Hands-on with OQO 2+, UMID, Panasonic Toughbook U1 and the Compal JAX 10
As soon as you walk into CES' central hall, Intel's treasure trove of wee handheld computers presents itself. After half an hour playing with them, I've changed my mind about something. Mobile Internet Devices aren't just another echo of the HPCs and UMPCs of years gone by. They're aaaalmost there, especially those fitted out with well-designed keyboards--and assuming you have a purpose in mind for buying one.
Best of the bunch is OQO's Model 2+, an update of 2007's respected but fiddly pocket rocket. Replacing the last-gen model's VIA chipset with an Intel Atom, it's fast, genuinely small enough to slip into a pair of jeans. It runs Vista on an 800x480 display and has a thumb-board about as good as thumbboard's get, and is otherwise the incremental upgrade its unadventurous name suggests.
Several devices dialed back the specs (and the size), opting for stripped-down linux-based user interfaces and an even lighter weight: fans of Nokia's Internet Tablet series will like these. Typical of them is the Compal Jax 10, which has 512 MB of RAM, an 8GB solid state drive and a 480-line display. Though it lacks the horsepower and utility of the OQO or a netbook--you can browse the web and play media and not really much else--it's got great connectivity options, up to an including all the standard 3G options and WiMax.
I finally got my hands on a Panasonic Toughbook, in this case a U1 with a Z500 series Atom CPU.
It runs XP, has a gig or RAM and a 32GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 5.6-inch display with 600 lines, and optional GPS and 3G internet. Most striking about it, though, is the fact that it is bad-ass. Armored, with every port protected by a thick plastic clasp, it has a hard-to-learn thumb-board and a stylus touchscreen. The design's not too hot--its more "pipeline worker" than "special forces," but it's hard to imagine breaking it without trying. They're damned expensive too: some configs take it past two grand.
The surprise, for me, however, was the UMID. Similar to other MIDS, with a gig or ram, 16GB SSD and 3G/WiMax connection options, its clamshell form factor allows for a much better keyboard than any of the other machines on display. Though too small to touch-type, the keys are big and relatively well-spaced -- great for my stubby thumbs to hammer at. As is invariably the case, the layout is odd, with some bad choices (you have to use a function key to access the apostrophe, for example) but it's a neat little Qwerty device that would be great for mobile text editing and messaging. Mobile bloggers will be disappointed by the lack of a camera.
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So, why is the 2+ the best of the bunch? Sounds like a pretty ho hum upgrade to the 2 from your description...
2+ has OLED screen!
Of the bunch, the 2+ has the best display, is the smallest, has the best keyboard, and is also the computationally most powerful. Whether it's a big improvement over the 2 or not isn't relevant to whether it's better than the other devices Rob talked about.