Mini PC history being made! What we know so far about the Microsoft Origami Project and what we expect to find out.
First off, we know from the OrigamiProject site that this device will be a Mobile PC that is running Windows XP. More details are going to be announced on the site on March 9 with many people expecting Microsoft to release the full details on the project at the CeBIT conference on the same day. In addition, Microsoft has acknowledged they have been working on this project with partners, and have stated they will release more details in the coming weeks. Adding more detail to the project, Microsoft’s Robert Scoble confirmed the existence of Origami in a recent entry in his blog, saying that it would be a “fairly low-cost” portable device. Also, we have already learned from Engadget that Origami will run XP Tablet PC edition, and that the device will probably look more like the black unit displayed at WinHEC last year than the device shown in the promotional video.
About that promotional video that was discovered on Digital Kitchen’s site: Although we now know this video is a year old, and much of what we have seen in the video might not resemble the final product, it does give us an idea of what Microsoft was striving for. Which is, some sort of mobile product that users can take with them and perform all types of different tasks on (GPS, watching a movie on a plane, recording signatures, saving sketches, jotting down notes in class, surfing the web in your lazy-boy, etc.). Tablet PC’s still haven’t taken off, and there is a chance these new ultra mobile PC (ultra-mobile personal computers) devices could jumpstart this market, and the Origami looks to play a key role.The device shown in the video looks to have the following specs:
– Dimensions of about 27 x 15 cm with Screen dimensions of 18 cm x 11 cm
– Touch Screen
– A Desktop Docking Station
– Built-In GPS
– Running Windows XP
– Separate Fold-In Keyboard
– Fairly lightweight and easily mobile
– Usable for Gaming
Down the gaming avenue, we have heard from GameSpy that the Origami will be able to interact with the XBox 360 and will be used as a compatible screen on certain games. Additionaly, GameSpot is reporting that the Origami will feature a proprietry game engine.
More on the UMPC, Intel is expected to show the first functional versions of its UMPC, which could be the technology platform for Origami, at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco and the CeBIT show in Hanover, Germany next week. Intel even put up a teaser site of their own at www.umpc.com that asks you to stay tuned till March 7th. The first generation of UMPCs will be running on Pentium M processors coupled with Intel’s 915GMS chipset. Samsung, Asus and Founder will deliver the first UMPCs and they will come equipped with wireless WAN (EVDO or HSDPA), as well as integrated GPS capability, and up to one week in standby time. With a UMPC, the low-power requirement will mean the device will only need to be charged as regularly as a cell phone. Prices of such mobile PCs, which will be running a full version of Microsoft’s Windows Tablet PC operating system, are rumored to come in at about $500 to $600. Is this the same price range the Origami will come in at? Is the Origami just a Microsoft package on an Intel UMPC? At this point, we are still unsure.
For comparisons sake, here is a list of some current devices (and their prices) that seem to fit the Origami mold:
Sony ebook reader: $350
Nokia 770: $380
Archos AV500 30GB: $400
Archos AV700 100GB: $750
Pepper Pad: $850
Dualcor cPc: $1500
OqO: $1800
Now we can just sit back and wait and see what March 9 will bring us. Will this finally be the tablet PC that takes off and becomes the all-in-one device that everyone wants to have? What kind of hardware specs will the system have in order to still be affordable?
