We’ve been trying to find a good justification for the cool Ultra-Mobile PC category ever since the sleek designs started rolling out from Samsung and Sony more than a year ago. But the new OQO model 02, with its mobile broadband and new solid-state hard drive, is helping us broaden our thinking about the UMPC category. Its elegant design, improved usability, and excellent connectivity make it a compelling tool for road warriors, assuming you can stomach the steep $2,349 price tag.
Much like the OQO model 02 we praised earlier this year, this one-pound unit is easier to use and faster than most UMPCs. The five-inch screen pops up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard that’s actually viable for more than SMS-length messages. Its 800 x 480-pixel resolution is easier on the eyes than many other UMPCs. Better still is a dedicated button for the very powerful zoom function, which blows up the screen to help with smaller items like Web-based text, and it does so without distorting the screen or over-zooming. The bright LCD also has excellent off-angle viewing and holds up very well in indirect sunlight. We’re not fans of the glossy treatment, which simply glares up in brighter settings. The digitizer display can double as a Tablet interface with an optional stylus. Handy touch-sensitive scroll bars grace the lower right edge and are very helpful for navigation.
OQO model 02 Review by LAPTOP Magazine