Specifications

The idea has been around for years: a pocket-size PC running
the full version of Windows XP that replaces your desktop, lap-
top, and PDA. Antelope’s Modular Computing Core—a paper-
back book-size slab that was an expensive paperweight until
connected to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse—was
an early stab at the concept. Then Sony’s VAIO U50 stunned us
with its 5-inch integrated touch screen, support for external res-
olutions up to 1600x1200, and elegant design. We were just as
stunned when Sony dis-
continued it.
But two more hand-
top PCs will grace U.S.
soil this year: The model 01
from OQO, and the FlipStart
from Vulcan. The just-launched
OQO model 01, with its
slide-up screen and lus-
cious, mellow fi nish
makes the Flip-
Start look like
a dumpy haus-
frau. But the Flip-
Start owns its sexy
competitor where it counts
—the specs. At 1024x600,
it boasts a higher native
resolution than the OQO (at
800x480), a bigger screen (5.6
inches vs. 5 inches), and
a larger internal hard drive
(30GB vs. 20GB).
Neither PC will give you Half-Life 2 on the go, but you will
get low-end laptop power and instant-on capabilities in a foot-
print that won’t leave your back and shoulders aching.
Handtop PCs
2005 will fi nally bring full-powered personal
computing to the palm of your hand
MAXIMUMPC JANUARY 200540
tECH pREVIEW
Desktop, laptop, and PDA:
OQO’s model 01 is one of
the first of a generation of
technological cross-dressers.
Verizon is expanding the trial run of its
fi ber-optic broadband service to more cit-
ies throughout our glorious nation. For a
trifl ing $40 a month, subscribers can gorge
themselves on a 5MB downstream/2MB up-
stream connection—options go up to a fat
30MB/5MB pipe for $200 a month.
Verizon’s terms of service, however,
warns: “You may not use the Broadband
Service to host any type of server, person-
al or commercial in nature.” This is com-
mon among ISPs and rarely enforced, but
if you’re lucky enough to be squatting in a
city where FIOS service is available, well—
caveat emptor.
verizon’s
fios
Presenting yet another
benefi t of a high-fi ber diet
Vulcan’s FlipStart will boast
the highest resolution screen
of any handtop PC.
stunned when Sony dis-
continued it.
top PCs will grace U.S.
soil this year: The model 01
from OQO, and the FlipStart
from Vulcan. The just-launched
OQO model 01, with its
slide-up screen and lus-
Vulcan’s FlipStart will boast
nVidia’s SLI
Will multiple-videocard rigs blossom because of nForce4?
Last month, we tested the first nVidia dual-
videocard rig we’ve seen in the Lab since the
days of the 3dfx Voodoo2. Unfortunately, the
performance of the SLI (scalable link interface)
system we tested last month was limited by the
E7525 chipset, which is designed for servers and
uses slower, registered RAM. At the time, it was
the only chipset that supported dual PCI Express
slots suitable for videocards.
If you missed out on last month’s story, here’s a
quick recap. By using a motherboard that sports two
PCI Express slots—such as the nForce4—nVidia is
able to combine the resources of two videocards to
render a single scene. This results in a performance
increase of up to 85 percent, although most real-world
games are constrained by the CPU’s performance be-
fore reaching the full benefi ts of dual videocards.
If nVidia’s dual-videocard
gambit succeeds, it will
be because of the nForce4
chipset —Intel’s chipsets
simply don’t have the legs
for SLI.