Microsoft Origami

[sfontes]

http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/09/technology/microsoft_origami.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

I think I have to admit, I was expecting something cooler with all the hype and interest that was being paid to "Origami". And 3 hour batter life? I dunno.

What do you think?

[dcv]

The whole lack of a keyboard is what particularly throws me about this particular gadget. I mean, they have that circular on-screen keyboard, but I can't type nearly as fast if I can only use my thumbs! The whole thing just doesn't seem to offer any real advantages over your typical run of the mill tablet PC (well, unless these things are like $500-$600), and if its sole purpose is to be an organizer, mp3 player, check e-mail, surf the web, etc., I think Microsoft's efforts would be better directed at promoting Windows on Mobile Devices like PDAs and smartphones (seeing as this device straddles the middle ground between a PDA and a Tablet - and both PDAs and Tablets do these simple tasks rather well already).

[rkr]

I guess the whole idea behind this gadget was to tryto compete with the Nokia 770 (http://www.nokiausa.com/770). I read an article about 2 weeks ago about how the device was in high demand and that Nokia were working very hard to meet supply. So I guess Microsoft is trying to have a share in that market, especially with the future of RIM's Blackberry being not quite certain at the moment. Just a thought tho...

[dparm]

More expensive than a laptop, less powerful, less battery life...seems like a smart investment. It's an awkward size, too.....too big for your pocket, too small to adequately fit in a laptop case.

Ultra-mobile PCs are too weird for me.

[jharriso]

From the info I've seen, by next year they should have battery life up to 10 hours, and prices will be in the sub $1000 range.
Now to see how much, if any, of that actually manifests.

The Microsoft technology that I'm anxiously awaiting is Bigtop. It's basically xGrid for windows machines.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,1746291,00.asp

[fischerm]

I agree with Reuben. I see this as not so much a 'mobile as in take it with me everywhere i go' device but more of a 'mobil i can take it anywhere in the house' device. Home automation control systems use exactly the same form factor for their master control units, and those things go for $$$. Microsoft and the like are always looking at new markets.

Personally I think a portable network large screen device is pretty cool. I can lay in bed and read stuff, watch movies streamed from my media library, etc. Yeah you can do all these things with a laptop, but laptops are too big IMO for those sorts of activities. I see this as the basis for a mobil e-book / media viewer device. You'd take it on vacation with you, keep it by your bed / couch, more of an extension of your home desktop / network than a cellphone /PDA replacement.

Yeah its way too expensive now. But give this thing 5 years and I think you'll see more of them, and more reasonable prices.

[sfontes]

Its kinda weird that they are making it again...Again as in I mean I've seen it before. About 4-5 years ago, we got one at our house from Texas Instruments. Its about 8x5x2.3ish, ran Win98, and had a touch screen...

I really wonder how this one will do.