Jon Westfall
06-08-2006, 07:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060607-7011.html' target='_blank'>http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...60607-7011.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"When the wraps were taken off of the Origami tablet PC back in March, it was widely believed that the device was the demonstration version of Microsoft's "Haiku" ultra-mobile PC project. Indeed, the Origami (or UMPC, as it is called now) has many things in common with the Haiku prototype, which was originally displayed by Bill Gates at WinHEC 2005. Both are small tablet designs, feature a touch-screen interface, run a customized version of Windows, and sport Asian-inspired code names. Yet the Origami—small as it is—is a bit bulkier than the Haiku demonstration unit, and lacks a couple of features. This can easily be chalked up to the limitations imposed by packing all of that technology into a portable unit—many final designs end up very different from their prototypes. It now appears that the UMPC is merely a fork, not the end result of the Haiku project. The real Haiku continues to exist on the drawing boards of Microsoft's Ultra-Mobile PC group, and in the hands of Otto Berkes, general manager of that operation, who showed it off this week at the Via Technology Forum in Taipei."</i><br /><br />Oh Haiku, you dog<br />Microsoft Still Loves You Too<br />Release God Knows When<br /><br />Seriously, a nice idea but as Peter points out in the article, something that may never actually become reality. Still, it's nice to know that dreams can still exist at Microsoft!