[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/origami_prototype.jpg[/img]

[b]NY Times delves into Microsoft and Intel’s Plan[/b]

Let the speculation continue! Not much new to report today, but the New York Times had an interesting article up about the Intel-Microsoft connection on this project. The article described how Intel and Microsoft had previously acknowledged working on ultramobile PC’s, and how their focus was to design machines that did one thing very well, and the other features would be more complimentary. This opens up the possibility for several different models of the Origami Tablet PC, one that is geared toward gamers, another focusing on businessmen, one for medical uses, etc.

The rest of the article parrots much of what was stated in our news post yesterday, with a couple new details. They have quoted a Microsoft consultant as saying the first units will come in at about two pounds and have a limited battery life of three hours or so between charges. Read the whole NY Times article here.

[b]Microsoft Watch provides a glimpse of Origami Prototypes[/b]

[img align=right]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/samsung_prototype.jpg[/img]According to Microsoft Watch, Microsoft is hoping their new ultramobile PC will become a new type of computer: The Lifestyle PC. These Tablet PC’s are being designed to work mainly with touch and a stylus, but some prototypes are slated to have buttons on either side.

Samsung, which we have heard will be unveiling some type of ultra mobile PC at the CeBIT show, is rumored to have been working on one or more prototypes. James Kendrick posted a photo (see right) on his blog a while back of a convertible-style Tablet, that may be one of the prototypes. The photo at the top of this news post is another potential Origami prototype. Read the whole Microsoft Watch article here.

With all that said, we are still taking a wait-and-see approach to see which revelations will be proved true at the CeBIT conference. Read the full story

Too many rumors flew about this week and by the end of it, we were all pretty much confused as to the details of the Origami and ultra mobile PC teasers. There’s some good reports at Origamiportal but lets face it, anything could change next week.

In order to resolve some of my carrypad desires i’m looking for the following things next week.

1. 5-7″ screen (looks like this will be the case)
2. Mini-Keyboard – Totally unknown. No picture has shown a keyboard as part of the device. One or two pictures showed a keyboard add-on or keyboard case. The word origami hold promise though.
3. Efficient operating system – I dont want a full XP version. Looks like it might be a tablet edition anyway.
4. DVD cover size (maybe a few mm thicker) – not possible with the 7″ screen. Fingers crossed for 5-6″ screen.

I really hope the carrypad market gets its first confirmed product (or product announcement) next week. This Origami could be the first ever product to fit into my carrypad specification. If not, its over to you Nokia!

Keywords: origami, carrypad, umpc

Mini PC history being made! What we know so far about the Microsoft Origami Project and what we expect to find out.

First off, we know from the OrigamiProject site that this device will be a Mobile PC that is running Windows XP. More details are going to be announced on the site on March 9 with many people expecting Microsoft to release the full details on the project at the CeBIT conference on the same day. In addition, Microsoft has acknowledged they have been working on this project with partners, and have stated they will release more details in the coming weeks. Adding more detail to the project, Microsoft’s Robert Scoble confirmed the existence of Origami in a recent entry in his blog, saying that it would be a “fairly low-cost” portable device. Also, we have already learned from Engadget that Origami will run XP Tablet PC edition, and that the device will probably look more like the black unit displayed at WinHEC last year than the device shown in the promotional video.

About that promotional video that was discovered on Digital Kitchen’s site: Although we now know this video is a year old, and much of what we have seen in the video might not resemble the final product, it does give us an idea of what Microsoft was striving for. Which is, some sort of mobile product that users can take with them and perform all types of different tasks on (GPS, watching a movie on a plane, recording signatures, saving sketches, jotting down notes in class, surfing the web in your lazy-boy, etc.). Tablet PC’s still haven’t taken off, and there is a chance these new ultra mobile PC (ultra-mobile personal computers) devices could jumpstart this market, and the Origami looks to play a key role. Read the full story

Well, the long awaited new flash promo about the Microsoft Origami is live at OrigamiProject.com. Check it out!

In the meantime, lets see what this ultraportable tablet PC is up to.

[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/week2/opoening_screen.jpg[/img]
Origami wants to play hide-and-seek!

[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/week2/officebuilding.jpg[/img]
Hiding on top of office buildings might not be safe for kids but Origami doesn’t care.

[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/week2/mountain.jpg[/img]
Origami goes for a relaxing mountain escape. Way up there in the mountains, all alone, with the sheep.

[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/week2/beach.jpg[/img]
The beach is the spot to be, just ask Origami.

[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/week2/datescreen_week2.jpg[/img]
Awww, looks like we’ll have to wait another week to see if the Origami really will cure cancer.

[b]Update (03/02/06 9:18 AM):[/b]
Interestingly enough, the html source on the page contains the following line: “Origami Project: the Mobile PC running Windows XP,” another little hint from Microsoft about what this device will be. Read the full story

[img align=left]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/learmore.jpg[/img]
Tomorrow promises to be a big day for all those interested in Microsoft’s Origami project, as we are all expecting an update on the origamiproject.com site.

As speculation continues to grow and bloggers around the world pontificate on the Origami’s future, we will continue to keep you all updated on the latest news and happenings. Hopefully tomorrow we can do a better job answering a lot of the questions out there about this project, and don’t hesitate to join in on the fun and hit up the forum or comment on some news. Read the full story

I was thinking yesterday about what the Microsoft Origami project could really mean. The ‘folding paper’ connotations reminded me of the lovely three-part mechanics of the old Psion 5. I loved that device and the keyboard was literally a masterstroke. It was a real piece of engineering. Then I remembered the Psion 7 which didnt really do very well. It turns out that there’s a Psion Teklogic Netbook Pro which is based on the series 7 and netbook and was introduced mid 2003. It got an update to Windows CE and an Xscale 400mhz processor. Considering this device is, what, 6 years old in design, its remarkably close to a carry pad.
Given another hardware update, a trim-down to a 6″ screen and a better price point (currently Euro 1000) it could be a lovely clamshell-type device.

Links
psionteklogic
Zdnet mini-review

We here at origamiportal.com have taken the promotional video originally found on Digital Kitchen’s site, broken it down scene-by-scene, and provided analysis about what is being shown in each key scene. We hope this will provide some insight into the many uses Microsoft has planned for this device.

Onto the scenes:

Scene 1:
[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/scenes/scene1.jpg[/img]

This scene presents our first glimpse of the Origami. This model has a greenish/white color scheme and it appears the user has pulled up Hotmail in the web browser and is checking her email. The screen dimensions are perfectlly sized for this type of task.

Scene 2:
[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/scenes/scene2.jpg[/img]

This scene continues on with the first user who is working in a mobile recording studio. As she connects the different audio equipment to her PC and begins mixing music, the Origami seems to be interfaced with the desktop in some way.

Scene 3:
[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/scenes/scene3.jpg[/img]

This scene continues on with the first user, and she has now moved outside with her Origami and appears to be emailing the audio mix she just made to another person. She uses the tablet to request that this person check out her audio mix. This is the first example of the tablet functionality of the Origami as she is able to pull out the stylus and write a note to be sent to another user.

Scene 4:
[img]https://www.umpcportal.com/origami/images/scenes/scene4.jpg[/img]

This scene continues on with the first user, and this time she has passed the Origami to her friend. Her friend then takes the stylus, and draws up a quick sketch of a face.

For the rest of the scene analysis, click Read More… below. Read the full story

Information has recently been posted online about a website at http://www.origamiproject.com

This is creating a lot of hype and has people wondering what the product is. Currently there is info on the web that makes it look like a PSP/Ipod competitor.

So far all of the info about Microsoft’s Origami Project is based on info from a design firm called Digital Kitchen who released a video on their website with information about the design.

The video was taken down from their website shortly after people started linking to it from technology websites. However, Origami Portal was able to get the video and archive it here

Microsoft has acknowledged that the video is in fact real, they released a statement saying, “While Origami is a concept we’ve been working on with partners, please know that the video seen on Digital Kitchen’s Web site is a year old and represents our initial exploration into this form factor, including possible uses and scenarios.”

The videos shows interesting uses including maps, pictures, note taking and game playing. In one scene it shows a guy playing Halo on the device which means it must have specs closer to handheld notebooks than a simple PDA.

There are more pictures and videos that keep coming in from different sites. As more images and info come, Origami Portal will make sure all of it is covered here. Read the full story