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Microsoft's Origami story unfoldsBy Ken Doyle
The minimalist Web site sparked wild speculation among financial analysts, tech pundits, bloggers, and all manner of Microsoft watchers who were eager for the company to reveal details about its next "big thing." The Origami project was announced almost a year ago, when Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates unveiled plans for a mobile PC that would feature long battery life, a low price, and a compact form about the size of a paperback book. At CeBIT, the rumors were finally laid to rest by a joint announcement from Microsoft, Intel, and Samsung. As expected, Origami had finally culminated in a new computing device, called the Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC). Early models of three such devices - the Samsung Q1, Asus R2H, and Founder MiniNote - were ex-hibited, with the first model expected to be commercially available this month. These UMPCs feature either Celeron M or Pentium M chips, run Windows XP Tab-let PC Edition (future versions will support Windows Vista), and have seven-inch or smaller screens running at 800 x 480 resolution. The devices weigh about 2 pounds, feature a uniquely designed touch-screen keyboard, and will also work with a stylus. Connectivity options include standard USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, audio out, a flash card reader, Bluetooth wireless, and a WiFi card for Internet access. Unfortunately, the UMPCs fall short of expectations in several areas. Battery life is reported to be no better than the current generation of laptop computers (about 3 hours), and the initial price point (from $600 to $1,000) is still high enough that most businesses won't be rushing out to equip all their employees with the devices. The Samsung Q1 also seems rather clunky in terms of design, though that may improve when final models are released. And some users, especially those who travel frequently, will find that the UMPCs are still too bulky to be truly considered "ultramobile" devices. In many ways, the UMPCs are just more refined versions of tablet PCs, which have not yet taken the market by storm; last year, sales were about 1 percent of the total PC market. Tablet PCs are currently popular with mobile users - insurance adjustors, real estate agents, health-care workers - who need a full-fledged PC that is lightweight yet rugged. Still, the UMPC is a step in the right direction. At first glance, it appears that Microsoft has aimed the device more at consumers than the corporate market, with support for music and video being highlighted as a key selling point. However, if the hardware manufacturers can do their part to make the devices sleeker, improve battery life while still offering laptop-like performance, and lower the price, corporate users may find UMPCs much more attractive. The ultimate goal of mobile devices is true "digital convergence," a single device that will replace the cell phones, PDAs, laptops and iPods that many of us carry around on a daily basis. We're not there yet, but the UMPC has the potential to bring us a lot closer to that goal. madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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