OQO Handheld Disappoints
Who wouldn't want a full-featured PC the size of a PDA? That's the promise of OQO's $1999 Model 01 Ultra PC with Windows XP. Unfortunately, the Model 01 is better in concept than as a product.
I tested a preproduction unit using Windows XP Pro, with a 1-GHz Transmeta Crusoe CPU, 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a 5-inch-diagonal touch display.
The Model 01's performance was painfully slow. Applications took too long to load, and most Web pages that I visited refreshed at a snail's pace.
I could overlook the unit's unhurried performance if it were more comfortable to use. But I found some of the keyboard's key placements a bit odd, and the spacebar was difficult to reach. Add to those deficiencies a poorly located headphone jack, noticeable heat, and erratic touch-screen performance, and you have a PDA that's awkward to use at best.
I like the idea of a handheld PC, and I would willingly sacrifice some comfort and performance to have one. But the Model 01 requires that I give up dramatically more than I'm willing to surrender.
Tom Mainelli
