What is Digg?383 Comments
- DanThe1Man, on 10/12/2007, -17/+101You what would be really neat? If they made the screen bigger, like around 14" and put a keyboard on it. I really use something like that.
- Grimmeh, on 10/12/2007, -34/+98That's because you can't physically fit enough RAM into that thing to run Firefox =]
- njbair, on 10/12/2007, -5/+54cuz it's hard to use.
- davdav, on 10/12/2007, -10/+54Too bulky to carry around easily, yet too small to be useful. This is definitely not the sweet spot.
- Magic07, on 10/12/2007, -10/+36You would think with all the posts that this is getting that it was an apple product.
- drakino, on 10/12/2007, -5/+31Umm, MS has bombed many times before on hardware ideas. The tablet PC for one. It was supposed to be the new thing a few years ago, and it has since been relegated to a niche market. The PDA is another one. While MS didn't start this market (and they didn't start the Tablet PC either), they grabbed on to both, and invested a ton into them. Smart phones are killing the traditional PDA, and just general lack of consumer interest is killing the Tablet PC.
I see UMPCs as also hitting a small part of the market. I think davdav speaks for a lot of us, it's just not right in so many ways for all of us. - noneloud, on 10/12/2007, -5/+29Is it THAT hard to design a sexy device when you earn BILLIONS every year? What the hell?....It's not like Apple can't do it with a quarter as much profit...It's freaking molding plastic and common sense Microsoft!
- aptmunich, on 10/12/2007, -13/+32So much for apple over-hyping their product launches...
It's a freaking mini-tablet...
Who needs this? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -18/+37Seriously Forbes...if you've gotten a BSOD on a Windows machine in the last several years, it was YOUR fault.
- knot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20answer to my own Q:
http://digg.com/hardware/Microsoft_offically_introduces_the_UMPC_between_$600_to_$1000 - Xiol, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20I think Apple have more sense to just NOT bring out a device like this.
How many people will actually buy one and find it useful? Not that many, I reckon. - inkswamp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18Just my first impression from the images: it looks overdesigned. This is one of the things I hate about MS products. They don't seem to know when to stop adding *****, how to strike a balance between what is necessary and what is convenient. A device this size has to be simple, simple, simple. Looks like too many buttons in too many places--front, sides, and top. All those controls should have been part of a touch screen interface. I can just see accidentally bumping them while using this thing and making all kinds of inadvertent screw-ups.
- Xiol, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20Apart from a few pictures and some marketing hype, that site doesn't really have much in the way of content.
How does input work on this? I've watched that flash "What can UMPC do for me?" - with all the dodgy photoshopping that accompanied it - and they seemed to be using some sort of touch-screen keypad... I don't know about anyone else, but being an almost OCD handwasher, I still find myself leaving prints on touchscreens and other devices - using a touchscreen as a primary input method seems a bit crappy since eventually you won't be able to see the screen cos of all the crap!
I think MS have just tried to re-launch the tablet PC... That kinda flopped and I see this doing the same. I think it's a bit too far ahead of its time, tbh. Plus it seems too big to be truely portable, but too small to be truely useful. I hate working on small screens! This device will probably cost the same as a decent laptop, which is something I'd much rather have since then I'll have a full QWERTY keyboard to hand.
That, and I'm not being forced to use IE! - davdav, on 10/12/2007, -10/+26Do I sense sarcasm?
XD - Ashenfield, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19"Too bulky to carry around easily, yet too small to be useful. "
That sums up my initial reaction too.
Granted, if I had one to play with, I might find a use for it.
But It's too small for a notebook bag, and too big for a pocket.
This could be the window of oppourtunity that the man purse has been waiting for. ;)
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+20Woah The thing Weighs 2 POUNDS!!! Not Pocket compatible at all. Just use a Laptop! Oh and nice modern looking BRICK design! hahahahhahaa.
- zetsurin, on 10/12/2007, -12/+27Message from the future, "Hyped failed attempt at the Tablet PC idea."
- Predicament, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16And everyone once thought that MS was releasing this as their own hardware.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/umpc/hardware.mspx
That link shows both Asus and Samsung models. They both look almost the same.
And what are their names going to be? Surely they can't market them with the name [MANUFACTURER'S] UMPC. That's not a very attractive acronym. I think I would have liked the device itself to be called an Origami a lot better. - Ryokurin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16If they are going to be 500 dollars I still would rather just get a basic laptop. Oh well.
- clickmyface, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15I am really impressed that they were able to incorporate the kick stand into their product.
Maybe it should have training wheels, too? - callumj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Sell it at 200 dollars and you have a portable IPTV solution, portable media streamer tool, portable wifi scanner and portable skyper.
- moisie, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Why do they insist on shoehorning full size computers into portable devices? I don't need a full OS at my fingertips. I need access to information I may need on the move - contacts, music, calendar. Maybe music, video, internet etc but I don't want to have to be coping with windows all the time. Why can't they just build something from the ground up? Something specifically for mobile tasks? Not some mangled/crippled version of something designed for a different environment.
The videos are utter nonsense, the woman looking at a map who then pulls out the keyboard, starts typing and instantly is communicating with her friend. Didn't have to open a chat app, connect to the particular person, it just new. Overly hyped idea of what would be cool but not actually a properly designed or thought out solution.
Basically they've just made a small computer - wow. - thirdtenor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11its like a bigger (and uglier) nokia 770, should be a decent although likely expensive PMP
- ctour95, on 10/12/2007, -6/+16600 to 1000 dollars? I'd rather buy a 12 inch iBook ($899 with Educational discount) and get a computer I can actually get stuff done with.
- Brymstone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Kinda looks like a big ass game gear
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+16and at 2 pounds, that would make me second guess whether I want to take that device outside or not.
- CandySnatch, on 10/12/2007, -14/+23They're not exactly the super-sexy new-retro devices that we've seen on the hype-vids.... but, I would soooooooo love to try one! Dugg.
- tagawa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10But it's sooooooo ugly...
- akudoi, on 10/12/2007, -21/+29oh come on. whoever dug down grimmeh is clearly a firefox zealot and cant take a joke. laugh out loud, i did. you people take these comments too seriously sometimes.
- NicP, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9yes, educational discount applies to teachers and i believe other educational staff :)
- ZSX1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I agree that a UMPC is no more powerful than a notebook, but if I ever decide to replace my subnotebook, then I will probably go with a UMPC with a Bluetooth keyboard, just because the form factor is more versatile and I can dump the keyboard when I don't need it.
The other thing it would be good for is as a portable media player. I like the fact that since it runs a full OS it will play every CODEC known to mankind – now that is a portable DivX / XviD player if I ever saw one. My only concern is that the screen resolution of 800 x 480 is quite low and the first gen is likely to be bug-ridden.
If you check out the video interview with Otto Berkes, you’ll see the way things are heading.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=2fdf4cbc-7ef4-433b-a875-089b6b3c5436&displaylang=en
But I am also wondering whether Intel's UMPC platform will also be available to other x86 OSes like Linux and Mac. If so were are in for some really exciting times ahead! - timtop, on 10/12/2007, -9/+17Yeah not a fan of the design or anything really, especially in light of pre-existing competition that seems to smoke this. For example check out this SMALLER, LIGHTER version of origami at oqo: http://www.oqo.com/hardware/basics/
I hope this doesnt go the way of the Archos AV (killed by the pre-video Ipod, and now still doesnt get any publicity as apple moves towards video integration, ableit they did it first and well). - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11the design is so 80's
- SniperX, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I....am surprisingly fond of this idea. I actually wouldnt mind to have a mobile pc for use around the house, and this looks like it just might work for me.. Except one minor detail.. No Keyboard(I foresee major difficulties with an onscreen keyboard)? If a keyboard is implemented into later models (luckily these are being designed by professional hardware developing companies) then they just might get my hard earned money!
Digg on the story AND the final product. - Shaft0rz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+73 hours isn't all that long for a laptop, even a cheap one... if this thing is going to be useful, it's going to need way more than 3 hours
- CheeseheadDave, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Actually, if I could mount this nicely in my car and load up Streets and Trips and pair it up with my Bluetooth GPS, for $600 it would be a cheaper navigation system than one of those $999 StreetPilots and with a bigger screen and more functionality to boot.
- Woknblues, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8there wasn't much to see about in the website. Someone above hit the nail on the head. It's way to big to carry around, and that stand looked flimsy, but it looks about as functional as a palm. I don't even carry around my Sony cybershot-85 because I think THAT is too huge. what the heck am I supposed to do with this thing? And if I really want small and useful, i guess Ill buy a laptop with a real OS, a real HD, a real processor, and a real GPU.. . this is Microsoft trying to make up some market rather than competing on established platforms (desktop, laptop, PDA, media player,) they make up their own, I am calling it ,"too big for your pocket, but crappy and slow like a PDA" . plus , I would be scared to be forced to use IE., and their media players.
- jellomizer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7The technology is not really there yet. It is still big and bulky. It kinda reminds me of the Small form factor Mainframes of the late 80s - early 90s Where they were still to big and expensive to be a good Desktop Replacement, and too small and underpowered to replace the larger mainframe. Then it is like the "luggable" Laptops during that time which was Underpowered for a desktop and to heavy to be portable for every day use. This seems to one of those transition products from a company that doesn't know what to do, Right now the Cell phone market is doing good in the Portable space. The microsoft thing is just to much and to little at the same time. Maybe in 10 years it will be what we need.
- jeolmeun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"No Keyboard(I foresee major difficulties with an onscreen keyboard)?"
I think there's a model with a keyboard.
Can you make calls with voip with this? - marnaq, on 10/12/2007, -8/+15How 'bout another OS?
- ctour95, on 10/12/2007, -8/+15It's a toy.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Why are you holding it out "at arm's length" for an extended period of time? To win a bar bet?
- LaCamiseta, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Once again, a beautiful concept gets thrown out the window for something that ends up looking like ass. There's too many ports/buttons on there. Everything should be accessible with a joystick/a few buttons and the stylus. Seriously, who'd use the stand for a freaking tablet?
If they want it to truly look the part, it should have a headphone jack, one USB jack, the joystick the two or four buttons on the other side, and a power port (maybe an expansion port). And the USB and power port should be hidden and out of the way.
Or even better, make the screen wider and have the joystick and the buttons be touch-sensitive portions of the screen which are software controlled and only appear in games/similar situations.
You'd think that they'd hire some decent designers with the billions that they have. Sometimes not having every feature under the sun is better. - DavidLightman, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Well I'm going to buy one to replace my laptop.
Oh no, hang on... my sanity just returned. The 'design' makes the original Nintendo DS look like a work of art. - Drahknon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6This reminds me of the Apple Newton... not in function (as some above idiotically claim) but in the fact that it's a little ahead of its time. The Palm Pilots that eclipsed the Newton had most of the same functions, but they were smaller and more slick. I think the same will happen here. This thing, though small for a tablet, seems too unwieldly--it's two pounds and not very ergonomic. I can't imagine someone tapping out a very long email with a two pound rectangle in their hands, for example. But also, it just looks kind of... beta, like they hadn't settled on a design just yet. I've a feeling that this all will change, eventually, but for now it seems like a curiosity in need of a re-imagining.
- handle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Does it do anything the (much svelter) Nokia 770 doesn't except *not* run linux?
- OperatorNo9, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7If it were going to be Microsoft's device, they could call it whatever they want. But the manufacturers of these devices will want to brand their version to create an identity for the device. UMPC is just the classification (like laptop). Samsung can name it the GoGo or whatever they want.
Secondly, I agree that the name Origami embodies the spirit of the device. When you first try it, it will be fun but frustrating. Then, more frustrating. Eventually, once you have mastered it, you will be able to do wild and beautiful things. - ctour95, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10We're the consumers you feckless jerk.
- cal0001, on 10/12/2007, -11/+17looks like a pice of crap. I would rather have a 12 inch mac or one of the spindles laptops.
- zetsurin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6That's when you need to decide what you are buying the device for. For me it's purely mobile surfing. No movies, etc, so it's find for my limited needs. What I don't need is a Tablet PC behemoth running outdated untuned software.
Interested in selling that 770? ;) -
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