Microsoft Origami - Microsoft handheld

[Magnet]

[Taken from www.ign.com (http://www.ign.com)]

A video surfaced online this week that shows off Microsoft's new handheld project, named "Origami." The tablet looks like more of a portable PC than a dedicated handheld gaming machine, but in the video, a young man was shown playing the blockbuster-hit Halo. Check out the Origami video here. (http://creativecoremedia.com/mso.swf)

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/691/691756/microsoft-handheld-revealed-20060227111936232-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/691/691935/img_3419474.html)

From the video, Origami looks to be about the size of a standard keyboard, minus the number pad, and a bit larger than Sony's PSP handheld. In the video, Origami was used to listen to music, send instant messages, draw silly pictures, access road maps and send pictures online. It could be docked to a PC, used as a remote control for the Window Media Center, used to play videogames and surf the Web and send email and pretty much any task that is humanly possible.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/691/691756/microsoft-handheld-revealed-20060227111936607-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/691/691935/img_3419476.html)

Keep in mind that the movie is a year old, and is purely video concept art at this point, reported the Seattle Post Intelligencer. We could be seeing confirmation of the project with all the details as early as March 2, according to Origamiproject.com (http://www.origamiproject.com/), a site that is accessible through Microsoft.com.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/691/691756/microsoft-handheld-revealed-20060227111936982-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/691/691935/img_3419478.html)

Rumors of a Microsoft handheld have been swirling for some time as the company is looking to break into a market dominated by Apple's iPod. The Origami project appears to be more of a mini, mobile do-everything PC instead of just a music player or just a gaming system. There is a possibility that Origami will also be compatible some way with the Xbox 360, although it's pure speculation as to if full production title or Xbox Live Arcade games will be playable.

We'll keep you posted as more details of the Origami project surface, but keep your eyes peeled March 2 for major details from Microsoft.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/691/691756/microsoft-handheld-revealed-20060227111937388-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/691/691935/img_3419480.html)

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/691/691756/microsoft-handheld-revealed-20060227111937763-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/691/691935/img_3419482.html)

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/691/691756/microsoft-handheld-revealed-20060227111952591-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/691/691935/img_3419486.html)

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/691/691756/microsoft-handheld-revealed-20060227111952591-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/691/691935/img_3419486.html)

So what do you think? I think it looks a bit bulky, but it's still in the design stages, Microsoftare sure to change the look. But apart from that it looks great!

[Charles]

Lol! Quite bulky.
'A bit bigger than the PSP'. Lmao.
It looks quite good, if Microsoft can decrease its size though.

[Neversoft]

Crikey its like a brick! I would prefer it to be smaller. ;)

[Magnet]

[UPDATES from IGN.com]

After a week of rampant speculation and a good deal of anticipation, millions of tech fans flocked to Origamiproject.com today to learn more about Microsoft's shadowy handheld project. In a somewhat disappointing move, "week 2" of the flash movie revealed no more specifics about the device than the teasing "week 1" video, though it did appear to promise a full revelation one week from today, on 3.9.06.


http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gifhttp://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/693/693235/origami-will-not-play-halo-20060302051111851-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/693/693235/img_3429272.html)

http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gifFortunately for those who just can't wait, the Associated Press has broken the Origami project wide open. Thanks to an internal source "close to Microsoft," the AP learned that the Origami is an entry into a new line of "ultra-mobile PCs" and will be roughly the size of a paperback book.

If you're wondering how Microsoft has jammed enough computing horsepower to run Halo into such a small form factor, as in the leaked concept video from Digital Kitchen, the answer is that they haven't. According to the AP article, the Microsoft source stated that the Origami is "not a portable version of Microsoft's Xbox videogame console" and will be "less powerful than full-fledged PCs." The source later told the AP that the Origami won't have "advanced entertainment capabilities," but later referred to users being able to watch movies on the device, which would indicate at least basic media playback.

http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/693/693235/origami-will-not-play-halo-20060302051122538-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/693/693235/img_3429275.html)

[Magnet]

It seems clear at this point that the Origami will effectively be a new entry into the touch-screen tablet computer class rather than a direct competitor to the PSP or iPod. The AP source indicated as much, telling them that the Origami was designed for "tech-savvy consumers who want a smaller computer that is easy to take on vacation, in the subway or anywhere else where a full-sized PC would seem too bulky." Some gaming functionality is still a possibility; however, as the Origami will likely be running on an x86 based CPU and a version of Windows, which means preparing Origami versions of older PC games wouldn't be hard.

http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/693/693235/origami-will-not-play-halo-20060302051143303-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/693/693235/img_3429278.html)

Though gamers are no doubt put out that we won't be rocking Halo on the go, Microsoft does seem enthusiastic about the Origami. Sources have told us that the company invited financial analysis, but no press, to a closed door briefing earlier today. The public unveiling of the Origami will likely take place at the CeBit convention in Hannover, Germany, and on the internet at Origamiproject.com on the same day, March 9.

February had a lot of promise for big tech announcements, but in the end it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The AACS group (next-gen DVD copy-protection) announced their final tech-specs, but not quite quickly enough to avoid making Sony all but admit that the PS3 launch was going to be delayed as a result of the group's dilly-dallying. There was also a lot of hope that Apple's "Fun Announcements" would actually be cool announcements, but sadly all Jobs had to talk about was an upgraded Mac mini, two over-priced slip cases, and a 17 pound brick/listening station.

http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gifhttp://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/692/692835/tech-of-the-month-microsoft-origami-project--20060301032823604.jpg
seattlepi.com
Is this the Origami?
http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gif

It's a new month, however, so we're putting these disappointments behind us. March may be pretty huge, actually, and we'll know quite soon. It appears as though Microsoft (http://gear.ign.com/articles/692/692835p1.html#) is ready to try to grab a piece of the mobile gaming market. Last week, a mysterious website registered by Microsoft was discovered/released. Apparently the beginning of another viral-marketing campaign, Origamiproject.com (http://www.origamiproject.com/), hosts a rather teasing flash video that reveals little other than the promise of more news to come on 3.2.06.

http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gifhttp://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/692/692835/tech-of-the-month-microsoft-origami-project--20060301032752401-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/692/692835/img_3425710.html)
It can fly?!
http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gif

Last week also saw the sudden discovery and circulation of a marketing firm's concept video of what may be the Origami. Check it out here. (http://creativecoremedia.com/mso.swf) It's bigger than an mp3 player (http://gear.ign.com/articles/692/692835p1.html#), but somewhat smaller than a tablet PC. The video shows a number of clips of rather attractive young peeps using the device, and it's apparently useful for all kinds of hip stuff like wireless surfing, jotting notes and sketches on a touch screen, media center functionality, and navigating a motorcycle.

http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gifhttp://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/692/692835/tech-of-the-month-microsoft-origami-project--20060301032823901.jpg
seattlepi.com
Rocking Halo on the road.
http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gif

Most intriguing, however, is a scene in the video in which a dude is rocking Halo on the device. Portable Xbox functionality! Or perhaps PC gaming (http://gear.ign.com/articles/692/692835p1.html#) on a tablet? Nobody knows, but if it's for real, the Origami will be Microsoft's long awaited jump into handheld gaming. Likely much more of a competitor to the PSP than the DS, the Origami will likely draw on its larger form factor to better integrate web and media browsing in addition to game play.

Nothing is for sure just yet, however, and there are some reasons to remain skeptical. The video is a year old, and may not be at all what Microsoft now has in mind, or is about to release. Investigations on our part haven't revealed too many clues and our sources close to the project aren't talking just yet. Our best tidbit thus far comes from the 2005 Financial Report (http://investor.transmeta.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=188577) (published Feb. 23, 2006) of the CPU design firm Transmeta, which bullet-points "Created and executed significant new service relationships with Sony and Microsoft," and later mentions "…won major new relationships with marquee partners such as Microsoft and Sony."

[Magnet]

http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/692/692835/tech-of-the-month-microsoft-origami-project--20060301032641199-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/692/692835/img_3425692.html)Apparently quite a lot.
http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gif

Though vague, there may be some meat here. Transmeta is owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who probably has some sway with regard to who is going to produce the CPU for the Origami. The firm specializes in designing low-power, low-heat, high-performance CPUs for mobile computing, which seems like a good match for a device like the Origami. Transmeta CPUs are x86 as well, which means they can run Windows just as easily as an AMD or Intel chip.

http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gifhttp://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/692/692835/tech-of-the-month-microsoft-origami-project--20060301032739370-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/692/692835/img_3425703.html)
This may be the tricky part.
http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gif

Transmeta representatives acknowledged that the company is aware of speculation that the Origami CPU will be a Transmeta chip, but declined to offer any further comment about the firm's relationship with Microsoft.

http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gifhttp://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/692/692835/tech-of-the-month-microsoft-origami-project--20060301032803573-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/692/692835/img_3425713.html)
Exciting!
http://media.ign.com/ign/image/pixy.gif

With any luck we'll know more tomorrow. Origamiproject.com is currently displaying what is apparently "week 1" of a three week sequence, so the mystery may continue for a bit longer. Regardless, if the Origami is for real, March may be a pretty fun month. No tablet-style device has really had much success yet, but mobile Halo would certainly rock, and we can trust Microsoft to throw some serious money behind the Origami if they really are going to take on the PSP and the iPod at the same time. Stay tuned, and count on us to keep you updated just as soon as we know anything more.

[Sorry for the triple posts, couldn't fit all images in one post.]

[Magnet]

UPDATE: [From IGN.com]

Following weeks of speculation, the Origami mystery is really starting to unfold. If you followed our coverage last week, you'll remember that what at first appeared to be Microsoft's leap into portable gaming (Halo on the go would have been hot), now appears much more a traditional device than a PSP killer. While "week 2" of Origamiproject.com did nothing more than tease a full announcement on 3.9.06, Microsoft employees apparently couldn't contain themselves and leaked some critical details to the Associated Press. Probably the most interesting tidbit from the AP's anonymous source was confirmation that the Origami was not going to have "advanced entertainment capabilities," which pretty much rules out Halo or other current-gen games.

Over the weekend, quite a bit more information has come to light. Probably the most significant is Intel's (http://gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929p1.html#) sudden jump aboard the viral marketing bandwagon. Out of nowhere, UMPC.com burst upon the scene last week with its own Flash video promising big things from a little package. Much like Origamiproject.com, the video ends with a date for a full announcement, in this case March 7, 2006, two days before Microsoft plans to take the veil off of Origami.

http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/693/693929/is-this-an-origami-20060306050759798-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929/img_3437200.html)
Intel's got something to say tomorrow.


UMPC is apparently the hot new acronym for "Ultra Mobile PC," a new class of touch-screen, smaller-than-a-tablet-but-bigger-than-an-iPod computers supposedly lusted for by the "tech-savvy" youth and mobile professionals. The fact that Intel is apparently going to announce it's product before Microsoft has lead many to suspect that the Origami Project is likely little more than Microsoft's spin on Intel's well known plans to launch this new form factor. Rather than a piece of real Microsoft hardware like the Xbox, UMPC devices will be manufactured by a variety of companies and will be united by a common operating system (http://gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929p1.html#).

Further credence for this suspicion was provided after the HTML behind "week 2" at Origamiproject.com was analyzed and found to include the phrase "Origami Project: the Mobile PC running Windows XP (http://gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929p1.html#)." If the Origami really is nothing more than Microsoft's new build of Windows XP for touch-screen devices, it will likely be Intel's first UMPC partners that were announced last year at IDF, Samsung, Asus, and Founder, that will first bring the devices to market.

http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/693/693929/is-this-an-origami-20060306051053976-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929/img_3437217.html)
Another possible Origami device. This may be a fake, however.


What does all this mean? First of all, the Origami is probably not a real physical product, especially since Intel is going to be making the first announcement. Second, we can assume that the first UMPCs are going to be running on the established Intel Pentium M (http://gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929p1.html#) platform, which rules out the Transmeta speculation that was hot the week before last. Intel has a super-low power chip in production, but unless the announcement tomorrow is a total bomb-shell, the chips aren't expected to be ready until the end of this year. As such, early UMPCs will probably operate rather similarly to the PSP, with about 2-3 hours of battery life between charges.

With such speculation in mind, it would appear as though the very first generation of UMPCs will fall somewhat short of the 8 hours of battery life goal that would make the form factor much more of a cell-phone/iPod style ubiquitous utility item rather than a commuter's convenience item. In addition, the first generation, if they are running Windows XP, will likely not perform their media-center style capabilities quite as seamlessly as what will be expected of the Windows Vista models rumored to be dropping in December.

http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/693/693929/is-this-an-origami-20060306050827307-000.jpg (http://media.gear.ign.com/articles/693/693929/img_3437212.html)
Notice the Games in there? Is there hope afterall?


Nevertheless, Intel's announcement tomorrow will likely be pretty exciting news. As more and more WiFi becomes generally available, busting out a lightweight and affordable UMPC for web and email while on the run could well be quite a bit nicer than squinting at a little cell screen or dealing with a PDA-phone. The Origami/Intel news also parallels a string of patents suddenly filed by Apple, the majority of which detail touch-screen and tablet functionality. Apple would be making a mistake not to have plans to jump into the UMPC market if it starts taking off, so if nothing else, enjoy all the Origami speculation and hype you've been reading over the past weeks as the early history of what might become the next big thing. You'll say you knew it when.

[Timewarp]

it playes videos games etc is a mobile pc and does email and everything
(new video)

[Sank]

It looks amazing!

Better than the DS and PSP by far, but its rather big.

[smurf-you]

da biggest thing will be the PRICE TAG!!!

[xxMATTGxx]

Yer Price tag could be big.

Looks cool so far.

[Sank]

da biggest thing will be the PRICE TAG!!!Definatly!

[Magnet]

Microsoft have unveiled it will be £699. I read it in the newspaper!