TMCnet News
Microsoft unfolds Project Origami to reveal ultracompact PC running XPBy MATT MOORE AP Business Writer The Associated Press Project Origami isn't Microsoft's answer to the iPod, nor is it a portable XBox or a new smart mobile phone -- after weeks of Internet speculation to the contrary. Instead, the company showed The Associated Press that Origami is in fact an ultracompact computer using Windows XP and sporting a touch-sensitive screen, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, all in a trim, compact case about the size of a large paperback book. The device will be unveiled Thursday at CeBIT, the annual technology trade show in Hanover. "It runs full Windows. You can do all the things you expect that to do," said Bill Mitchell, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Mobile Platforms Division. "It really opens up new possibilities for PC use." Powered by Microsoft Touchpack for Windows XP, the device is everything a full computer or laptop is, minus the keyboard and with a touch-sensitive screen that responds to a stylus or the tap of a finger. The project took root nearly a year and a half ago, Mitchell said, and gained speed until last year when a prototype was developed some nine months ago. And while the company is not manufacturing the hardware, it took a guiding role from the start. "We've done more than just provide the software. We've built the reference designs to sort of get the category started," he said. "We had the first prototypes about nine months ago and started working with partners early on." One of those partners is Intel Corp., which worked on the chip powering the unit. Currently, three companies have built working models: Samsung, Asus and Chinese manufacturer Founder. "A lot of the early engagement we have had has been with nontraditional PC vendors, although there is a lot of interest from traditional PC vendors as well," Mitchell said. "It ideally brings the best of what a Windows PC is and marries it to what the best of a very capable consumer electronic device is." That, said David Bradshaw, a principle analyst with London-based Ovum, is key. "I really would hope that it would be something that works," he said, adding that he had not seen one of the models. "Something that is wirelessly connected. Hopefully it will have a wide range of wireless options so that you would be able to use Wi-Fi when available or a carrier's network if you can afford to pay through the nose." The device is expected to retail for US$500-US$1,000 (euro420 to euro840). "These are going to be available in the next two months," Mitchell said. Origami is wireless, Mitchell said, sporting Bluetooth and Wi-Fi access. At CeBIT, where the device was to be unveiled, he said they were using their models by connecting their cell phones to it via BlueTooth. The screen is wide, bright and easy to see, even in low light. Mitchell showed a music video on one model and a film on the other. It doesn't have its own keyboard, but since the units are designed with USB2 ports, one could be plugged in. Other units shown to the AP had SecureDigital Card and CompactFlash slots, along with jacks for connecting digital cameras, headphones and speakers. For users who don't want to jot down notes with the stylus, the device has a built-in program called Dial Keys that splits a QWERTY keyboard into pie shapes on the lower corners of the screen so that input can typed -- or thumbed in. The battery power averages about 2.5 to three hours. Mitchell said the device is aimed at consumers who want to have the full power of a PC while on the go but don't want to lug around a heavy laptop or desktop PC. "We think that for most people, this is more of a replacement for the classic consumer electronic devices that they're buying with disposable income," he said. While it's not compact like an iPod, it does play music, store and display photos like a digital picture frame and show films and TV shows. For someone sitting on a plane, some models have a stand in back to prop up the device for easier viewing. Bradshaw said if the screen's size appeals to consumers, it could be an impetus for wireless carriers to offer more on-demand video. "It may be the dream device for all these mobile operators that actually want people to watch video over their networks," he said. ___ On the Net: http://www.origamiproject.com |