Origami (Ultra-Mobile PC)

flywheel

The official anouncements about the Origami Project "Ultra-Mobile PC" are starting to appear (thanks to the kick off of CeBIT):

MS Site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/umpc/default.mspx

Community Site
http://origamiproject.com/default.aspx

Dan Dar3

There are plenty of websites that keep up to date with the UMPC development:

UMPC Buzz
http://www.umpcbuzz.com/

UMPC.com
http://umpc.com/default.aspx

Origami Portal
http://www.origamiportal.com/

Only UMPC
http://onlyumpc.com/

Looking forward myself to Asus R2H launch soon... and of course, the price drops, just in time for Christmas presents

Urban Weigl

Who in their right mind would buy a UMPC anyway, apart from (possibly) specialised applications? Now that new yoke from Sony is interesting, though...

Dan Dar3

I have to admit that Sony UX does look great, but I don't know if I'm willing to throw in 1000 Euro more. It does have a larger native screen resolution than most of the UMPC,s but it's all crammed into a 5" screen. I wound't use the sliding keyboard as much, I would probably go for the on-screen thumb dial-keys most of the time anyway. Asus R2H will have a digital camera embeded, true, Sony has 2 of them (front and back). Some of the PCs do have GPS and Bluetooth as well (Asus R2H). Other than that, they all have about the same thing, Windows XP (Sony - Pro, UMPCs - Tablet edition), touch screens, Wi-Fi, fairly large HDDs...

generalmiaow

I would love to see one and play with one, but I also would like to hear why someone would by a UMPC (unless it was $500 of course). For me, it would be too big for my coat pocket but too small for sitting down with. I'm open minded, though, I'd like to hear when ye would actually use one.

quintron

Medion are lurking with a new UMPC apparently....who knows we may see it in aldi for a tenner or something...
I want a Sony UX though... don't know what I'll use it for.... but I know I want one... its an affliction you see..

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/07/medion-working-on-md-rim-1000-umpc-with-slide-out-keyboard/

Dan Dar3

generalmiaow wrote:

I would love to see one and play with one...

You can have a go at Samsung Q1 in PCWorld Liffey Valley.

generalmiaow wrote:

I also would like to hear why someone would by a UMPC (unless it was $500 of course). For me, it would be too big for my coat pocket but too small for sitting down with. I'm open minded, though, I'd like to hear when ye would actually use one.

I spend about an hour or some on the bus each day to work and the same amount coming back home; of course, like anyone else I do have an MP3 player with radio and stuff but there are times when I'd feel like reading or listening to a book or making a note about something, but hey, why not watch an episode of Family Guy or anything you can think of to entertain yourself. I do carry a backpack most of the time so the size is not an issue, and I would see holding it nicely in the bus with one hand or on top of the backpack on your lap (apparently I gave it a thought . I would probably use it as well for large night downloads (legal things of course, what do you think I'm a pirate rather than leaving my laptop or the desktop running all night.

Of course I'd love to cost 500 Euro or around that, the battery to last longer (there are extended batteries though), to be lighter and stuff like that, but I really do want it now, not in two years, and I think I can stretch for an Asus R2H if it's going to be as good as expected.

BTW, here is a guy that needs the mobility in his work and makes really good reviews: http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/


Edit:

There was a rumour a while ago that City Council was going to launch a free Wi-Fi broadband access, don't know what happened to that, but that would add a whole lot more to a UMPC
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2006/07/09/story15597.asp

generalmiaow

I spend about an hour or some on the bus each day to work and the same amount coming back home; of course, like anyone else I do have an MP3 player with radio and stuff but there are times when I'd feel like reading or listening to a book or making a note about something, but hey, why not watch an episode of Family Guy or anything you can think of to entertain yourself. I do carry a backpack most of the time so the size is not an issue, and I would see holding it nicely in the bus with one hand or on top of the backpack on your lap (apparently I gave it a thought . I would probably use it as well for large night downloads (legal things of course, what do you think I'm a pirate rather than leaving my laptop or the desktop running all night.

I see what you mean. A laptop is far too big for this bus journey, and a PDA doesn't let you do everything you want.

It's odd, in fact, as I have something in between a PDA and a laptop (officially it's a "personal mobile tool" or "PMT" ), a sharp zaurus sl-c1000, runs linux so I can do most things I want to on it, watch videos, read ebooks or write my essays or check my calendar, etc... and I bought it for the exact purpose you describe, to be able to do computer things on long bus journeys. Well guess what: My girlfriend who would otherwise be a 2 hour bus journey away lives with me, I have to cycle to the shop where I work and college is walking distance. So I have a cool device great for bringing on journeys and no journeys to bring it on. Got a laptop at college and a desktop at home. As such I would have no way of justifying a UMPC (as if I didn't have enough gadgets).

Dan Dar3

Very nice little gadget, I must say. It is true the fact the UMPCs comes with Windows XP tablet and a fairly large HDD raises the price higher and some battery drain, but it brings some many benefits as well: the fact that I can run any application I've been using on my desktop or my laptop (of course, few of them may have problems with some of the resolutions), install any video or audio codecs I need to, even install Linux if I feel like it (Samsung Q1 actually has two boot modes, one into Windows XP and the other into a mini-linux distribution which autostarts in a media player mode), this makes me feel that the money is worth spending, as I won't feel I'm missing anything on a longer term.

I've been reading quite a few reviews since they started to appear on the market a couple of months ago, and I'm sure I can find so many other applications, that otherwise would've meant to use my laptop: browsing from the comfort of the couch, controlling my xbox from a .Net application (XBMCControl, looking forward to extending it), dumping photos from my digital camera while on holiday, Skype audio/video conversations...

Everything started with quite a few bad reviews, as Microsoft advertised a a thin and mobile device at around $500. Of course, Microsoft only came up with the idea to sell more of their XP tablet edition, and the manufactures rushed in with the first models, but I feel quite comfident that in the next couple of years UMPCs will get lighter, more powerful and longer lasting batteries, it's all a matter of time. VIA got interested in this as well, and they came with a chipset that they claim it draws less power, while Intel seems to drop their prices for Pentium M ULVs and mobile chipsets. There's a competiton for screens with lower power consumption, and extension batteries. Some of the manufacturers came with "organized packs", like Samsung, that includes a pouch + usb keyboard, cradles with additional usb ports or vga output (TabletKiosk), and I'm sure others will follow if not by dropping the prices, then by adding new features to the product.

Personally, I don't feel I can be attracted by any other device on the market, although I will probably wait a couple more months to see new models coming in, with new features and maybe not a significant price drop, but something to make it better value.

Dan Dar3

UMPC Buzz - R2H for €699.00
http://www.umpcbuzz.com/blogs/umpc_buzz/archive/2006/09/09/-R2H-for-_AC20_699.00.aspx

Our reader Jeff reported early today that the Asus is listed at mycom.nl for a fantastic price of €699.00 that's 885 dollars. No a bad price for an UMPC with 512MB of RAM and a 40 GB HDD.

B00MSTICK

I have a XDA IIi with 10 episodes of family guy @ 38 megs per episode. Perfectly watchabe quality too, other 600ish megs are mp3s . A GBA emulator and Roms complete the card.

Don't see any real need for these tbh. With the prices of memory cards dropping all the time, (4gb for ~ €50) storage really isn't an issue anymore.

secret_squirrel

Must admit I dont see the point either.

Microsoft already make an OS thats optimised for portability - its called windows mobile.

Why bother with a UMPC when something like the HTC Tytn does 99% of what you would want a UMPC to do, and also has far superior battery life, is a phone as well.

Its just a scam to sell tablet edition.

Dan Dar3

Windows CE (Consumer Edition or Compact Edition) is designed to work on minimalistic computers and embedded systems, it has a totally different kernel, and it's not a trimmed down version of Windows. It works on multiple platforms, like x86, MIPS, ARM etc... Requires little memory and offers less functionality.

Windows XP Tablet edition is basically a full blown Windows XP with support for touch screens and handwritting recognition, and is obviously designed for touch-screen laptops.

secret_squirrel

Dan Dar3 wrote:

Windows CE (Consumer Edition or Compact Edition) is designed to work on minimalistic computers and embedded systems, it has a totally different kernel, and it's not a trimmed down version of Windows. It works on multiple platforms, like x86, MIPS, ARM etc... Requires little memory and offers less functionality.

I know that but so what? How is that relevant if it does 99% of what windows does? And without most of the bloatware.

Eg Web, Office, and Games.

You're not going to be playing Oblivion on a UMPC now are you?

To my mind the UMPC is a compromised laptop that does less and costs more.

If MS were serious about the UMPC project they would either have used an Enhanced version of CE/WinMob or trimmed down XP from its current bloated state.

Dont forget Tablet edition shipped with a serious memory leakage problem that MS were so 'concerned' about they left it unfixed for a year, with the only workaround being constant reboots.

Dan Dar3

look, secret_squirrel, I don't want to start a flame war here about Windows or Microsoft, but if you have a problem with them, that's between you two, I don't really care.

Technically speaking, you won't be able to play Oblivion on a UMPC due to system requirements for the game, and that's Bethesda that said so, the developer of the game. On the other hand, I've seen WOW working just fine, although nobody claimed that UMPCs are targeted at the gaming market, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCiNR1SSiwI

Playing 3D intensive games on a portable device is more a problem of hardware, an less software. Xbox has a Celeron 733 Mhz Celeron, 64 MB of RAM, and it plays games off the DVD - and let me tell you, I have played quite a few beautifuly looking games on it. To some's surprise may be that it has a stripped down version of Windows 2000, with a slightly different version of DirectX. Until the hardware manufacturers come up with a graphical chip that require little power and can provide a couple million polygons, you will still have to lug your laptop around, in fact a gaming laptop as not all laptops have a decent gaming graphic card.

I'm not trying to defend UMPCs here, but I'm just fed up, I've seen such bad reviews based on the pure fact that people think that this is the godsend device that was supposed to fulfill all their dreams, and Microsoft and all those bad companies out there just ruined it all for them. If it wasn't for Microsoft and a handful of other companies out there, trying to fill their pochets with as much cash as they can, you wouldn't even afford the personal computer you're typing on, so would you please let it go, and let other people enjoy the thread, thanks.

secret_squirrel

Dan Dar3 wrote:

look, secret_squirrel, I don't want to start a flame war here about Windows or Microsoft, but if you have a problem with them, that's between you two, I don't really care.

I'm not sure where you got that idea from. I'm neither anti-MS or anti-Win.

Infact Im on my 3rd Win mobile device, and I think its the best phone/pda I've ever used, I'm also typing this on a win ultra portable.

What I am is anti-scam, and the umpc is a marketing tool, nothing more nothing less. I have no problem with anyone buying them - as long as the get them knowing full well what they are - a tool to sell tablet edition. The fact that its inferior to both a pocket pc type device and a decent ultra portable just adds insult to injury.

If you are really interesting in a UMPC look at the OQO or a flybook. At least they have some honesty and less hype about them.

Dan Dar3

secret_squirrel wrote:

If you are really interesting in a UMPC look at the OQO or a flybook.

Don't see the point in paying twice the price to get the same functionality, although I can admit that both OQO and Sony UX are stylish, but to me they're nothing but head turners. I find the 5" screen too small for me, although I can understand people that want a small device to keep in their pocket.

For anyone interested in an OQO, here's a quick review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TZf3KHbdMM