Oragami Project: Yeah, It's a Tablet PC

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_Offers_More_Origami_Hints/1141315703' target='_blank'>http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_Offers_More_Origami_Hints/1141315703</a><br /><br /></div><i>"As expected, Microsoft on Thursday revealed a few new hints about its much-hyped Origami Project, which is expected to launch in the form of an ultra-portable PC with touch screen and media capabilities. However, details of the project are still sketchy and Microsoft is remaining cryptic. The "week 2" update on origamiproject.com expands the questions offered last week, saying "wondering where to find me?," "i am everywhere you are, but never in the way" and "who am i?" The statements reinforce the idea of Origami as a small portable computer."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/microsoft-origami-1.jpg" /><br /><br />There's a lot of hype about this thing, but until I see what it really looks like (the prototype has been beaten with an ugly stick for days) and what it costs ($500 seems too low for a first gen product), I'm now allowing myself to get too excited. There are some interesting possibilities though, specifically when you think Vista + Media Center Interface + touch screen. I can very easily see myself sitting on the couch flipping through photos and doing <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,9740">some culling</a>, and maybe light editing. Bringing it over to a friends house to show them vacation photos would also be very cool. Having it near the TV would make it a great IMDB lookup tool as well. Hmm. Ok, now I really want one of these things. :D

[the_rapture]

Well looking at the size, I believe MS will get it wrong again. I currently own a PSP and iPOD. What I like is the ability to carry them with me in my pocket at most any time. The PSP is a little hard to carry but I manage it, summers get hard because no coat pocket. Please, how many guys carry a hand bag around? Not to many that I know of but maybe it will start a new trend? My wife likes the iPOD for it's size. Some features that I bet it has built in that I won't like is the built in mic. Here's hoping someone will make something in between the iPOD and PSP with all their great features and then some.

[Jason Dunn]

Well looking at the size, I believe MS will get it wrong again...

I think you're thinking of this as a replacement for a PDA - it's definitely not. It's not meant to be carried on your person day in and day out. It's more of a "digital lifestyle" device to be used in the scenarios I've described.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

It all comes down to the price, and what it offers at that price. $500 with a not-too-small HDD, WiFi, USB 2.0 and a decent CPU and RAM amount will be quite something!

[konstantinos]

So that's what this Origami Project is all about... I stumbled upon it after following a comment on an Engadget story, but I didn't have a clue what it was about.

If they manage to make a $500 Tablet PC, I'll be considering it seriously.

[the_rapture]

I think you're thinking of this as a replacement for a PDA - it's definitely not. It's not meant to be carried on your person day in and day out. It's more of a "digital lifestyle" device to be used in the scenarios I've described.

Not really. I'm looking for a Personal Digital Entertainment Assistant (PDEA). Don't get me wrong, I've been a big fan of the PPC since it was WinCE and it was a sad day when Casio dropped out of the Pocket PC race, I believed they had the right idea with the E500 (I think that's the right model number, it's been awhile).

If they are looking at marketing this at the iPOD or PSP market then it needs to be pocket-able. We already have a TabletPC in that form factor, HP had or has one. When I think rival to Sony and Apple I'm thinking about entertainment mobility. This then has a market but I don't think it's going to knock out the PSP or iPOD because it's form factor is all wrong. Now I would love to have had a PocketPC that would rival the PSP for screen and games but they were just to expensive to have to upgrade every 6 months and memory was just to expensive at the time when they had the chance to take over as the entertainment device of choice. We all use our PPCs for movies, MP3 and photos. But the PSP and it's screen and price just took the show for me.

Here's hoping MS can come up with a winner and the maybe I can sell off or add to my museum of old toys. One day I'll be able to start a museum with all the old toys.

[Jason Dunn]

If they are looking at marketing this at the iPOD or PSP market then it needs to be pocket-able. We already have a TabletPC in that form factor, HP had or has one.

Well...if they wanted this to be a purely entertainment device like an iPod or PSP, they would have put Windows Mobile on there and it would have been a Portable Media Center. They did not, so to me that says this is more of a general purpose computing device and being portable is the goal, not pocketable. They're different. ;-)

[alese]

I want something like this BAD.
I just hope that the price is at least close to the promised $500.
It would be awsome to be able to cary full XP/Vista machine around without a briefcase and weight.

[Jeremy Charette]

This device will also be capable of connecting to the usb port on an Xbox 360, and could be used as a secondary display screen (for maps, overhead recon, control panel), and as a secondary controller.

[Jason Dunn]

This device will also be capable of connecting to the usb port on an Xbox 360, and could be used as a secondary display screen (for maps, overhead recon, control panel), and as a secondary controller.

A secondary video display over USB? 8O Are you aware of some technology I'm not? :D

[Jeremy Charette]

Think outside the (X)box Jason! I'm gonna guess that there will be a client in the Origami tablet that takes data from the 360 and renders it on the tablet. It should be powerful enough to render maps and low-resolution 3D scenes, but I doubt it could do high resolution real time video rendering.

Maybe it will stream a WMV based video format to the Origami? Who knows. Lots of possibilities for implementation.