OQO was a U.S. computer hardware company that was notable for manufacture of handheld computers. Its systems possessed the functionality of a tablet PC in a size slightly larger than a

personal digital assistant A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in partic ...

(PDA). According to ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'', the "OQO" was the smallest full-powered, full-featured

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

in 2005. The company's first version of subnotebook computer was the OQO model 01. It had been compared with the Ultra Mobile PC platform, although it was introduced before the UMPC took flight. The company was founded in 2000. OQO was reported to have stopped production in April 2009. The company confirmed that it had ceased operations in May 2009 because of financial difficulties.

OQO Model 01

The original OQO model 01 was announced several years before

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used ...

s were even seen, leading many people to call it

vaporware In the computer industry, vaporware (or vapourware) is a product, typically computer hardware or software, that is announced to the general public but is late or never actually manufactured nor officially cancelled. Use of the word has broade ...

until it was finally released in Q3 of 2004. The computer shipped with Windows XP installed (Home Edition or Professional, but the Tablet PC Edition was not available until the model 01+ was released) and featured a 1

GHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one ...

Transmeta Crusoe The Transmeta Crusoe is a family of x86-compatible microprocessors developed by Transmeta and introduced in 2000. Instead of the instruction set architecture being implemented in hardware, or translated by specialized hardware, the Crusoe run ...

processor, 20 GB hard drive, and 256 MB of

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. It included USB 1.1, FireWire 400, a headphone port, and a built-in microphone, integrated 802.11b wireless radio, as well as

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...

. The OQO used a Wacom electromagnetic induction-type pen stylus with a magnetic field sensitive 800x480 resolution transflective screen. Retail shipments began on October 14, 2004. Its size was and it weighed .

OQO Model 01+

The OQO model 01+ was announced and released on September 27, 2005. Representing an incremental update to the model 01, the model 01+ featured a larger 30 GB hard drive, 512 MB of RAM, USB 2.0, and an internal speaker. It also added support for portrait display mode. It also had a redesigned screen bezel intended to improve the accuracy of its Wacom-enabled display by increasing the space between the bezel and edge of the display. Originally it was only available running Windows XP Home or Pro editions. A version with Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 was introduced on January 4, 2006, taking advantage of

handwriting recognition Handwriting recognition (HWR), also known as handwritten text recognition (HTR), is the ability of a computer to receive and interpret intelligible handwritten input from sources such as paper documents, photographs, touch-screens and other dev ...

and improved navigation.

OQO Model 02

The OQO model 02 was introduced by

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

in January 2007 at the

Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event t ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. It weighed and was small enough to fit in a pocket; at the time it was the world's smallest fully-functional Windows Vista PC. Like its predecessor, the model 02 was a handheld device that ran Windows (XP Professional or Vista Business.) It featured a new black casing and a backlit keyboard, a brighter 5 inch LCD screen, and 800x480 pixel display with an active digitizer for pen-based input. Several models were introduced at the time with VIA C7-M ULV processors (1.2 GHz, 1.5 GHz, or 1.6 GHz) and choice of 512MB or 1GB of RAM. 32 or 64 GB solid-state drives (SSDs) or standard hard drives from 60 to 120 GB were available. Also included were Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, USB 2.0, a 3.5 mm x 1 line-out/line-in audio jack and an HDMI-out port. The model 02 also offered optional integrated

EV-DO Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO, EVDO, etc.) is a telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access. EV-DO is an evolution of the CDMA2000 (IS-2000) standard which su ...

mobile broadband with choice of

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas i ...

or Sprint as service provider. Advanced security features were also provided, including an on-board

Trusted Platform Module Trusted Platform Module (TPM, also known as ISO/IEC 11889) is an international standard for a secure cryptoprocessor, a dedicated microcontroller designed to secure hardware through integrated cryptographic keys. The term can also refer to a c ...

, and thanks to the VIA C7-M's built-in Padlock features, hardware-level

encryption In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can dec ...

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and

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functions. The model 02 also had the ability to zoom to 1000x600 and 1200x720 interpolated modes, horizontal/vertical screen rotation, and a sensor that automatically protected the hard drive in case of a drop. Accessories included a docking station (with a DVD+-RW drive, HDMI and VGA video out, three USB 2.0 ports, and a 3.5 mm audio jack), an extended battery lasting up to six hours, and choice of a soft leatherette "executive" case or durable aluminum "stronghold" case. The model 02 won the following awards: * Stevie Award for Best New Product * Japan’s 2007 Good Design Award * LAPTOP Magazine, Ultimate Mobility Issue: LAPTOP Ultimate Choice 2007 * Business 2.0 Magazine: 4 Stars (Editor’s Choice) and "Our Picks for ... Ultramobile PCs." * Microsoft: “2007 Windows Vista PC Innovation Award” * Gizmodo: “The Best of ‘Best of CES 2007’ Lists” (Best Computer) * Popular Science: Best of CES 2007 * Wired Magazine: CES Winners and Losers * LAPTOP Magazine: 2007 Best of CES Awards * LAPTOP Magazine Rating: 4 Stars * PC Magazine Editor’s Rating: 4 Stars

OQO Model e2

OQO in September 2007 announced the availability of the model e2 with embedded

HSDPA High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) is an amalgamation of two mobile protocols—High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA)—that extends and improves the performance of existing 3G mobile telecommunica ...

mobile broadband capability, providing customers in Europe and Asia with widely available high-speed Internet connectivity. The OQO model e2 with embedded HSDPA was designed specifically to meet international demand for anytime/anywhere computing with Internet access and networked PC applications in a pocketable and ergonomic design. It supported "open SIM" HSDPA (3.5G) as well as

UMTS The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed and maintained by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), UMTS is a component of the Int ...

EDGE Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...

, and

GPRS General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data standard on the 2G and 3G cellular communication network's global system for mobile communications (GSM). GPRS was established by European Telecommunications Standards Ins ...

. It supported data access through UMTS/HSDPA at 2100 MHz, and was downward compatible with GPRS/EDGE networks at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. Download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbit/s were supported. The product was available SIM-free and network unlocked, allowing customers flexibility in selecting their preferred wireless operator and data plan. Users had a choice of tri-band wide-area wireless, WiFi 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. The model 02 and model e2 came with a VIA C7-M ULV processor (1.6 GHz, 1.5 GHz, or 1.2 GHz), up to 1 GB of RAM, up to a 120 GB hard drive, with the option of a 32 GB or 64 GB

solid-state drive A solid-state drive (SSD) is a solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data persistently, typically using flash memory, and functioning as secondary storage in the hierarchy of computer storage. It ...

, Bluetooth 2.0 (with enhanced data rate), tri-mode WiFi (802.11a/b/g) and optional 3G mobile broadband (EV-DO in the US, UMTS/HSDPA internationally).

OQO Model 2+

The

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, ...

-based "model 2+" was unveiled at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco labeled as "OQO MID" as a "technology demonstration." The model 2+ was formally announced at CES 2009, and was available with a 1.33 GHz or 1.86 GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM,

Qualcomm Gobi Qualcomm Gobi is a family of embedded mobile broadband modem products by Qualcomm. Gobi technology 2 was designed to allow for any product with the embedded solution to connect to the internet anywhere a wireless carrier provides data coverage. O ...

global wireless internet, touch screen, and was the first PC to feature an active matrix

OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED or organic LED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light ...

display. The projected shipping date was around May 22, 2009, but the product never shipped. OQO ceased production because of financial difficulties.

Bankruptcy

The company confirmed that it had ceased operations in May 2009 because of financial difficulties. In April 2009, OQO started returning unrepaired in-warranty devices. In addition, the company stated that it would no longer offer any repair or service support, although third party warranties remained in effect.

OQO model specifications

* Depends on configuration. OQO computers with standard battery, solid state drive, and no WWAN weigh approximately 413g (14.5 oz).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oqo Computer hardware companies Computer companies established in 2000 Companies disestablished in 2009 2000 establishments in California 2009 disestablishments in California Companies based in San Francisco American companies established in 2000 American companies disestablished in 2009