The OQO model 01 ultrapersonal computer (uPC) is definitely the way that I would go. Screw my laptop.
I would also pair it with a USB docking station like the one from Belkin when I was at home or the office to use it more like a desktop machine.
The OQO model 01 ultrapersonal computer (uPC)
Wed, 03/09/2005 - 10:27
#1
The OQO model 01 ultrapersonal computer (uPC)
While I love the idea of a device like this, in order for me to get rid of my laptop, I need to be able to type normally and not rely on a thumb keyboard. I know I could buy an external one, but lugging around a keyboard defeats the purpose of it being small.
Also, for this particular device, I would expect Wireless G, USB 2.0 and a little bigger hard drive , instead of Wireless B, USB 1.1, and only 20G.
My colleague who told me about the OQO said that the thumb keyboard was well-designed and much more usable than most; that the TrackStik pointing device helped usability quite a bit.
As for the feature/hardware shortcomings, I think those are nice to haves. Wireless B is still most pervasive (my laptop has Wireless G and only gets used at home); OQO has FireWire for high-speed transfers in addition to USB 1.1; and 20GB could be bigger but will probably be OK with external storage.
I expect personal computing hardware to continue to move in this direction and become more modular - perhaps they will be called uPCus - ultrapersonal computing units. I think that the major components should be split up into modular, interconnecting pieces - CPU, storage, connectivity, screen, input devices:
* Maybe the uPC you take with you on the road has limited storage, but when you come home, you snap it in with some other processing and storage pieces so you can do heavier number-crunching.
* Maybe you don't like thumb keyboards, so yours has a larger keyboard.
* Maybe you don't need USB/FireWire when you're mobile, so that slice stays at the office.
* Maybe you want to build a supercomputer, so you slap on 12 CPU slices.
* Maybe you want yours to be a phone, so you add a phone slice.
I totally agree with the modular idea.
We should have a CPU unit we carry around that has the Hard Drive/Procesor/Memory, and then we can drop this into 'interfaces'. Want a Desktop, plug it into a docking station. Want a laptop, slide it into a docking bay on your laptop and carry it away. Want it portable, use the thumb keyboard/screen interface.
You could even set it up so the 'interfaces' provide additional CPU/Memory to augment what is on board in some cases.
IBM already built this, it's called The Brick. Google and come back with your thoughts... it never really flew, but you see some movement here and there in those kinds of directions.
-BrA