Cool Stuff: Multi Mobile Media

Computerworld -



OQO Model 01
Price: $1,900 (with XP Home)
OQO Inc.
www.oqo.com
If you're always on the go and really need a full-function computer at all times -- and a handheld or Pocket PC just won't cut it -- then the OQO Model 01 may well be the machine of your dreams. With its 1-GHz Transmeta CPU, 20GB hard drive, 256MB of RAM, sliding case that uncovers a tiny thumb keyboard and a 5-in. 800-by-480-pixel color display, the OQO is about the smallest full-fledged Windows PC around. At 4.9 by 3.4 by 0.9 in. and with a weight of 14 ounces and a projected battery life of about three hours, the OQO definitely isn't for everybody.


Gmini 400
Price: $400
Archos Corp.
www.archos.com
A little smaller than an iPod music player, the Gmini 400 features a 2.2-in. high-resolution (640 by 400 pixel) color LCD screen that does a lot more than list your tunes. This portable device plays excellent-quality video and games (albeit a limited selection) from the built-in 20GB hard drive. It also plays MP3, WMA and WAV music files, records in stereo, and will display album art if you wish. A built-in compact flash reader makes it easy to store and carry photos, too. This is the nicest small video player I've seen, and it's fairly priced and cheaper than the iPod.



Zire 72
Price: $300
PalmOne Inc.
www.palmone.com
The Zire 72 has a better camera, better screen, better software and twice as much memory as its predecessor, all at the same price. It's the right size for pocket or purse and a great travel companion.



Tungsten T5
Price: $400
PalmOne
www.palmone.com
The Tungsten T5 is a very different handheld from the Zire 72. Designed for enterprise users, the T5 has no camera, but it does give you built-in Bluetooth networking and 256MB of flash memory -- so if the battery dies, your data will still be there. It also can be used as a USB hard drive, and it has a big, bright, 320-by-480-pixel color screen and a built-in voice recorder, all in a great-looking package.



iPaq hx4700
Price: $649
Hewlett-Packard Co.
www.hp.com
This device goes about as far as possible without becoming a full-fledged Windows PC like the OQO. Still a Pocket PC, the hx4700 features a 4-in. transflective screen that offers a full VGA display (480 by 640), and you get three types of onboard wireless networking -- GSM/GPRS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The processor is a 624-MHz Intel XScale. You also get the usual Pocket PC software, both compact flash and Secure Digital slots for additional storage and functionality, and 64MB of RAM in addition to the 128MB of ROM.
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Kay is a Computerworld contributing writer in Worcester, Mass. Contact him at russkay@charter.net.