Review:

OQO Model 01+

A technology wonder! 

Review: OQO Model 01+

 A technology wonder!
 

After originally reporting on the OQO two and a half years ago, I’m happy to publish a full review!

Ok- so what’s an OQO? Simply put, it is a handtop/tablet PC hybrid - a new breed in the convergent world of PCs.  It is slightly larger than a PDA and much smaller than any laptop.  It features a “slide out” keyboard that is behind the integrated touch screen, and runs full blown Windows XP including the Tablet PC edition.  I will be reviewing the Tablet PC edition of the OQO model 01+.

After over 2 years of waiting, and having previously used Sony’s now discontinued U70 (which does not natively support the Tablet PC OS), I was very excited when I received my OQO.  The unique experience starts when you open the package, which has a very “apple-escque” feel to it.  My first (pleasant) surprise came when I actually held the unit in my hand; it was much smaller than I expected!  The OQO is a definitely a technology wonder.

The OQO experience continues with the OQO boot up screen (again very similar to a MAC booting up), then comes the Windows boot up screen.  After a few seconds, the familiar Tablet PC logon screen appears then the realization that there are no smoke and mirrors, this thing is real!

There are two ways of using the OQO natively- the built in keyboard, or the stylus (via the Tablet PC interface).  Due to the form factor, I personally prefer the keyboard with built in pointer devise over the stylus.  The stylus is not very accurate in some areas of the screen due to physical size of the 5” screen and to be effective has to be used in a strictly perpendicular position.  The screen is bright and has a 800*480 resolution, which is sufficient for most apps, but is of lower resolution than the Vaio U70.  I tweaked the default windows settings to maximize what is visible on the screen, and even using the smallest font settings, the screen was perfectly readable (again this is subjective- I’m someone who is used to reading size 8 font).

The speed and specs (1ghz, 512meg ram, 30 Gig hard drive) of the unit are more than adequate for everyday tasks such as email, office (including powerpoint) and web browsing.

The unit shines when used as the hub of a docking solution with external keyboard, and monitor, but when used as a “handtop” the limitations of the excessive heat, and limited battery life become limitations;  Having said that, I’ve been able to use the unit in this fashion for about 2 hours (with external power).

I can imagine several uses for the OQO including being the central brain of my car’s entertainment system, but at the current price, this is perhaps too expensive of a solution.  The OQO is truly for those looking for a handbook computer; ideal users would include those looking for latest cutting edge technology, and mobile users for whom (small) size matters.

For people like me, there is a lot to love about the OQO.  There are also some things that can be improved upon: The OQO runs hot, battery life isn’t great, the keyboard is not backlit, the stylus/digitizer not 100% accurate, and, although the OQO features Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, it only supports 802.11b.

Bottom line:

If you’re looking for the world’s smallest handbook PC look no further.  If you are looking for a primary tablet, look elsewhere.

For additional information, please visit the OQO.

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