I decided that this should probably get its own thread. It's quite long, but I hope worth the read. Just treat it like a poorly written/edited article by some nobody.
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PREFACE
So, as I mentioned on another thread I had the amazing opportunity to meet Steven Hanley, President and CEO of DualCor today at CES. Even cooler, I got a chance to hold the CPC in my own mitts!
I wasn't sure where to put this since it could go on any of the various CPC threads or on the CES one. I guess if somebody in admin. wants to move it somewhere else they shall.
I'm afraid this is going to be pretty long, but I want to give you as much information as I can about this serendipitous encounter. I mean, the timing is amazing since we were just ranting about this product earlier today and most people felt like DualCor wouldn’t show up at CES. Anyway, PLEASE READ/SKIM through the whole thing because I think you'll find the information, at least some of it, interesting. As you can see, I tried to add some headings to make it easier to follow or skip.
MEETING STEVE HANLEY
As I was leaving the South Hall of exhibits at around 3 o'clock (Vega$ time) today, I came upon the C|Net booth and was shocked to see that the next presentation was going to be about DualCor. So I grabbed a seat in the nearly empty pavilion/show area and waited. As it turns out, they were recording their “first look” at the DualCor which you can now find here link . As you'll note by the editor's opening PSP joke, I'm not the only one who sees a fat PSP when I look at this thing.
So, when the review is over and the camera goes off, I'm watching the editor, Tom Merritt, like a hawk to see where he goes with that cPC when he's done. As I'm looking around I see a guy in a white button-down shirt that has DualCor embroidered on it. I also noticed that he has a cPC in his hand, so I walk up and ask him coyly, "Are you with DualCor?” He says, "Yeah, I'm Steven Hanley, the President and CEO." I'm thinking to myself, holy snikeys! I'm feeling like just like Cartman in the South Park movie (“Yes, I saw the Terrence and Philip movie-- who wants to touch me?”)
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE OQO AND cPC
I was so intently focused on how I was going to get my hands on that cPC, that I didn't realize that I had my OQO in one hand when I was shaking Mr. Hanley's hand with the other. He noticed though! Unlike the guy who asked me if my OQO was a telephone, Mr. Hanley immediately knew what it was and he said to me, and I quote, "Oh, you've got a toy there.” I laughed and told him that that was funny because we were just having this discussion on handtops.com this morning.
Surprisingly, he seemed to be familiar with the site and some of the criticisms that were on the board. "They just don't know enough about the product yet," he said. I laid out some of the specific questions/criticisms for him including; isn't it just vaporware, does it have Bluetooth, will it come with a keyboard, etc. [I certainly did not mention that I thought it was “fugly.”] But, before he answered those, or any, questions he had a specific agenda item that he wanted to address. He was accompanied by a woman by the date of Elizabeth Dumm who is an account director with a company called Brodeur. I'm not sure of what their relationship is and did not ask, they may have something to do with distribution. I suppose anyone who's interested can google it. Anyhow, he called her over and also called over the CNet editor, Tom, to take a look at my OQO.
Specifically, he wanted to point out how much brighter the screen on his cPC was when compared side-by-side to the OQO. No joke, it seems almost twice as bright. This was magnified by the fact that I had my 01+ on a lower brightness setting to try and conserve battery life. When I brightened it, it was like taking the lampshade off of a 10 watt bulb, it just wasn't impressive. “It's not even close, like night and day,” said Mr. Hanley. He was very satisfied with this demonstration.
They actually had to cPC's on hand. Mr. Hanley had one, and Tom used a different one for the review. After getting back the demonstration cPC from the CNet editor, Mr. Hanley (who I shall now refer to as Steve, since we're old friends by now), placed one in my hands. As he did he said, “this one has been on all day so it's a little warm.” I can tell you that he must've been being facetious, because it was lukewarm. I mean, my OQO is only that cool when it’s turned off. Also, I must say, it really doesn't look ‘as fugly’ in person as it does in the pictures. It looks just like a super fat PSP.
There is one thing that just can’t be denied though, IT IS HEAVY. I either made a face, or said something out loud like “boy this thing is solid,” because Steve said, “yeah, it weighs 1 pound.” So, there's one for you folks straight from the horse’s mouth, it weighs 1 pound. That's a pretty hefty handheld device.
PERSONAL DEMONSTRATION
He then recaptured the unit to show me some pretty cool stuff. One thing you can't see in any of the pictures, but should see in the video that I linked above is that the power button emits a cobalt blue glow. I don't know if that's cool or not, I suppose some folks will like it and others will not.
Steve then personally demonstrated much of what you saw in the video for me. He clicked on the ying-yang icon switching back and forth from Windows to Windows Mobile a couple times. I can tell you that switching back and forth was pretty much instantaneous.
He then did some doodling showing off the tablet functions. He also showed me that he can do all that stuff with a fingertip. As he did, he commented on how he thought the timing of OQO coming out with a tablet PC version was, in his words, “interesting.” He clearly has his eye on OQO and is watching every move they make. As you would expect.
I let him know that I wasn't happy about this option not being available to me since I had just purchased my 01+. His reply was something to the effect of…well I guess that's good customer service these days.
PROCESSOR/SPEED
Steve then proceeded with the demonstration. He really wanted to show me that is a VIA C7-M processor was superior. He chose to demonstrate this by opening a PowerPoint presentation which he told me had over a thousand slides in it. It basically popped up instantly. He then clicked on something that brought up a pop-up which had radio buttons to select a processor speed. As he did, he explain to me that the unit was only operating at that point at 400 MHz, but that it could be scaled up using this screen to as high as 1.5 GHz. I saw the screen and radio buttons, so it’s true as far as I know. I'm sure some of you more technical guys will get out there and start dissecting this information.
After that, we chatted a little bit more and I was surprised at how much awareness he had of the various criticisms that had been hurled his direction. He specifically commented about people complaining about the renderings seen on his site and elsewhere and citing them as proof that the product was only vaporware. I mean, with as much information as he had about what's going on on this and other sites is not unreasonable to suspect that he might be posting here or there himself.
He also noted that their web site had just recently been updated and a lot of the questions people had should now be answered. Finally, he told me that there was going to be a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT on his web site in March. He didn't provide any other detail, but I have to assume this is more than the release since he must know that I would be aware of that basic information.
Anyways, after that he gave me his business card and a strange double-sided laminated card which I believe is supposed to be a life-sized representation of the cPC. I will scan and post it here when I have a chance so that you guys can see it. It has some specs listed on it and basically has a picture of rendered face of the CPC on both sides one side highlighting Windows functions and the other side highlighting Windows Mobile. The card looks like a prototype for something that might be using future marketing campaigns.
So there you have it; no press pass, no secret handshake, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to due to sheer happenstance and dumb luck, I managed to get my hands on the cPC and meet the CEO of DualCor too.
YOUR QUESTIONS:
Here are the questions that I can answer based on my encounter:
1) Wi-Fi?
Yes.
2) BT?
Yes.
3) GPRS? EDGE? EDVO?
3G.
4) a. How do you attach a BT Keyboard to this thing when you're in an airplane at 38,000 ft?
I think that's rhetorical and anyway I can’t answer it.
b. Will I have to bring and use my own USB keyboard?
I asked if it will ship with a keyboard and Steve said yes. I was not quick enough on my feet to think to ask him what kind.
Our whole encounter lasted about 15 minutes, so cut me some slack!
WHAT I’VE LEARNED/DECIDED
I think that the cPC is going to be very interesting. Unfortunately, it weighs a full pound and is about the size of a brick. I just don't think it's very portable. And I absolutely could not see myself carrying it around to use as either a phone or a handtop. Ultimately, I think my snap judgment was dead on. It's specs are pretty awesome. But I think you’d have to be pretty dorky to carry this around.
I really liked Mr. Hanley though. I'm guessing he's about mid-40s to early 50s. Personable and passionate about his creation. I hope it does well.
--------
PREFACE
So, as I mentioned on another thread I had the amazing opportunity to meet Steven Hanley, President and CEO of DualCor today at CES. Even cooler, I got a chance to hold the CPC in my own mitts!
I wasn't sure where to put this since it could go on any of the various CPC threads or on the CES one. I guess if somebody in admin. wants to move it somewhere else they shall.
I'm afraid this is going to be pretty long, but I want to give you as much information as I can about this serendipitous encounter. I mean, the timing is amazing since we were just ranting about this product earlier today and most people felt like DualCor wouldn’t show up at CES. Anyway, PLEASE READ/SKIM through the whole thing because I think you'll find the information, at least some of it, interesting. As you can see, I tried to add some headings to make it easier to follow or skip.
MEETING STEVE HANLEY
As I was leaving the South Hall of exhibits at around 3 o'clock (Vega$ time) today, I came upon the C|Net booth and was shocked to see that the next presentation was going to be about DualCor. So I grabbed a seat in the nearly empty pavilion/show area and waited. As it turns out, they were recording their “first look” at the DualCor which you can now find here link . As you'll note by the editor's opening PSP joke, I'm not the only one who sees a fat PSP when I look at this thing.
So, when the review is over and the camera goes off, I'm watching the editor, Tom Merritt, like a hawk to see where he goes with that cPC when he's done. As I'm looking around I see a guy in a white button-down shirt that has DualCor embroidered on it. I also noticed that he has a cPC in his hand, so I walk up and ask him coyly, "Are you with DualCor?” He says, "Yeah, I'm Steven Hanley, the President and CEO." I'm thinking to myself, holy snikeys! I'm feeling like just like Cartman in the South Park movie (“Yes, I saw the Terrence and Philip movie-- who wants to touch me?”)
DISCUSSION ABOUT THE OQO AND cPC
I was so intently focused on how I was going to get my hands on that cPC, that I didn't realize that I had my OQO in one hand when I was shaking Mr. Hanley's hand with the other. He noticed though! Unlike the guy who asked me if my OQO was a telephone, Mr. Hanley immediately knew what it was and he said to me, and I quote, "Oh, you've got a toy there.” I laughed and told him that that was funny because we were just having this discussion on handtops.com this morning.
Surprisingly, he seemed to be familiar with the site and some of the criticisms that were on the board. "They just don't know enough about the product yet," he said. I laid out some of the specific questions/criticisms for him including; isn't it just vaporware, does it have Bluetooth, will it come with a keyboard, etc. [I certainly did not mention that I thought it was “fugly.”] But, before he answered those, or any, questions he had a specific agenda item that he wanted to address. He was accompanied by a woman by the date of Elizabeth Dumm who is an account director with a company called Brodeur. I'm not sure of what their relationship is and did not ask, they may have something to do with distribution. I suppose anyone who's interested can google it. Anyhow, he called her over and also called over the CNet editor, Tom, to take a look at my OQO.
Specifically, he wanted to point out how much brighter the screen on his cPC was when compared side-by-side to the OQO. No joke, it seems almost twice as bright. This was magnified by the fact that I had my 01+ on a lower brightness setting to try and conserve battery life. When I brightened it, it was like taking the lampshade off of a 10 watt bulb, it just wasn't impressive. “It's not even close, like night and day,” said Mr. Hanley. He was very satisfied with this demonstration.
They actually had to cPC's on hand. Mr. Hanley had one, and Tom used a different one for the review. After getting back the demonstration cPC from the CNet editor, Mr. Hanley (who I shall now refer to as Steve, since we're old friends by now), placed one in my hands. As he did he said, “this one has been on all day so it's a little warm.” I can tell you that he must've been being facetious, because it was lukewarm. I mean, my OQO is only that cool when it’s turned off. Also, I must say, it really doesn't look ‘as fugly’ in person as it does in the pictures. It looks just like a super fat PSP.
There is one thing that just can’t be denied though, IT IS HEAVY. I either made a face, or said something out loud like “boy this thing is solid,” because Steve said, “yeah, it weighs 1 pound.” So, there's one for you folks straight from the horse’s mouth, it weighs 1 pound. That's a pretty hefty handheld device.
PERSONAL DEMONSTRATION
He then recaptured the unit to show me some pretty cool stuff. One thing you can't see in any of the pictures, but should see in the video that I linked above is that the power button emits a cobalt blue glow. I don't know if that's cool or not, I suppose some folks will like it and others will not.
Steve then personally demonstrated much of what you saw in the video for me. He clicked on the ying-yang icon switching back and forth from Windows to Windows Mobile a couple times. I can tell you that switching back and forth was pretty much instantaneous.
He then did some doodling showing off the tablet functions. He also showed me that he can do all that stuff with a fingertip. As he did, he commented on how he thought the timing of OQO coming out with a tablet PC version was, in his words, “interesting.” He clearly has his eye on OQO and is watching every move they make. As you would expect.
I let him know that I wasn't happy about this option not being available to me since I had just purchased my 01+. His reply was something to the effect of…well I guess that's good customer service these days.
PROCESSOR/SPEED
Steve then proceeded with the demonstration. He really wanted to show me that is a VIA C7-M processor was superior. He chose to demonstrate this by opening a PowerPoint presentation which he told me had over a thousand slides in it. It basically popped up instantly. He then clicked on something that brought up a pop-up which had radio buttons to select a processor speed. As he did, he explain to me that the unit was only operating at that point at 400 MHz, but that it could be scaled up using this screen to as high as 1.5 GHz. I saw the screen and radio buttons, so it’s true as far as I know. I'm sure some of you more technical guys will get out there and start dissecting this information.
After that, we chatted a little bit more and I was surprised at how much awareness he had of the various criticisms that had been hurled his direction. He specifically commented about people complaining about the renderings seen on his site and elsewhere and citing them as proof that the product was only vaporware. I mean, with as much information as he had about what's going on on this and other sites is not unreasonable to suspect that he might be posting here or there himself.
He also noted that their web site had just recently been updated and a lot of the questions people had should now be answered. Finally, he told me that there was going to be a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT on his web site in March. He didn't provide any other detail, but I have to assume this is more than the release since he must know that I would be aware of that basic information.
Anyways, after that he gave me his business card and a strange double-sided laminated card which I believe is supposed to be a life-sized representation of the cPC. I will scan and post it here when I have a chance so that you guys can see it. It has some specs listed on it and basically has a picture of rendered face of the CPC on both sides one side highlighting Windows functions and the other side highlighting Windows Mobile. The card looks like a prototype for something that might be using future marketing campaigns.
So there you have it; no press pass, no secret handshake, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to due to sheer happenstance and dumb luck, I managed to get my hands on the cPC and meet the CEO of DualCor too.
YOUR QUESTIONS:
Here are the questions that I can answer based on my encounter:
1) Wi-Fi?
Yes.
2) BT?
Yes.
3) GPRS? EDGE? EDVO?
3G.
4) a. How do you attach a BT Keyboard to this thing when you're in an airplane at 38,000 ft?
I think that's rhetorical and anyway I can’t answer it.
b. Will I have to bring and use my own USB keyboard?
I asked if it will ship with a keyboard and Steve said yes. I was not quick enough on my feet to think to ask him what kind.
Our whole encounter lasted about 15 minutes, so cut me some slack!
WHAT I’VE LEARNED/DECIDED
I think that the cPC is going to be very interesting. Unfortunately, it weighs a full pound and is about the size of a brick. I just don't think it's very portable. And I absolutely could not see myself carrying it around to use as either a phone or a handtop. Ultimately, I think my snap judgment was dead on. It's specs are pretty awesome. But I think you’d have to be pretty dorky to carry this around.
I really liked Mr. Hanley though. I'm guessing he's about mid-40s to early 50s. Personable and passionate about his creation. I hope it does well.
