OQO's Model 01 Windows XP palmtop has for some time been due to ship this autumn, but the company has now narrowed that timeframe down to mid-October.

According to an email sent out by OQO, the device will be formally launched on 14 October in San Francisco.

The Model 01 is based on a 1GHz Transmeta processor backed by 256MB of RAM and a 20GB hard drive. It sports a 5in 800 x 480 widescreen LCD, and integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The unit's QWERTY keyboard slides out from under the display.

In development for several years now, the Model 01 is pitched as an alternative to both notebooks PCs - lighter, more portable - and PDAs - bigger screen and keyboard. The unit measures 12.3 x 8.5 x 2.3cm and weighs 397g.

The OQO machine ships after fellow palmtop specialist Bsquare device earlier this year to discontinue manufacture of its own, hard drive-less device. Bsquare's Power Handheld was a Windows CE machine running a Windows XP-like UI. Tiqit eponymous palmtop, like OQO's runs a full version of WinXP as does Vulcan's upcoming FlipStart, a notebook-styled clamshell palmtop. Taiwan's Dialogue is working on a compact wireless sub-notebook, the Flybook, that's pitched at the same role as the new generation of palmtops. ®

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