Am I the only one who wants a desktop OS in my pocket?

October 21, 2008 7:13 PM

I am looking for a pocketable (ie. 7 inch or less) UMPC that runs XP that can do audio and video out (can be via a docking station) for around $300. Does one exist yet or should I keep waiting?

Intel's Atom processor seems to be really enabling the UMPC / Netbook market but its hard to tell whether the trend is going toward larger screens or smaller screens... I think the old OQO model 01 fits this criteria other than the price... how come all of the newer stuff has gotten bigger rather than smaller?

posted by GleepGlop to Technology (5 answers total)

this thing on ebay seems the closest in price and specs:

wibrain

But honestly based on the lackluster experience I had playing with a Q1 (the expensive UMPC), I suggest you wait for future developments.
posted by spacefire at 7:19 PM on October 21, 2008

Regarding the trends vis a vis Atom based devices, it seems the first real explosion of this stuff was the Eee 701 at the beginning of the year, which had a 7" screen and could be put into a (large) pocket in a coat. I have one, and it does fit in a coat pocket, but unless we're talking a trench coat, it's not the most comfortable way to carry it. Also, it suffered from its lower screen res at 800x480, which was just small enough to be irritating when doing a lot of things. Everyone took the lessons learned on that and now all the netbooks seem to be setting in at the 9" - 10" with 1024x600 res, $350 - $500 price range. At that size, they're perfect for what they do, and I actually went out and got another one (AspireOne from Acer) and am now selling my 701. I really don't think anyone's going to go smaller than the 9" screen form factor at this point, since they're going like hotcakes. If something does come along, it'll probably be more costly than a netbook due to economies of scale.
posted by barc0001 at 9:12 PM on October 21, 2008

Also, after I typed my response, I ran across this. However, that is only useful if you are interested in a PC in your pocket that requires a monitor and keyboard at a destination to use. But it does fit all your other criteria, in a pocket, docking station, XP, and ~$300.
posted by barc0001 at 11:08 PM on October 21, 2008

You might be able to find old stock of the OQO 1 being sold cheap. In the UK it's going for £350 or £283 (B-stock).
posted by JonB at 11:40 PM on October 21, 2008

I'm thinking of buying one of these tablets as a bookreader. They're a full and very tiny PC, with XP SP3 (or Vista on newer models, I think). They're everwhere here in Korea, but I don't know their availability elsewhere. The slightly older models run around $400 here.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:28 AM on October 22, 2008