"The Origami project": MS new lifestyle portable? [Archive]

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EndR

25-Feb-2006, 11:31

(old?)

First, the viral marketing concept that MS has used for a while now..

"hello ... do you know me? ... do you know what i can do? ... and where i can go? ... or how I can change your life? ... you will. ... learn more on 3.2.06. ... "

http://www.origamiproject.com/
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Then Engadgets view of things...

"So today Microsoft officially flipped the switch on the buzz machine for their Origami Project -- an atypical viral marketing manuveur for a company whose products are usually known about years ahead of time. Scoble says its a device, the Internet's lighting up with rumors -- is it the Xbox portable? Well, we dunno, but as usual got our hands on some pictures. And as usual we can't guarantee they're the real deal, though we are pretty confident in their source. So, let's go over it: these were sent to us detailing it as a Microsoft portable media player, which wouldn't be too far off from what Jobs and BusinessWeek both prophesied Microsoft doing (despite being pretty broadly denied from within)."

http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/02/origami_1.jpg
http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/02/origami_2.jpg

"Now, here's the tricky part with these pictures -- what's with the keyboard and stylus? Because the last time we checked, their Portable Media Center (PMC) OS didn't have (known) support for touchscreen and keyboard input. So is this some new portable OS platform running on CE.net? Or perhaps it's just a fat little Pocket PC device with some media software? Or something totally different -- could Microsoft beat Apple to the punch with the first serious touchscreen portable media device? Or maybe, just maybe, it's that ultramobile lifestyle PC Microsoft was talking about recently. Kinda seems like no matter what the answer, we're all gonna be pretty surprised (for better or worse) come announcement day, March 2nd, being that Microsoft's "not in the hardware biz." (No, peripherals don't count.) But hell, we can't even tell you for sure if these photos are legit, so here we are."

source:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/24/microsofts-origami-project/
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MS has an license agreement with Transmeta regarding their tech-stuff for a new product?

"On May 12, 2005, we entered into a series of related definitive development services agreements with Microsoft Corporation, under which agreements we will provide development services to Microsoft relating to a proprietary Microsoft project.
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Interesting..

Xmas

25-Feb-2006, 14:07

Wow, that design is terribly ugly.

darkblu

25-Feb-2006, 14:58

knowing MS' idea of portables, i herreby predict that if you wait to see the price tag and battery life of this thing, you'll start to consider the design as not being an issue at all : )

Graham

26-Feb-2006, 11:07

pixelbox

26-Feb-2006, 15:29

don't forget there are a lot of people out there who would kill for a micro sized tablet PC... It will be interesting to see how it turns out. Add in Wifi, bluetooth, maybe even celular reception and you have got quite the beastly little machine.

One thing that is odd, however, is the Mac PC in the background of the first picture...
uhhhhhh...PDA's fills that void. This thing is so ugly. I also reminds me of the xbox showing and from what i see it doesn't do much more than PSP.

Xmas

26-Feb-2006, 18:09

Well, there's the Pepper Pad (http://www.pepper.com/) already... not that I'd recommend it, though.

kemosabe

26-Feb-2006, 20:47

expletive

27-Feb-2006, 04:03

Bit more info here (http://msmobiles.com/news.php/4963.html).

Lots of speculation about an Efficeon CPU. Beyond esthetic considerations, anyone care to speculate on what kind of GPU hardware this thing might sport since mobile gaming appears to be on the menu?

I always thought that being able to play XBLA games on it would be important but judging from GW i dont think thats viable...

EDIT:Seems to be 2 different versions, the green/white one and the greyish/silver one?

thatdude90210

27-Feb-2006, 04:40

Interesting, I didn't notice the 2 different version before. Maybe one is slightly bigger?

For just web browsing and gaming, it already looks worth buying. If it does video streaming, like for "Placeshifting," for something like Slingbox or Sage TV, then it's a must buy.

DudeMiester

27-Feb-2006, 09:29

I'd jump at the chance to buy something like that. I find PDAs to be too small for large amounts of note-taking, but full size tablets are not as portible. I really like the configuration in the gaming segment in the video that they put up, where it's a leather-like binder for the tablet with a built in keyboard. Just add a detachable stand for the back, and you're all set. It would also protect it when you drop it.

expletive

27-Feb-2006, 18:18

Probably the video we'll see on Thursday:

http://creativecoremedia.com/mso.swf

Looks big...maybe 2x a PSP?

From the video it seems to have, among other things, built in GPS, bluetooth, gaming functionality (some guy was playing halo online on it), and can connect to an MCE PC.

mckmas8808

27-Feb-2006, 18:44

That this is huge. I don't think this will should be compared to the PSP directly

thatdude90210

27-Feb-2006, 18:53

It's datebook size, that's like the perfect size between a notebook pc and a pocket pc.

I hope that datebook cover with the keyboard is one of the accessories. I wouldn't want a normal carrying case of that size... because it would look like a man-purse. :)

wazoo

27-Feb-2006, 19:41

If only it had video output to projectors, I could buy one at work for presentations :)

video looks very sleek.

I remenber the Xbox being green lighted, Bill gates had to choose Xbox over one other project at that time. Has anybody a link for that ?? I think it was told in the book on the origin of the Xbox (with the project Midway and so on ..)

rabidrabbit

27-Feb-2006, 20:31

expletive

27-Feb-2006, 20:45

If it's not a laptop, nor a true portable multimedia player, what is it? And who would buy it?
PDA's we've been there seen them, what makes this different from a PDA, other than the slightly clunkier size?

Not to mention what something like this would cost. I seriously doubt theyre taking a loss on this hardware like the xbox.

mckmas8808

27-Feb-2006, 20:46

Not to mention what something like this would cost. I seriously doubt theyre taking a loss on this hardware like the xbox.

Just for yukes what do you think the price will be? I thinking $1000 what about you?

*Keep in mind I don't know about half of the technology that this thing will have yet, so that my estimate as that.

expletive

27-Feb-2006, 20:57

Just for yukes what do you think the price will be? I thinking $1000 what about you?

*Keep in mind I don't know about half of the technology that this thing will have yet, so that my estimate as that.

Jeez i dunno. Like rabbit said it depends on who their market is for something like this. I htink theres usually 'sweet spots' in pricing that you can charge for different devices. consoles have been in that 299 range for awhile now but they seem to be selling this as a 'professional' device more than just a luxury item, like a blackberry on steroids.

If thats the market, then i suppose $500 to $1000 is probably the range. We'll be able to speculate much better once we get some specs. :)

EDIT: I think the main thing we need to understand from the specs and features is if this thing is a competitor to the PSP. Based on the video, i would say 'no'. However if it is, then i put the price at 499 with a decent sized hard drive.

scooby_dooby

28-Feb-2006, 00:08

Hmm...could be the perfect addition to Windows Vista. Stream content anywhere via internet from your home PC, essentially their answer to the PSP:PS3 location free streaming technology, but it doesn't require any extra design to the console as the PC will actually handle the distribution/encoding tasks.

Cool idea, but it looks fugly. I love the big screen size, but the controls look horrible.

If it were marketed to the business consumer, why would they have shown it playing Halo? Why even bother supporting big games like Halo if you aren't targeting gamers? Hopefully we'll get some real info in a couple days.

rabidrabbit

28-Feb-2006, 08:24

Now I've seen better pics of it, and it is indeed quite a bit larger than a PDA, iPod Video or PSP.
A tablet PC is more in the same size ballpark.
Can't really see a market for this. A laptop can be had for $500 already, not a top of the line fast laptop, but I'd believe one that would still be more powerful than "Origami".
With little to no effort a laptop could I believe also perform all the functions this device is supposed to, with better input and ergonomics.
Streaming from vista to compete PS3+PSP+Location Free... well, you do need the extra PC for that, in addition to xbox360, so I "extra design to the console" vs. "extra PC"...hmmm I wonder which would be better if you didn't have a powerful enough PC already at home.

For portable gameplaying, Halo or not, and media it really looks to be way too big and clumsy.
Hell, already the PSP is so-so when it comes to portability :D
For not-so-portable gameplaying and media, it's not large enough.

mckmas8808

28-Feb-2006, 15:11

Currently I don't even think this is being made to compete against the PSP due to the size. But I guess we'll see in the coming days.

Megadrive1988

01-Mar-2006, 11:52

BBC NEWS says Microsoft plans to release it in 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4761928.stm

scooby_dooby

03-Mar-2006, 02:38

For portable gameplaying, Halo or not, and media it really looks to be way too big and clumsy.

It's a year old prototype

superguy

03-Mar-2006, 04:01

thatdude90210

03-Mar-2006, 04:07

Here's an MSnbc article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11636942/) on this. The interesting part is that these will supposedly be coming from different computer makers, and are expected to debut soon after launch. "The early versions are expected to be available to consumers soon after its debut at CeBit, the person said.

They will be built by a variety of computer makers, this person said, and are expected to sell for between $500 and $1,000, although final prices aren't yet available.

superguy

03-Mar-2006, 04:09

Here's an example:

I probably wouldn't bring a laptop over to my parents house.

But I very well MIGHT bring something like that. Then if I wanted to show my brother something, or go on the net for a few minutes, I could.

It seems sort of awesome in that respect.

superguy

03-Mar-2006, 04:19

I also think Sony is safe here.

It clearly wont compete with PSP, at least directly. PSP will end up at 99 bucks and this would be 500-800. A $99 PSP with similar graphics with be far more tempting and easy a purchase for gamers or as a electronic toy.

hidefguy

03-Mar-2006, 05:36

I'm actually rolling this over in my mind and, I cant make up my mind if this thing will be succesful.

On the one hand, Tablet PC's have shown to be failures yet..

Wouldn't a mini-PC with full PC functionality be kinda awesome? The whole idea of playing Halo on Windows brings it home. You could trade videos and stuff like that.

I dont think, it'll make a good dedicated MP3 player though. That's one drawback.

I think it mainly depends how good they can make the little keyboard. Some sort of breakthrough is needed there. They need to throw a lot of resources at that.

I agree - I don't see how this will fly commercially. From everything I've been hearing, the base price point will be $500, with better appointed versions available for more money, with more storage/RAM/CPU etc. But whilst I can see these flying off the shelf for use in several vertical industries such as medicine, the average Joe is unlikely to buy one just for viewing pictures, movies, etc. - *and* also carry a cell phone that will do much the same. I use a couple of different types of UMPC's in my work, an OQO and a U71P - they're very cute, and garanteed to turn heads when you pull them out, but in practise they aren't a whole lot of use because, at least in my case, my productivity at a computer is related to my ability to interact with it - i.e. keyboard and mouse. The Origami device seems mostly aimed at point-and-click use. Plus, computer technology hasn't advanced so far in the past year that you can put a full version of Vista on a low power device and expect it to run like the clappers - it ain't gonna happen. A big question in my mind will be what graphics support will it have. At a time when convergence is the trend, I don't see what mass market will support it. I suspect that it will end up being a very cool niche product until the technology comes along to enable faster mobile computing and alternative input methods (i.e. better speech recognition than is currently available).

expletive

03-Mar-2006, 06:04

Once we get a better idea of the specs we'll be able to figure out if its glorified PocketPC or a shrunken laptop. I know the video seems to focus on 'no keyboard' but it also shows people using it with a keyboard so i'm not ruling out 'laptop replacement'. I still think its largely aimed at the home office user/business owner though.

DudeMiester

03-Mar-2006, 06:24

The main reason I want it is for taking quick notes and drawings. It would be infinitly better then just using a napkin, lol. The largest PDAs like the Axim 51v arn't terrible in this regard, but they arn't that great either. I'm somewhat undecided though. Maybe it would be better to just get the x51v for on the go, and a Toshiba Tecra M4 with the Geforce 6600 when I need more serious power. I won't get a regular laptop that's for sure, because I'm a visual person and like to draw. Then again, maybe getting a standard laptop combined with a Wacom tabet would work, although that would probably be way too bulky, but at least I could also use it with my desktop. As far as I can tell, for someone who likes to draw, but needs PIM capabilities on the go, nothing can beat a mini-tablet.

Trawler

03-Mar-2006, 06:47

I'm wondering if the mini-Xenos speculation we've been hearing in other threads is related to this Oragami project... thoughts?

Lazy8s

03-Mar-2006, 14:32

Not if Origami is going to be available soon, even on a limited basis. A Xenos-like handheld GPU should still be many months away from release since most next generation chips have been targeting 2007/2008 and ATi hasn't even announced more than teaser information as of yet.

superguy

09-Mar-2006, 08:47

Download the otto berkes video. It's a good overview and really gets me excited. AKA I want one.

It's neat that is has USB ports to easily attach a fuill size keyboard. As well as VGA port to easily hook it to a full size monitor.

3dcgi

10-Mar-2006, 05:34

Other than price I don't see what the big deal is about the Ultra mobile PCs. The Fujitsu Lifebook P1510D is similar yet better.

Origami Lifebook
---------------------------
screen size 7" 9"
keyboard no yes
weight 2.5 lbs 2.1 lbs
battery life 2.5-3 hrs 2.5-3 hrs (regular battery)

Besides the fact that the Lifebook costs over $1000 I just don't see the draw.

Also, the thumb keyboard that's being shown off in pictures isn't even new. DialKeys comes loaded on Fujitsu's Lifebook.

http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=P15D

rabidrabbit

10-Mar-2006, 09:00

Is there specs of these "Origami" devices?
Megaherzs, gigabytes, floatingpoints and such?
Would such a device even be capable to run Halo at an acceptable framerate?

Fox5

12-Mar-2006, 06:06

uhhhhhh...PDA's fills that void. This thing is so ugly. I also reminds me of the xbox showing and from what i see it doesn't do much more than PSP.

Bleh, PDA's are crap, a fully functional micro-PC has been a long time coming, and if performance targets are set low enough (IE, on par with current PDAs) it should be roughly possible to make an x86 handheld Windows XP embedded that's not much larger than a PDA.

BTW, these Origami devices are just even smaller tablet PCs, made possible by lower power parts (ultra low voltage low speed Pentium M's and flash hard drives?), though most likely lacking the pressure sensitivity of a tablet pc. Still, gates supposendly liked the tablet idea, maybe he figures it just needs a better form factor to succeed. (though in my experience, hand recognition on the tablet OS takes quite a bit of processing power, so I'm not sure if a smaller less powerful tablet will give a good user experience....doesn't that bring us back to the original tablets, which just sucked?)

NeoTechni

08-Sep-2008, 08:22

MS maybe jumping on the "extra screen" bandwagon ala PSP PS3:

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200603/N06.0301.1632.46519.htm
AP: 'Origami' Not Handheld Xbox (http://next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2393&Itemid=2)

As a UMPC owner, I'd love this feature. But it will never happen

sunscar

11-Sep-2008, 05:11

Wheeeeeeew, stinky. Where'd ya dig this thing (thread) up?