Comments on: Intel shows Origami-like device

CNET News.com gets a sneak preview of the minitablet devices that the chipmaker will show later on Tuesday.
Photos: Origami mini tablets
Sneak peak of small things to come

[burnettryan]

I want Pics and Video!!!

Are there any pictures or video from this talk?

[burnettryan]

I want Pics and Video!!!

Are there any pictures or video from this talk?

[Rolndubbs]

So basically...

Its a windows PDA that won't fit in my pocket, and runs out of juice in 3 hours. Until they get a reasonable form factor, i'll just stick to lugging around a 15 inch notebook that can do everything I need.

[Rolndubbs]

So basically...

Its a windows PDA that won't fit in my pocket, and runs out of juice in 3 hours. Until they get a reasonable form factor, i'll just stick to lugging around a 15 inch notebook that can do everything I need.

[frankwick]

Windows Media Center?

Does this use a variant of the Windows media center that we've seen in other devices?

[JFDMit]

Maybe

Presumably, there will be a flurry of market research by M$ and hardware manufacturers to identify the niches that these Origami devices will fit. I wouldn't be surprised if there are various versions of the device, ranging from base level 'mobile web and email' devices to premium 'media stations.'

Its probably inevitable that M$ will shoehorn some version of Media Center onto the device, if only so it can be used to remotely program home-based MC PCs and stream recorded material from them.

No doubt, it will also be full of time management, personal finance and 'lifestyle' software too.

[frankwick]

Windows Media Center?

Does this use a variant of the Windows media center that we've seen in other devices?

[JFDMit]

Maybe

Presumably, there will be a flurry of market research by M$ and hardware manufacturers to identify the niches that these Origami devices will fit. I wouldn't be surprised if there are various versions of the device, ranging from base level 'mobile web and email' devices to premium 'media stations.'

Its probably inevitable that M$ will shoehorn some version of Media Center onto the device, if only so it can be used to remotely program home-based MC PCs and stream recorded material from them.

No doubt, it will also be full of time management, personal finance and 'lifestyle' software too.

[vSente]

Did you mean Etch-a-Sketch-like device?

That thing is butt ugly...

[baswwe]

etch a sketch patent

etch a sketch needs to sue. they are stealing the design.

[vSente]

Did you mean Etch-a-Sketch-like device?

That thing is butt ugly...

[baswwe]

etch a sketch patent

etch a sketch needs to sue. they are stealing the design.

[Viv Collins]

Newton in landscape;-)

Looks like a Newton sideways

but with more buttons

[VTAlum]

But...

far more functional. Looks aren't everything.

[Viv Collins]

Newton in landscape;-)

Looks like a Newton sideways

but with more buttons

[VTAlum]

But...

far more functional. Looks aren't everything.

[Glorybox3737]

Another....

Another crappy product from Windows. How is this supposed to "change my life" or whatever they advertised. This has been the month of disappointments.

[Thunderbuck]

Sorry, I DO want one...

The haters here seem to be missing the usefulness of a device like this, especially for portable media. Let me give you a real-world example. I drive truck, and I'd love a device that would let me record TV on a Media Center PC and take those shows on the road to watch (in the sleeper, of course). I could also take my entire music library, audio books & e-books, and this design even looks like it could be strengthened so I can read e-manuals if I have to do repairs on the road.

This device would also be big enough to incorporate GPS, and the bigger screen is more usable than that of a PDA.

Let's see... easier to carry, easier to run in a confined environment, more capacity than a PDA... it's a no-brainer for me. Where do I sign up?

(PS, Yes, the OQO will do this, too, but it's pretty darn pricey...)

[Glorybox3737]

Another....

Another crappy product from Windows. How is this supposed to "change my life" or whatever they advertised. This has been the month of disappointments.

[Thunderbuck]

Sorry, I DO want one...

The haters here seem to be missing the usefulness of a device like this, especially for portable media. Let me give you a real-world example. I drive truck, and I'd love a device that would let me record TV on a Media Center PC and take those shows on the road to watch (in the sleeper, of course). I could also take my entire music library, audio books & e-books, and this design even looks like it could be strengthened so I can read e-manuals if I have to do repairs on the road.

This device would also be big enough to incorporate GPS, and the bigger screen is more usable than that of a PDA.

Let's see... easier to carry, easier to run in a confined environment, more capacity than a PDA... it's a no-brainer for me. Where do I sign up?

(PS, Yes, the OQO will do this, too, but it's pretty darn pricey...)

[Earl Benser]

But can it run OS X?

... and does anybody care???? ;-)

No no no

Its "But can it run Linux?"

[Andrew J Glina]

Impossible

MacOS never has, and never will, run on anything that has not been made, stamped, sealed and delivered by Apple. It is a simple matter of superior technolgy.

[orfeu_niko]

I care

It looks like a nice device, and if it runs Linux I would like to have one. I still don't understand this obsession with Mac's, it's just o nice GUI, with a 5 years old operating system, or more.

[Earl Benser]

But can it run OS X?

... and does anybody care???? ;-)

No no no

Its "But can it run Linux?"

[Andrew J Glina]

Impossible

MacOS never has, and never will, run on anything that has not been made, stamped, sealed and delivered by Apple. It is a simple matter of superior technolgy.

[orfeu_niko]

I care

It looks like a nice device, and if it runs Linux I would like to have one. I still don't understand this obsession with Mac's, it's just o nice GUI, with a 5 years old operating system, or more.

[debH]

Message has been deleted.

[JFDMit]

I'm not sure...

...that a headset-based speech interface will be a killer app for this type of device. While some people will be willing to walk around with a headset permanently clamped to their heads, the mass market will probably resist such a 'nerdy' accessory for awhile yet.

I do agree that speech recognition is a must have for such a device, however, so this leaves two possibilities that I can think of. First is that headsets need to become so small that they can be incorporated into jewelery or worn invisibly. Second, the speech software needs to be able to be able to pick its owner's speech out of a noisy background environment without requiring special equipment.

While I have no doubt that both technologies will be with us one day, I still think that it will be about 2010 before they are ready for prime time. That will be about the time that Version 3.0 of Origami will be hitting the market, so I'm saving my pennies till then.

[bcurtis18]

More Info

Intel has more info at this site.

http://www.intel.com/design/mobile/platform/umpc.htm

Check out the video of possible usage. It has potential.

[bcurtis18]

More Info

Intel has more info at this site.

http://www.intel.com/design/mobile/platform/umpc.htm

Check out the video of possible usage. It has potential.

[JFDMit]

Third time lucky again?

Let me see if I can predict the likely development path of the Origami device. Version 1 will be buggy, barely functional, light on storage and will offer nothing that a modestly priced subnotebook doesn't. And it will cost about a grand.

Version 2 will iron out many of the bugs, add necessary features that should have been in Version 1, but will still be crash-happy and about as useable for serious work as a PSP.

Version 3 will conquer the world and make us all wonder how we ever got along without one. It will have an effective voice interface, a fast and energy efficient processor, a fuel cell power supply that will go for days between 'charges' and seamless 'always on' networking. It will probably also cost near the $500 price point.

Version 3 will probably hit the shops in 2010, so until then, I'll stick with my VAIO TX650 (10.5' x 7.5', 2.5 lbs with a 6 hour battery life).

I applaud Wintel for setting out on the road to truly mobile computing for the masses, but it will be a long time before Origami or its decendents delivers on the promise.

[J.G.]

While you're fantasizing. . .

Yup! About the same time Iraq becomes a Christian theocracy.

[JFDMit]

Third time lucky again?

Let me see if I can predict the likely development path of the Origami device. Version 1 will be buggy, barely functional, light on storage and will offer nothing that a modestly priced subnotebook doesn't. And it will cost about a grand.

Version 2 will iron out many of the bugs, add necessary features that should have been in Version 1, but will still be crash-happy and about as useable for serious work as a PSP.

Version 3 will conquer the world and make us all wonder how we ever got along without one. It will have an effective voice interface, a fast and energy efficient processor, a fuel cell power supply that will go for days between 'charges' and seamless 'always on' networking. It will probably also cost near the $500 price point.

Version 3 will probably hit the shops in 2010, so until then, I'll stick with my VAIO TX650 (10.5' x 7.5', 2.5 lbs with a 6 hour battery life).

I applaud Wintel for setting out on the road to truly mobile computing for the masses, but it will be a long time before Origami or its decendents delivers on the promise.

[J.G.]

While you're fantasizing. . .

Yup! About the same time Iraq becomes a Christian theocracy.

[EmbSysPro]

Not for Resale!

It's more likely that what has been displayed is not intended for actual consumer uses.

These devices are meant more as a catalyst to spur product developers and entrepreneurs into working on finding the consumer?s ?Sweet Spot? for devices like this. Nobody really knows yet.

But, if you rule out the first adopters and vertical market applications, a truly ubiquitous pen based mobile computing platform for the consumer market will not appear until the cost of implementing speech and handwriting recognition comes down. Not just the software cost, but also in hardware cost.

Another $0.02 opinion.