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OQO posts

Unreleased OQO model 2+ sells for $4,500 on eBay, must be love

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 15th 2009 at 8:12AM

We may be gadget nerds but we're not immune to the heart-tugs of romance. In fact, we've been known to dress a new smartphone or two in a tight-fitting sleeve of silicone and set it conspicuously on the bar for lesser men to admire, wishing it was theirs. And nothing rouses a man to a fit of sentimental flourish faster than the premature demise of his favorite company. So are we surprised to learn that r***r paid $4,500 to "win" a slightly soiled, but never released OQO Model 2+? Not in the least... you'd be surprised to learn what a man would pay for a Foleo.

[Thanks, Lambdajones]

RIP, OQO: company discontinues repair service, disconnects phone lines

by Ross Miller posted May 21st 2009 at 6:09PM

It wasn't without a lot of warning signs, but still we're sad to see the hammer drop. It looks like Model 2+ maker OQO has officially closed up shop, and according to a statement on the OQOTalk forums, it cannot offer any more repair or service support due to "financial constraints." All our attempts to contact the company have come up with disconnected numbers and undeliverable email notifications, so yeah, we think it's safe to call it now. And to think, this very day last year its little UMPC had expanded into the world of GPS navigation. Shed a tear, won't ya?

Update: GottaBeMobile stumbled upon SVP of sales and marketing Bob Rosin -- outside one of the writer's garages, apparently -- who confirmed the company's demise, and added that the technology and engineering team might stay afloat should a deal with an undisclosed PC vendor pan out. That said, there are no more devies left in stock and don't expect anymore to be produced.

OQO Model 2s suffering from failing main boards?

by Nilay Patel posted May 10th 2009 at 3:17AM

Times are pretty tough for OQO fans -- the struggling company appears to be on the brink of collapse, the Model 2+ is unlikely to be produced, and now we're hearing that main board failures on Model 2s that have shipped are distressingly common. That's at least the word according to the OQOtalk forum, whose members are currently gathering data on the situation -- and the early trends sadly reveal that the 1.6GHz model is extremely prone to failure. Of course, it's not exactly the most scientific poll in the world, but you wouldn't expect such harsh results from users on a fansite unless something was up. Given OQO's current travails, we don't know if this will ever get resolved, but let's hope so.

[Via Gadget Mix]

Model 2+ production seen as "unlikely," says OQO exec

by Ross Miller posted Apr 24th 2009 at 10:02PM

The chances of seeing Model 2+'s release seems dimmer and dimmer, as online retailer Build Your UMPC has joined eXpansys in canceling pre-orders for the Model 2+. OQO's senior VP Bob Rosin confirmed bad news, saying a firm shipping date was partly the reason behind the vendor's decision. Furthermore, he said that it was "unlikely" any more Model 2+ units would be produced, though not indicating how many were currently manufactured and ready to go. Worried about the company's future? Yeah, us, too.

OQO looking for buyer, Model 2+ future in limbo?

by Ross Miller posted Apr 14th 2009 at 2:17AM

Oh no, OQO. According to some chatter on the OQOTALK forums, the company's in dire financial straits and is looking to sell, and that the Model 2+ may be the last OQO device made, if it ever gets released. More worrisome, European retailer eXpansys is reportedly canceling orders for the MID and removing all the company's products from the site, due to what it's telling customers is "uncertainties to stock availability." Ouch. Whatever's going on, right now it's not sounding too good -- guess that Model 2+ Lie to Me cameo wasn't enough to rile up overwhelming support.

Read - jkontherun
Read - OQOTALK forums

Screen Grabs: OQO Model 2+ makes lunchtime appearance on 'Lie To Me'

by Tim Stevens posted Jan 30th 2009 at 9:09AM

Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.

Screen Grabs: Intel OQO makes lunchtime appearance on Lie To Me

Oh Brendan Hines, you're so dreamy with that scruffy beard, curly hair that just can't be tamed, and propensity to whip out random gadgets at inappropriate times on Lie to Me. In the last episode Brendan's character Eli Loker was waving OQO's Model 2+ around at lunch like a wine list, the MID playing the role of voice stress analyzer, helping the team identify whether a reclusive witness was telling the truth. No word on whether OQO plans on including such insightful software with the device when it comes to market, but we'd be telling a lie if we said we thought it would.

Update: Andrew commented to let us know the software running here is called GoldWave, which may or may not help you identify someone being untruthful, but does generate some impressive-looking 3D visuals and can be yours for $45.

[Thanks, Mike Wydra]

Continue reading Screen Grabs: OQO Model 2+ makes lunchtime appearance on 'Lie To Me'

Video: OQO model 2+ MID gets unboxed, previewed

by Darren Murph posted Jan 20th 2009 at 10:12AM

We were pretty stoked about the OQO model 2+ when we got to spend a few quality minutes with it at CES this year, and apparently actually getting one delivered to your house is even more spectacular. The cool cats over at MID Moves were able to score one of the Gobi / OLED-equipped handhelds for review, and rather than making us wait until all opinions were formed, they've hosted up a nice preview video along with a few high quality unboxing shots. Initial impressions seem pretty positive, with the SSD helping things along quite significantly. Granted, we would've preferred a WiFi-on battery life of more than two hours, but what fun would it be to not have a single gripe to harp on? More pictorial delight is in the read link, and the vid's just past the break.

[Via Slashgear, thanks Kris120890]

Continue reading Video: OQO model 2+ MID gets unboxed, previewed

OQO officially launches Gobi / OLED-equipped model 2+, we get hands-on

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2009 at 11:33PM

We already knew a fresh OQO handheld would be headed to Digital Experience! here at CES, and lo and behold the model 2+ has arrived in our oh-so-fortunate hands. The 800 x 480 (native) OLED touchscreen was positively gorgeous to look at, and the Qualcomm Gobi dual-mode HSPA / EV-DO WWAN chipset was much appreciated. It's also sporting a 1.86GHz Intel Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, WiFi / Bluetooth, DirectX 9 and H.264 video decode support, 3.5 hours of battery life (7 hours on the double capacity cell), a world keyboard and a global power supply. The unit checks in at under a pound and can support 1,9200 x 1,200 external displays with HDMI / DVI / VGA interfaces. Get ready to lust after one (we already are) when it ships in 1H 2009 starting at $999.

Gallery: OQO officially launches Gobi / OLED-equipped model 2+, we get hands-on

[Via ArsTechnica]

OQO bringing Atom-powered Model 2+ UMPC to CES

by Darren Murph posted Dec 30th 2008 at 3:30PM

If it feels like forever to you since OQO's Model 02 hit the market, your instincts are pretty darn good. But if you were overly optimistic that the Atom-powered prototype it showed off back in August (pictured) would eventually become a reality, you -- sir or madam -- take today's golden crown. In a recent Digital Experience! email blasted out to media members worldwide (full blurb is after the break), we're very clearly told that OQO will be on hand to demonstrate its new Model 2+. Said UMPC will pack a 1.86GHz Intel Atom CPU, a touchscreen OLED display, 2GB of RAM and global 3G connectivity. OQO even goes so far as to say that it will offer performance "up to twice as fast as its predecessor." Did our heart just skip a beat over a UMPC? Why, yes it did!

[Via GottaBeMobile]

Continue reading OQO bringing Atom-powered Model 2+ UMPC to CES

OQO prototype shown with Intel's Atom inside

by Darren Murph posted Aug 20th 2008 at 11:45AM

Before you get too riled up here, let us point out that this Atom-based OQO is simply a prototype. According to the company's Dennis Moore, the device we're seeing here "is not a product launch or announcement," but simply a demonstration of just how amazing and utterly life-changing the OQO + Atom combo is. Really guys, if there's so much love in the house, why not get this thing on the production line?

[Via jkkmobile]

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

by Sean Cooper posted Aug 2nd 2008 at 10:26PM

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.

OQO 02 gets official Garmin GPS accessory

by Nilay Patel posted May 21st 2008 at 8:00AM

We've always wondered exactly what people were supposed to use UMPCs for, and now we have at least one answer: as GPS units. Yep, that's right: OQO and Garmin have released an official kit to turn your $2,000 OQO 02 into a $400 Garmin GPS unit. For $237. No, we have no idea who would buy this, but if you're feeling like throwing some bills around, you'll find a Garmin Mobile PC unit, car mount, and power adapter in the box, as well as a small note from us with an address you can send your additional silly money to for proper disposal.

PS. - Yes, we know you can also buy the Garmin adapter for $99 and the mount for $59, but it's the ridiculous bundle pricing that's got us all hot and bothered.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Video: OQO hacked to run Leopard, now world's smallest Mac

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 29th 2008 at 2:00AM

While greeted with heaps of initial skepticism, forum jockeys over at OQO Talk now seem convinced that a junior member by the name of TRF has successfully hacked the OQO to run OS X Leopard. Adding a video filmed by Mr. Blurry Cam didn't hurt the cause. TRF's OQO is setup in a dual-boot Vista / OS X mode which boots Leopard in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. WiFi, sound, power management and Bluetooth... it's all there with applications popping with serious snap. The only thing missing at the moment is WWAN access which TRF is now testing. While not yet a "plug and play" hack, it's "definitely doable," he says. Perhaps, but we'll need more details to say the least. Video excerpt posted after the break.

[Thanks Albert L. and lambda jones]

Read -- Forum post
Read -- Full Video

Continue reading Video: OQO hacked to run Leopard, now world's smallest Mac

OQO shown off with WiMAX for Sprint XOHM network

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2008 at 4:59PM

We knew the OQO model 02 was hanging around at CES playing on Sprint's (demo) XOHM network, but we were finally able to hunt the unit down and snag a pic of the interface. Now, if only we could pick one of these up sometime soon...

OQO demonstrates first UMPC with WiMAX for Sprint XOHM network

by Sean Cooper posted Jan 7th 2008 at 1:33PM

OQO demonstrated the first UMPC with embedded Sprint XOHM WiMAX here at CES today and while not earth shattering -- as WiMAX isn't a brand spanking new baby -- it's nice to see the tech trickle into more portable devices. Of course, don't expect to be able to pop out and pick up an OQO model 02 with WiMAX in the near as the press fluff only states it may be available in specific markets at some point in the future -- apparently they're big on vague. Well done OQO and Sprint, have at it.