The New 'pocket PC'?

[Brad Adrian]

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-883861.html

Here's an article forwarded to us by Darren Humphries about a new PC that startup company OQO is developing. It's essentially a very small Windows XP-compatible PC that can supposedly double as a handheld and desktop computer (via a docking station).



The OQO Web site includes a few specs:

• Powered by a Crusoe TM5800 processor at up to 1 GHz
• 10 GB hard drive
• 256 MB RAM
• 4-inch VGA color LCD touchscreen
• Weighs 250 grams
• Lithium polymer battery
• Built-in 802.11 and Bluetooth networking

The article also gives some perspectives on the market viability of such an all-in-one computer. My favorite line, though, is the opening one:

"First there was the pocket calculator. Then there was the pocket organizer. And if start-up OQO gets its way, the next big thing will be the pocket PC."

(Guess the writer doesn't know about OUR little hobby, does he?)

This kind of product has been a kind of "holy grail" in the computing industry for several years. Personally, I know that I use my Pocket PC for MUCH more now than I did a year ago, but I don't know if I'd really want a handheld device that completely replaces my desktop. I use them for different things, and even the OQO system would force me to make compromises on both the portability side and the desktop side.

Am I alone?

[Brad Adrian]

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-883861.html

Here's an article forwarded to us by Darren Humphries about a new PC that startup company OQO is developing. It's essentially a very small Windows XP-compatible PC that can supposedly double as a handheld and desktop computer (via a docking station).



The OQO Web site includes a few specs:

• Powered by a Crusoe TM5800 processor at up to 1 GHz
• 10 GB hard drive
• 256 MB RAM
• 4-inch VGA color LCD touchscreen
• Weighs 250 grams
• Lithium polymer battery
• Built-in 802.11 and Bluetooth networking

The article also gives some perspectives on the market viability of such an all-in-one computer. My favorite line, though, is the opening one:

"First there was the pocket calculator. Then there was the pocket organizer. And if start-up OQO gets its way, the next big thing will be the pocket PC."

(Guess the writer doesn't know about OUR little hobby, does he?)

This kind of product has been a kind of "holy grail" in the computing industry for several years. Personally, I know that I use my Pocket PC for MUCH more now than I did a year ago, but I don't know if I'd really want a handheld device that completely replaces my desktop. I use them for different things, and even the OQO system would force me to make compromises on both the portability side and the desktop side.

Am I alone?

[Janak Parekh]

Heh, talk about overloading the term "Pocket PC".

Does look very cool.

--bdj

[Jason Dunn]

There are some things that simply don't work with the concept of true mobility, and a hard drive is one of them. The heat, noise, power drain, and inability to take a good hit makes me want to avoid any product that uses them other than a laptop and desktop.

If they had shipped this with a gig of RAM and used a RAM drive, hey, THAT would be cool! :-)

[marlof]

I don't like the idea of an hard disk either. But I have another worry: downsizing the XP UI to a screen the size of a Pocket PC sounds like a bad idea to me. Even an optimized UI that resembles too much of the desktop can be a bad idea on something this size. Anyone remember the PalmSize PC?

They say they're going with XP, so yes, theoretically you could run all Windows XP apps.... but most are created with at least 800x600 or 1024x768 in mind. So what solution will they choose? An embedded version of XP, where they might lose the benefit of ultra compatibility? Scrolling around on a virtual screen, like you can do with Virtual Display?

[bblock]

Isn't this just like the IBM product I read about a few months ago - a 'core' unit with processor and hard drive that can be either a PDA-style device, laptop, or desktop, depending on what type of 'station' you plug it into?

[Charles Pickrell]

Whine whine whine! I held a similar device at our user group meeting last month from Tiqit computer ( http://www.tiqit.com ) and I have to say it is excellent! It was fast, had long battery life and the hard disk was absolutely silent. It has an integreated keyboard a pointing stick, and a touchscreen. I'd really love to have one of these things and I think this will be the way handheld devices will go in teh future.

[sesummers]

I don't know if I'd use this as a Pocket PC, although there'd be plenty of room on the 10G hard drive for pocket applications to mirror the desktop ones. But as someone who carried a mini-tower PC with a handle screwed to the top for many years, just so I could have my home and work environments the same (and I wasn't willing to live with the compromises of laptops of 5+ years ago), I can say that carrying your whole PC around is pretty nice.

But to make this REALLY useful, it needs a jack for one of those eye mounted displays somebody recently announced- that use 3 LEDs (now that blue is practical) and a micromirror to "paint" a full-size display right on your retina.

[sundown]

When I saw the picture at first I thought someone had dug up an old picture of the first handheld or something. While there isn't anything next to it for size relativety, that thing looks huge! I admit I am wanting my Pocket PC to do more and more for me, though. Maybe whereever the "real" Pocket PCs and this monster converge will be pretty neat.

[Charles Pickrell]

Here are some pics of the tiqit

[don dre]

Aside from my other concerns about the lack of expansions slots, built-in cell phone, I ahve to admit it is an interesting attempt at a pocket pc. I have a toshiba hdd pccard woth the expansions pack and it is sturdy. can go joggin with it though the expansions sleeve is bulky. i hope to see more vendors use toshib's technology. who needs a laptop anyways, how mobile is that?