Chicago (IL) - OQO quietly introduced today the first commercial version of its Windows XP pocket computing device. Until recently considered as one of most unlikely products to ever make it to the market, the "model 01" can now be purchased from the manufacturer's website for $1900.

OQO calls its device an ultra personal computer, a new device category the company is creating with the model 01 . It represents the first commercially available device to integrate a fully functional Window XP-PC into a design slightly larger than the palm of your hand.

Measuring 4.9 by 3.4 by 0.9 inches and weighing just 14 ounces, the OQO's debut integrates a 1 GHz Crusoe processor, a 20 GByte harddrive, 256 MByte RAM, support for 802.11b Wi-Fi networks and a battery which should power the model 01 for about two to three hours. The five" display is capable of displaying 800 by 480 pixels. The 3D graphic chip comes with eight MByte memory.

In an interview with Tom's Hardware Guide, Elizabeth Bastianse, Director of produc Management at OQO, said that contrary to media reports the model 01 has not been delayed. "There was a lot of miscommunication. What we initially demonstrated in 2002 was a proof of concept that it is possible to build a Windows pocket PC." Because of the "tremendous customer response, the company then decided to move forward and build the device: "We demonstrated it for the first time at the beginning of this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas," she said.

During development, OQO did not encounter any big difficulties, according to Bastianse. The task however was to re-invent the PC: "We had to completely redesign the PC architecture to be able to bring a this amount of features in balance with the form factor," Bastianse stated.

The device is positioned to appeal sales professionals, government institutions as well as the health industry and consumers. OQO hopes that customers will purchase the model 01 for specific applications they need for their profession and everyday life, but cannot be run on a PDA because of lack of performance and operating system support. According to the firm's projections, customers will come from the segments of the Pocket PC, and sub and thin-and-light notebook, Tablet PC and PDAs. Due to the form factor, the OQO likely will not be used extensively for content creation, but rather to view and access information.

OQO offers the model in only one hardware configuration and offers customers a choice of Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional as operating system. The two versions are prices at $1899 and $1999, respectively. Bastianse said that OQO had no plans at this time to offer a hardware upgrade such as Transmeta's 1.6 GHz Efficeon processor. "Integrating the Efficeon chip requires a significant engineering effort," she said.

For now, the model 01 is the only choice in a category below the sub notebook. Vulcan's FlipStart PC, a clam shell-based device similar in size and functionality, is expected to become available - a fact OQO does not mind: "You don't want to be in a category by yourself. If there is no competition, then there appears to be no market for such a product," Bastianse said.