OQO - First Thoughts

Michael Gartenberg | March 03, 2004, 11:18 PM

Just wrapped up the last meeting of this trip with the good folks at OQO. I like small PCs. I currently use a ThinkPad X40 (which I have a lot of nice to things to say) but for me that's on the large size. In the past I used a Toshiba Libretto and often travel with a tiny Sony UX-50. The UX seems like a desktop replacement compared to the OQO. While some will compare this to subnotebooks and even devices like the UX, they are wrong. The OQO is in a class by itself. There simply isn't anything on the market like it. While we are not hot on converged devices, there is one converged device that sets the standard for functionality, that's the PC. That's why the OQO shines. It's a PC. It runs XP. Not Windows CE, not Pocket PC but real Windows XP. That means all the functionality of Office, the power of Windows Media Player, all the games... everything, in a package that fits inside your coat package. While this product won't be for the masses, it will be embraced by vertical markets where even devices like Tablet PCs are too big. Did I mention it runs Windows? No need for new applications, no limitations... There's something big happening in this small package and when I get some real hands on time with a unit in a few weeks, I'll have a lot more to say. This isn't a high priced toy - This is a paradigm shift.