| OQO: Ultra Personal Computer |
At the
top of the list of things at the Sea Grille even, especially considering how
long it took just to get through the crowds, was the OQO ultra-personal
computer. Colin Hunter, President of OQO inc. (pronounced Oh-Q-Oh) gave us a run
through on the sensitive prototype which had suffered some damage by an
overzealous pen pusher (the touch sensitive screen was no longer working
properly) and was clinging to life.
The small aluminum encapsulated device measures
about same size as a pack of smokes (4.1" x 2.9" x 0.9"), carries a TM5800
Crusoe processor running at 1.0GHz, and runs the Windows XP Professional
operating system. The OQO weights under 9 ounces and includes a 202 dot/inch 4"
touch sensitive LCD display, 256MB RAM, 10GB hard drive, Firewire, USB ports,
802.11B / Bluetooth networking functionality, and a proprietory OQO-link
connector for docking.
According to Mr. Hunter, "the OQO would not have
been possible" were it not for the low power properties of the Crusoe
processor.
The OQO device is intended to function as a
portable computer when away from the office, and is intended to be dockable in a
mock notebook, or desktop to emulate common user interfaces. As the OQO is the
brains of each docking station, removing it allows the user to bring their data,
projects and software with them where ever they may be.
The project is still in prototype stages,
but OQO have told us to expect retail units in
limited quantities as early as Q4 2002 for $1200 to $1400
USD.
