Comments on: Will the Eee spell disaster for the Oqo?

A feature on the Oqo Model 02 in the San Francisco Chronicle quotes high-profile tech people who use the device. Who knew?

[oqouser]

Is it the name of the category that is toast or the viability of the form factor? I'd suggest a mini-notebook connotes a traditional keyboard that requires placing it on a surface to use, while an Ultra Mobile PC features a thumb-keyboard that can be used while walking, standing, leaning, etc., making it truly mobile and useful in every circumstance.

I'd like to understand your definition of a mini-notebook, because the two products you link to above do not have thumb keyboards and it would be very hard for someone standing on a crowded bus or train, or perhaps standing in a long line at Peet's Coffee to log-in via VPN to monitor or troubleshoot their business network or connect to SAP or other proprietary applications via WWAN with either of those units. I guess you could use the person's back standing next to you...?!

just something to consider.

[oqouser]

Is it the name of the category that is toast or the viability of the form factor? I'd suggest a mini-notebook connotes a traditional keyboard that requires placing it on a surface to use, while an Ultra Mobile PC features a thumb-keyboard that can be used while walking, standing, leaning, etc., making it truly mobile and useful in every circumstance.

I'd like to understand your definition of a mini-notebook, because the two products you link to above do not have thumb keyboards and it would be very hard for someone standing on a crowded bus or train, or perhaps standing in a long line at Peet's Coffee to log-in via VPN to monitor or troubleshoot their business network or connect to SAP or other proprietary applications via WWAN with either of those units. I guess you could use the person's back standing next to you...?!

just something to consider.

[oqouser]

Is it the name of the category that is toast or the viability of the form factor? I'd suggest a mini-notebook connotes a traditional keyboard that requires placing it on a surface to use, while an Ultra Mobile PC features a thumb-keyboard that can be used while walking, standing, leaning, etc., making it truly mobile and useful in every circumstance.

I'd like to understand your definition of a mini-notebook, because the two products you link to above do not have thumb keyboards and it would be very hard for someone standing on a crowded bus or train, or perhaps standing in a long line at Peet's Coffee to log-in via VPN to monitor or troubleshoot their business network or connect to SAP or other proprietary applications via WWAN with either of those units. I guess you could use the person's back standing next to you...?!

just something to consider.

[primaz]

"Why someone would opt for the Model 02 " "But usability and having a distinct usage category are so much more important when looking for mainstream consumer success in the gadget world. "

It is not the price but the usability. The problem with all UMPC's available in the US is that they are not very usable. How do you use full windows? You use full windows with a computer with a touch type keyboard; NOT A THUMB KEYBOARD NOR PEN INPUT! Yes computers with full windows with a touch type keyboard dominate the planet with over 113 million sold each year and people would want a more mobile vesion. What is needed is a clamshell type full windows computer with a touch type keyboard. Something resembling the old but famous Psion 5mx PDA. If a new UMPC was that size, basically about 7" long, about 3.6" to 4" wide and less than an inch in height, that would provide enough room for a good touch type keyboard like the Psion had. Couple that with full windows and you would have a consumer computer selling big volume.

The problem with OQO is it is not a good input for full windows. Yes they have great technology in making a full windows pc that small but it has never sold well due to the input being non mainstream. If you work the 20 million backwards that comes out to selling 8000 to 15,000 computes a year depending on how you want to estimate the average sales per customer of the device, and expensive accessories. After 8 years they have not had big demand. If they made a slightly longer version with a true touch type keyboard that would sell. By making it a little longer say 7" they would have about 35% more internal volume available keeping it the same thickness; I would expect a good engineering group could find a way to reduce the height which would make it much sleeker and easier to carry in a jacket pocket. The normal jacket pocket should be the parameters for UMPC's to gain mainstream sales; that dimension can handle about 7.4" x 4.25" x 1.3" roughly. Ideally the more narrow and thinner is what would make it easy to carry BUT do not reduce the length to less than 6.9" as that was what the Psion had; any smaller and then you are faced with the current problems of not being easy to input.

[primaz]

OQO should have changed the design to more of a simple clamshell so that it would have a touch type keyboard to be able to peform the normal laptop functions most would do with Vista yet still be small enough to fit in a large jacket pocket. Now just as I foresaw years ago and this article pointed out last year that they can not survive with the form factor they have continued to market for 8 years with such weak sales. OQO confirmed with the Wallstreet Journal that they are in financial problems and the company is seeking a buyer. It looks like they will not survive as they are not supporting warranty repairs and there are reports that OQO is sending OQO computers back to customers without repairing them.

They did have great technology but they failed to use the technology in the right form factor to generate much interest and sales. That is the problem when you let engineers run the direction of a company; they might be great technically but they are out of touch with the norm to realize that a thumb keyboard for a full PC is just not what most would welcome in a computer.