Origami Experience 2, or OX2 as Origami Project calls it, is the second version of Microsoft’s touch orientated software for UMPCs, and if you can’t wait for its release, swing by the Windows Vista Experience blog for a preview of OX2’s RSS features.
The RSS reader in OX2 allows for easy subscriptions to RSS feeds from any site. Your feed list across IE and the Origami reader will be common. So if you subscribe to something in IE it will also appear in your OX2 feed list, and vice-versa. Podcasts and videos can be played right inside the RSS reader, and you can access the original site through the OX2 internet app (essentially IE with a touch optimized skin over it). The nice part about this is that you are still within the OX2 software, you aren’t just using it as a software launcher like the first iteration acted as. You can also flag feed items you’d like to come back to just like you can star items in Google Reader.
I’m actually a bit excited for the new version of Origami to come out. It seems like Microsoft has taken at least a little bit more care this time in making a decent touch interface for some of the common tasks that users deal with on UMPCs. Unfortunately I’ve gotten word that it will be Vista only, which isn’t surprising considering Microsoft’s foolish desire to get low-power UMCPs running Vista. An ambitious independent developer is attempting to make a clone of OX2 that will run on XP; more on that later.\
[Chippy says: It’s a shame that it’s IE7-based. Firefox 3.0 is so much faster that it’s hard to go back to an IE7-based browser now. I think i’m also right in saying that OX2 is only available to licensed partners so only new ultra mobile PC owners will get it…on Vista!]
I understand why they want it Vista only… but …many won’t like that…. i really hope for a clone that runs under XP….
Microsoft should really get their act straight either FIX Vista and ake it run (decently on UMPC) or create a new Windows specifically designed for UMPC that runs fast!…..then again….. they could just rebrand XP Tablet
The browser is IE7-based, which is not too bad (it could be based on IE6), however it seems to have a major issue with websites opening a new window – it just doesn’t open the window.
So again and again I find myself abandoning the OX2 browser and opening IE7 (haven’t installed another browser on the Shift yet), even if it doesn’t give me the same use of the full screen.
They are clueless to me touch input is fine for general navigation but not for primary input when these need to be large pocket computers. Touch only input is fine for a small phone which is not used for real computer functions and for large tablets where you have more real estate to view things.
What origami should be is a mobile pocket laptop with pen/touch input so a mouse is not needed that runs full windows and will fit in a jacket pocket so something under 4.25″ x 7.4″ x 1.3″ in size that has a built in touch type keyboard. Running a full desktop OS and programs requires a touch type keyboard. We already have laptops and cheap laptop size UMPC’s what people want is just a pocket version of that. None of the 7″ slates have ever sold very well; how long does it take for them to realize that is not the mainstream origami that people want?
As long as origami devices are too large to fit in a large jacket pocket, have no touch type keyboard nobody is going to buy them in any real numbers; they never have and never will. MS get a clue the laptop is the biggest seller, just make a pocket version why is it so hard to not see that?