OQO Inc. of San Francisco unveiled the first computer with a screen of organic light-emitting diodes last week at the International Consumer Electronics show. The company touted this technology would be as the future of both displays and lighting.
OLEDs make for thin, colorful screens with high contrast and low power consumption. However, they're expensive, and the OQO model 2+ computer is predictably small, with a screen diagonal of just 5 inches. The 800-by-480 pixel touch-sensitive screen is made by Samsung Electronics Co., which is aiming to make larger OLEDs for use in flat-panel TVs.
The OQO 2+ costs $1,499 and weighs 1 pound. It runs Windows Vista and has a thumb-typing keyboard that slides out from under the screen. A model with an LCD screen, less memory and a slower processor costs $999. As with previous OQO models, the 2+ is aimed at the corporate market. It can be configured with built-in cellular broadband access.