The OQO drama began to unfold a few weeks back, when a combination of leadership changes, message board rumors and canceled pre-orders through a large European retailer led people to surmise that the San Francisco-based UMPC maker was on its way out. They then admitted that they were courting potential buyers, but left it at that.

And now this: Chippy, he of UMPCPortal fame, has received word that all pre-orders for the lauded Model 2+ have been canceled, though he hasn't heard from the company itself. With a shipping date set at May 22nd and the company in distress, a delay might have been expected, and even excused. But a cancellation? That sounds an awful low like a death knell. [SlashGear]

[OQO]

Referenced in an email by trade event organizers Pepcom, the Model 02+ will be announced at CES. Further details are pretty nonexistent, seeing as this was mentioned in passing, but it will apparently be twice as fast as the Model 02 and will be on display next week in Vegas. [OQO Talk]