Tablet PC News Archive

March 2006

March 1 , 2006

Microsoft Origami - What is it?  

Coming in March

The Best Tablet PC - New for 2006

Tablet PC2.coms first Editors Choice Convertible Tablet PC

New Editors Choice Slate Tablet PC

Review: Electrovaya Scribbler 3100 Tablet PC

OneNote 2007 beta 1 InkShow
GotaBeMobile.com

Check out the new features of Microsoft's OneNote 2007 beta 1 in this special InkShow.

Microsoft to build Portable Entertainment Device
Financial Mirror

Microsoft Corp. is working on a project code-named Origami that involves various partners to build services and software for a new portable entertainment device, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A person familiar with the project described the device as an "ultra-portable PC." There has been much speculation lately about Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., making its own portable music player to compete with Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod.

The device being developed in the Origami project isn't a music player but would be a broader-use device, said the person familiar with the project. The device would be styled after Microsoft's Tablet PC, which is a portable pen-input PC. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has been a huge promoter of the Tablet PC, which is geared more toward business users than consumers and hasn't sold in high volumes. The Origami project appears to be an extension of the Tablet PC into the consumer market.

During the past year, Microsoft has been working on the marketing of the project with a company called Digital Kitchen, which also has done marketing for Microsoft's Xbox videogame machine. A Microsoft spokesman said the details of the Origami project would be announced sometime in March.

Origami: Enough of anything?
CNET.com

Microsoft's Origami is shaping up to be cheaper and smaller than today's Tablet PC, but the device will likely miss the software maker's most ambitious targets for size, price and battery life.

One of the challenges in bringing down the price of the minitablets is that the first devices will lack the sales volume needed to achieve the cost benefits that come with mass-market products. Origami device makers can save by using some standard PC parts, such as notebook drives, value-priced processors and commodity memory. However, even those components add up, especially when combined with the screen and any wireless technologies.

Still, Microsoft is expected to make a retail push with the first crop of devices, even as they are sold into the same kinds of business and education markets that have historically been more amenable to the Tablet PC.

Origami is not the first effort to shrink the PC. For some time, OQO has sold a supersmall PC with a slide-out keyboard. On the tablet side, start-up Dualcor Technologies announced in January the cPC, a US$1,500 device with a 5-inch screen and Windows XP. The tiny tablet is somewhat similar to the Origami idea, but it is aimed at businesses and has cell-phone capabilities built in.

Choosing The Right Vista For Your Home
Smart House

When Microsoft releases its newest operating system later this year, home users will have more choice than ever before.

The product lineup for Vista includes no less than three version of the operating system targeting the consumer and home markets. Selecting the right one will depend on what you want to achieve.

There are two version of Vista planned for the business market and three for consumers. Microsoft has added another for emerging markets, which will not be available locally.

Okay, it seems like a lot, but Microsoft correctly points out that there are currently six versions of Windows XP. They are; Home; Professional; Media Center; Tablet and The 64-bit version of Professional.

All new version will be 64-bit capable eliminating the need for a separate version there. But other than that Microsoft has done some tweaking to streamline the product lineup including the inclusion of Media Center and Tablet PC functionality into the whole product lineup.

Microsoft describes it as a shift from version targeting different types of PC hardware to a focus on the way people use their PCs.

Windows Vista Home Premium
Stepping upscale a little to Vista Home Premium, you get the new user interface, Aero. Think of this version as the new Media Center Edition if you please. But Premium is so much more, you get the new reliability and security features we mentioned in Home Basic, you get Media Center functionality including the extender type integration with xBox 360 so you can access content from other rooms in the home.

Integrating the mobile and desktop feature set's together, Premium will include Windows Tablet PC technology, which enables interaction with the PC with a digital pen or fingertip instead of a keyboard.

Search is integrated throughout the operating system, helping customers easily organise and quickly find large collections of documents, pictures, movies, videos and music. And then DVD burning, a feature left out of the XP operating system is now included bringing authoring tools to every 'Premium' desktop.

March 2 , 2006

The unannounced ThinkPad T60 Core Duo Tablet PC
slashstar.com

Origami Project Week 2

I'm everywhere you are,

But never in the way...

Agilix Labs Releases GoBinder 2006 for Enhanced Mobile Learning
PR Newswire

Agilix Labs, Inc., a worldwide leader in mobile learning solutions, today announced it has released GoBinder(TM) 2006. Designed as the digital binder for student learning, the product delivers significant enhancements for higher education and distance learning students over earlier releases, with an open, extensible architecture to enable third party extensions. The new application is available for download at http://www.gobinder.com.

GoBinder enables students to take digital notes and capture learning content, such as lecture notes, course syllabus, study materials and web research, as digital copies for annotation and highlighting. All personal notes and captured content can be searched, facilitating study and assignment completion. GoBinder also provides personal management tools for students to manage their schedule, tasks and personal contacts, along with synchronization of this information with Microsoft Outlook or Palm devices. GoBinder works with Windows XP desktops, laptops and Tablet PCs.

ECS announce new product lines at CeBIT 2006
nForcersHQ.com

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) announce exciting new product lines at CeBIT 2006, Hall 22, Booth A30, in Hannover, Germany.

ECS are set to unleash a flood of exhilarating new lifestyle and technology products on the hordes of roaming technology fanatics at CeBIT 2006. Those craving innovative technology and simply smart lifestyle products will have their thirst quenched by a mouth-watering selection of new offerings.

Another exciting new product that ECS will be showcasing is an amazing computing productivity and entertainment solution. Based on the Intel Centrino mobile platform, the ECS H70 tablet PC features a 7-inch WVGA TFT LCD touch screen display and combines connectivity with state-of-the-art power saving technology.

March 3 , 2006

An interview with Scott Eckert, CEO of Motion Computing
GottaBeMobile.com

In what will be the first among many interviews with key players in the Tablet PC and Mobile PC industry, we are delighted to inaugurate this category with our interview with Scott Eckert, CEO of Motion Computing. Motion Computing's current product line includes the LE1600 Tablet PC and LS800 ultra mobile tablet pc.

Review: Electrovaya Scribbler SC-3100
TabletPc2.com

Following their long standing tradition, Electrovaya continues to improve on a good thing.  The Electrovaya Scribbler SC-3100, was designed for ease of use and convenience and it doesn't disappoint in either, which makes it an excellent choice for anyone interested in purchasing a Slate style Tablet PC. 

users will especially appreciate that the Keyboard/Stand/Base with Touchpad and a carrying case are both included in the premium package.   

Form follows function and everything is designed to make the out of box user experience as user friendly as possible.  It is our opinion that Electrovaya provides the absolute best "Out of Box" user experience there is.

Working on InkGestures for PowerPoint
Incremental Blogger

Working on InkGestures for PowerPoint

When demonstrating InkGestures Add-in for Microsoft Word one of the most common questions we get is: "Will InkGestures work in PowerPoint."

Up to this point the answer has been no.

Well, now that InkGestures Add-in is released we're back to attacking the PowerPoint challenge. Here's a very brief screencapture animation of the InkGestures PowerPoint add-in in action. (Yes, this is an alpha version. Nothing to release yet.)

Click here to go to the Incremental Blogger site to watch the animation.

Microsoft set to unveil mini computer at CeBit
Expatica

Microsoft is expected to unveil a new pocket computer running Windows XP at the CeBit technology and communications trade show next week in Hanover, Germany, according to analysts Thursday.

Rumours about the device, codenamed the Origami Project, have been swirling since the software giant launched a website last week with cryptic questions that appeared to point to a miniature computer that could function as a hybrid between Apple's iPod media player and conventional laptops.

In a new posting Thursday to the website, Microsoft said it would release details of the new device on March 9, opening day of the CeBit trade show, which is recognized as the world's Largest.

According to Cnet.com, the mini-tablet devices will feature a roughly 7-inch screen and run on Microsoft software, but will be manufactured by several other companies.

The devices are expected to play music and movies, edit documents, view e-mail and surf the Internet. Many models are expected to include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities, and some may also have GPS navigation tools or cellular modems.

Next Version of Tablet PC's Said to Be Lighter and Smaller
New York Times

Microsoft and Intel plan to announce next week that several industry partners will make small, light versions of a tablet personal computer, people close to the two companies said yesterday.

The machines, which have been the subject of considerable speculation, will be tailored more for consumer entertainment than the larger tablet machines running Microsoft's Windows that were introduced in 2002. The larger tablets, typically with 12-inch screens, sell for about $1,500 and are used mostly by doctors, lawyers, architects and other professionals in office settings. A tablet PC has a touch-sensitive screen that allows input with a pen.

The new models — a category called ultramobile personal computers — will have smaller screens, seven or eight inches, and sell for $1,000 or less, depending on options.

The machines will have the handwriting recognition software of the standard Windows tablet personal computers, and include wireless technology for browsing the Internet. But the new tablets will also have multimedia capabilities for playing music, movies and games in some models.

Those describing the features would not speak for attribution because the products have not been announced, nor would they name the three or four manufacturers that they said were involved.

Intel will discuss the new category in general at a developers' conference in San Francisco that begins Tuesday. The new models will be announced at the CeBit technology trade show in Germany, which opens Thursday.

Intel will supply the chip technology for the ultramobile PC's, and they will run a version of Windows Tablet PC software. The models to be introduced this year are an initial step to what Microsoft and Intel hope will be a popular hybrid category of computer, a consultant to Microsoft said.

March 5 , 2006

Origami unfolds into Ultra Mobile PC
WindowsForDevices

The mysterious Microsoft Origami Project now appears to be a mobile mini-tablet running Windows XP on Pentium processors. The "Wintel" duo, which owns the desktop but holds a mere fraction of the exploding mobile-phone market, is set to unveil its next big idea for mobile computing at two shows this week -- Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, and CeBIT in Hannover, Germany.

Adding the Wintel dimension to Origami, the devices unveiled this week will mostly likely use Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Pentium M or Celeron M processors, although other processors -- such as AMD's "Geode", Via's "CoreFusion", and Transmeta's "Crusoe" -- seem destinated to play a future role.

Origami specs-ulation

Based on all all the Origami buzz to date, we now predict the following baseline Origami specs:

March 6 , 2006

Possible Origami pic surfaces on the web
engadget

CeBIT 2006: IT industry turns to Europe
ZDNet UK

Unless something goes seriously wrong between now and then, you can guarantee that on Thursday morning Microsoft will reveal its Origami device. This "Ultra Mobile PC" will use Intel chips, run Windows XP and is probably a cut-down Tablet PC with a touch-sensitive screen with built-in Wi-Fi and possibly 3G connectivity. Samsung is widely expected to have a model on display, and it won't be alone.

Can Origami succeed where the Tablet PC has largely failed? Find out on Thursday when Microsoft ends the suspense and reveals what the project is really about.

OnTheRun with Tablet Pcs #15
jkontherun.blogs.com

Marc Orchant and James Kendrick are back with a look at the past week's big news in the Tabletscape.  This show we bring your attention to a contest on The Student Tablet PC blog, point out a way to demo some cool Tablet PCs for 48 hours, take a brief tour of the past week's video reviews of Tablet PC software, and talk about the person we believe is the most addicted to Tablet PCs that the two of us have encountered.  Of course we discuss the topic that is burning up the internet- ori-what?  Oh, there is also a version of InkGestures for PowerPoint in the works.

Submit the most Tablet PC tips and win
studenttabletpc.com

OK, I have so many things going on right now and I have trouble making a tip of the day everyday. I also want to create a great resource for tips for the new and experienced tablet user. To this, we're hosting a contest.

What can the tips be about? Here are the topics and guidelines:

March 7 , 2006

CNBC showing Origami??
whatisnew.com

Update 2: Intel showed Ultra-Mobile PCs — codename Origami — to CNBC today. Here is what they said:

A highly anticipated device from Microsoft called Origami. Jim Goldman is holding a working Origami prototype, which our viewers are getting an exclusive first look at. There it is right now. That would be it on the left. Jim’s on the right. Jim, tell us about it.

Indeed you’re right, William. We are here in San Francisco at Intel’s Developer Forum. 5,000 developers looking to see the latest and greatest from Intel and they need look no further than this. 

This is what Intel calls the Ultra-Mobile PC or as many of us have grown to know it over the past several weeks, the Origami.  A handheld computer with a large screen. Microsoft and various other manufacturers will be unveiling their versions of this Intel prototype this Thursday in Germany, but this gives you an idea of just how big or small, as the case may be, this device is.  It’s basically a complete personal computer running on an extremely low powered chip, so it’s got really long battery life. It does everything your computer at home would do: download video, music, email, Internet connection. This is what every body is talking about.

Ultra Mobile PC-New Category of Mobile Devices
intel

The Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) category offers consumers small, ultra-mobile devices with full PC capabilities, uncompromised Internet access, anytime connectivity, and the ability to recognize and adapt to its environment virtually anytime and anywhere.

CeBIT Show to Unveil New Range of Products

The most widely anticipated event is likely to come on opening day, when Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) may unveil its hyped Project Origami. It's expected to be the first version of paperback book-sized computers that will run Microsoft's regular Windows XP operating system.

Microsoft has not said how or where it will reveal the Origami project, but has said it will be unveiled on March 9 - coinciding with the first day of the CeBIT event. The company will also be showing off Office 12, the latest version of its stalwart suite of office-related productivity software.

Electronics and media move to next level at CeBIT
Reuters.uk

ORIGAMI

One of the eagerly awaited announcements at this year's CeBIT will be the unveiling of Microsoft's mysterious Origami device, which has been trailed for weeks on a website registered by the company (www.origamiproject.com).

The campaign has fueled speculation of a new device designed to rival the phenomenal success of Apple's iPod or Sony's Playstation Portable.

One media report said it would be a smaller, lighter version of current tablet computers that allows users to write and draw pictures with a digital pen and play music and movies.

March 8 , 2006

Check Out Our Exclusive Origami Photo
PC World - USA

You've been hearing about Microsoft's mysterious Origami project for weeks. Now you can get a peek at the first Origami device, on display at the CeBIT electronics show in Germany. Martyn Williams (a correspondent with the IDG News Service and a regular contributor to our Digital World blog) has snapped one of the first pictures of the device. Take a look.

Samsung Electronics is showing the device, a handheld computer that falls somewhere between a tablet PC and a PDA and runs a special edition of Windows XP

CeBIT: Samsung Shows First Origami Device
PC World

Samsung Electronics is showing the first device designed around Microsoft's Origami project at the CeBIT electronics show in Germany. It is a handheld computer that falls somewhere between a tablet PC and a PDA and runs a special edition of Windows XP.

The device measures about 6 inches by 8 inches, or half the size of a sheet of copier paper, and is known officially as an ultramobile device. Samsung's product, called the Q1, runs on a 900-MHz Intel Celeron microprocessor and has 500MB of RAM.

The Q1 was on display at Samsung's CeBIT booth a day ahead of the show here in Hanover. It boasts WLAN (wireless local area network), 802.11 A/G, and Bluetooth connections, and uses touch-screen controls. It runs an instant-on multimedia player so users don't have to launch the full XP operating system to watch a video.

The device is in the final stages of development and it's not known exactly when it will be available or at what price. It will be discussed further at CeBIT press conferences on Thursday by Intel and Microsoft.

Tablet Authority Offers Business Clients Monthly Payments for for Motion Computing Tablet PCs, Software and Accessories
PR Web

Tablet Authority, the premiere online Motion Computing Tablet PC reseller, announced today the launch of its new Technology Management Program. This program provides business customers with a simple way to upgrade to Motion Computing Tablet PCs, and pay for them on a monthly basis.

The Technology Management Program is an affordable option for any size business looking to upgrade to Motion Computing LE1600 or LS800 tablet PCs. It's designed for companies and government agencies in law, education, construction, as well as medical professionals upgrading to EMR technology.

Some highlights of the program include:

- Two and three year payment programs
- No money down
- Order up to $150,000 in Motion Computing Tablet PCs, accessories and software with no financial statements required
- Loaner Program: At no additional charge, Tablet Authority will send you a Motion Tablet PC loaner unit if one of yours is sent to Motion Computing for authorized warranty repairs.
- Trade Up Program: Send us a list of the notebooks or tablets you now have. Tablet Authority will make you an offer as part of the Technology Management Program.
- Buy Back Program: Tablet Authority will buy back your equipment at the end of the program for 10% of its current price.

The Technology Management Program includes all Motion LE1600 and LS800 tablets, along with all accessories and software available through Tablet Authority. Here are some sample configurations, along with the monthly payment.

Origami set to star at trade show
The Age

With Europe's biggest technology fair about to begin tomorrow, a tiny tablet-sized PC from Microsoft looks set to dominate the opening day.

The product code named Origami is due to be announced tomorrow, coinciding with the first day of CeBIT, and has been kept tightly under wraps by Microsoft until this week.

Despite attempts at secrecy, a few sneak previews have emerged throughout the week with CNBC airing an exclusive video preview of the device earlier this week, and Intel yesterday unveiling pictures and product specs of an 'Origami-like' device at its annual developer forum.

According to technology website CNET.com, Intel showed off a number of models of an Ultra Mobile PC devices at the forum which will feature a 7-inch touch screen, standard x86 processors, and will run on an Origami variant of Windows XP.

While Microsoft's goal is to give the devices all-day battery life, the first to roll out are likely to have more like three hours. The $US800 ($1077) price-tag initially mooted by Microsoft and Intel also looks unrealistic in the short term with current estimates closer to $US1000.

The Origami PC is expected to allow users to perform basic functions such as playing media content, word processing, email and surfing the internet and some models may also include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Microsoft Touts Origami Device
Red Herring

Intel revealed Tuesday it’s part of Microsoft’s much-hyped Origami project, with the semiconductor maker supplying low-power chips for “ultra mobile” PCs while the software maker is developing software to run the device.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is expected to demonstrate an Origami device at the CeBIT information and telecommunications trade show in Germany on Thursday.

Intel said the mobile PCs, which are as small as portable DVD players, are a hybrid between laptops and smart phones. Microsoft has been generating buzz for the devices through a teaser web site and tactical leaks as part its Origami project, which aims to bring handheld Internet devices to the masses (see Microsoft’s Stealth Origami).

Intel executives, who showed off several handhelds that bore no brands at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, said consumers will see ultra mobile PCs in the market in the next few weeks. Company executives declined to say which manufacturers will make the devices.

“Both companies are trying to create a category of ultra mobile PCs,” said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of Intel’s mobile platforms group. “Microsoft is trying to put in the interface, and together we will deliver the products together.”

Microsoft and Intel roll drums for 'ultramobile' PC
International Herald Tribune

Microsoft and Intel are expected to announce in Germany on Thursday that they and several industry partners will make small, light versions of a tablet personal computer, people close to the two companies said.

Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D Notebook / Tablet PC - Our Full Review
Tablet PC Reviews

Fujitsu LifeBook P1510D - Ultimate Mobility, Maximum Functionality

The Fujitsu LifeBook P1500 series notebook / Tablet PC is an ultralight and ultra-portable wonder. This 2.2 pound featherweight boasts a surprisingly usable keyboard, a clear 8.9" touchscreen and battery life that hovers almost three hours (real use) with a standard battery. Although this tiny machine won't deliver jaw-dropping graphics or house a spark-wielding 7200RPM hard drive spindle, it does deliver surprisingly responsive performance. In a nutshell, the P1500 is no PDA disguised as a notebook. This is a notebook that delivers all the performance one would expect that has been miraculously engineered into a ever so slightly large PDA-sized device.

March 9 , 2006
Microsoft’s new ‘Origami’ device turns out to be tablet computer

Columbus DispatchIt will run on a full version of Windows XP, the same operating system used on larger tablet PCs, and newly developed software called Windows Touch Pack will handle touch-screen functions. Future editions will support Windows Vista, a version of Microsoft's flagship operating system that's expected out in the second half of this year.

The wait is over... Now The Fun Begins

Click here for our Expanded Coverage
of the Ultra Mobile PC - UMPC Launch
Formally known as Origami

Now, a Laptop You Can Hold In Your Hand
New York Times In a bid to crack the crowded market for hand-held computers and music players, Microsoft and two electronics companies, Samsung of Korea and Asus of Taiwan, plan to unveil an ultralight tablet computer on Thursday that melds a laptop and media player into a thin, new device.

Samsung

The Q1 from Samsung combines a laptop computer with a media player. It weighs in at 1.7 pounds.

Samsung's device, the Q1, will use Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. It is a product of Microsoft's so-called Origami project — an effort to shrink and redefine the laptop, while bolstering the company's software sales for new hand-held devices. Asus will also produce a version."This is basically a small but powerful laptop computer that is also a sophisticated entertainment device," said Patrick Pavel, a Samsung product manager for Germany, who showed a prototype of the Q1 on Wednesday at the Cebit technology fair in Hanover.The Samsung device is a flat black rectangle that weighs 1.7 pounds, has the dimensions of a DVD box (about 9 inches by 5 inches) and is 1 inch thick. The viewing screen is 7 inches diagonally, more than twice the size of most personal digital assistants or Internet-enabled smart phones.

Microsoft UMPC Site Is Now Live

Rob from gottabemobile.com sent us this news from Mobile Kinetics

Mobile Kinetics announces HandPortal, the premier lifestyle application for the Ultra-Mobile PC Platform (Origami)
MobileKinetics.com

HandPortal 1.0

Mobile Kinetics is a Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Tablet PC ISV Partner focused on delivering lifestyle applications for the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) platform. The flagship application, HandPortal, revolutionizes the way users interact with personal computing in a mobile environment.   HandPortal provides instant access to frequently used tools and information in an ultra portable, easy to use touch screen environment.  HandPortal users will enjoy rich functionality such as:

Microsoft unveils much-hyped 'Origami' device
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA HANOVER, Germany -- After months of cryptic Web marketing and word-of-mouth hype over Microsoft Corp.'s Project Origami, the company finally showed off the product: an ultracompact computer running Windows XP with a touchscreen and wireless connectivity. It's everything a full computer or laptop is, minus the keyboard. It has a 7-inch touch-sensitive screen that responds to a stylus or the tap of a finger. Two models from different manufacturers are expected to hit stores shelves by spring, and Microsoft says they'll be about an inch thick and weigh less than 2 1/2 pounds -- about the size of a large paperback book. It will run on a full version of Windows XP, the same operating system used on larger tablet PCs, and newly developed software called Windows Touch Pack will handle touch-screen functions. Future editions will support Windows Vista, a version of Microsoft's flagship operating system that's due out in the second half of this year. "It really opens up new possibilities for PC use," Bill Mitchell, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Mobile Platforms Division, said Wednesday. The device will be officially unveiled Thursday at CeBIT, the annual technology trade show in Hanover. It won't be called Origami. Instead, the company is marketing it as a category it's calling the ultramobile PC, said Mika Krammer, a marketing director for Microsoft's Windows mobile unit.

March 10 , 2006

UMPCBUZZ

New sites devoted to the Ultra Mobile PC are poping up this week.

abletFactory announces the availability of abletFoodCalcfor the UMPC
abletFactory

The abletFactory has released it’s first LifeStyle UltraMobile PC Application, abletFoodCalc.  abletFoodCalc is a nutritional calculator and eDiary.  A tool to keep track of your nutritional values.  Carbohydrates, Cholesterol, Protein, Total Fat and Sodium can all be measured and monitored.

With a database of over 65,000 food items, many of them common restaurant foods, a user can easily calculate their total daily nutrition consumption habits.

A fully inkable selection method is incorporated to facilitate using the program while on the move using the new Touch Pack.  Plus an inkable eDiary is included to personalize your daily food intake, moods, and a record keeping system for your goals and objectives.

CeBIT: An Origami With a Via Processor
PC World

The SmartCaddie is the first announced Origami device without Intel inside

Via Technologies is a company that takes pride in bursting illusions, such as the idea the new ultramobile PCs would only come equipped with Intel microprocessors. Instead, it appears that any x86-based processor will do.

PaceBlade Japan (PBJ) has launched an Origami device outfitted with the latest mobile processor from Via, the C7-M ULV, which runs at speeds from 1 GHz to 1.5 GHz. Via showed off the device, called the SmartCaddie, at a news conference here Friday.

Via's new processor allows companies to make smaller devices while maintaining the benefits of a full-sized Windows-based PC, said Otto Berkes, general manager of the mobile platforms division at Microsoft, in Via's news release.

The SmartCaddie boasts all the same capabilities as previously announced Origami gadgets, including controls on the right and left side of the screen, wireless-LAN and Bluetooth capabilities, and touch-screen operations thanks to its OS, Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet Edition. PBJ's new device is the first of its kind to use the new Via C7-M ULV processor, but Via expects to see more design wins.

"The [C7-M] is for a range of mobile devices, ultramobile PCs, notebooks, and more," said Epan Wu, deputy director of CPU product marketing at Via.

The ultramobile PC made by Samsung Electronics, the Q1, carries a 900-MHz Intel Celeron M microprocessor.

The Via C7-M ULV processor is designed to use as little power as possible in order to reduce heat and lengthen battery life, with idle power as low as 0.1 watt. The chip is being manufactured for Via by IBM.

Smart fabric controls in Origami's future
Silicon.com

Microsoft has revealed it will be working with a UK-based peripherals company to make a fabric-based keyboard available for its Origami ultra-mobile PC device.

Eleksen, based in Pinewood Studios near London, will provide Bluetooth and USB keyboards for the Origami. The keyboards are made of a special conductive fabric that allows a user to easily enter data into portable devices such as smart phones and PDAs without the added weight and bulk of a traditional plastic keyboard - as the Eleksen keyboards are light and can be rolled up for easy carrying.

The fabric keyboards are a good fit for the Origami because, like other mobile devices, it lacks built-in text input and an external plastic keyboard renders the device less portable, according to Eleksen product manager Andrew Newman.

He said: "When you add a plastic keyboard [to the Origami] it pretty much puts it in the lightweight laptop category. The Eleksen keyboards keep it slim and lightweight."

Newman said in future Eleksen's sensor technology could be adapted to provide controls for the Origami's media functions. This could take the form of traditional key input or 'gesture controls' such as sliding one's finger across a sensor to control sound volume.

Eleksen and Microsoft have yet to seal any deals with OEMs to bundle the fabric keyboards with the Origami but Newman said they are in discussions with potential partners to determine a distribution strategy.

Market ripe for Origami device, creator says
ITworld.com

Now that Microsoft Corp. has officially unveiled its Origami project, the big question is what sort of market acceptance will greet devices based on the ultramobile platform.

Microsoft built the reference design for Origami last year, and began shopping it around to customers to see if there was interest, said William Mitchell, Microsoft's corporate vice president of the Mobile Platforms Division.

When customer reception was generally positive, the company felt like it was time to come out with what it calls a third "design center" for the Windows OS, he said. The result, Origami, is closer to the interactive yet not completely engrossing experience people have when they use PDAs (personal digital assistants), Mitchell said. It also differs from the immersive experience of using a PC and the more relaxed experience of watching media on a Windows Media Center PC, he said.

Origami represents the kind of middle-ground device that could do all of these things, as well as have the benefit of playing media, enabling gaming and allowing people to store personal information, he said. And since Origami will combine all of these features, it could end up being the one device customers use in favor of the several they currently use -- such as portable music players, PDAs and portable media players, Mitchell said.

Michael Gartenberg, analyst with Jupiter Research, sees Origami in a slightly different way. He agrees there is a market for the device, but doesn't think it will necessarily replace existing products like Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod or the PDAs and PCs people already use.But other portable media and game-playing devices that cost between US$500 to $1,000 -- the price point Microsoft is targeting for Origami -- and lack the computing power or functionality of the Windows OS may be in danger of obsolescence, he said in remarks sent via e-mail.

"The fact that Origami is a PC-based platform means that there's a lot of functionality that it's going to be capable of and, like the PC, be able to offer a no-compromise solution for most of these applications," Gartenberg wrote.

Microsoft Origami, a mini laptop, unveiled
CNN 

"This is a single ultra-mobile computer that combines the functionality of many different products," David Steel, the vice president for marketing at Samsung's digital media group, said at the CeBIT technology trade show in Hanover, Germany.

Samsung positions the UMPC as a handheld organizer, an MP3 portable music player, a mobile television receiver, a games device and a notebook PC and believes it will be more successful than the full-sized tablet notebook PC with touch screen, launched four years ago.

"We really believe the difference is now the connectivity. the tablet PC had a certain form factor, but it did not really offer the mobility the new product can do. And along with mobility there is (now) connectivity," Steel said.

The new machines will connect wirelessly to the Internet and carry full-sized hard drives, but they are not intended to replace current PCs.

New Tablet PC Melds Laptop and Media Player
Top Tech News.

"This is basically a small but powerful laptop computer that is also a sophisticated entertainment device," said Patrick Pavel, a Samsung product manager for Germany, who showed a prototype of the Q1 computer on Wednesday at the CeBIT technology fair.

In a bid to crack the crowded market for handheld computers and music players, Microsoft, Intel, and three electronics makers on Thursday introduced an ultralight tablet computer that melds a laptop and a media player into a thin, new device.

The three firms are Samsung of South Korea, Asus of Taiwan and Founder, a Chinese company.

Intel is making the processors and roughly 20 percent of the inside of all three companies' devices, Herbert Weber, Intel's head of digital entertainment in Europe, said shortly before an Intel news conference at CeBIT on Thursday.

Samsung will make the Q1, which will use Microsoft's XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. The device is a product of Microsoft's so-called Origami project, an effort to shrink and redefine the laptop while increasing sales of Microsoft software for hand-held devices.

"This is basically a small but powerful laptop computer that is also a sophisticated entertainment device," said Patrick Pavel, a Samsung product manager for Germany, who showed a prototype of the Q1 computer on Wednesday at the CeBIT technology fair.

The tablet PC by Samsung is a flat black rectangle that weighs