ Aug 3rd 2008 2:17PM]

Who said Palm COULDN'T?

$100 bucks says this is over twice as expensive as the Centro.

[poematik14 @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:55PM]

Wow, first post of fail- in more ways than one.

[andres @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:59PM]

once again, if it was supposed to be an iphone, it would be called an iphone.

[Bleck @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:00PM]

Seriously, how do you pronounce "OQO"? I've been wasting 10 minutes of my life.. and Microsoft Bob really isn't helping..

[mike @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:03PM]

oh que oh perhaps?

[Bob @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:06PM]

You pronounce each letter... "oh cue oh"...

[Abuzar Baloach @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:40PM]

And even if you don't wont to pronounce each letter, it's easy to pronounce the name.

Oh KO.

[Jhongerkong @ Aug 3rd 2008 1:57AM]

ookoo

[Benson @ Aug 18th 2008 12:46PM]

Oak-Woe!

[chung @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:01PM]

Am I the only one who thinks this one looks better than the original?

[tartis99 @ Aug 3rd 2008 9:18PM]

The Centro was intended to be a LOW end phone for $99. You could try a Palm Treo 800w. I own one and it is sweet.

[pheer6224 @ Sep 14th 2008 5:14AM]

Nope, the edges are less rounded, you know, for adults.

[Graham @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:09PM]

I have a centro and after looking at that Im actually quite the jealous. The winmo6 and wifi really turns me on. Something that my palm is dire need of.

[TheGasMan @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:14PM]

Buy an 800w.

[Bob @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:09PM]

They make a mean pocket computer... Runs Vista and everything... You could probably even use it as a phone if you had Sprint or Verizon because you could get an unlimited data plan and install Skype on the thing and get unlimited calling... I thought about getting one, but haven't done it quite yet.

http://www.oqo.com/

[iofthestorm @ Aug 3rd 2008 1:42AM]

Yeah, the Model 02 is pretty nice looking but the Model 01 and 01+ sucked. But I'm surprised this isn't on OQO's website, so maybe it's a knockoff of Centro made by a company stealing OQO's name? Oh, the tech-drama.

[Ayle @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:13PM]

Hum I don't see any centro in there... It reminded me of another device( I forgot exactly which) but certainly not something from palm...

[Za @ Aug 3rd 2008 2:15AM]

Have you never seen a Centro before? I own one and did a double-take. The qwerty kbb is different but the resemblance is undeniable.

[nickbr00tality @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:15PM]

that actually doesn't look bad

[Able-X @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:29PM]

This....actually looks pretty decent. I'd actually consider buying one of these, as while my blackberry is awesome, there's some functions i miss from my old Windows Mobile PDA's.

[jormundgondir @ Aug 2nd 2008 11:31PM]

Keeping it fake, for real: that's not even made by OQO, the Q in the logo is wrong. Another Chinese manufacturer taking advantage of what little name recognition that have, I imagine, and not the first time ;-)

[Chris M @ Aug 3rd 2008 12:04AM]

looks more like a 800w to me

[Johan S @ Aug 3rd 2008 12:08AM]

When are the chinese manufacturers going to stop doing this blatant cloning thing? If they can hire people to clone the look .. how hard is it to make your own model? Is it really that much more expensive?

I know there are some in China who don't follow this practice .. I guess the others need a cultural shift ASAP.

[Gene @ Aug 3rd 2008 7:44AM]

not unitil nobody buys, is it possible? get real, dude~ and take the advantage (rip-off rocks on the price!!!)