64GB SSD, Outdoor Display, 3K?

[Guest]

[JCC]

Personally I think Dennis should lock all the engineers into a room and not let them out till the OQO is thinner, generates less fan noise and is faster, with 2G RAM… that can be option number 5!

I suspect the OQO could be thinner if they moved to an all SSD line up. However, that would raise the price of their low-end model by $500. (Alternatively, if they sold in sufficient volume to justify an SSD only design...) Everything else, I think they are at the mercy of supporting technologies.
(e.g., a 2GB micro-DIMM, if that's what they're using, newer processors and chipsets etc. I don't think it's a good idea for them to design their own microelectronics.)

[3goldens]

To be honest , I would like to get the 64 SSD and try the new screen, which personally I think they should just use ase as the default screen with all models untill they come out with their new touch screen next year.

I guess I should think about selling my 1.5. ugh?

Well if any body is looking for a hardly used one with an extended warranty and a couple of extended batteries, maybe a docking station, case, blah blah.....lmk.

 

[zanesmurf]

I guess I should think about selling my 1.5. ugh?

Well if any body is looking for a hardly used one with an extended warranty and a couple of extended batteries, maybe a docking station, case, blah blah.....lmk.

Please post in Buy/Sell.

[scoobie]

To be honest , I would like to get the 64 SSD and try the new screen, which personally I think they should just use ase as the default screen with all models untill they come out with their new touch screen next year.

What new touch screen?

[3goldens]

My prediction.

[warlock]

And a good prediction too.

I'm a confirmed tabletPC user, and bought the OQO as a mobile PC, I've still got my tablet.. I've tried to use the tablet functions on the OQO, but find the screen too small to write on. i.e. awkward for resting your hand etc.

anyone else found a good way to use it for this?

A touch screen however would be useful for just being able to close windows, launch apps etc. and withouth having to remember the pen, which lets face it, if its not attached or inserted in the OQO, is going to get forgotton or lost.

As for the Outdoors display, my LE1600 tablet has one of these, and they are absolutely fantastic. I can sit in full sunlight and still read the screen, the only drawback is that anyone sitting next to you, and at an oblique angle, can also read your screen. :

[JCC]

anyone else found a good way to use it for this?

I haven't tried inking on an OQO. However, I own a Newton which has approximately the same size screen. Both screens are approximately the size of a Moleskine pocket notebook. (The Newton itself is either taller, or wider depending on orientation. I usually use it in the vertical orientation, so I think of it as taller. This means that the extra size is not useful as a hand rest.)

I've honestly never had problems inking on the Newton screen. However, I don't have large hands. I'm also left-handed so I'm used to not resting my palm in any case. (This is not to say that I'd welcome vectoring ink because of a stray touch.) Also, the Newton has a lip around the screen. That's a good decision for the Newton, maybe not for the OQO. (The passive digitizer on the Newton isn't a problem for inking because it requires a lot of pressure to activate. This, of course, makes it hard to use with your finger. It really does want a stylus, even when you're not inking.)

For me, one of the OQO's big selling points is its active digitizer. Good inking is a big plus for me. (This doesn't mean that it can't also have some sort of touch screen. However, I do question whether UI elements on 5" screen mightl be too small to hit accurately with a finger.)

[Dave P]

I use my pen with the OQO all the time. I find that I can ink easily with the OQO in landscape mode and the keyboard stowed away. I hold it with my left thumb on the left side, my little finger on the bottom side and my other three fingers behind it. I have also heard of people who put it in portrait mode and ink on it the same way you would on a PDA. Like the thumb keyboard, it's awkward until you practice enough that it becomes easy.

I have to agree with JCC on the utility of the touch screen for navigation. I have a hard enough time clicking check boxes on my Palm To Do list with my fingernail. I can't see trying to use menus on the OQO without at least a stylus and I'd much rather use the thumb keyboard than the Origami touch screen keyboard.

As far as having to remember the pen, I would point out that Wacom has a number of pens which have a clip. The Cross pens even look nice (at least sort of nice).

Dave

[j0]

Whether touch screen is usable with the small screen element is probably something that the Sony UX users can answer.   I tried the demo of Sony UX, and it doesn't seem that bad.  But of course, I only tried it for a minute or so, so I can't really say.

But perhaps there will be more software with a UMPC design in the future that will make a touch screen UMPC a nice convenience.  The orgami experience pack for example, or maybe a more useful application, GPS software iGuidance have big buttons designed for touch screens.

[Dennis Moore]

Dennis, three items of interest

1) Any info you can share on what is happening with WiMAX in terms of industry direction (the players) and pricing?

Wow, the answer to this could take pages!  The short answer is that WiMAX is the first cellular network that is likely to get great coverage (at least in the US!) and is designed for data rather than voice.  This gives WiMAX the potential to offer lower "cost per bit" than previous technologies, along with very high data rates (I was blown away by our results in the lab).

2) Any plans for a CF or SD slot?  I deal a lot with the insurance industry and a slot for picture cards and a GPS for GeoCaching of the pictures would be great for these mobile workers.  We make an application that is used for collecting and logging crime scene evidence which could benefit from this application.  Also, post natural disaster recording which something else my company is involved in would benefit from this feature.

We don't include a CF or SD slot right now, but most digital cameras I've seen lately come with a USB cable that can connect right up to your OQO for this type of downloading.  I've also been using a little GPS receiver that connects to my OQO over Bluetooth -- would this type of approach work for your application?  BTW, we'd love to joint sell with you, and could easily put together a demo of this type of solution ... let me know if we can get this going!  Any other solution partners out there in our community with whom we should be working (and contacts at those vendors)?

3) Any plans to VAR or OEM the OQO to make a ruggadized version of the unit?   Right now we use a lot of Motorola (formally Symbol) devices because they take a beating and still keep on working in the wet and dirty situations.

Please let me know your company's name -- send me a PM so we can connect on this.  No announcements at this point, but if you (or anyone else out there in the community) is interested in partnering with us for your software, turnkey, or custom solutions, contact me (with your e-mail, real name, company name, and URL of the solution) so we can look at options to work together.  You can PM me here: http://www.oqotalk.com/index.php?action=pm .

Thanks for being our customer!

-- Dennis Moore, OQO

[kyone]

Wow, the answer to this could take pages!  The short answer is that WiMAX is the first cellular network that is likely to get great coverage (at least in the US!) and is designed for data rather than voice.  This gives WiMAX the potential to offer lower "cost per bit" than previous technologies, along with very high data rates (I was blown away by our results in the lab).

I would bet that HSDPA will win in the end.  It has international support and has excellent coverage, and always increasing data speeds.  In Aus we can now get 5G for $39/month.  With fall back to GSM when you go bush.  Besides we all know from our history that technically superior products don't necessarily win its the ones with the highest acceptance of usage / standards. eg CDMA/GSM, BETA/VHS

We don't include a CF or SD slot right now, but most digital cameras I've seen lately come with a USB cable that can connect right up to your OQO for this type of downloading.

I would recommend putting on a microSD card slot.  They now come in 8G sizes.  This extended memory can be used for multimedia:photos, videos and music.  This type of data does not need speed or many writes to the memory.  Also can be used for Readyboost.

[t1k]

I've said before I'm glad OQO is being courted by the niche markets and fulfilling additional sales. This can only help everyone concerned with dividends in terms of product enhancements & more options (eg. SSD's, Outdoor Optimized LCD's), as well as eventual lower costs from the addt'l quantities sold.

Looking at CES it looks like OQO still holds the lead as far as being the one & only uMPC to successfully integrate WWAN, or HSDPA, or WiMAX... and to ever offer a uMPC whose WWAN modem was upgradeable by factory w/FCC cert. I sincerely hope this design will continue into our future OQO's.

As to the future of EV-DO & HSDPA it looks like industry wants to move towards OFDM based technologies and there's a lot of buzz about WiMAX (esp. @15-40Mbps practical). There's a great FAQ by Fujitsu which can be found here: WiMAX FAQ : Fujitsu USA

Elsewhere in the forum can be found the 03 Wishlist for most of us, specialized/ruggedized/industrial niche units w/their associated higher costs aside. $3K for an industrial optimized computer is not unheard of, Symbol, Intermec, Itronix are famous examples of same, and our 02 series can dance circles around most of them.

Keep it up OQO, diversification can benefit everyone.

[Opus]

Can anyone confirm the new Outdoor viewable display will retain the active digitizer screen for Tablet PC functionality?

Someone at the Origami Project forum is insinuating it does not because of how the OQO online store takes off XP Tablet with the included case & pen from the list of available OS. I responded that I highly doubt it but would check to make sure. There is absolutely nothing in any press release or product description that confirms it one way or another.

I would like confirmation from actual facts or authority from someone that seen an actual tablet demo with the new screen or already confirmed with OQO if it does have an active digitizer screen.  Thanks much!

[bristolview]

Opus - I was able to play with the new OQO's at CES.  The rep there said the unit I was using was a 64GB SSD with Outdoor display.  I was testing the digitizer and TIP input and it worked fine.  It was a bit slow compared to what I'm used to, but I suspect that is simply due to the OQO being a relatively slow PC.  It did however, have the digitizer in it... confirmed. 

[dhaupert]

Dennis, the more and more I use my OQO, the more I realize an embedded SD (SDHC slot) card slot would be the most useful feature addition I could imagine.  I always wanted a 64GB SSD option, but the price for it in the present as you know can scare a lot of users away.  But having an SDHC slot means users can add presently up to 32GB of flash memory at a price that is:

1.  Separate/detached from their OQO price, thus you are not blamed for selling a 3K device that it out of touch with the market for such devices.

2.  Much cheaper- you can buy 32GB SD cards much cheaper than a 32GB SSD drive (or the diff from a 32GB SSD to a 64GB SSD)

I transfer a lot of video files from my desktop to the OQO, and have to use a FolderShare to transfer these files easily.  If I could just create these files on my desktop while the SD card is plugged in, I could then simply move the files over. 

In addition, I could buy multiple cards to back up files.

And of course, all that the others say (transferring images from digital cameras, MP3 players, etc) to the OQO, etc. would be additional bonuses. 

For me, a USB dongle solution to do this would be impractical, it has to be flush with the unit.  And it may free you from some flack from existing users as you're providing them with an expansion option that does not require breaking the warranty seal and popping ope the case! 

Here's hoping that a future model adds this important feature!