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First Look: OQO Handheld PC Fails to ExciteDesign and performance issues hold back this very cool idea.Tom Mainelli, PC World
Who wouldn't want a full-featured PC the size of a PDA? That's the promise of OQO's long-anticipated Model 01 Ultra Personal Computer, a 14-ounce handheld device that runs a full version of Microsoft's Windows XP. Unfortunately, poor design decisions and sluggish performance make the Model 01 a better concept than an actual product.
I tested a preproduction version of the $1999 unit with Windows XP Pro (the XP Home version sells for $1899). At launch the 4.9- inch-wide by 3.4-inch-tall unit comes in just one configuration: 256MB of RAM, a 20-GB hard drive, integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a 5-inch (measured diagonally) touch-sensitive display with 800-by-480-pixel resolution.
At the heart of the unit is Transmeta's 1-GHz Crusoe; this processor was unexceptional when it launched years ago, and it hasn't improved with age. You can't blame the CPU entirely for the...