Origami minitablets make screen debut

Is this the first look at Origami, the minitablet devices being teased mercilessly by Microsoft? CNBC broadcast what it called an "exclusive" look at prototypes of Origami on Tuesday morning outside the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.

The mobile PCs were about the size of a paperback book. One had a keyboard hidden behind the display, and another had a swiveling screen.

Going by the hints dropped by Microsoft so far, the devices will run Windows XP and are expected to be made by a ranger of manufacturers. Signs are that Microsoft will take the wraps off the Origami project more fully at CeBit in Europe this Thursday.