There are lots of ultra-mobile computers on the market, and most of them are beleaguered tad gizmos: part the size of a laptop, but also portion the speed, half the storage, half a keyboard, and in short, half-assed. In the light, it is terrific to spend one or two long time surrounded by a little machine that is broad of real PC capability — still if it comes at complete PC price.

It’s called the Model 02, and it is assembled by San Fransisco-based company called OQO. The company’s mission: shrink a full-scale Windows PC down to pocket size, without sacraficing usability. I’ll save you the suspense: they have completed it right.

The Model 02 is a full-blown Vista Business Edition PC so comes in a variety of hardware configurations. My test exemplary was the top of the line: a power-sipping 1.6GHz VIA processor, 64GB firm sector hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and a gargantuan array of pretty wonderful accessories. The best extra is certainly the discrete, black docking station, that has the possibility to make the OQO a full desktop replacement with its built-in DVD burner, HDMI and VGA interfaces, USB 2.0, ethernet and audio out. Models initiate at $1300, but the pricetag on my exemplary rung in at nearly $3200 without the $600 accessory pack. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The 1-pound device itself is housed in a sturdy magnesium frame and sports a 5-inch screen, a 3- or 6-hour battery, and a pretty sizeable little backlit keyboard amid one of those little pencil-eraser tracksticks for mouse navigation. That may sound old-fashioned, but the OQO trackstick is particularly a question of precision; the pencil-eraser has turn up a extensively way since its ubiquity a decade ago. Precision is also a hallmark of the keyboard, which has a solid feel and well-spaced keys. And additonally I was nerdily overjoyed to find a number pad and nice, big “enter” and “delete” keys, some of the keys are overburdened investing in two or three different drives such a are somewhat dizzyingly associated amongst the shift, function, and control keys. (Witness the bad wonder about mark, that shares a key amidst the find slash and the wireless dashboard shortcut, oddly displaced to left of the spacebar.) You can also use a Wacom tablet pen for touch-screen input, while I was content with the trackstick and keyboard for a large amount of applications.

You might have chortled a bit when I mentioned this fact functions Vista Business Edition — I did too. But after talking amongst Bob Rosin, SVP of Marketing at OQO, I can understand the rationale: Vista has a good deal quicker wake-up long time from its standby mode as opposed to performs XP, and it has pretty advanced power management abilities to boot. With Aero and a lot of other superfluous stuff turned off, it runs admirably on the Model 02 and rarely lags. Of course, OQO has baked in a lot of tailored functionality to cause Vista useful on such a particular device; the a good amount of salient model is their Wireless Dashboard, that allows you to quickly switch between WiFi, Bluetooth and integrated mobile broadband (which is an option, and drives with Sprint or Verizon treatment plans). There are in addition zoom keys on the keyboard that make it easier for you to, well, zoom in or out on whatever you’re viewing on the OQO’s screen, and a “rotate” function that turns the screen to score in vertical portrait mode. In such a high-end device, I would have expected a built-in accelerometer too could do this without neccessitating a button-press, but I was quickly placated by the touch-sensitive scrollers on the sides of the screen. They had a tendency to be jerky at times, but it was nice to be able to manipulate the rating even a small bit without rummaging for a stylus.

So, granted, it is a cool gizmo. But once the inital oohs and aahs subsided, the Model 02 didn’t straight off find its niche on my desk. There it sat, between my desktop PC, my laptop, and my iPhone, its role unclear. I stared at it. Not as handy for email as a smartphone, and more frustrating for word processing as opposed to a laptop. Where did the tiny bit of guy fit?

As it turns out, it is not price levels attempting to wedge the Model 02 between your pre&wshyp;existing suite of gadgets, due to the fact that it really drives sharper as a replacement for all of them. It took me a week to agree presently out, detaching my monitor based on information from its tower, putting the laptop away and paying off the docking station to make the OQO both my desktop and on-the-road PC. When on the road, the iPhone still handled quick internet excursions, but when it came time to book a hotel room on the train, or write a long-winded email to my sister in Europe, out came the Model 02. Back in its docking station, the Model 02 left little bit to be desired from my other PCs; only when it came phase to do some managed in Adobe CS did I retreat to my Core 2 Duo laptop.

It’s worth mentioning that the a larger number of specialized the application, the more useful the Model 02 has the potential to be. For the average person, who travels only occasionally and performs most of their work from a desk, it’s hard to justify a device like the Model 02 — especially considering its potentially magnificent cost. But for somebody like, say, a journalist — typing up notes based on data from the field or examining digital photos to make guaranteed you got the try before you directed residence — it can be invaluable. This isn’t lost on OQO, that bids a good amount of accessory packs tailor-made for different skilled applications. Logistics coordinators, technicians, field scientists and a littany of a large amount of workers are able to likely take in the Model 02 a great small amount of companion for such a endeavors, actually wanting to its tablet interface and its ability to run any Vista-compatible service without caveats. Hopefully they will hard work for organizations amongst deep pockets, when the OQO, in all its glory, ain’t cheap. But when you compare it to other UMPCs who sport severely limited hardware and application functionality for only slightly lowered money, it’s fairly clear this you get how you pay for.

Summary: 5? sliding widescreen/touchscreen, weight: 1 pound, VIA C7M ULV, Currently produced/sold

Similar Laptops:
- Replaces the OQO Model 01+
- Similar in size to Sony VAIO UX
- Similar in size to Toshiba Libretto U100 / U105
- Search Small-Laptops.com for OQO News

Product Name: OQO Model 02
Official Page: OQO.com
Manufacturer: OQO
Announced:
Available: January 2007
Status: Currently produced/sold
Price: Starting at $1499 (see Manufactur’s site for details)
Markets: Worldwide

Models:
- “good” : $1499, 1.2GHz CPU, Windows XP Home, 30GB HDD, 512MB Memory
- “better” : $1699, 1.5GHz CPU, Windows XP Professional, 60GB HDD, 512MB Memory
- “best” : $1849, 1.5GHz CPU, Windows Vista or XP Pro, 60GB HDD, 1GB Memory

Features:
- Tiny – 5? screen, weighing around 1 pound
- Slide screen that can cover the keyboard and reduce the size
- Includes replaceable screen protectior
- Universal power supply
- Spare track stick cap
- Magnesium alloy chassis
- Several antennas wired into chassis for various wireless connections
- Shock-mounted hard drive with drop detection
- Backlit keyboard
- Ambient light sensor

Improvements over previous model:
- Improved CPU
- 2x improved cooling design

Manufacturer’s Description:

Weighing a mere one pound, the model 02 features innovations including 5? sliding WVGA LCD screen, integrated thumb keyboard and track stick, and capacitive TouchScrollers™. Available with 1.5GHz CPU, 60GB HDD, and 1GB RAM, the model 02 computer supports Microsoft’s next generation operating system, Windows Vista™ for anytime/anywhere productivity. The model 02 delivers extended and uncompromised access to the internet, email, and business applications with the built-in EV-DO WWAN option.
Specifications:
CPU: VIA C7M ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) – 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz
Chipset: VIA-based
Front-side Bus:
Memory: 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Memory Capacity: 512MB – 1GB (1 slot)

Graphics/Display:
Display: 5?
Resolution: 800×480 (1000×600 and 1200×720 interpolated modes using zoom feature)
Widescreen: Yes
Touchscreen: Yes (Active Digitizer)
Graphics Chipset: VIA VX700 with integrated GPU
Graphics Memory: Shared
Other: VGA, HDMI, DVI Out (adapters)

Storage:
Hard Drive Type: 1.8? ATA 100
Hard Drive Capacity: 30GB or 60GB
Optical: External
Other: Shock-mounted hard drive with drop detection

Connectivity:
Wireless: Atheros tri-mode 802.11a/b/g with diversity
Modem: No – optional USB
Ethernet: Adapter included
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0
Mobile Broadband: Wireless WAN (optional): Integrated EV-DO modem

Input/Output:
Audio Chipset: AC97 Compatible, HD Audio capable
Internal Speakers/Microphone: Microphone, 1x Speaker
Audio I/O: Line-out, Line-in
USB: 1x USB 2.0
Firewire: No
PC Card: No
Flash/Memory Card Reader:
Keyboard/Mouse: 85-key, TouchPad, Track Stick
Other: Docking connector/replicator available

Security:
Biometric/Fingerprint: No
Trusted Platform Module (TPM): No
Other: Security Cable Lock Slot, VIA Padlock hardware AES encryption engine

Software & Warranty:
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Business, orWindows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home
Other Software:
Warranty: 1 year limited warranty, can upgrade to and 3 year extended express
OQO Model 02 Drivers: OQO.com/Support

Battery:
Options: Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Polymer – 4500mAh (standard), optionally: 9000mAh (double capacity)
Battery Life: 3hrs (standard) 6 hours (double)

Dimensions:
Width: 5.6 inches / 142.2mm
Depth: 3.3 inches / 83.8mm
Height: 1 inches / 25.4mm
Weight: 1 pound / 0.5kg (with standard battery)