Described by the Germany-based seller as in “pristine condition” and unused apart from “initial testing”, the Model 2+ has Intel’s Z540 CPU, a 120GB hard-drive, 2GB of RAM and runs Windows Vista.  There’s also Bluetooth, WiFi a/b/g and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, together with that lovely 5-inch OLED touchscreen.

All well and good, but if OQO had managed to ship the Model 2+ what you’re looking at would’ve retailed from $999.  Seems someone really, really wants the “smallest Vista PC in the world” now it’s unlikely to see a replacement; this is actually the second such auction, with another Model 2+ selling for $4,500 last month.

[via UMPC Portal]

“We are sad to report that due to financial constraints, OQO is not able to offer repair and service support at this time. We are deeply sorry that despite our best intentions, we are unable to provide continued support for our faithful customers. Please accept our sincerest apologies” OQO

According to Rosin, the technology may in fact be used in a gaming-oriented device.  No word on exactly how that might pan out, but the Model 2+’s above-average processing power for an ultraportable handheld could make it – with some obvious tweaks – and interesting mobile gaming unit.

As of now, though, OQO’s phone lines have been disconnected and email is no longer getting through.  The advice is to not send any hardware in to them, as it won’t be looked at.

Elsewhere, netbooks suffered a hiccup after MSI, ASUS and Acer all apparently saw fewer sales than expected in the first quarter of 2009.  That hasn’t done much to sway the tide of new machines, though, with the Aspire One Pro 531 finally getting official, along with the MSI Wind U100 PLUS.  Toshiba are also getting in on the action, with the Dynabook UX, while Sharp have prompted no small amount of interest with their Mebius NJ70A with its LCD touchscreen trackpad.  Meanwhile we saw the Acer Aspire One 531 unboxed on video, while a review of the ASUS Eee PC 1004DN flagged up the problems Windows XP presents to Intel’s GN40 graphics chipset.

We still can’t get enough of the Viliv S5 MID, and it seems we’re not alone.  Presales for the 4.8-inch touchscreen device kick off on Monday this week, albeit for the non-3G model, and if the reviews are to be believed then it’s a very alluring MID that should find no shortage of buyers.  No such luck for OQO, who have canceled all pre-orders for their Model 2+ UMPC.

If OQO’s struggles weren’t bad enough, SlashGear favorite Ugobe have also hit some unsurmountable trouble.  The Pleo-makers have filed for bankruptcy, leaving the robodino’s alluring IP up for grabs by the highest bidder.

Elsewhere, MSI’s X-Slim X340 ultraportable finally got an official price-tag, though we’re sad to see it missing its sub-$1000 predictions and instead coming in at $1,099.99.  To make up for the disappointment, someone promptly opened up their X340 to reveal compact components and a surprising amount of masking tape.

Don’t forget, SlashGear is giving away a year’s subscription to Slacker Radio Plus to one lucky reader.  Head over to this forum thread to find out more, plus details on how you can answer (hint: it’s very, very simple); entries will be accepted up until the end of the month.  Good luck!

The Model 2+ was announced at CES 2009, and updates the OQO range with a new, OLED touchscreen display and faster components.  It was one of our stand-out gadgets at the show, and subsequent benchmarking showed that, despite the compact size, it was a very capable machine.

Unfortunately, with those capabilities come a hefty price-tag: the Model 2+ range was priced from $999, although that included a slower HDD rather than the speedy SSD.  Even significantly undercutting the previous-generation version, that’s a lot to pay for a UMPC, especially when consumers are looking to super-budget netbooks to get their portable computing fix.  We’ll update with any comment we get from OQO themselves, but for now it’s not looking good.

[via GottaBeMobile]

eXpansys sold the OQO through its site, and decided to pull the Model 02+ from the website. Pre-orders for the Model 02+ were canceled due to low stock and lack of information from OQO.

Dear Customer,

Unfortunately eXpansys has taken the decision, due to uncertainties
to stock availability of the OQO Model 2+, to remove the OQO model
from our web site.

While we try to keep the information on our web site fully up to date
with the status of each product, inevitably in some cases we are not
informed that a particular item is no longer available until after we
have orders for it.

We apologise for any inconvenience.
Regards

Order Processing
eXpansys

OQO saw a change in CEO’s when the CEO of OQO stepped down and was replaced by a company founder. The company is rumored to be in attempts to sell ownership. A moderator on the OQO Forums stated this:

I have been told by a few people in the know and also just from watching whats going on with OQO from reports on this forum. OQO is attempting to sell the company. It lacks the funds to keep going, cash is tight and work hours have been reduced. One has to wonder if it can still meet warranty claims as it starts to buy stock to build the 2+. I’m sorry to say this, but the 2+ might be the last OQO we see made. I don’t even think we will see it.

[Via JKOnTheRun]

Switch the backlight down to its lowest setting, and drain falls to, at its lowest, 7.8w.  Whether the display is showing predominantly white or predominantly black pixels will make a difference, but the overall judgement is the same: the OLED display just isn’t delivering on all of its promises.

If you can make do with 50-percent brightness (“enough for a daylight room”), locking the Atom CPU to 800MHz with the OQO in power saving mode, and setting the fan to ‘quiet’, you can apparently stretch out battery life to 3hrs (with 3G active).  That’s dependent on not stressing the system with too many flash movies or lashings of multimedia however.

There’s still plenty to like the OQO Model 2+ for, but longevity with the standard power pack doesn’t look to be one of them.  I’m curious to SlashGear readers’ expectations of runtime from their mobile devices: where’s your bottom limit?  Let me know in the comments.

Unboxing video of the OQO Model 2+ after the cut

After the disappointing benchmark results for the first Model 2+ we saw yesterday, specifically its hard-drive score, it’s good to hear that the SSD version whips along more smoothly.  Where the HDD version managed 3944 in CrystalMark 2004R3, the SSD Model 2+ more than doubles that to 7923. 

Battery life could be an issue, though, with preliminary figures looking like 2hrs with WiFi switched on and no manual CPU throttling.  Steve expects to be able to extend that to 2.5hrs by slowing the processor down to 800MHz, but it’s not an ideal solution and what affect 3G has remains to be seen.  Speaking of WWAN, switching from EVDO Rev.A to HSPA was more of a headache than it should be.  Still, both OQO users seem impressed with the UMPC, and we’ll be tracking their experiences over the next couple of weeks. 

The demo model in question has 2GB of RAM but no SSD, instead coming with the 120GB HDD.  A preliminary glance at the CrystalMark 2004R3 benchmarks suggest that it’s that storage choice that holds the Model 2+ back, while despite Atom’s reputation as being a relatively meagre processor option, the Z540 manages a decent ALU score.

We’re still hoping to get our hands on an OQO Model 2+ review unit, and we’ve still got high hopes for the UMPC in general.  Disk performance is just one aspect of ownership, after all, and the Windows Experience Index tool shows a different side of the story, with only gaming graphics really holding the device back.  We’ll have to hope that real-world use proves the HDD can keep up; the SSD is not an inexpensive option.

After that, it was CES 2009, and the SlashGear team decamped to Las Vegas to cover the best-known consumer electronics show on the calendar.  The impact of the recession has certainly made its mark on CES, with what looked to be a lower attendee turnout and several booth cancellations.  Headline gadgets were also fewer and further between, though there were still a few notable announcements.

Surprise introduction was the Palm Pre, a new smartphone coupled with a new platform, webOS.  Despite getting thrown out of the press launch during our liveblog, we still managed to bring you the first images of the device on the net.  The QWERTY-equipped capacitive touchscreen slider is set to hit Sprint in the first half of 2009; make sure to check out our hands-on Pre report, Sprint & Palm Q&A, and visit Pre Community for more details.

A long-rumored netbook came to fruition too this week, in the shape of the Sony VAIO P.  Following the company’s usual path of no-compromise design and little accomodation for aching wallets, the VAIO P is an expensive ($899+) and interesting addition to the ultraportable space.  SlashGear is one of a very small number of sites with a VAIO P of our own; check out our first impressions here, and expect plenty more on this Digital Lifestyle PC very soon.  In fact I’m currently writing this Week in Review on the P, with only minimal squinting.

Elsewhere, we caught up with the latest version of Nokia’s N97 smartphone – which we’re looking forward to spending more time with at Mobile World Congress next month – and sat down with Creative to discuss their innovative Zii processor.  iRiver’s curious WAVE HOME reminded us that just when we think we can predict the company, they surprise us, and ASUS pulled a number of interesting devices – including the Eee PC T91 Tablet – out of the bag.

Elsewhere in the touchscreen space, OQO’s new Model 2+ – complete with OLED touchscreen and integrated worldwide 3G support – certainly endeared itself, and we’re looking forward to getting our hands on a review unit.  On an even smaller scale, it’s good to hear that the LG GD910 watch phone is headed for production.

Apple may have not introduced much hardware, but that doesn’t stop them influencing others’ design.  One of the more obviously “MacBook inspired” items at the show has been MSI’s X-Slim X320; make sure to check out our comparison photoshoot with the MacBook Air.

That’s just a small slice of our CES coverage, so if you want to catch up with all the good stuff from the show click on the CES 2009 tag.  We’ll be rounding up any remaining content that we may have missed from our memory cards in the coming days.

Finally, we have a new addition to the SlashGear family in the shape of Shawn Farner, who joined our editorial staff on Monday.  Shawn is a rabid social-media junkie as well as a tech-addict, and we’re hoping you’re finding his content as interesting to read as we are.

Add to that global 3G capabilities thanks to Qualcomm’s Gobi wireless chipset – with OQO again being the first to include it – that gives you 3G HSPA and EVDO connectivity and a neat $300 docking station with extra USB ports, ethernet and slot-loading optical drive, and you’ve got an interesting rival to the new Sony VAIO P.  Starting at $999, you’re getting more for your money than you did with the last-gen Model 2 too. 

We’re hoping to get our hands on a Model 2+ review unit very soon, and we’re really excited about testing it out in the real-world.  On the show floor, the keyboard was small but usable, the display a good size for web browsing, media and simple typing, and while weighty the 2+ wasn’t too heavy considering what’s inside.

The OQO Model 2+ utilizes a full OLED touchscreen display that measures 5 inches.  The display has a resolution of 800×480 but can be zoomed out to display in 1024×768, the resolution of a normal 4:3 monitor.  The device weighs less than 1 lb and has a super small footprint – it measures 5.6×3.3×1.0 inches.

The OQO runs on an 1.86GHz Atom processor and packs 2GB of RAM and a 120 GB hard drive.  Alternatively, you can order one with a 60 GB solid state drive.  The OQO certainly isn’t priced like a netbook – it’ll cost you $1,199.  You can order it now from Dynamism.com.

Poor Microsoft; in fact the only real news out of Seattle this week was an explanation as to why all the Zune 30 PMPs turned into lemmings at New Year.  Meanwhile, two monstrous notebooks – either of which could play havoc with your back if you forget to bend at the knees – got some hands-on playtime, in the shape of the Lenovo W700ds and the HP Voodoo Firefly concept.

LG decided it couldn’t wait until this coming week to reveal what fun it had planned for 2009, and so we got an eyeful of the LH95 “world’s thinnest” LCD, a Trumotion 480Hz LCD panel and a 24-inch LCD with a million-to-one contrast ratio.  Elsewhere, there’s interesting movement at MSI in the shape of the U115 Hybrid netbook, while ASUS’ S121 12.1-inch netbook also broke cover.  They’ll go up against Sony’s VAIO P netbook, of which we saw more photos and found out more details – including pricing – this past week.  Finally, for those with slightly more unusual tastes, OQO announced their Model 2+ UMPC with an OLED touchscreen and Intel Atom CPU.

Of course, this week sees two stalwarts of the tech calendar play out their usual head-to-head, as Macworld 2009 and CES 2009 both kick off.  SlashGear will be attending both, running our traditional liveblog of the Apple keynote on Tuesday morning – join us at 9am PST at http://live.slashgear.com – and then filling the rest of the week with the hottest tech from CES.  You can keep track using the CES 2009 tag; enjoy!

“OQO, Inc. announces the new model 2+ with the Intel® Atom™ processor, the world’s first PC OLED display, and worldwide 3G capability. Based on the 1.86GHz Intel Atom processor and 2GB RAM, the OQO model 2+ offers performance up to twice as fast as its predecessor and includes an embedded touchscreen for easier input” Digital Experience

Back in September, OQO confirmed that an Atom-based UMPC was on the roadmap, but that would-be buyers shouldn’t expect to see it that Fall.  Now, several months later, exactly what OQO were developing has become clear; instead of the prototype model, which simply had swapped out the old CPU for a new Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, the company has taken the opportunity to more thoroughly rethink the UMPC.

One thing the OQO Model 2+ is not going to be is cheap.  The current range starts at around $1,300, and can be customized up to $3,000 with solid-state drives and other niceties.  Standard 3G and OLED can only add to that.

[via OLED-Display]

More than that, however, the two OQO UMPCs are constantly interconnected, meaning that text, images and other media on one can be copied over to the other.  Ken suggests a scenario where research on the left screen can be clipped and moved to the notes on the right:

“I just take a snapshot from the collection on the left screen and it appears in my notes on the right screen, where I can arrange it and mark it up as I see fit. I can scroll back and forth on the left screen to find a photo that meets my current needs, while the page that I am authoring on the right screen always remains visible. The two screens are invaluable because I always have the reference material in the context of what I am working on, instead of feverishly flipping between them on a single screen” Ken Hinckley, Microsoft Research

Alternatively, for document review, a consistent contents or index page can be kept on the left side while the pages themselves are brought up on the right.  Thanks to the orientation sensors in the UMPC, different setups of Codex can be switched between: landscape, holding it like a book; portrait, in a more traditional laptop posture with one OQO keyboard extended; or opened back on itself, to show a presentation with notes on the reverse.

Of course, not everyone can afford even one UMPC, never mind two, but this is yet another intriguing suggestion of where “companion devices” could be heading.

After speculation started over the prototype 02, Dennis Moore had quickly stepped in to describe it as a “technology showcase” and not something that would reach production lines.  His explanation was that it was a demonstration of two mobile-focused companies working together to target professionals.

“OQO is very excited about their upcoming roadmap. Rosin mentioned the Intel IDF conference where they demoed a prototype Model 02 running an Intel Atom 1.6 ghz processor, but wouldn’t elaborate much more on pricing, timelines, etc. Don’t expect a product release this fall, though” GottaBeMobile

At the time, we speculated that OQO was nipping rumors in the bud to preserve sales of the existing models, which could dive if would-be customers believed a new, Atom-powered version was just around the corner.  We also suggested that OQO could be waiting until the dual-core Atom 330 CPU was available.  Rosin’s apparent confirmation that an Intel-based OQO is a work-in-progress would seemingly back both of those theories up.

“Note that this is not a product launch or announcement, but is a demonstration of what we think an Intel Atom processor should do in a product targeting users who need the ultimate in mobile productivity, and demonstrates all the areas where OQO has led the market for years — performance, battery life, thermals, usability, design, and form factor.  While there are other small and light devices using Intel’s Atom processor, none of them comes close to the performance and productivity we are showing with this technology demonstration” Dennis Moore, CEO, OQO

The denial that the OQO 03 will run Intel’s Atom CPU has been met with mixed reactions.  An obvious assumption is that OQO do plan to transition to the popular Atom CPU, and have thus invested (probably significantly) in developing this prototype, but are not ready for an official announcement.  Alternatively, Moore’s comments could be taken at face value, and the prototype seen as a just that.

More likely, maybe, the key is in Moore’s phrasing: “not an impending product announcement” [emphasis mine].  With Intel rumored to be phasing out the single-core Atom at some point in Q2 2009, it would make more sense for any future Intel-based OQO UMPC to use the upcoming dual-core Atom 330.  However that chip is not ready for primetime, and an announcement about devices using it would be premature and likely impact on OQO 02 sales as would-be customers hold off for the next version.

[via jkkmobile]

Currently the OQO Model 02 offers a choice of VIA processors, the 1.2, 1.5 and 1.6GHz C7-M.  That CPU itself has been superseded by VIA’s Nano processor, but there was no word from OQO on whether their next-generation of UMPCs would use the update or switch sides to Intel’s popular Atom CPU.

As there has been no announcement or even rumor of an Atom-based OQO, it could be that the company is waiting for the dual-core N330 Atom to arrive before updating the UMPC.  That chip has been delayed until Q4 2008.

They all come with a 1.2GHz processor, a 40GB HDD, half a gig of RAM, and WiFi a/b/g and Bluetooth. They all run Windows XP, the standard model comes with XP Home, and the models with the WWAN adapters built in come with XP Pro.

Thanks to Vincent, I got the chance to play with one of these at both MacWorld and CES, and I actually used it to do some of my liveblogging from MacWorld, so they are very much useable, and convenient. I keep telling Vincent he should give me his, but alas it looks like I’m going to have to buy my own, no better time than the present when I can get it for $300 off.

[via theboygeniusreport]

It is apparently regarding a “significant Anytime/Anywhere Computing” release. Gizmodo has been further informed that it’s not just a model 02 update, but something entirely new.

That’s kind of odd considering that the invite only pictures a model 02 OQO. But apparently whatever is going down will be going on in London on December third.

OQO to Launch “Something New” on December 3 [via Gizmodo]

They’ve upgraded the processor to a nice 1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor, the low-end hard drive now starts out at 40GB, and the high-end tops out at 80GB. You also get two new options that weren’t there before. One is a 32GB SSD drive, the other is an EV-DO Rev. A modem that will work with either Sprint or Verizon.

“We are delighted that OQO has adopted our 1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor for their model 02 computer,” commented Richard Brown, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “This provides further evidence of our leadership in developing cutting-edge platforms for the rapidly growing UMD market.”

The best part of all is that they have lowered the price on these. The units will start out at a base price of $1,299, a full $200 drop from their old price. If you already have an OQO 02 and want one of the new EV-DO modems, you can have one installed for $249, but you’ll have to part with it for a short time while you send it in for installation.

Future OQO2 models will have HSDPA as an option, we’re promised, but if you’re unable – or unwilling – to wait then this straightforward looking proof-of-concept should give you some hope.

Flickr photos [via UMPCPortal]

I’m going out on a limb and make the claim that the Model 02 is possibly every bloggers best friend. Why? It’s easily the smallest Windows Vista capable portable computer on the market, featuring WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, WWAN, a rugged chassis made of magnesium alloy, active drop detection technology, all wrapped up in a pretty package no larger than a paperback book. The Model 02 sports a 1.5GHz VIA C7 CPU with integrated graphics, 60GB HDD, 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM, and a 5-inch 800×400 resolution LCD. Are you impressed yet?

Anything this small and feature rich isn’t going to come cheap. So expect to shell out upwards of $1,800 or more depending on the configuration you want.

OQO Model 02 Gets FCC Approval [FCC website]

The 02 goes some way to knocking its forebearer into the proverbial cocked-hat, with backlit keyboard and that ever-so-useful dock that’s fair bristling with ports.

There’s a payoff in terms of size, however; in the above photo you can see the thickness of the Model 01+ compared to the 02 (the top two have normal batteries, the bottom two have the extended batteries).  It’s also broader than before, although for all its slimmed-down dimensions the 01+ was never really going to fit into a shirt-pocket.

tnkgrl’s full photoset is available on flickr, here

tnkgrl [via Mike Cane's Blog]

Just Blaze OQO 2 Video Review [The Boy Genius]

Mike is keen to point out that his isn’t a review, just an act of pre-emptive and spontaneous molestation; nonetheless, the keyboard gets a rave report while the screen-slide is a potential concern (already feeling wobbly and flimsy in its movement).  Oh, and he also comments on some odd font treatment it looks like the OQO boys might’ve done, which have added up to fuzzy, bold-looking text.

Would he buy one?  Well, there was no price there and Mike prefers his passive touchscreens rather than active ones, he’d go for the Model 02 over a Sony UX.  Interesting stuff.

OQO Model 02 Fondle [Mike Cane's Blog]

Well, I fear he may just wet himself with excitement when he hears that OQO have announced integrated WWAN courtesy of Verizon’s EV-DO network in the US.  No more tethering to your cellphone or hoping to step inside the comforting warmth of a WiFi cloud; just whip the Model 2 out and get online straight away.

This means that OQO are now offering two carrier services, Sprint’s and Verizon’s, so you can pick whichever offers the best coverage for your area.  Both wireless modules are $149 upgrade options on the Model 2, but sadly the data plan doesn’t subsidise the cost of the device.

Check out our video walkthrough of OQO’s new baby here.

OQO Press Release [via GottaBeMobile]

[flv]http://www.slashgear.com/videos/oqov2slashgear.flv[/flv]Video – Part 1
[flv]http://www.slashgear.com/videos/oqo2part2.flv[/flv]Video – Part 2

Here’s the kicker…it features Bluetooth, WiFi, 1GB of RAM, 1.5GHz VIA C7M ULV processor and Sprint Revision 0. EV-DO. There’s also an HDMI-DVI adapter that’s included in the package.
There are three models available, the good ($1499), the better ($1699) and the best ($1849).

I want to thank our new friend Dean at The Mercury News for taking the time to show me the new OQO. NOTE that no embargo was broken because it was lifted at 6:30PM PST on Jan 7, 2007.

Docking station:

More images of the OQO model 02 can be seen in SlashGear’s image gallery.  Check out OQO website for more information. I’ll write more on this device later when I have more time.