People like portable gadgets, and Microsoft hopes they’ll like a device that packs much of the power of a desktop PC, with all the multimedia capabilities of a portable MP3 and movie player, plus the convenience of a PDA with W-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, into a device that will fit into a handbag or large pocket. We have seen such ultra-mobile PCs before, but Microsoft claims these new machines are easy to operate with the world’s most popular pointing device — your finger — and will be available at relatively affordable prices.
That’s the thinking behind the Origami Project, which saw the first handful of machines unveiled by five manufacturers, including Korea’s Samsung and Taiwan’s AsusTek, last week. Of course, these are not Microsoft devices. The design, manufacturing, distribution and pricing of Origami UMPCs are down to the manufacturers, as with all PCs. But Microsoft is trying to create what could ultimately be a new mass-market platform for devices based on Microsoft’s Tablet PC and Vista versions of Windows.
Otto Berkes, director of the Origami Project, writes: ”My ultra-mobile PC incubation efforts included building hardware and software prototypes and testing the overall feasibility of the idea. And importantly, getting other people on board with the general concept both inside and outside the company. Building a new type of PC requires broad industry collaboration for new hardware, new product designs, and new software to come together as one critical mass to create a new type of PC experience.”
Several more sophisticated UMPCs are already on the market, including Motion Computing’s LS800 Tablet PC (www.motioncomputing.com), the OQO model 01+ (www.oqo.com) and DualCor’s cPC (www.dualcor.com). But Mika Krammer, director of Windows client mobility at Microsoft in Redmond, Seattle, says Microsoft has tried to make Origami machines cheaper and easier to use.
The most obvious innovation is the TouchPack software bundle, which sits on top of Windows. TouchPack provides a simplified interface that is modified for finger operation and optimised for a seven-inch screen. It also includes a program launcher (not wholly dissimilar to the Media Centre version of XP), DialKeys (an onscreen keyboard for typing with two thumbs), and an extra game: Sudoku. To get the starting price down to about $500-$600, Krammer says Microsoft has focused on ”using components that are already available ”, such as the seven-inch screen used in portable DVD players. ”Now we have this [base machine], we can innovate with different sizes, more powerful processors, extended battery life … It’s a balancing game,” she says.
Origami UMPCs will generally measure about 6 x 9 inches, be about an inch thick, and weigh less than a kilogramme. The screen resolution starts at 800 x 480, which may be zoomable to 1024 x 600. Memory slots for SDIO, CompactFlash etc provide extra storage and can be used to transfer photos and movies from other devices.
Built-in cameras, microphones and stereo speakers make some Origami UMPCs useful for creating podcasts, and for video conferencing. USB and VGA ports mean they can also be used with standard desktop keyboards and screens.
The main drawback with early examples looks like being the limited battery life: about two to three hours. Microsoft wants all-day use, but at the moment, the chips and batteries cost too much.
For Microsoft, this isn’t a product launch, it’s the first step of a staged platform introduction that will play out over five years. But whether there will ever be a mass market is questionable. Pocket-sized PCs such as the Poqet and the Atari Portfolio were launched in the late 1980s, but never sold in great numbers. Tablet PCs have done worse, with a string of failures that started with the first DOS-based GridPad launched in 1989. Microsoft’s Windows XP-based Tablet PC platform, launched in 2002, has failed to take the tablet format beyond its niche in specialised businesses. Why should a mini-Tablet PC like the Origami be different?
Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research, thinks the platform has some potential because of its new ”10-inch user interface”, and the price. He thinks the multimedia/fun elements, combined with note-taking capabilities, could make it appeal to students. The ability to run full Windows applications on the road could appeal to business users who don’t want to lug a larger notebook PC around. There are also ”the enthusiasts who can use this as not a second, but likely a third PC”. This could be enough to sustain the version 1 product, he says.
Product has legs
I don’t think many buyers will stump up the cash without getting their hands on a device, so I asked Fortuné Alexander, the trading director for hardware for the Dixons-owned PC World computer superstores. He said: ”It’s early days, but we are interested in the product, and we think it has legs. We have had success with ultraportables in the past [with small notebook PCs, PDAs such as HP’s iPaq range, and smartphones such as the iJam], and we think we will be able to sell these successfully when they hit the market.”
Ubiquitous networking — Wi-Fi, WiMax, 3G etc — would make something like the Origami much more attractive. Alexander says that German users are going to be offered notebook PCs with embedded 3G sims for about $2, if they sign up for two-year contracts, and UMPCs are not far off some smartphone prices. Get an Origami for $2, with a contract? It’s a thought. – Guardian Unlimited Â