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Model 03: Lower the boom
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With Bob Groppo being named OQO VP of Engineering perhaps it is time to start influencing the feature set for Model 03.

I believe its integrated product development philosophy will still be relevant. Model 03 will have to compete more effectively to stay relevant though. OQO has been laying the foundation over the years to become a household name (worldwide distribution channels, new staff, different product tiers, etc), but when you say "ultraportable" most people do not think "OQO". Don't be surprised if people are generally thinking of sed smartphone in less than 5 years. In my opinion, this is more than a brading issue. It's a maturity thang. A tangible product has only been around a handful of years. So the company is poised to dominate, but does it want to?

When Model 01 hit the streets, I predicted that Model 03 will meet my requirements. I still have my fingers crossed. Here is what it will take:

CPU
Intel Menlow platform for obvious reasons. No one else will have 45nm chips for 12 months after Menlow. It makes sense to go with Intel since they are taking the UMPC market seriously and by storm. Meaning OQO's competitors will develop around Intel. Play defense and do the same thing.

Memory
2GB -Why is this still not the norm today?

Disk
32 & 64 GB flash. W/O "drop detection" tech, isn't the system now simpler?

Network
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, 802.11n
EVDO, HSDPA -the rest of the world needs WAN. Get Telco's to subsidize the product. Hasn't RIM, HTC, and Apple made it is clear that Telco's crave general computing-like products??? Cut them off at the pass.

OS
Vista SP1

MISC
GPS -save me from the $2500 navigation packages that car dealers are racketeering.
Camera -field engineers, sales agents, doctors, etc will become addicted to this. Product addiction = more revenue.
VOIP -another subsidy opportunity (looking at u Vonage)?

PRICE
With subsidies: $1400

XFACTOR
OQO's secret software sauce that makes the minituration possible. I barely know what this is about, but as cellphones creeps into the UMPC territory, commoditization is inevitable. How will this keep your product from being a commodity? Product dimensions and Vista will not help you that much longer.

Sprinkle in some innovative marketing strategies, and this will go a long way to equating "UMPC" with "OQO". The company popularized the market. It's time to make everyone recognize. Lower the boom (and the price).
 
Replies

I recall Via announcing Isaiah as part of their roadmap way back in 2004. It's supposed to have a lot better FPU performance, two cycles for floating point addition and multiplication. I'll take it at the expense of some battery life
 

Kenrick said: " I'll take it at the expense of some battery life "

... and some more heat and fan noise?
 

Well, the heat doesn't really bother me (sometimes it helps keep my hands warm ) but yea, good point on the fan noise...that's gotta be improved in the next model. I guess if I had to then I'd settle for the same amount of fan noise with a faster processor, but I definitely wouldn't like more fan noise!
 

Kenrick, but not all of us live in a climate like you I can say "been there done that" however
 

Agree the fan noise is a pain
 

Call me conservative, but I think that the current processor of 02 is spot-on, and I don't see anything really better within at least two years forward (yeah, like I know what I am talking about... ). I think OQO should keep it, just go for a slightly better graphics chipset (maybe the VX800?), put in some more ram, and really work on *fan noise*, *reliability* and *QA*! Also, the touch scrollers simply have no place on the screen - you can't do much with them when the unit is closed anyway, so why not relocate them to the top of the keyboard or something .
 

primaz said: "I think the OQO has great technology being able to shrink a full desktop computer in your pocket. I think their problem is that they used the HP 200 LX which was also thumb based. They should have based it on the HP Jornada 720/728 because it was more popular than the 200 LX and it would have a true touch type keyboard. Running full windows programs is more tailored for touch type keyboard input and the mainstream is used to inputing via a keyboard using laptops.

While die hard OQO would disagree, their sales are fairly small and to me that demonstrates that their form factor is the real issue, not adding any other features, etc. If you look back at clamshell handhelds in 1998/99 they sold over 2.3 million each year and had strong growth until MS dropped the OS support. To me that proves that form factor is more appealing to mainstream users. Based on feedback from OQO they appear to be too limited in funds to add a new form factor. Thus the OQO is likely to remain a nich device as the only changes in future models will be minor changes not real changes that would improve mainstream adoption."


How about this one for you???

link
 

I could easily do presentations to groups using a Model 03 fitted with a micro projector:

link

Aint convergence grand? Let's go Groppo! Put some pep in that step.
 

any new info?
 

J said: "I could easily do presentations to groups using a Model 03 fitted with a micro projector:

link

Aint convergence grand? Let's go Groppo! Put some pep in that step."


Convient for some... HUGE waste to others.

2d
 

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