Jenn from Pocketables.net got to preview Origami 2.0 while playing with her new HTC Shift. The Shift is the first ultra mobile PC to ship with Origami 2.0, which is otherwise not released to the public at this point. If you will recall, the first Origami was essentially an application launcher and media manager designed to be finger optimized for small first-gen ultra mobile PC screens. It was met with a mixed reaction, some people enjoyed the interface while others found it useless. Back in January, the Origami Project blog announced Origami 2.0, which aims to increase functionality and usability by adding additional applets and features. Most notable are the web browser, feed reader, Picture Password, and context sensitive information page (weather, traffic etc.) all designed to be finger friendly.

Just a few days ago, the Origami Project blog announced that they were working on a final download package, and Origami 2.0, or OX2 as they are calling it, will be released “very soon”. If you can’t wait, be sure to head over to Pocketables.net to check out Jenn’s experience with Origami 2.0. One thing that looks interesting about Origami 2.0 is that if will provide you with different information depending on the time of day, and your location. It would be great to wake up in the morning and have your ultra mobile PC know that you want to see the weather and traffic before you leave for work!

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. Read the full story