Origami refolded: here's what we know

We've learned a little more about Microsoft's Origami Project, and as always, we're here to share. After this morning's HTML source confirmation that Origami will indeed be a "Mobile PC running Windows XP," we have one more detail to add: our sources confirm that Origami will run XP Tablet PC Edition. A minor distinction, perhaps. But let's not forget that it wasn't very long ago that Microsoft refused to grant Tablet licenses to PC makers whose boxes had specs not dissimilar to those rumored to be planned for Origami. What else have we learned? Well, we don't mean to disappoint those of you who've become enamored of the box you've been peeping in the Origami video, but according to our sources, the actual device will look more like the basic black box that Microsoft showed off at WinHEC last year (pictured above). We don't necessarily consider that a bad thing, though we will be curious to see how well we can work with a machine with virtually no hardware controls. One thing is certain: we'd better carry around a supply of tissues to wipe off all the fingerprints. Maybe the first Origami accessory should a swanky leather carrying case for us to put them in.

[hoplite @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:47PM]

"Maybe the first Origami accessory should a swanky leather carrying case for us to put them in."

Save those ZINGS for your beloved Apple

[daaper @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:50PM]

that thing looks awesome, but what is it's market? It's too big for a pocket, but too small and keyboardless to replace a laptop...

[nick @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:53PM]

Am I gonna get a keyboard with this thing?

[huh? @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:53PM]

"Maybe the first Origami accessory should a swanky leather carrying case for us to put them in."
That case must have a loop to help pull the origami out or baby jesus will cry.

[swaxtastic @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:53PM]

The borders of the device are consistant with the borders of the flash on the origami website..

[apple is the shit @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:55PM]

its enough w/ the apple comments. You need to stop. we know that you love apple, so stop not embracing them, and you need to stop embracing apple, instead of the evil empire. So they had one bad press conference. Okay, not tell me the most memorable microsoft conference. Okay done. Can u remember. didn't think so. o and where the second mouse button biach.

[DC @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:57PM]

Assuming Firefox will run on it, I want one.

[Mark @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:57PM]

Now if that thing has a slot to pop a cingy 3g sim in it and bluetooth incase I do need to use a keyboard and mouse and 80211g I say come on with it.

[Hoffy @ Mar 2nd 2006 3:59PM]

Anybody ever read The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil? The MS Origami could be exactly the tiny, inexpensive, personal PCs that he talks about becoming the norm in the later half of the first decade of the new century (ie: 2006-2009).

As for the Origami not having a keyboard? It doesn't need one. You can either write with the stylus - or to further my Kurzweil comment, use advanced voice recognition software.

Anybody who hasn't read the book, go out and get it. For those who don't like to read (wait... you are reading this blog aren't you?) it's also available on audiobook. It'll blow your mind.

[Pip @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:00PM]

If its a touch screen, you'll probably have to use the touch screen keyboard that will pop on the lower half.

Otherwise im sure there will be a few USB ports, but that would kinda take the portability out of the whole thing. It's not like you'd want a full size keyboard while sitting at an airport.

Overall, i'd love a little device like that. So long as it had a decent hard drive, maybe a built-in Compact Flash slot, and enough power to playback your various movie types, and run Photoshop. It would be the perfect device to bring along for trips.

All I need is web, email, movie playback and photo storage and editing. Thats it. If it can do more, great. But keep it smallish. The DS and PSP were almost there for this, but not quite enough.

[Vance @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:01PM]

If this is going to run Windows XP Tablet, how is it different than the Motion Computing's ls800 shown here:

http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_ls800_gallery.asp

It would seem that any new software it would bundle could be added separatedly to such a device. Also, I am not sure about the story that they were refusing to allow Tablet edition to makers of devices with a similar form-function since the LS800 looks very similar to me.

[Obiwanadobe @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:01PM]

Man I love this OQO

[Pedro @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:01PM]

larger then a PSP smaller then a tablet pc... interesting.

[shoelessone @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:05PM]

Wow - XP is a good thing.

Still, I am a bit confused... Considering Microsoft doesnt really do the whole Apple thing that often, it seems like they should blow us out of the water and release this "product" with some new fancy OS like the first version of Vista. They could call it "Vista Touch" or something equally applish.

[theSAWzall @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:05PM]

Hi Bill!

They ought to come with a bunch of tear-offs like they use on Nascar windshields!

[Jake @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:06PM]

" its enough w/ the apple comments. You need to stop. we know that you love apple, so stop not embracing them, and you need to stop embracing apple, instead of the evil empire. So they had one bad press conference. Okay, not tell me the most memorable microsoft conference."

Appple will win the people over again one day with a bigger announcement and engadget will be all over that. Today is microsoft's day with their oRigami. I think engadget is trying to stay neutraul.

[Adam @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:10PM]

Maybee the guy holding the device is a giant, with huge hands! It is a regular tablet PC.

[slash @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:11PM]

Its too small to have a hard drive.. most likely with 3G in it you'll stream media.

[Loban @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:13PM]

I'm confused. What makes this thing useful? It's a small tablet PC. Too big to carry in a pocket, too small to have a full keyboard. Why not just get a PDA?

[tiuk @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:15PM]

I currently use my Pocket PC to view websites (including this own, damn Engadget for not having a mobile-friendly version and disallowing Skweezer) in class. I've been longing for a device that has a larger screen and better text input, but dislike carrying around my laptop for such trivial tasks. I was looking at the Nokia 770 for a solution, but if the price is right I'd definitely go for the Origami.

[J @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:15PM]

Whoah, this doesn't look anything like an ipod. Will they make a case that makes it look more like an ipod? If I buy one, can I refer to it as an ipod? How well will this interface with iTunes? Will it fit in my ipod stand?

[brian @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:15PM]

i'm impressed. i wonder how much it will cost.

[Melanie @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:16PM]

"One thing is certain: we'd better carry around a supply of tissues to wipe off all the fingerprints."

Uh, XP Tablet doesn't respond to touch input, only EMR stylii (styli? styluses? moose?).

So you can mash the screen all you want with your greasy french-fry fingers and nothin's gonna happen. That said, with my old slate-style Tablet PC, it could get a little messy as the side of yor hand is supposed to rest on the screen. Don't know if that will be an issue here givin the smaller size.

As for input, I did have a slate-style Tablet (meaning no keyboard) and i had no trouble with it. I had to read it hours of boring stories about Bill Gates' childhood or some crap but it recognized my voice and took both commands and dictation perfectly. Handwriting recognition was excellent as well. The on-screen keyboard was good for those rare times it didn't understand something or needed a special character. I did also carry around one of those rubbery "Indestructable" keyboards rolled up in the tablet's bag.

I'm looking forward to it - or rather, looking forward to someone getting OSX-x86 to run on it :)

[Ken @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:17PM]

I wonder how much THAT case will be?

[n8 @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:18PM]

Hey slash, have you seen those iPod thingies? I think they have hard-drives...

I fail to see how making the Tablet PC smaller is changing it so much. To me, the perfect size is the 12" screen anyway - it's big enough to use comfortably on a regular basis, and large enough to accomodate a functional keyboard. Smaller is always nice until you realize you have to carry around yet another machine to actually do work, then you realize that what was supposed to be your laptop replacement has just become your laptop accessory.

[Tulio @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:18PM]

look at all the scratches.....

[Oliver @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:18PM]

Yeah Slash is right, no-body makes hard drives THAT small...

..

.

wait.

[J @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:20PM]

SHOPPED! This looks NOTHING like an IPOD! Terrible job!

[Whuh? @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:21PM]

"Its too small to have a hard drive.. most likely with 3G in it you'll stream media."

Where have you been? There are 1.5" HDD.

Personally, I hope it's affordable. It's a little smaller than a regular notebook. It'll be good for taking note in class.

[Leo @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:21PM]

I hate the IPod and there is nothing i would enjoy more than for Apple to get crushed. This device is just too big though.... damn it microsoft, dont let us down!

[RSL @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:23PM]

This thing is the perfect size for browsing the Apple Store!

[Sinzen @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:24PM]

Emm, did anyone notice that if you look really closely on the second closeup on the link that it says "digital zoom 3x" in the top right hand corner?

HDD or not, this thing looks pretty tight. Would be cool if they had a decent hard drive. I'm hoping the battery life is enough for a full days on and off (hibernate) worth of use.

If they sell it with the little binder type cover that has the built in keyboard I'm sold. Here's to my savings account! ;) Good thing I bought the Mrs. an ipod recently because I'm going to cash in on the brownie points with this one. lol.

[Pablo @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:25PM]

There is a video of the origami in action that shows a dude using a small keyboard with it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV1WGDW37c0).

I think MS is hitting a sweet spot here...the PMPs of today are too big to be portable and a bit limited in their functionality. I think music deserves it own dedicated device, but I think video works best for something like the origami.

[senshi @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:31PM]

I like the idea of this but i think price will become a big issue if they can sell this for under $1000 then it will be really sweet. Anything more expensive then that and it starts to be the same price as a much better specd laptop.

[zak @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:32PM]

"Man I love this OQO"

i completely agree, this is no different then the OQO, yet its larger and will probably have worse specs then the OQO.

welcome to yesterdays technology, microsoft.

[bdswan @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:32PM]

What I don't understand about this is the title Microsoft is giving it: "Origami". Doesn't that imply that it should FOLD out somehow? If so it'd make sense that it would somehow reveal some sort of input device, like a KEYBOARD. I'm very confuzzled.

[DeeDub @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:38PM]

The name refers not to what it folds into, but what folds into it. As for the local Apple fanboys - keep in mind this is an Intel platform and Apple will be releasing a near-identical bit of hardware.

Except it'll be late and more expensive.

[miso @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:39PM]

"i completely agree, this is no different then the OQO, yet its larger and will probably have worse specs then the OQO."

if this thing costs even 1/2 of what OQO costs (~$2k), regardless of specs, i can't see it flying off the shelves.

[Kevin @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:41PM]

Why are they even going to bother selling these with a five year old operating system? I'd rather not spend hundreds of dollars on a new device, only to have to spend another couple hundred in six months to put a modern OS on it.

[The Mole @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:45PM]

Well, since it should cost in the $500 price range, I think that this might finally be a worthy tablet computer for everyday use. 14" laptop tablets are just too big and bulky (not to mention warm) to be great for carrying around. Also, at a $500 price point a $100 leather case with an oragami swan imprinted on it would sell huge!

[Osarkon @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:45PM]

This seems to be directed at a market somewhere between a pocket pc and a laptop. So...is it just a pocket pc that has a nice big screen and better functions, or a mini tablet pc?? Origami? Is there a posh for word for 'what the hell' , cos that's what i'm thinking at the moment! And for goodness sake give the apple comments a rest, this has nothing to do with them!

[bdswan @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:47PM]

One more thing, to all those hating on the potential lack of features this thing will have--that's kinda the point. If this is going to be at all affordable, they're going to have to trim the features (the OQO and cPC aren't exactly what I'd call affordable).

Origami will most likely be good for the tasks most of us do while on the go: surf the internet, check e-mail, and word processing (and gps if you believe the leaked trailer).

The only thing that will hold me back from buying one of these is waiting to see Apple's response!

[Big Ice D @ Mar 2nd 2006 4:53PM]

If that's all it is, i gotta say I'm let down. For starters who gives a crap about XP anymore? Isn't Vista right around the corner w/ 8 flavors? I guess Vista Tablet Edition was too much? What about WinMo5 or whatever the code name is for that successor so it can run as a thin client? Frikin XP!?! Are you kidding me? Wait ...is it Media center so I can view my media over a network with a clean intuitive interface? Nope it's Frikin XP. And what am I gonna do with that thing? Carry it around like an ipod or PPC? Nope. Is the processor gonna be powerful enough to run my graphics apps? nope.

Bill... gimme the thin client that connects wirelessly and remotely to the new movies I'm gonna download over xboxlive to my 360 and the media stored on my media server. Throw in a decent Hard drive/ shrink it to a pocketable size and charge me 4 bills and we're talkin sale!

[Palmer Woodrow @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:01PM]

"As for the Origami not having a keyboard? It doesn't need one. You can either write with the stylus..."

WRONG. When will manufacturers learn what consumers realized when "pen computing" failed the first and second times: Writing is ridiculously slow and inaccurate compared to typing. Period. Why do Blackberries and Treos have keyboards? Because writing with a stylus (and a slippery plastic surface, no less) is a shitty way to input text. Any computer without a keyboard is a defective, failed design.

[simon @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:02PM]

i liked the older *the video* unit, i dunno seemed more sturdy

[Chippy @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:02PM]

I'm a bit happier that this carrypad might run a reduced OS now. This will bring down the hardware requirements and cost. XP would be too much of a burden. As for keyboard - it needs one to fill the requirement for real-time IM, emails and document writing. Detachable of course. Processor wise, I'm not sure. Maybe they've got XP tablet to run on a new Xscale processor at 1ghz. Anyway, I'm happy so far about this device. Not becuase MS might release it, but that it will stir-up the 'carrypad' segment and create interest in what I believe is going to be used by many people in their homes.
Chippy.

[Apple Hater @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:06PM]

Apple = poop

[Porkchop @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:14PM]

I will seriously buy one of these, even at $1000, if they can come up with some stylus data entry method, like graffiti but better.

[Karl Viklund @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:15PM]

Video-iPod someone? :)

[wxrman @ Mar 2nd 2006 5:19PM]

Yawn...

...a feeble attempt to revive the emaciated tablet pc market.