Handtops, UMPC - OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist - OQO, Wish list, features, audio, hardware

After my first two post I figured I might try writing what I would like to have in a no-compromise, no-nonsense "personalised" OQO.

(in no specific order)

Same form-factor
Wi-FI. Don't know which, but just make it fast enough and with a long enough "reach". Oh, and make it wpa2 or whatever that safety-thing is called.

100 GB HD, preferably 5400RPM or higher.

2 Firewire 6-pin connectors
2 USB 2.0

Charge through either FW or USB or both.

Connector to an external screen.

10 hours run-time (yeah, a boy can dream, can't he?)

Ability to run OS X would be nice, as I come from a PB-world, and I wouldn't need to learn how to edit in new audio apps, but really not that important, since I am done with buying things from Apple.

A hot-swappable battery (I don't want to shut it down to change the battery).

Charging plug could be nice if it were magnetic like the macbook pros, or if it had a hirose 4-pin plug.

Battery adaptor to charge the battery off-unit directly connected to the charger.

Headphone out

The option to add RAM up to 1GB.

Microphone.

Modem (ISDN?) For streaming audio back to base at places where that is the only option of connecting (a land based system instead of using, say, 3G is much less prone to faults and coverage failure).

No speakers
No 3G
No Camera
No GPS

Yup, that's about it.

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OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist (Tags: OQO, Wish list, features, audio, hardware)

Comments

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07/25/06 + Supp0rtLinux

You want a laptop, not a handtop (UMPC, microPC, etc). A lot of people ask me about my 01+... and the two most common questions I get are how it performs and how much is cost. My answer is roughly along these lines... when I got my 01+, it had the specs of my then three year old, mid-to-high end Dell laptop. Basically, 1Ghz CPU, 512Mb RAM, 30Gb 4200rpm drive. When I bought my Dell new, it was $1600.00 (it now sells for roughly $300 on Ebay). When I bought my 01+, it was $2000... for three year old specs. Basically, at the time I paid for the specs of a three year old laptop that could fit in my pocket. I paid for form factor. In the last three years, technology has dramatically improved. A current Dell (equivalent in cost to the one I bought three years before) has a 2.2Ghz CPU, 120Gb 5400rpm drive, 1Gb of RAM, and a DVD+/- R/W, 802.11a/b/g, expansion ports, and 3 to 4 hours of battery life. The problem is, the technology has improved for the laptop size, not the UMPC size. Thus, it'll still be a few years before the specs you describe... the specs found in common laptops, can be put into a form factor the size of an OQO and still have somewhat decent battery life while not being hot enough to fry an egg. Kudos to OQO for being the first to market, even if it was with three year old specs. Your wishlist, however, is just that. Realistically, what you're likely to see are minor improvements... either a better CPU at the same speed or a slightly faster one (1.1 to 1.2Ghz). RAM will still probably be 512Mb but will likely be DDR2 instead of DDR1. A 40GB or 60Gb drive is reasonable, and maybe even a SATA one, but definitely not a 120Gb and definitely not any faster than 5400rpm. Upgrading to 802.11b/g is quite likely. And an increase in battery life from an average of 1.5 hours to say 2.5 to 3 is realistic, but not much more unless you go with a larger one (such as they offer now). The smaller items (backlit keyboard, etc) are all doable. The ability to run OS X requires a new bootloader... its possible, but quite unlikely as OQO is targeting the corporate market, not the geek, early adoptor, hacker market.

Oh, and FYI... you don't have to shutdown your OQO to change the battery... just put it into hibernate...

Recent Blog: The Motorother Talktouch

07/25/06 + piperpete

I know that it's not really realistic, it's just what I would like - it's a wish list.

I do not want a laptop – I already have that, and it's too heavy and too big to be lugging around when I also have to log my recording equipment around.

I said it was a no-compromise wish. Not that it would need anything close to those specs before I buy it. Huge difference in my world.

Also, with regards to the OS - I wish I could run OS X, but in reality I wouldn't care so much about that. It's a tool, and I really need to get some lighter tools.

In reality, all I need is Firewire, some means of making some fast editing of audio files (interviews and perhaps some ambience), and the ability to connect to the internet, and a wee bit of typing once in a while. That is the basic needs, disregarding battery life.

But these specs aren't "wish list material", but simply "This I will need as a minimum". I can no sweat make do with 512MB, no modem, 30-40GB HDD, No WPA2, "slowish" Wi-fi, and 4200RPM harddrive and so forth. That's perfectly fine. In essense, I would be happy if there was a somewhat fast PocketPC, with Firewire, the ability to run a somewhat decent audio editing programme, and with enough storage for enough audio (i.e. a small, perhaps 20gig, harddisk)

With regards to the DVD-drive. I have never used a DVD drive for anything else than to run the Install discs. It's annoying me daily that I have to carry around the optical drive, when I never use it. In my tibook I went as far as opening it and removing the optical.

I never knew that about the OQO, though. That's good to know.

Recent Blog: OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist

07/25/06 + kyone

I think firewire is being phased out, I doubt it will be on the OQO 02.

and its not possible to charge a USB master device via USB. You would need to have a USB type B plug (slave) on the device. Which would be nice if it gave you access to the HDD from another computer.

07/26/06 + tnkgrl

ISDN - is this 1996? If you want landline support, use a $30 USB modem dongle... As for 3G, I reliably see 500 kbps down and 150 kbps up with my brand new HSDPA phone (LG CU500 on Cingular) via Bluetooth!

I like the idea of charging via FireWire (it handles more current than USB).

Recent Blog: Bluetooth hack for the Asus 701 (Eee)

07/26/06 + hishamh

kyone said: "
and its not possible to charge a USB master device via USB. You would need to have a USB type B plug (slave) on the device. Which would be nice if it gave you access to the HDD from another computer."

Not only that, USB max output per socket is 5V 500mA which is way too low to charge any laptop/handtop battery.

07/27/06 + piperpete

Hehe, Tnkgrl, I know it sounds like 1996, but it's actually quite useful if, say, you're somewhere (not at home) where technology isn't up to scratch - in the middle of nowhere, and you have to feed audio back home.

No to mention feeding audio while speaking with my base, and use it to record phone calls.

Check this out: link

Again, it was just a wish - if I could get it exactly like I wanted it.

About the firewire, I'm glad it handles more current than USB - maybe that will make it possible to actually have it charging through it.

Recent Blog: OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist

07/27/06 + piperpete

I just realised, I will need a way of writing "æ", "ø", and "å".

Either by reprogramming some of the keys, say 3, 4, 7, or by using the fn-key.

I hope that is (or will be) possible on the Oqo.

Recent Blog: OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist

07/27/06 + Supp0rtLinux

Windows has long supported the extended character set... from a regular keyboard, put on your NumLock, then try holding the down the ALT key and trying various three number combos starting with 000 through around 900 or so I believe... examples:

ALT 130 = é
ALT 666 = Ü
ALT 777 = ○
ALT 200 = ╚
ALT 201 = ╔

You get the idea... want to look kewl when you write the word résumé? Its, "r-ALT 130-sum-ALT 103"...

Good luck doing this on your OQO...

Recent Blog: The Motorother Talktouch

edited: Jul 27 2006 + piperpete

Hehe, that's the problem, isn't it - that won't do.
It's actually ordinary letters in our alphabet, and we use them quite a lot:

to do (sth) = at gøre (ngt)
On = på
apple=æble
to be=at være (vare would be some weird (wrong) form of "var"=was
help= hjælp
year=år (whereas "ar" means scar

And so forth.

So, basically, pressing down four keys plus the capital of the same (Æ,Ø,Å) doesn't really work.

On my Apple, I just press ALT (that's Option in the us) and e, resulting in é. But we rarely use accents in danish, however we do have three extra letters in our alphabet, going xyzæøå – those are on the keyboards as well, both on Macs and PCs.

Oh, we don't really use umlauts either. Those letters, on the other hand. I mean, I am not asking for them to add three extra keys, only a way to route already existing keys. If I cannot get those letters, I won't be able to use it for writing anything else but english (I make a living from the use of the danish language, so if not, then I won't be able to even come near the Oqo.

Recent Blog: OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist

07/28/06 + Supp0rtLinux

you don't do the capital of each letter... the capital version is a different three digit code. Start with alt+001, then go up... you'll find you go through the lower characters first, then the uppers. The solution is a different three digit code, not ALT+3 digit code+ SHIFT to get a CAP letter...

Recent Blog: The Motorother Talktouch

07/28/06 + piperpete

no, no, listen to what I am saying:

It's a no-go to punch several keys every time I need æ,ø, and å - even worse if I would have to remember even other codes for the capitals of those. That would make "typing" on a palm pilot quicker.

What I mean by ALT - is that in order to get a "é", instead of "e", I press the alt, then "e". With the capitalised "æ,ø,å," I press shift to make them cpaitals. But those letter are already on keyboards in Denmark. And they are separate keys (Maybe I should take a picture so you could understand?).

What I suggested could be a possible solution on the OQO (because it would require no hardware changes - i.e. no keyboard with additional keys) would be to add æ,ø,å as an "alt+"-function to some keys so that I will be able to use those letters without too much trouble.

The solution you're suggesting won't work at all. Imagine yourself typing, and the only way you could useng "s", "d", and "f" would be to type those codes, not to mention other three codes for the capitals! Seriously, that would make it quite hard to use the oqo as a communications device, right?

I know that XP and Vista can understand information send from a keyboard for the danish extra letters, and those codes could be put in there with, say, the use of alt+the chosen keys for that job

But, without those codes, and if reprogramming some keys cannot be done (or if the will isn't there) so that one could at least use a key-combination to get them, then it's rather useless, just like yours would be with three letters missing.

Recent Blog: OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist

07/28/06 + piperpete

Seriously, even our 3g phones have the letters æ,ø,å, gsm likewise. no phone in denmark is sold without it, so it cannot be that hard, or that expensive to make it work, especially if it is only software

Recent Blog: OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist

07/28/06 + GenM

Since the OQO is intended for the US market, they have not designed other language specific keyboards. If you need that capability you will probably have to use an external keyboard that has the keys for your alphabet.
The same goes for the UX (except that it also has a Japanese alphabet keyboard version).

Recent Blog: OQO holds Patent on Laptop Enclosure

edited: Jul 29 2006 + piperpete

I know, but that would defeat much of its purpose, and knowing that it can be integrated on other small devices both thorugh hardware and software, at least a software solution (short cuts) should be able to be programmed.

There's a difference between being a US-based company catering first and foremost to the US market, and being a US-based, US-only company.

We're a small country, but when apple, ericcson, samsung and the likes can make phones, ipods and so forth supporting the language, then Oqo should too. Yes, they're a small company, hence I would be able to make do with a software solution only. Hell, even "Sound Devices" recorders can read folders with æ,ø,å. And they're much smaller than Oqo (and it's really not that necessary on a recorder).

It ought to be possible, unless of course, the will to do so isn't there.

Recent Blog: OQO Personal No-nonsense wishlist

08/01/06 + MeanSquare

piperpete said: "I said it was a no-compromise wish. Not that it would need anything close to those specs before I buy it. Huge difference in my world."

In another thread we were talking about this sort of thing and coined the phrase "threashold to buy" for the later.

piperpete said: "I just realised, I will need a way of writing "æ", "ø", and "å"."

Using the ALT #### sequence is useful for one-time needs, but not practical when you're typing that character all the time. What we need is some utility software that allows you to reprogram keys (possibly in combination with the CTRL, ALT, and FN). Sony is including such a utility (called KeyTweak) with the UX.

Recent Blog: MeanSquare's Review of the Sony UX (with comparison to OQO)

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