Origami Project

[Jazzatola]

Microsoft is finally launching the new Ultra Mobile PC form factor today at CeBit.

Origami Project
UMPC

Don't think I'll be snapping one up straight away as I'd prefer to see which other manufacturers jump on board. Also, I wonder how much these things are likely to cost.

Oh and hello, this is my first post. 🙂

 

[Kaido]

I don't get it...who is going to use this thing? I can't see myself ever using it. I have a laptop to do my work on, a PDA to keep track of things, and a cell phone to call people. Where does this fit in?

And hi, welcome to the club 🙂

 

[igowerf]

Originally posted by: Kaido
I don't get it...who is going to use this thing? I can't see myself ever using it. I have a laptop to do my work on, a PDA to keep track of things, and a cell phone to call people. Where does this fit in?

And hi, welcome to the club 🙂

I imagine that it would replace tablet PCs. Tablets are generally a bit too big and clunky to do work with, but a UMPC might be small enough and versatile enough.

 

[piasabird]

Looks like a joke. How can you chat without a keyboard?

 

[chiggachu]

The keyboard thing looks like it is solved by an on-screen touchpad-like keyboard. or you can use a stylus like a PDA.

I kind of want one. I'm kind of annoyed by the limitations of my new ipaq pda, and hate laptops for their crappy battery life, bulk, and slow boot times. I think this is an awesome idea. I wonder how long the battery lasts and if it is always-on.

 

[Jazzatola]

I'm definitely interested in the idea: smaller and lighter than a laptop and more fully featured than a pda. If you can install and run standard windows software then I can see it being very useful, especially for mobile gaming.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Jazzatola
I'm definitely interested in the idea: smaller and lighter than a laptop and more fully featured than a pda. If you can install and run standard windows software then I can see it being very useful, especially for mobile gaming.

Be real - that thing's not a gaming machine. The CPU is slow, and you better believe some of the power savings are coming from the graphics being on the slower side. You may as well just buy a Nokia 770 and call it a day.

I firmly believe that Microsoft will eventually create a combination PMC / gaming handheld that will attempt to compete with the PSP, but this is not that machine. A shame, really...

-Erwos

 

[arcas]

It's too big to carry around like a PDA/PocketPC but it's smaller than most laptops. Seems to be a device in search of an audience. It's going to face the same market resistance that plagued tablet PCs.

One application where these would be very neat would be as an interface to a house computer. Control the thermostats, adjust the underground sprinklers, check the security cameras, etc. When you're done, just hang it back on the wall. That's a very niche use, though, and using a UMPC to do it would be awfully expensive.

 

[chiggachu]

As a student, I would definitely use this in my everyday life. It can do everything that I need: academic productivity, communications, the occasional music/movies.

Since I'm going to med school next year, these would be invaluable for doctors, not only as a learning tool but as a possible replacement for paper charts.

 

[Jazzatola]

Originally posted by: erwos
Be real - that thing's not a gaming machine.

Yeah, sorry I wasn't more clear. I was thinking of less graphically intensive games. Eve-Online is my poison and it wouldn't take much muscle to run that.