I already have an Ultra-Mobile PC: It's called a Newton

Valid analysis, though. The UMPC is overshooting the mark badly. We do not really need another laptop but with a smaller screen and a GUI that was actually designed for a large-screen, mouse-operated desktop PC really (I mean, who needs a _desktop_ on a portable device?), no keyboard but no obvious intuitive text input method, really short battery life and impractically long boot-up time.

And what is it supposed to be _for_? If I want to watch films, I'll settle down in front of my dolby surround plasma screen at home. On the road I find a good paperback novel more practical and entertaining. If I want music, I can use one of those natty compact MP3 players that are abundant these days (not just the iPod, by the way). Web browsing? Need an available WiFi access point for that in any case. E-mail? I can use any mobile or Blackberry. Its boot time and battery life make it impractical as a PDA.

The Newton, for its 10-year old technology, was designed with specific real-life practical functions in mind, and its capabilities designed around that. It had a _point_, a purpose. It was so well designed for that, that people are still using it _despite_ its ten-year old technology, because, well, it is still useful. It was not some new tech slapped together because it was halfway possible that we then had to find a reason for being for.

The UMPC will fail because it is not really useful. it is not doing anything other things cannot do better (and cheaper). People will not feel that its vague purpose and awkward functionality will justify its high price.

if you don't like the posts don't read the blog... and if you have a serious complaint send it directly to the bloggers, under Resources > Contact us. The comments of a post is not the place for that.

This was a joke, and i thought it was funny. If you didn't, take a deep breath and don't comment next time... maybe take a walk.... save yourself from being an ass.

Blog posts like these make me want to vomit. Stick to reporting to news. Your personality is showing, and it's an incredibly annoying one.

Hilareous. Obviously this isn't a wholly serious comparison, but it's good to cut through the glaze that covers our eyes when something new comes out. Is this product really so amazing? My roommate has had one of these (slightly different model) for about 6 months now and as far as I know it just stays docked on his desk. I'll have to ask him if it's all it's cracked up to be.

In my opinion, the main reason why Origami is going to be a failure (apart from its poor design choices and ridiculous battery life, to name two other) is exactly in what it is: a full-blown computer. If I want to have a portable computer with me to carry around and use, well, I have my PowerBook, which performs better in every way (and has surely a longer battery life).

A well designed Personal Digital Assistant should not want to be a complete computer crammed in a smaller form factor. It can't have all the features of a PC and still be actually usable. And the Origami may be an interesting experiment, but how about its actual usability? What is Origami's purpose? It's a lot more than a PDA, it's a lot less than a true laptop. If one wants to use the Origami as a PDA, it's too complicated and difficult to use, it lacks an intuitive PDA interface, with good handwriting recognition and easily reachable PDA features. If one wants to use the Origami to replace his/her current laptop, I'd really like to see someone actually _working_ with that thing.

Some here say that if Apple produced such a thing, Mac fans would be drooling over it, or something of this kind. Well, I'd say that if Apple actually produced a new PDA, it wouldn't be something like Origami at all. It would be much simpler to (learn to) use, better designed, with better battery life, better screen, better interface and, most importantly, _fewer features_. It wouldn't be something attempting to be a computer-in-your-pocket. It wouldn't be something with 200 useless features when what you need is actually a good PDA with schedules, calendars, connectivity for email, a notepad, an address book, and little else. It would be something with the same concept as the iPod: simple, elegant, easy to use and to interact with, and, last but not least, useful.

My two cents.
RM

Origami blows!!!

I think the reason for the hostility here is the fact that a percentage of the posters were just being born when the Newton was introduced and have no idea what a MessagePad is.
I have to agree with the sentiment of this post. The images of the Origami imediately reminded me of the Newton, esp the images with a woman akwardly holding one while trying to write on it at the airport or whatever. It looked like a bad, 2 lb dream. The Newt was killed almost 10 years ago, and here is the device MS threatened to produce back in the day (if you believe the consipracy theories). The new origmai is waay too heavy, much too akward, and you'd be lucky to get thru a whole movie on a charge without dimming the screen.
Current battery tech makes products like these a failing proposition every time. Maybe the Newt can't show a colour movie but it will last a few weeks on a charge (or 4 AAs). It organizes data nicely, has great pen/wirtten input. and was built with a human/mobile oriented OS design. and even if you throw it in a drawer for a couple years, it still has all your data in tact.
I'm a macfag too but i can still poke fun at apple as much as the next guy. if apple came out with a product like this with similar speccs, i Would s**t myself, but moreso if i held apple stock!! it would be terrible.
apple will only release a tablet/newton/god-like device whenever they can get at least 24 runtime/72 hour standby, thereabouts... impossible??

Long live the newt, i still have three... check newtontalk.net

What's more telling is that the more things change, the more MS stays the same. This is their "ipod killer."

As with anything else MS, if your product has 7 features, MS will throw 20 at you - never mind that's now a 2 lb mini PC and NOT a portable mp3-video player because when MS looks at the ipod, they're thinking, how can we cram XP into that thing - can't see the icons anymore - let's just get a giant screen and add a 1 lb battery to that - as a result, they end up with a product that serves no market. For a few ounces, you can get an ipod that plays music, movies, photos, etc or for LESS money, you can buy a laptop, a Mac or PC - and once again, some manufacturer was talked into making one - at no cost to MS when it fails miserably.

Look at the market for tablet PC's - now divide that by people who find them too heavy to carry around - there's your sliver for this market - maybe 250,000 worldwide.

I liked this piece, and it seems a few readers have somehow ported a USB drive up their ass. Lighten up, people. Or go start a better website, if you can.
"Can you imagine the possibilities full OS X functionality in the palm of your hand?" I can, and have, and my imagination throws in a phone (because you you never have too much functionality) as well.

I really wish Apple can make a new Newton/PDA. Imagine a (can't think of the right word) skimmed down version of Mac OS X. Simple iLife apps. Wifi. 8GB flash drive (to keep the cost down and remember, it's still a PDA) Bluetooth. :drools: