Samsung to Unveil Origami PC May 1

By Nate Mook | Published April 14, 2006, 11:10 AM

Samsung will take the wraps off its first Ultra-Mobile PC on May 1, according to an invitation sent to journalists this week. The event, to be held in San Francisco, will mark the launch of the first device based on Microsoft's Origami concept that made waves at CeBIT in March.

Samsung's UMPC, known as Q1, will retail in South Korea for $1264 -- more expensive than Microsoft's target price range of $500 to $1000. Prices for the United States and Europe were not announced, nor were hardware specifications of the device. UMPCs largely resemble a small Tablet PC with 7-inch touch screen, and run a full version of Windows XP with special software.

Comments

View comments by with a score of at least

uh...$1264 - that is too much. Ok, $500 - $600 would be nice price. 2nd it's too large, so you can't put in normal pocket. So it isn't really PDA. It is PCULP (PC for Ultra-Large Pockets) :)

Score: 0

|

Sounds like a good idea , but without specs to look at and ease of use (maybe someone who tested it ) comments would be a bit hard. Would it be a scaled down microsoft windows? and if so comercial use would be nice

Score: 0

|

It's a great concept. Start out very expensive, then in 5-7 years we'll all buy one for $300. Likewise for tablet PCs. Eventually 90%+ of laptops will be tablets.

Score: 0

|

$500 is too much, the xbox 360 is less the that...

Score: 0

|

For $1264? Forget it. Not even for $800.

Score: 0

|

I know...seriously.

This isnt a full-fledged computer...this is some kind of ultra portable tablet PC, for a lack of a better description. Or even better, an oversized color PDA.
I dont care how much the hardware costs. What can this do that an $800 laptop can't do? Be less weight or smaller? How friggin small do you need? A 13" laptop is probably just as easy to lose as these UMPC dealies.

The only price I would buy these at is at $300 or less. As I said, its just like an oversized PDA...and normal PDAs are like $300 or something.

You can use a PDA for the same purposes as this stupid $1000 deveice:
Internet: check
Video: check
Pictures: check
GPS: check (only on certain units obviously)
IM: check
MP3 player: check
Mail: check
Calendar: check
Organizer: check

Seriously, I would rather buy a bigtime PDA over this UMPC bologna.

Let me put it to you this way:
The UMPC is small, yes, but its not so small that it fits in your pocket. If you want to go on the road with it you are going to put it in a backpack or a purse. These same backpacks or purses will hold today's 12" and 13" laptops. So whats the point if you are already carrying something that can hold a laptop which is equally priced and more versatile?
If you want pocket size you go PDA.

Someone give me a good angle as to why its worth buying this device.

Score: 0

|

Latest Firefox 3.6 beta fixes 133 bugs, promises faster page load times

A once-sluggish beta testing process has kicked into overdrive, with astonishing success at finding serious bugs. Will Mozilla be able to fix all the others in time?

Apple invokes DMCA, claims Psystar is 'trafficking in circumvention devices'

In trying to close the book on possibly the last attempt at a Mac clone, Apple cites from its own landmark case...but may actually be misinterpreting it.

The fallacy of Facebook privacy

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: If an insurance company learns something interesting about its client through the Internet, is that snooping?

Microsoft 'worked with Apple' for Silverlight on iPhone, says Goldfarb

By not making such a big deal out of trying to stream video to the iPhone, Microsoft got a big deal out of it, revealed the Silverlight product manager.

Confirmed: Office 2010 to ship in June

Two weeks after Microsoft had been expected to draw a clearer roadmap for its principal applications suite, it's finally ready to commit to the end of H1.

New EU antitrust commissioner will oversee Microsoft, Oracle+Sun, Intel issues

As one of Europe's most prominent politicians shifts positions in January, her replacement remains a question mark over technology's biggest issues.

Without its own 'iTablet' yet, is Apple missing the boat?

Steve Jobs is on record as dissing "single-purpose" devices like e-readers. But given their recent popularity, was that a mistake?

Not-so-mobile battery life: Time to force the issue

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: If power efficiency is important when you buy a car or even a motorcycle, why shouldn't it matter for a smartphone?

Clicker.com cuts through the Web video chaos

In a world where homemade video and Hollywood movies travel the same pipeline, it's good to have a real search engine to cut through the clutter.

Microsoft's Ray Ozzie: 'Nobody's going to be 100% open'

The mobile apps ecosystems of the world may converge over time, led by apps being ported over across platforms, according to the Chief Software Architect.

A case study in improving software: What Office 2010 can learn from Notion 3

A music composition product gambles with a complete overhaul, in an effort to make headway against two well-known competitors in a tough market.