Archive for March, 2006

[url=http://origamiproject.com/blogs/team_blog/archive/2006/03/30/2968.aspx]OrigamiProject[/url] had a link to a [url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002898672_origami30.html]Seattle Times[/url] interview with Otto Berkes at a Seattle Coffee shop.

Otto was using a Samsung Q1 and the Seattle Times took some videos of him using GPS and the media player.

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/seattletimes/Samsungq1small.jpg[/img]

In the video talking about GPS Otto talks about how valuable the UMPC was for him while he was in Germany. Apparently they weren’t sure how to get the convention center from their hotel so they just plugged in a GPS dongle to their USB port and found it that way.

[url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/collections/video/2002885596_origami24/2002885597_gps.html]Go to Origami as a Navigational device video page.[/url]

The second video talks about the media player and shows off the different on screen buttons that were created specifically for controlling Microsoft Media Player with the UMPC.

[url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/collections/video/2002885596_origami24/2002885690_media.html]Go to Multimedia on the Origami video page[/url]

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/seattletimes/mediaplayer.jpg[/img]

Lastly,
There is a video of the other stylus input and Dial Keys options.

[url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/collections/video/2002885596_origami24/2002885709_uses.html]Go to different ways to use Origami video page[/url]

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/seattletimes/dialkeys.jpg[/img]

Cool videos and pictures on the news article. hopefully more info keeps coming out.

All of the pictures were taken by Tom Reese at the Seattle Times (more…)

A link was just posted on [url=http://origamiproject.com/forums/thread/2901.aspx]OrigamiProject.com [/url] by Amjoe announcing that the C# source code for the UMPC Sudoku has just been released and is available [url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c0461e1a-bd6a-4b21-a199-d3d4f9d79cf7&DisplayLang=en]here.[/url]

The original source for the tablet PC iteration of Suduko was created by a Microsoft employee named Stephen Toub. He is apparently going to be releasing an article as well to the download page shortly which will detail the algorithmic aspects of implementing a Sudoku game, in addition to the specific details that help you implement other applications designed for Tablet PC and UMPC. (According to the little blurb on Microsoft.com so far about it.)

after I downloaded the code, I wanted to find out a little more about Stephen Toub so I looked him up on Google and I found his msdn blog
located at http://blogs.msdn.com/toub/.

On his site he actually has a cool story about why he decided to write Sodoku. According to Stephen:

“In July of 2005, I was visiting my brother and my college roommate John in London. While there, John got me hooked on Sudoku, a puzzle game that was then sweeping Europe and is now sweeping the US. On the way back to the states, instead of sleeping as I should have done, I opened Visual Studio and spent the entire flight madly coding away on a Tablet PC implementation of Sudoku. When I got back to work and showed the Tablet team the prototype I’d created, it was very quickly swept up into a larger project dubbed the “Origami Project.” ”

That’s cool. I’m also impressed that Microsoft let him release the code. They are obviously trying to get a bigger developer following behind Tablet PC applications.

We will have more to say about this application after I have a chance to go through the C# code and see how it’s all implemented and when the article is released.
(more…)

Thanks to Papadac and [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=126]Ctitanic[/url] for giving us info on the FCC documents that had just been released for the Samsung Q1 [url=http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=570018&fcc_id=]here[/url]

The FCC documents included a bunch of info about the device and a users manual.

But most intersting was that it also included the device open to show off what was on the inside.

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/samsungq1fcc/samsungQ1inside.jpg[/img]

The fan, casing, cpu, and other fun stuff is shown in this pic that was from the Internal photos document [url=http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/retrieve.cgi?attachment_id=641538&native_or_pdf=pdf]here[/url]

The user manual that was contained with the documents also had information on each button and component of the device. Here’s a quick rundown on each side of the device from the Official Samsung Q1 users manual

[b]Front View:[/b]

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/samsungq1fcc/frontview.jpg[/img]

The front view numbers correspond to the following
[b]1[/b] LCD The screen images from the computer are displayed here.
[b]2[/b] Speaker Used to generate sound.
[b]3[/b] Joystick Plays the same role as the direction keys on the keyboard.
Used as a joystick when playing games.
[b]4[/b] Auto Scaler Button (Automatic Resolution Adjustment Button)
Press this button to change the screen resolution.
Auto Scaler provides 3-step resolutions. Whenever you press this button, the screen resolution changes to 800×480 Default Resolution > 800×600 > 1024×600 sequentially.
[b]5[/b] Status Indicators Shows the operating status of the computer. The corresponding operating LED is lit when the corresponding function operates.
[b]6[/b] Microphone Used to record sound.
[b]7[/b] Menu Button Press this button to launch the Menu Program. The Menu Program provides shortcuts to frequently used functions on the computer. You can easily change the settings.
[b]8[/b] Enter Button Press this button to select an item. It is the same as the Enter key on the keyboard.
[b]9[/b] Quick Launch
Button
You can register a frequently used program to launch it just by pressing this button.

more below… (more…)

Our friend Steve, who runs [url=http://blog.carrypad.com/]CarryPad.com[/url], has just published a new report detailing the all-important issue of power consumption with upcoming UMPC/Origami devices. It’s an interesting and informative read, so take a minute and check out the whole report [url=http://blog.carrypad.com/2006/03/origami-power-wars_29.html]here[/url].

Here are a few interesting excerpts:

[b]Celeron vs. Pentium[/b]

“The Celeron-M devices are Pentium-M devices with a reduced L2 cache and importantly, speed-stepping removed. They are offered as a lower cost alternative to the Pentiums saving something in the region of $80 in component costs to the manufacturers. In real terms, it means that the Celeron uses more power than the Pentium and that it could be slower in some operations.”

[b]Power Hungry LCD[/b]

“What is interesting is the fact that even when a PC is loaded, a third of the power requirement actually comes from the LCD panel. When a PC is only under low-load (average use) the screen accounts for well over half of the power requirement… Its here where the most savings could be made. New technologies are on the horizon but it will take time for these devices to become cheap enough.”

[b]Flash Hard Disk[/b]

“Currently, flash memory devices at the 10-20GB level are prohibitively expensive but in the next 2 years we should see flash disk options on UMPC devices. The saving could be in the region of 5% of total power useage.” (more…)

Following on from my report about Origami CPU’s and getting back to a factual and more informative post than my previous outburst of joy on the Origami market, I’m continuing the ‘power’ theme and looking at the issue of power consumption. Why does an Origami battery only last 2 hours? Why is the device so big and what can be done to improve the situation?

One of the main hurdles of the Origami project was clearly to source the lowest-power components possible. Power useage is directly related to battery size, device size, weight and running times which are issues at the top of the list when designing an ultra-mobile PC. The technology is available today to design devices that are very small and powerful but unfortunately, this technology is expensive and a trade-off must be made against the cost. Take the OQO devices as an example. These devices are highly minaturaised but the price of these devices is high and has meant targeting a niche class of user prepared to pay the premuim cost. Thats not the same market as Microsoft would like to see Origami devices in.

Power requirements of PC’s
The deskptop PC’s and Monitors we use daily are drawing something like 100-150Watts of power with processors using about a third of that. The top-end Dual-core AMD processors can use 200Watts on their own. While that may not seem much compared to your 1000W kettle, if you were to try to power a desktop PC with batteries you’d be looking at carrying a kilo of very expensive top-quality battery for every hour useage.
A typical laptop battery has about 50 watt-hours of power and weighs around 400grams which would give you about 20-30 minutes of working time on your desktop device. A UMPC device has something like a 200gram weight budget for its battery. Thats equates to about 20-25 watts hours of power - enough to power your normal desktop PC for about 8 minutes. I’ve known Desktop PC’s that take that long to start up and shut down!!

Obviously every watt of power counts and in the past few years a massive effort has been made to reduce power consumption of CPU’s. The use of PC’s in the living room as PVR’s has driven a lot of this developement as has the need to move away from clockrate-based marketing and to focus on other unique selling points of processors.

In my CPU report, I gave some details about the CPU’s being used in Origami devices. As a quick re-cap, here’s the summary from that report.

Intel are offering the Pentium-M and Celeron-M low-voltage CPU’s. The devices that run at the 1Ghz mark have thermal design power (TDP) requirements of 5-7 watts. TDP roughly equates to ‘maximum power needed.’ The Celeron-M devices are Pentium-M devices with a reduced L2 cache and importantly, speed-stepping removed. They are offered as a lower cost alternative to the Pentiums saving something in the region of $80 in component costs to the manufacturers. In real terms, it means that the Celeron uses more power than the Pentium and that it could be slower in some operations.

VIA are offering the C7-M ultra low voltage (ulv) CPUs. The devices run at 1Ghz have a TDP figure of 3.5-5 watts. The C7-M is starting to appear in laptop products now but the version to be used in the Origami devices is the ULV version (ultra low voltage.) and as its such a new part there are no products out yet and no test results available. The SmartCaddy UMPC is the first product that will use the C7-M ulv processor.

On the face of it, it looks like VIA have a big advantage. Unfortunately for VIA though, their advantage will not translate directly to a large increase in battery life. The reason why is that the CPU accounts for something between only 10% and 30% of the total power requirement of the device. That means that at under full load, 1.5W reduction in TDP will only give you something like 10% extra battery life. In normal and semi-idle usage (say, for example, reading a document) there’s going to be no noticeable difference. Lets take a deeper look at the overall power breakdown of a UMPC.

UMPC power analysis.
There are no detailed figures for power and battery life for Origami devices yet but from data thats already available we can work out what the likely battery life is going to be. If you look in detail at all the power requirements for all the components its quite easy to see that 1.5 hours is probably going to be the minimum life of the battery and 3 hours will be possible with light use.

Here’s a closer look at where the power goes in a pc. I’ve researched a lot of figures and specifications from chipset data sheets, similar low-power devices and personal experience and here’s the average figures that I’ve come up with. These figures are based on an UMPC class device.

What is interesting is the fact that even when a PC is loaded, a third of the power requirement actually comes from the LCD panel. When a PC is only under low-load (average use) the screen accounts for well over half of the power requirement. It suprised me when I cross-checked a few other reports and found similar results.
Why then is there a big 7” screen in there? Why not a 5” screen that would take a lot less power. I’ve written my theory on that one later on in this report.

When we look again at the battery sizes provided with the devices its pretty easy to see where the battery life figure is going to be. An average power useage figure is going to be somewhere between 8 and 12 watts giving somewhere between 2 and 3 hours useage. An idle PC with the display off (for example, when playing MP3’s, listening to radio) is going to give you another 2-3 hours.

Its no surprise then that the The Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group’s first job was to issue guidelines for LCD panel manufacturers. Its here where the most savings could be made. New technologies are on the horizon but it will take time for these devices to become cheap enough.

5″ or 7″ Screen?
Considering the power requirements for that 7” screen, i’m wondering why Origami went for that size. My conclusion is one of mainly price and style.

Reason one is that 7” screens are common in the automotive industry and its possible that they represent the cheapest option for the screen.
Reason number two is that a certain level of dots or pixels per inch (dpi) must be maintained in order to make an 800×480 resolution actually readable.
Reason number three is that the device size was not determined by the LCD panel size but instead by the motherboard and peripheral sizes. The case had to be big regardless of what screen was in it. Even with the 7” screen, the current designs have a large unattractive border round them. Can you imagine how the same size case would look with a 5” screen. We’ll have to wait for more miniaturization (or pay for more doe the leading edge minature components) before the case size can shrink and we can see 6 and 5” screens and fasionably thin frames like in the Haiku concept model.

GPU power.
As far as the graphics chipset is concerned, the percentage of overall power consumption is low and any reductions made here won’t really show up in every-day useage figures. Most users aren’t even going to be using a graphics chipset much so the effect is reduced even more. For gamers, this is slightly different. 3D graphics users can expect to be using 2 or 3W more on average which will equate to 10-15% less battery life. As improvements are made to CPU’s, we can expect the same improvements to be made in GPU’s.

Hard Disk.
The hard disk, as an overall percentage of power drain, doesnt have a huge impact on battery life. However there is scope to reduct the hard disk power by a lot. Namely, by using flash memory. Currently, flash memory devices at the 10-20GB level are prohibitively expensive but in the next 2 years we should see flash disk options on UMPC devices. The saving could be in the region of 5% of total power useage.

Battery Technology.
Finally, there are changes that can be made to battery technology. Percentage changes here translate 1:1 to increases in device useage time.
The business of producing traditional LiIon batteries is well established and efficient and although there are a number of new technologies on the horizon, moving from LiIon production to new techologies will only occur when a step-change in battery life can be achieved. That means we’re stuck with LiIon technology for a while which might not be a bad think as LiIon technology is improving at a rate of about 20% more efficiency per year. One report I have read talks about batteries that have a 2,700 W/kg power to weight ratio. Thats 10 times the value of the batteries currently in UMPC devices! Future deveopments include Li-Poly batteries and ultracapcitors but as mentioned before, these require different manufacturing processes and will be expensive to move to for mass-market devices.

Summary.
In my opinion, the level of power required for Origami devices was pre-defined at an early stage in the project. The choice of using XP as an operating system pretty much defined all other parameters for power consumption. A 1Ghz CPU, a GPU, a Hard disk, 512MB ram and an 800×480 display all have specific power and weight requriemetns. There are lower power chipset options but these would not support the OS chosen for the project. Take for example the Xscale processor. These are commonly used in smartphones and pocket PC’s. With 20 watt batteries and 5” screens they could run for 5-6 hours but they wont run a full XP operating system. The 3 hour battey life, weight and design restrictions are, as many people have noted, dissapointing at the moment but within 12 months we’re going to see a maturing of the components and hopefuly, elements of economy as production numbers increase.
Better screen panel technology is the key at the moment. They are inefficient and we will have to wait until new panel technology filters though into the correct price range. Battery technology is obviously important and again, the new technologies need to filter into common use before they are affordable. Miniaturization of components will help to reduce case sizes having the advantage that a 5” or 6” screen wont make it look like a toy. Processor technology needs improving and complete integration of CPU and co-processors is needed. Its going to be a game of cutting down here and there and waiting for better pricing on new technoligies.

Keywords: umpc origami report

It’s time for the UMPC Cast Episode #3.

Matt Wayment and Roy Terry talk about the new software that has been announced and delve into the TabletKiosk eo information.
They also walk around the streets of Salt Lake City and see what other people think about the UMPC.

The direct RSS feed is located [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/podcast.rss]here[/url]

The iTunes feed is [url=http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=130040126&s=143441]here[/url]

or download the MP3 directly [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/podcasts/OrigamiPortal_-_UMPC_Cast_3.mp3]here[/url]

And you can check out our older UMPC Cast shows in our [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=1]Podcast Section[/url] (more…)

[url=http://ultramobilepc-tips.blogspot.com/2006/03/tabletkiosk-taking-pre-orders.html]UltraMobilePC-tips[/url] let us know today that Tablet Kiosk has just released an actual street date and price for their newest UMPC called the eo.

According to their press release [url=http://www.tabletkiosk.com/news/index.htm]here[/url] it will hit store shelves in the last week of April.

The press release also explains a little about why they chose to go with the name eo. eo comes from the latin word meaning to go or progress and TabletKiosk felt that thier UMPC was created to meet demands of highly mobile individuals with the UMPC’s power in an easy to carry design.

The eo UMPC v7110 512/40 is shown on the website as the current “top of the line” Origami from TabletKiosk. and according to the information [url=http://www.tabletkiosk.com/config/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=146]here[/url] has a price of $999.00. not bad for a full featured small PC with a 40 gig hard drive.

The lower end model is called the eo UMPC v7110 256/30 and is being listed for $899.00 [url=http://www.tabletkiosk.com/config/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=135]here[/url]

So I would put in that extra $100.00 for double ram and more hard drive space.

Each model is also available in Black and white

Also according to the site the following items are available as accessories:
[b]Included:[/b] Carrying Case
AC Adapter with Cord Set
Headphone/Microphone Combo
User’s Manual
Utility CDs (Restore & Utilities)
1 Year Limited Warranty

[b]Optional:[/b] External CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
USB Modem or GSRM Modem
Docking Cradle with additional I/O Ports
2 Year & 3 Year Extended Warranty

The full specs listed on the site are … (more…)

Akihabara News has posted about a new Origami to be release in Korea. As you can see from the following picture, this device and the one from Founder are the same.

So the system specs are most likely going to be
Intel Celeron M 900 MHz
256MB/ 512MB Ram
and a 20-60 GB hard drive

Its interesting to see different companies pick up the exact same model and release them to other markets with the same desgin. I think the PC market has just had so many customization options that people can create their own computer looks.

_{Sources: UMPC Buzz, TodoPocketPC.} (more…)

Over at [url=http://blog.carrypad.com]Carrypad.com[/url], Steve has produced a table of UMPC devices including the Origami specifications that we know about so far.

It makes a good starting point for research if you’re interested in buying a UMPC device and it will be updated with information as it becomes available.

read on to see an extract of the Mini Tablets and Origami devices section. For the full list go to the [url=http://products.carrypad.com]Carrypad.com product list.[/url] (more…)

The device list seems to be getting a lot of hits so I’ve decided to make more useful by turning it into a datasheet.

UMPC device list
If you see errors, have updates, new entries or review links I can add to it, drop me a line.

Steve

Ctitanic from [url=http://ultramobilepc-tips.blogspot.com/2006/03/smart-caddie-page-updated.html]Ultra Mobile PC Tips[/url] posted that [url=http://www.smartcaddie.jp]SmartCaddie.jp[/url] finally updated their site with information on their new Origami system.

According to their new flash animation the Samrt Caddie has the following specs:

[b]CPU:[/b] VIA C7M 1Ghz
[b]Video:[/b] Built in VIA VN800 S3 Graphics UniChrime Pro IGP zoom function(emulation method) 800×600, 1024x 600 display
[b]Screen:[/b] 7 inch 800×480/TFT-LCD
[b]Input:[/b] Touch Panel
[b]Body Color:[/b] White(Smart White)
[b]Dimensions:[/b] 228×146x25.1mm/860g weight
[b]OS:[/b] Microsoft Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005(Japanese) and the program launcer

The specs are really nothing new however the site does answer a question I had about the availability of all of these machines that all look the same. Since the OS is the Japanese version I assume that means this is the Japanese only release verison of this UMPC model.

One funny thing on their site is a spot for interviews that says it is coming soon and it includes the names of the interviewed as “Smart People”

[img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/pacebladesmartpeople.jpg[/img]

So anyhow, go on over to the Pace Blade SmartCaddie website and check out their stylus enabled interface. (more…)

v3 26th March 2006

UPDATE: The live product list has been enhanced and has moved here
This journal entry will no longer be updated.

Along with the UMPC link list, i’ll be keeping this live document going listing all the devices I see fitting into the UMPC space. Currently this is only a list of device names but this list will develop to include device specifications. Subscribe to the RSS feed to stay updated.

Be aware that I use the old-school definition of UMPC and not the Microsoft definition. This isn’t a list of Origami devices. Devices listed in blue are not neccesarily available yet. Rumoured devices are not listed here.

Mini tablets and Origami Devices.

• Nokia 770
• Pepperpad
• Motion Computing LS800
• ECS EZ30D
• Sony U50
• DualCor cPC
• Samsung Q1 (Origami)
• ASUS R2H (Origami)
• Founder Mininote (Origami)
• PBJ Smart Caddie (Origami)
• Tablet Kiosk V700 (Origami)
• Amtek 700 (Origami)

Mini notebooks.
(Traditional laptop form factor. Including devices convertible to tablet format.)

• OQO
• Toshiba Libretto U100
• JVC XP741
• Fujitsu P1510D (convertible)
• Flybook A33 (convertible)

Advanced PDA’s.

• Sharp Zaurus SL-C3200

Please, if you know of a new device, let me know

Keywords: umpc

I’m finding it more and more difficult to read Origami-related content now. We’ve just about analysed those little boxes to death and we’re all coming up with the same negative conclusions again and again.

To me, Project Origami has been a success.

Despite the thousands of blogs and posts that complain about battery life and size. Its been a success.

Despite it getting a slating from Gartner. Its been a success.

Despite there being not a single sale yet. Its been a success.

For AMD, its been a success. For Nokia, Its been a success and for Microsoft its been a success.

Why?

Becuase I have never, in my internet life (18 years now) seen so many people analysing a market segment and then coming up with such a simlar conclusion. A real united opinion about a new market segment. I don’t even need to list the details here because most readers will have already analysed the requirements down to the last flip-out stand. There’s very few disagreements out there and thats a first. Even the OS X, Linux and XP argument seems to be quiet becuase everyone seems to understand that we’re talking about a device segment here in which all flavors of OS are going to fit.

Origami has been a success becuase its generated probably tens of thousands of blog comments, dozens of new websites and forums and an absolute gold-mine of ideas, analysis and wish-lists. And for the first time ever, the product manager just has to line up 50-100 RSS feeds and spend an hour to come up with a succesful product description.

The Origami team missed the mark with their first release. But I think they knew that was going to happen anyway. I think they’d taken manufacturers through to a point of no-return and decided to test the market with what they’d got. That something was pretty much the best that thermal physics would let them achieve for the given price bracket.
OK, one could argue that they shouldn’t have gone with the viral marketing campaign but I think that was a genuine mistake. The year-old promo video that was found just pushed the buzz beyond expectation. At least it shows that people are genuinly interested in it!
Compare that Origami buzz we saw to the Windows Vista buzz. Its totally different I dont know a single end-user thats excited about Vista. Vista doesnt have a hungry audience. Origami and the UMPC space seems to.

We’re in a race now. Every product manager who could possibly bring something into the UMPC market now knows what specifications are needed. They now know what their target customer is. Knows how important style is and knows where to price it for success. They also know that there’s a good number of customers waiting for the first product that matches the criteria. Don’t be suprised if someone takes the plunge and brings out a loss-leading device in order to grab the first big market share.

Who will it be? Will Microsoft force some heavy discounting or bundling? Will Nokia speed up development? Does AMD have partners its already working with? Are Apple or Sony working on something? Or how about one of the smaller companies? Pepperpad? Flybook? How about all the pocket-pc dev teams sitting round tables trying to find a quick way to repackage their product into the UMPC market. Or will someone take a different approach and hide the cost in a subscription package? There’s plenty of TV channels and video content out there waiting to be received via a digital TV receiver or online stream

I don’t really care how it manifests itself. I’m just excited at the prospect of many new devices appearing in the next 12 months and basking in a sea of luxury decisions. I just feel sorry for all those UMPC product managers out there that won’t get any sleep for the next year.

Keywords: umpc, origami
V1.0. 22nd March 2006.

So Mix06 in Las Vegas is ending today and so far they have had a few speakers and items about up and coming products including the UMPC.

Set up at Mix06 are product booths including one that shows off Ultra-Mobile PCs. According to some of the news, the UMPC booth was an extremely popular place to be between conference talks and alot of people were snapping pictures of the things.

I was searching around for some info and pictures about the UMPC from Mix06 and came across this photo on [url=http://www.robzelt.com/blog/default.aspx]Rob Zelt’s[/url] [url=http://flickr.com/photos/58774112@N00/]flikr[/url] account of what I assume is a TabletKiosk V-700.(I can’t tell the difference between it and the PaceBlade in pictures alone.)

[url=http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/xcgal/displayimage.php?pid=78][img]http://www.origamiportal.com/origami/images/blueumpcpic.jpg[/img][/url]

So this is the first real picture I’ve seen of any of the UMPCs with different colors besides white and black. We have been wondering about how many different colors there will be and talked a little about it in this forum post [url=http://www.origamiportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=85&forum=4]here[/url]

There was also some info up at [url=http://www.whatisnew.com/blogs/dailynews/archive/2006/03/22/7649.aspx]Whatisnew.com[/url] showing a Car & Driver WPF demo on a UMPC and Bill Gates talking about it during his keynote.

Hopefully some more pictures and information from Mix06 comes out about the UMPC. In the meantime however, there is evidence that there will be a few different colors as there is also a little red UMPC icon at the official Microsoft UMPC section as well. (more…)

We received a press release today stating that [url=http://www.dyknow.com/]DyKnow[/url], a leader in interactive education, has been selected by Microsoft as one of 10 Independent Software Vendors to Participate in the UMPC ISV Early Adopter Program.

This program allows DyKnow to ready its software for Microsoft’s new Origami/Ultra-Mobile PC devices. DyKnow Vision and DyKnow Monitor have already been tested on the UMPC’s operating system. The [url=http://www.dyknow.com/products/]products section on Dyknow’s site[/url] has some pretty cool demos and information so check it out.

Read the full press release below… (more…)