Handheld Computer Finally a Reality
Okay, I admit it. I am the geekiest accountant on the planet. But, I get it honestly. My dad ordered everything RonCo ever made. I also admit that this time of year, when tax season slows down a little, I start looking for the next new cool gadget.

Well, I found it. It’s a full featured Windows XP palm-size computer offered by OQO. It’s 4.9 inches long, 3.4 inches wide, 0.9 inches thick, and weighs 14 ounces. Crammed inside this little box is a 1 GHz processor, a 20GB hard drive, 246MB of RAM, a color display, integrated wireless, and Fire Wire and USB ports.

It took a couple of months for OQO to fulfill my order, but they didn’t charge my credit card until my unit shipped. I had a problem with the power supply, but they replaced it right away. So far, I am very pleased.

The first thing I installed was my tax preparation software (Drake Software, of course). I plugged the OQO into my flash drive, which is inside my watch. (See, I told you I was a geek.) It immediately recognized the flash and mapped the drive. From there, I installed Drake Software on my new OQO, and it worked great.

The OQO has a built in thumb keyboard, which was easy to get used to. It also has a digital pen and thumbwheel, which allows me to navigate multiple ways. There’s a docking cable too, so I can hook up a regular sized keyboard and monitor if I want.

With wireless built in to the OQO, I can find an Internet hot-spot to transmit electronic returns. But if you prefer to be hard-wired, the docking cable has an Ethernet connection. I can also hook it up to any USB printer.

At almost $2,000, you may want to wait on the price to come down, but this little unit will definitely put some PDAs out of business. You can order the unit online, but be prepared to wait a few months for the actual delivery. Find out more at www.oqo.com.

Just imagine the “cool factor” when you pull this little baby out of your pocket and show your client their completed 1040! ‚

From April 2005