Is this a PDA?

[JLP]

What do you think?

Can we consider the OQO to be a PDA?

What is required for a device to be considered as such?

- instant on: it greatly helps for quick access. Everything I've read about the OQO and the Transmeta Crusoe CPU leads me to believe the OQO will have instant on feature. The OQO site indicates a battery life of over one week in suspend mode, so that implies instant on. Moreover it will come with WinXP with TabletPC Extentions and MSFT requires less than 2 seconds wake up time for these. So the best chances are it will have the instant on or close enough feature. Also note that the HP OmniBook from the 325 up to the 800 all had the instant on feature. The early HPOB even had a special PIM app that could trigger the computer and sound an alarm just like any of today's PDAs.
- autonomous with a long lasting rechargeable battery. The OQO site states "optimization for cool running and miserly power consumption" and "Advanced lithium polymer battery" as well as "For office and email applications, the OQO ultra-personal computer has a battery life of 8 hours. For MP3 music the battery life is 7 hours. For MPEG movies the average battery life is 2 hours."
- PIM functionality. Using Outlook, the same desktop Outlook all MS Office users are accustomed with.
- Touch screen. This is a prerequisite for keyboardless devices; and the OQO does have a touch screen and will benefit from TabletPC HWR.
Also one can use any full powered and full featured desktop voice recognition program as the OQO is equipped with a microphone.

The OQO is first and foremost a fully capable desktop computer: like any desktop, just plug a screen, a keyboard and a mouse and you're all set. You can use any USB or Bluetooth or LAN printer using the OQO integrated Wi-Fi LAN connection. Any FireWire CDRW, DVD or additional HDD can be connected to it thru its integrated connector.

Like any desktop, just connect the needed peripheral(s) and you can do the job. 98% of what a desktop can do you can do it with an OQO with the same kind of peripherals.

OTOH since all the core features of a computer are concentrated into the OQO body that is the size or smaller of an average PDA, I believe it can replace a PDA for anything beyond simple PIM.

Of course those who don't use much more than PIM or games in their entry level Palm or PPC unit will never switch to an OQO.

But there are many people, I believe, who need much more power out of their PDA: all those who need to manage full featured desktop apps on the move, or large databases, or complex CAD designs, or large medical scan images, or large manuals, etc.

Or maybe just as simple as those, like me, who want to always have all their important data with them at all time and in just one device.

I'm sick and tired of haveing to manage and transfer data between 3 devices: a desktop PC, a notebook and a PPC.

So for all of us and OQO is a dream come true; at least everything indicates it will come soon. Anyway sooner rather than later someone will make something like it.


OQO just has the edge, so it seems.

So did I forget something that you think a device needs to be considered as a PDA?


Below is a smaller version (originally around 4600 x 3600) of a recently added image on the OQO site:

[JLP]

For unexplained reason the picture didn't show up.

Here it is again (I hope):

[Equilibrium]

I guess it's sort of a different kind of Handheld device.

[imported_Covert]

In my opinion, the OQO is just a bit too big to be considered a PDA. Sure it has all the features of PDAs, but it also has more. I'd say it's more of a tiny desktop or laptop, instead of a big PDA.

It certainly does look cool though.

[JLP]

Indeed it's a different kind of handheld : as small or smaller than most PDAs (especially if comparably equipped), yet so much more capable.

Also, all the Newton MessaPads were larger than the OQO and they were PDAs too. I had the Newton MP 110, the 130 and then the MP 2000 and 2100. They were the most powerful PDAs of the time and I didn't mind too much they were quite large. They did what I needed in a PDA.

And then, the OQO is quite smaller than my current PDA a Casio Cassiopeia E-125: the OQO is 1 inch shorter and 1 cm (0.4") narrower with the same thickness as the E-125.

Also the OQO is so much smaller than an iPaq 3970 with the dual PC Card sleeve needed to give it a Wi-Fi and a Toshiba 5 BG HDD capabilities (yet the OQO comes with 10-20 GB HDD, and has 256 MB RAM vs. 64).


As one can see, the OQO compares very favorably with all of today?s PDAs in terms of size and weight. It?s even more dramatically better when you equip the PDA comparably (hardly but sort of) with the OQO.

[cookie_cool25]

in my opinion, since it can function as its own computer (you knw what i mean, don't go ranting on me about how ipaqs and the like can too), it's not, a pda "assist," where a computer is more of a workhorse

[JLP]

Originally posted by cookie_cool25
in my opinion, since it can function as its own computer (you knw what i mean, don't go ranting on me about how ipaqs and the like can too), it's not, a pda "assist," where a computer is more of a workhorse

There's a French saying that goes: "He who can the most, can the least". Because it's a fully capable computer doesn't mean it can't act as a PDA, or can't it really?

When the OQO comes out I intend to sell my desktop, my notebook and my PDA.

All I'll keep are my peripherals (15" LCD screen, all-in-one office center (printer, scanner, etc.)) to use it with the OQO. I'll just get a USB keyboard and mouse and a USB hub since I don't have these now.

I'm waaaaaay too tired of managing my data between the 3 devices; and of course, according to the Murphy's Laws we all know too well and experience daily, what I need is never on the device I'm using at any given moment, so I always end up reaching for the other two and wasting time hunting for what I need.

Of course the worst is when I'm away from my desktop computer which happens to be most of the day. And my subnotebook, tho quite light and small is much too big to carry around everywhere I go, so much more so to carry it in my pocket.

Add to this the cell phone that everybody has nowadays and of course, according to the same laws, the phone number I need is not in the device I first search into.

Synchronizing data between them is sheer Utopia and again and again proves to be a nightmare, both because it needs constant attention (it?s very far from plug and forget) and because of its utter lack of efficiency (bugs that zaps your data or miss items; most notably it can?t synchronize files that are on storage cards).

Backing up your data from your desktop (or OQO) to a CD-R/W is Paradise compared to trying to sync 4 devices together.

Now with a good BT cell phone and handsfree BT headpiece, you?ll never need to reach for your phone again, except to recharge it ; you can manage everything from your OQO: searching & dialing numbers, SMS, MMS, fax send & receive, etc.


So all in all, what I was asking substantially was: "Does the OQO lack important features to allow me (and others, most certainly) to replace my PDA?" That it can do much more is all the better since I would need it to run all my desktop apps in a desktop configuration.

So the remaining question is: Do I need to keep my Cassiopeia or will I be able to use the OQO for all my PDA stuff?

[Equilibrium]

jlp, you obviously love your OQO!

I'm happy for you. You are Brighthand's resident OQO expert.

[imported_Covert]

Wow, I didn't realize the OQO was so small!! It won't be too big a change from my old E-125 then. Hmm...very impressive specs for such a tiny package. I'll have to get me one of those.

[Equilibrium]

Covert: you have to get one of everything.

lol