We had high hopes that the Origami Experience 2.0 would be more than just two apps and a new password system, but we were pretty disappointed when we spent some time playing with it at Microsoft's booth. Picture Password, Origami Central and Origami Now were running on a variety of UMPCs, including the Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium, Fujitsu U810, Kohjinsha SH-series, and our demo unit, an HTC Shift, and while everything pretty much worked as advertised, it certainly wasn't an "experience" -- and probably the least fun we've had with OE in a long time. Check out a bunch of screenshots in the gallery, and make sure to catch the video of a Vista dev manager telling us that Origami Now and Central aren't "launchers" and that HD DVD is doing "just fine" after the break.

Update: Video's back now -- sorry for the delay, we had to fly back from Vegas sometime!

We're not really sure you can call a new home screen and app launcher an "experience," but considering the point of a UMPC is to run bog-standard Windows, we suppose Microsoft has to take what it can get. The Origami Experience 2.0 consists of three elements as of right now: Origami Central, a revamped browser / media interface / RSS reader, another centralized home app called Origami Now (pictured) which drops in weather, email, and to-do widgets as well as an RSS reader, and, uh, Picture Password, which replaces the traditional password with a cartoon puzzle. Yep. Apparently there's more, but the Origami team hasn't posted more on its blog -- but you know we'll try and pry some more deets out of them on the CES show floor tomorrow.

[Via jkkmobile]

Let's face it: even the folks over at sites like UMPC Buzz and Only UMPC would have to admit that the much-vaunted Origami platform from Microsoft, Intel, and friends hasn't exactly taken the world by storm, and although the second round of these devices promises to offer a host of improvements (see: Q1 Ultra), there are still a number of problems that have yet to be addressed. Sure, future tech like flexible displays and 10-hour fuel cells would be great, but what could manufacturers be doing right now to make UMPCs a more attractive buy? That's the question we're posing to you, dear readers, and we'll get you started with the following suggestions:

• Higher resolution displays across the board (with smartphones already going VGA, we shouldn't be settling for no 800 x 600 here)
• Better input methods (forget styli and on-screen keyboards: we want tactile thumboards (not split, either!) and / or voice / gesture recognition)
• As usual, bring the prices down!

While we've seen mention (and patent applications) of origami-based gadgetry before, the latest gizmo to incorporate crafty folding also melds it with a water reactive plastic in order to create diminutive shapes that "could be used to make certain microscopic 3D structures in large quantities." Gurus from ESPCI and the Paris Institute of Technology have teamed up to concoct specialized plastic sheets which react in curious ways to wee water droplets, and while the process itself seems more interesting than useful, the bigger picture could enable this technology to become a staple of microelectromechanical systems used in printing heads and video displays. Interestingly enough, the scientists were even kind enough to create a time lapse video of the morphing process in action, so be sure to tag the links below if you're even remotely interested in seeing a two-dimensional triangle mystically convert into a pyramid.

[Via NewScientistTech]

After bringing you the exclusive details on Samsung's Q1 Ultra UMPC, we got the chance today to get down and dirty with Samsung's second generation UMPC here at the big CeBIT show. Now, let us tell you something right up front: it's here, UMPC v2 is finally here. The Q1 Ultra brings a smaller form factor, lighter weight, integrated thumb-board, HSDPA data, 60GB disk, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Vista Home Premium running on a 7-inch ,1,024 x 600 WSVGA screen. Hell, it will even pack WiBro data when introduced into the S.Korean market in a few months. As to the processor? Surprise, we received confirmation that the 800MHz Intel processor is an unannounced dual-core (not Core Duo) ultra-low voltage processor that Intel will be announcing in the next few months -- so that's 800MHz on each core. The Origami Experience made finger-tip control of media on the Q1 Ultra a slippery-smooth experience while the keyboard provided plenty of tactile squishiness -- a luxury our sausage thumbed brethren will have to pass on since the keys are very (very) close together. Click on through the gallery below for plenty of steamy hot pics of ultra portable goodness. Damn, did we really just say that about a UMPC?

When you've already got self-assembling robots and Li-ion batteries, you might as well tackle 3D printouts next, right? Apparently that's the mantra being used by physicists in Israel who have purportedly invented a monomer solution that, when heated over 33 degrees Celsius, would bend and form into the object depicted, theoretically turning a flat, 2D photo into a three-dimensional rendition. Eran Sharon and colleagues from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem applied N-isopropylacrylamide to the surface of a prototype "disc," and "created a range of structures varying in complexity, from slightly wavy crisp-like objects to those that look like a sombrero." Interestingly, a scientist not directly involved with the study commented that the discovery could actually be used to craft printers that could pop out 3D printouts when heat was added, which would surely keep kids occupied (and your ink cartridges bone dry) for weeks on end. As expected, there weren't many details hinting that this novel idea would be headed for the commercial realm anytime soon, but considering all the other 3D paraphernalia already out, we can't imagine this taking too long to follow suit.

[Via Slashdot]

So, Vistagami isn't really your thing, and that Pepper Pad line never really caught your eye. Beijing Peace East Technology Development, Inc. is taking another shot your UMPC dollar with its new H9 7-incher. BPETD is calling this one the "world's first" Linux UMPC, and while we assume Pepper might take issue with that statement, there's no denying that this one would look quite at home among a lineup of Origami units. Unfortunately, a Linux OS isn't the only difference between the H9 and its Windows-based counterparts. Under the hood there's a mere 520MHz Intel PXA270 processor, 20GB HDD, 64MB ROM and 128MB of SDRAM, though connectivity is decidedly spiffier, with GPS, WiFi, GPRS / CDMA, PCMCIA and SD card support. The 7-inch touchscreen runs at a respectable 800 x 480, and the usual accouterments of headphone jack, microphone and built-in speakers are included. The OS purports to feature all those snazzy functions you might need from such a handheld, but from the looks of things it isn't incredibly polished. Of course, we have no idea if we'll be even seeing this thing outside its native China anyways, or how much it might cost were it to make it to these shores.

Every so often, it pays to go completely and utterly against the grain, so while Logitech and friends are pumping out remote controls that could arguably be used in another life to launch space shuttles, the Origami TV Remote Control delivers just the basics for those who don't mix well with instruction manuals. The device, shown at the Work in Progress Show of Design Interactions in London, was designed for youngsters (and let's face it, adults too) who are downright intimidated with the smorgasbord of remotes used in most homes to "get the TV to work." This two-handed controller brings back fond memories of a paper-related game we all played in grade school, and is apparently used to dictate "only the essential functions" of a TV set such as channel selection and volume control. Designed by 1-week Electronics, the cordless remote reportedly relied on a sensor board and "Max/MSP" to get the signals across, and while we do appreciate the beautiful simplicity, the geek in us can't help but wonder what one of these bad boys in each hand could accomplish with a well-integrated DVR setup.

[Via Uber-Review]

The constant battle between companies trying to shove the most megapixels into the smallest frame at all costs just might have some serious competition on the horizon, as researchers at UC San Diego have built an ultrathin, high resolution digicam by simply "folding up the telephoto lens." The aptly-named Origami lens hopes to "yield lightweight, slim, and powerful miniature cameras for unmanned surveillance aircraft, cellphones, and infrared night vision applications," and was constructed using the same basic principles found on the Cassegrain telescope that was crafted in 1672. On a disk of calcium fluoride, the engineers "cut a series of concentric, reflective surfaces that bend and focus the light as it is bounced to a facing flat reflector," creating an area where incoming light will follow a zigzag path until it reaches the CMOS light sensor. The biggest drawback, however, is the new camera's "limited depth of focus," but the folks behind the creation are already designing variable-focus folded optical systems to hopefully cure that nagging issue. Ideally, the team would like to see their work bring high resolution, respectful imagers to cellphones, doing away with the relatively antiquated sensors on most mainstream mobiles, but even under the best conditions it's probably a few years away.

Fire up those download managers, folks. At least, all five of you with a UMPC, Vista, and a few minutes to spare. Microsoft has just released Origami Experience as a free download for you fortunate few, and if you're not yet acquainted with this program launcher / media browser, we recommend you peep our CES coverage of such eye candy here and here. Don't worry, we'll wait. Got it? Good, now just hit up that read link and prepare for some good times, and maybe a teensy bit of Sudoku.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

If you hadn't heard, Origami Experience is the sexy new program launcher that Microsoft is prepping for Vista-based UMPCs and Tablets, which along with providing a fresh new way to get at your apps lets you browse and play your media in an all-inclusive environment. We've finally gotten our first look at the software (more shots after the break), thanks to a post full of screenies over at the Origami Team Blog. The Tablet nuts over at jkOnTheRun got to view it live and found Experience to be speedy, intuitive and helpful, with convenient menus, easy customization and all-important finger-friendly operation. Looks like there isn't just one purtiful touch-based portable OS game in town.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

If you're just not feeling the typical, customary UMPC, Samsung has the ultimate mishmash of laptop and ultraportable machine that you've been dreaming up, and it should be ready to rock in just "two weeks." That snazzy (albeit cockamamie) SPH-9000 was originally announced as the first thing to get after the holiday rush in "Q1 2007," but in a very atypical turn of events, the company is now announcing that the WiBro-packin' foldable should be ready by "early December" for pickup in South Korea. While we can't wait to see how functional this three-pieced machine really is, and whether its battery life breaks away from the short-lived stereotype its brethren have unfortunately created, we suppose we'll have to wait for a hands-on from overseas -- but hey, at least it'll get here an awful lot quicker than previously assumed.

[Via SlashGear]

When the UMPC platform was launched at Intel's 2005 IDF we were teased with a $500 or less device on the WWAN running on ultra-low powered chips capable of either 8-hours off battery or putting Vista to sleep for up to a week. Well, we all know how the Vista-less first gen launch went, right? Pictured above are Intel's reference designs for the 2nd generation UMPCs on display at IDF in San Francisco. Scheduled to launch sometime between the end of the year and mid-2007, the new breed of mobile PCs require 1/2 the power at 1/4 the size of the first generation and won't be using Intel's Core 2 Duos according to Intel. Instead, TG Daily speculates that the new devices will use an ultra-low voltage Core Solo with 1 MB of L2 cache. Included in the mix is a Yahoo-branded UMPC which was demonstrated running a version of Yahoo! Go for UMPC. While we're not willing to suffer an Origami v2 campaign, we'll happily welcome such a device into the fold if it can deliver this time. Still we wonder, was it the initial choice of hardware and software which caused a general lack of acceptance in the market, or did the market for a device both bigger than your pocket yet smaller than a laptop simply never exist in the first place? We'll see in 2007.

[Via Impress]

Well, we sure didn't see this one coming: those sneaky devils over at Samsung have very quietly released yet another version of their Q1 UMPC into the wild, and to the delight of the few, the proud, the Origami lovers, this one features a Pentium M ULV CPU among several other spec bumps. You'll recall that the original Q1 sports a Celeron M processor, while the updated Q1b and Q1p offer Via chips to extend the battery life, and now an OrigamiPortal member named "millard" claims to have picked up a speed-stepping, Pentium-powered model at his local Fry's. Besides the improved battery life that should result from the 1.0GHz auto-adjusting processor in this new Q1 (which curiously retains the original "Q1" designation, though its model number has been changed to NP-Q1-V0002), other welcome improvements over the original include a 60GB hard drive and a full 1GB of RAM (compared to the 40GB / 512MB configuration on the debut model). At $1,249 the spec-bumped Q1 will set you back $250 more than the Celeron-powered version, but hey, it's still over $1,000 cheaper than the upcoming Q1-SSD with that hot little 32GB solid state flash drive.

[Via Carrypad and JKOTR]