Origami - Redmond Style
For the last few days there has been buzz on the web over the Microsoft Origami Project - Project Site Here. IF you have not heard of it yet there is a good story about the project over at DL Mag here.
Long and short no one seems to know exactly what this thing is, but it definately seems to be a portable computer with lots of entertainment functions. Microsoft is, and will always be, a software company to avoid competion with their customers - the XBOX is the only real exception to that rule as their keyboards and mice are just rebranded from a sub manufacturer. From what I see though no one really knows the exact specs of the device, but there is a consistent buzz that there are some PDA / PIM functions, a MP3 player, some video component, that it has a Windows based OS (obviously), and that the device is driven / operated via pen / tablet and that they will directly interface with a Windows XP Media Center PC. Some seem to think that this is designed to be a Ipod / Blackberry killer.
I personally would be interested in something like this, and for me to say that about anything out of Redmond is a BIG step. I would want to see Bluetooth compatiblity, a 2 to 3 megapixel camara, and some sort of memory card expansion for download / portability to make this a must have item. If it offered that, with a phone / PDA feature I would dump the Palm Zire 72 ASAP, and I love my Palm. Wtih that understood I have no problem with the pen / tablet interface.
Currently, I am not interested in the Palm 700W, though it does most of what I describe, because I would have go through a conversion and if do a conversion I want to get more then just get a hyped up Palm. The 700P (Palm OS based) is not out, but I assume it is coming and I would consider that because it requires no conversion.
Simply I do not want a Blackberry and I like RAM / Memory card based devices over hard drive based due to how rough I am on things, so only the Apple Ipod Nano has any interest to me. If Microsoft would roll some nice features into a portable, give me a bit of web interactivity / Blue tooth, a MP3 player, some phone / PDA stuff and a camara I would be REAL happy. The video stuff is not important to me because I do not want to watch anything for long on a screen that is under 15″.
Hopefully Microsoft does this right and nd gives us something that is easier / better then a Pocket PC. A scaled version of XP based would be very cool. IF they price it fairly, I think that Microsot could really cut into the Ipod and Blackberry markets, due to the 700W I already consider the Palm market to be Microsoft influenced in the future. For once I think Microsoft may really have a winner on their hands right out of the box.
