Microsoft's Origami

[GomJabbar]

The New York Times: : Now, a Laptop You Can Hold in Your Hand

In a bid to crack the crowded market for hand-held computers and music players, Microsoft and two electronics companies, Samsung of Korea and Asus of Taiwan, plan to unveil an ultralight tablet computer on Thursday that melds a laptop and media player into a thin, new device.

Microsoft Origami Project Unplugged - TECHTREE.com

Turns out - Microsoft's Origami Project is about a new category of handheld computers. Interestingly - after all the hype - the devices will not be marketed as "Origamis," but as Ultra Mobile PCs or UMPCs.

The company says its portable miniature devices will come from three manufacturers; Samsung, Asus and Chinese manufacturer - Founder. The devices are expected to weigh less than 2.5 pounds, and to offer a battery life of atleast 2.5 hours.

EDIT: More info...........AP: Microsoft unveils ultracompact computer

It will run on a full version of Windows XP, the same operating system used on larger tablet PCs, and newly developed software called Windows Touch Pack will handle touch-screen functions. Future editions will support Windows Vista, a version of Microsoft's flagship operating system that's due out in the second half of this year.

[egibbs]

As usual, the Register gets it right....

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/08 ... c_clunker/

Microsoft's 'Origami' is no more than a new user interface for a tablet PC - Intel's mini-tablet form factor Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), to be precise. Intel showed several machines it described as prototypes and reference platforms at its developer forum this week, and we have pictures.

Wintel has been trying to make this kind of computer a success for 15 years, dating back to the WinPad, and Bill Gates hinted at a reborn Tablet almost a year ago. But small PCs have proved to be a graveyard for manufacturers.

Microsoft's 'Origami' component is not a new OS, merely a layer on top of Windows. But it seems all you have to do is put up an empty teaser website to send pajama pundits into paroxysms of anticipation.

The drawbacks to a UMPC are immediately apparent. This year's UMPCs have a battery life of just two hours, and will cost up to $1,000. That's twice as much as today's laptops, which are faster, have a more readable screen, and the convenience of a full keyboard.

And twice as much as PDA-style devices, which turn on in a second or two.

UMPCs were trailed as having the form factor of "a paperback book". But few paperbacks weigh as much as 2lbs, and are too large for the pocket.

The models we spent some time with do run cooler than OQO's PC, which one Intel staffer described as a "coffee heater". But they weren't exactly speed champs: they run the older and slower Celeron processors, not Centrino.

Ed Gibbs

[jdhurst]

I have been always interested in this stuff. The OQO was too pricey for me. But the concept is not new. I still have a working Toshiba Libretto that I purchased used. It weighs 1.9 pounds and is a fully functional Windows 95 computer that runs Explorer, Email and Office 95 and has a 56Kbaud modem. It's achilles heel was the battery which was only good for up to an hour when new and much less than that now. It will fit into a large pocket. ... JD Hurst

[GoEatFood]

with all they hype it got I thought it would be something more. but, then I realized what more could they come up with?

anyways, once they have a 500 dollar model with at least a 3 hour life...I don't think many people would buy them.

1,500 dollars should buy me like 6 or 8 hours life with all the functions or at least most.

[440roadrunner]

So how in hell do I "do" a control-alt-delete without a keyboard?

I 'spose if you buy one, then you'd have to buy some hacked up aftermarket keyboard, and "duct tape" it to the rest.

[GomJabbar]

So how in hell do I "do" a control-alt-delete without a keyboard?

I 'spose if you buy one, then you'd have to buy some hacked up aftermarket keyboard, and "duct tape" it to the rest.

I read in the articles I posted above that they have a USB port; so you can plug in a USB keyboard. I certainly makes sense to provide a USB port in such a device.

[BigWarpGuy]

Since it was called 'origami' (which is the art of folding paper), I thought it would be based on a concept computer by Volan Design called Dataplay Laptop. "In the quest to make laptops even smaller, Dataplays design is about the size of paperback, measuring 5 by 7 by 1 inch. Much like the work of origami, the notebooks detachable track pad, number pad, and speakers fold out. Bluetooth lets you connect to your broadband service, and a built-in cellular modem provides a backup for connecting to the internet." The above quoted from the Januar 2001 issue of Popular Science magazine ( http://www.popsci.com ).It is very cool looking but the company - Dataplay who created to show what can be done with their drive - said there was no one interesed in making it.