Origami News Roundup + What the Heck Is Alexandria?

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

The news and buzz surrounding Origami is reaching its crescendo! First, Intel has also launched their <a href="http://www.intel.com/design/mobile/platform/umpc.htm">official Ultimate Mobile PC site</a> which includes <a href="http://www.intel.com/design/mobile/platform/flash/umpc/index.html">flash video</a> showing off some consumer-oriented usages though no official specs. Now, according to a slew of reports from <a href="http://news.com.com/Intel%20shows%20Origami-like%20device/2100-1044_3-6046793.html">News.com</a>, <a href="http://weblog.infoworld.com/techwatch/archives/005498.html">InfoWorld</a>, and <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/08/hands-on-with-the-samsung-q1-origami/">Engadget</a>, we're looking at a Windows XP PC with a 7" display, standard x86 processors (900MHz - 1GHz), 30-60GB hard drives, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, WiFi, GPS (depending on manuracturer), and will weigh just under 2 pounds.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ekkie_umpc.jpg" /><br /><br />The Samsung unit scheduled for display today at CeBIT (Engadget has a load of snapshots) has been installed with XP Tablet Edition, though News.com implies that other standard desktop operating systems should work as well. InfoWorld goes a step further by reporting on the scheduled developments for Origami in 2007. The main differentiator between Origami and <a href="http://www.oqo.com">OQO</a>? It appears to be price, as the initial cost for these devices is expected to be under $1000 ($500 is the eventual aim of Microsoft). You can also find a <a href="http://cebitnews.turnpages.com/pdf/cebitnews.pdf">CeBIT Newsletter</a> (in PDF form) that notes an interesting SIP keyboard that is circular in shape (rotating around the lower left and right-hand corners of the screen) allowing for two handed (or should I say two-thumbed) input. Samsung is planning on releasing a number peripherals for their device that includes a GPS unit, a DMB TV tuner (in Korea), a Bluetooth keyboard, and a DVD drive. If all this this news isn't enough, <i>ctitanic</i> spotted a site called <a href="http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/news/">OrigamiPortal</a> which is dedicated nothing but Origami.<br /><br />Finally, Engadget is <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/07/microsoft-alexandria/">speculating on a mysterious advertisement</a> (codenamed Microsoft "Alexandria") that was supposedly pulled last-second from a Gates CES keynote. The ad (which has since been taken down from the website of the ad designer) only mentions that the "Future of Entertainment" is coming in the Summer of 2006. According to an <a href="http://www.activewin.com/articles/2006/7.shtml">enlarged Origami image</a> at ActiveWin, Alexandria appears tied to Windows Media Player somehow. Speculation runs from this being a special version of WMP to an iTunes competitor to some joint solution/service from both Microsoft and Apple. Let the hype machine begin anew!

[bugsy]

Pure speculation on my part, but I can't help but think Alexandria is a link to the historical significance of the city of Alexandria and specifically the Library of Alexandria. Could this be some type of application/portal to manage all aspects of digital content or knowledge that a user may have and making it portable across devices and location? Just a wild thought on my part.

[Felix Torres]

Alexandria? Uh, just by looking at that screenshot (if its real and not a photoshop special) anybody familiar with WMP and its file-tree logic can see it is a video subscription service. It operates on the Napster model, apparently. (Notice how the Alexandria branch lies under library/videos at the top of the pane?)
Kinda explains the recent introduction of monthly passes for video at iTunes, no? (MS needs to start using their document control tech inhouse; their current system leaks like a sieve. Maybe a few Apple-style prosecutions... :devilboy: )

Sounds like Alexandria speculation properly belongs at DMT. ;-)

Now Origami looks great; I just need to know three things:

Storage type and capacity
Maximum WMV resolution it can play back
Price

Size and weight looks good. Battery life sounds a bit low but acceptable; 4 hours would be best for today's tech.

I'm intrigued by the hint that some models (presumable the $1000 ones) might come with FlashRAM instead of hard-drive storage.
I do like the mention of 60GB drives.
My TabletPC is starting to show its age so I would not at all mind one of these as a replacement in the next 18 months...

And they're supposed to start appearing next month?
Yay!

[Jason Dunn]

Sounds like I should launch Tablet PC Thoughts if there's a lot of interest in this.... ;-)

This device looks very cool, but ultimately with Vista launching this year, I think I'm going to wait for the 2nd gen units to launch before jumping in. Too bad there's no Dell release to undercut and commoditize the hell out of the market.

I like some of the unique UI elements they created for it, nice to see.

I predict an upshoot in the sales of the man purse...you'll need one to carry one of these around. :lol:

This sure as heck doesn't replace a Pocket PC or Smartphone though, no matter how Microsoft tries to spin it. 3 hours of battery life? Lame.

[Jason Dunn]

Maximum WMV resolution it can play back

It's the same CPU as my old Fujitsu P5020D laptop, a 900 mhz Intel Pentium M Ultra-low Voltage, so basicaly anything up to HD...I'm quite sure it would puke on HD WMV files.

[Felix Torres]

I'm quite sure it would puke on HD WMV files.

Too bad. I was kinda hoping it could handle streaming HD.
Oh, well; my old one is glitching, not dying: I don't *need* to upgrade this year.
Maybe the 07 edition...
Or if the price is right (especially for a flash-based unit) maybe I'll just stick with the "reference library in your hand" capability, which is what my current Tablet can do.

[Dermot81]

These are a little too big for my taste.

However, according to Intel/MS next year they are going to release even smaller UMPCs. The devices will be faster, have better battery life, maybe have Vista, and hopefully will be pocketable.

I'm going to painfully wait a year for those :/

[shinysteve]

Sounds like I should launch Tablet PC Thoughts if there's a lot of interest in this.... ;-)


Its definately a new sector. However, dont expect to see them all as tablet form factor PC's. There have been keyboarded/clamshell models shown, I expect so see an OQO copy and i'm sure others will appear (in-car models perhaps.)
I call (and blog them!) as 'carrypads' UMPC seems a common expression but as these are lifestyle products, someone is going to have to come up with a new name. HomePad, LazyPad. Man-Purse Pad? ;-)

Steve.

[ctitanic]

The bad news is that Sangsum is expecting to start selling it in Europe for around 1000 euros (that's close to 1150 dollars) around June. According to CBS there first round is not going to be in anyway close to those 500 dollars promised by our friend Bill Gates.

[WorksForTurkeys]

Think there will be a MS Vista upgrade for it? Since MS has already announced that the future will be Vista, why would I want to buy an expensive handheld that runs an obsolete OS? :wink:

[D.psi]

Really stupid question... What will the software distribution medium be? When the disk crashes or windows gets too corrupted, and no CD/DVD rom built-in... Use USB DVD-ROM? I just haven't had to worry about this kind of issue with a laptop (typically has a removable media drive), or pocket PC just re-flash it.

D.psi

[Cybrid]

Really stupid question... What will the software distribution medium be? When the disk crashes or windows gets too corrupted, and no CD/DVD rom built-in... Use USB DVD-ROM? I just haven't had to worry about this kind of issue with a laptop (typically has a removable media drive), or pocket PC just re-flash it.

D.psiProlly has a desktop based cradle/expansion.....a lot of the small laptops have their cd/dvd on the expansion.

[Darius Wey]

Think there will be a MS Vista upgrade for it? Since MS has already announced that the future will be Vista, why would I want to buy an expensive handheld that runs an obsolete OS? :wink:

To be honest, I doubt these first-gen models will receive a Vista upgrade. If I were you, I'd wait until the second or third-gen models - since Vista will be here in a few months, it's more than likely that they'll use the new OS.

[Joff]

To be honest, I doubt these first-gen models will receive a Vista upgrade. If I were you, I'd wait until the second or third-gen models - since Vista will be here in a few months, it's more than likely that they'll use the new OS.
A Linux port on those machines would make wonders ;-)
Not convinced the resource sucking MS Vista is an appropriate OS for these babies :roll:

[whydidnt]

The one area where the 1 1/2 year old OQO still holds an edge over these devices, and even the DualCor is in the size department. It is only slightly bigger in height and width than my HX4700 while being much thicker and weighs under a pound. None of the devices we are discussing come close to matching the pocketability factor of the OQO.

Yes, they are more powerful, and look less industrial, but it's supposed to be a handheld device right? I'm supposed to want to carry it everywhere, right? I think MS and it's partners needs to really look at the current proposed sizes and figure how to shrink these even more. The OQO is definitely as big as I'm comfortable carrying around in my Suit or Pants pocket.

[Felix Torres]

None of the devices we are discussing come close to matching the pocketability factor of the OQO.

Yes, they are more powerful, and look less industrial, but it's supposed to be a handheld device right? I'm supposed to want to carry it everywhere, right?

Uh, no.
Not necessarily.
First, handheld does not equal pocketable or even shirt-pocketable.
(How many folks stick their Franklin Planners in a pocket?)

This is an old debate round these parts going back to the original HandheldPCs va the NPC Pros: I love my Axim51V but a 3.5" screen is too small for some things and the 10" screen on a tablet is sometimes too big. There is a real need for a device bigger than an OQO and smaller than (say) a NEC VERSA Lite. Just how much of a need, Origami's success will tell us.

Second, the Origami's billing is as a lifestyle PC (remember the video and screenshoots from the Origami site) which is why the low end price point is important. OQO (and Motion Computing, with their LS800) is mining the travelling pro market which is not price sensitive. And that's great. But the low-end Origami's are intended to tackle the same niche as the Mirra remote displays; a 'round-the-house/'round-the-clock extension of your desktop PC.

This is part of the Gates Vision of each home having a server PC, a "Data Furnace" as he described it a decade ago, serving as the heart of a home network. In this mode, separate from the corporate and vertical market mode of the higher-end Origamis, the tablet serves as an extension of the home server, much as an XBOX360 serves as an extender.

That is why, above, I was wondering if the Origamis might play streaming HD video. Cause MS has been working on a software-only implementation of the Media Center Extenders to be used on remote PCs on a home network. And in that mode, streaming Music and photos is something that can be done by standard XP/Vista tools but streaming live HD requires the software extender. Which requires a bit extra CPU power. And indeed, Intel has been quoted as saying Origami needs to be built on the upcoming Conroe processor instead of the older Pentium M because of the very low power consumption and greater power. And *that* you won't see in an OQO package anytime soon. For chipset reasons if nothing else...

Which, btw, brings up the question of Vista upgrades for the earlier boxes. And the fact is that if these pads will boot Linux they sure as heck will boot Vista. So yes, upgrades will be doable. They have to.

If you're antsy, then wait til the fall until the updates ship; not that it'll make much of a difference since the Aero interface is not appropriate to this application anyway; the screen is too small and the 3d graphics would draw down the power too fast.

Vista *will* run and Vista Origamis will be built.
But Vista on Origami is worth doing for the security and the APIs, not the GUI.

Just bear in mind that Origami is a family and not all will be the same size or form factor; an Origami OQO will happen. An Origami LS-800 will happen. But not all Origamis will be pure tablets; some will have keyboards like the HPC Pros. And some will borrow from the PocketPC/SmartPhone design toolkit to create some very interesting gadgets. Me, I rather like the model in the picture atop this thread. Even more interesting, I've seen pics of bluetooth chiclet-keyboard carry cases for the Origamis.
*That* I really want to play with.

[shindullin]

If it's viruses your worried about, I suspect that there will be less worms and viruses written targeting XP after Vista is released so the mac/linux defense of "ain't a lot to bad stuff to be protected from" form of security will probably apply to buying gear with the old OS.
As for whether Vista will work on these new devices, MS is apparently going to "scale" the OS for less powerful machines so some of the low end Origami machines will have a stripped down OS, presumably wo the 3d graphical UI and will less overhead on the machine.
All very exciting after years of only incremental changes in the computing world.

[DrtyBlvd]

Sounds like I should launch Tablet PC Thoughts if there's a lot of interest in this.... ;-)

I'm a little surprised you haven't already - That's a great idea.