RSSScoble Warns: Origami Over-Hyped?
By Nate Mook | Published February 27, 2006, 1:46 PM
Speculation continued over the weekend regarding Microsoft's Origami Project, with a purported video of the product further feeding the rumor mill. Microsoft admits the video of the portable PC is legit, but says it was an early concept. Company evangelist and blogger Robert Scoble warns the hype may lead to disappointment.
News of Origami broke last week after Microsoft leaked out a teaser Web site at origamiproject.com. A Flash animation pops up three questions: "Do you know what I can do? Or where I can go? Or how I can change your life?" It ends with the text, "Learn more on 3.2.06."
While initial expectation pointed to an actual product unveiling on March 2, Microsoft now says it will simply offer some more details on Origami. The project's site indicates there will be two more weeks of updates providing additional information.
However, with the hype building up fast, Microsoft could release specifics sooner than it had planned. A number of analysts have already been briefed on Origami, and a demonstration is planned for Thursday at Microsoft's Redmond campus.
Still, hard facts have yet to leak out -- aside from the Digital Kitchen video showcasing a wireless mini-PC with touch screen. The device looks similar to a small Tablet PC, but the video gives no indication of its ability to fold, which is ostensibly why Microsoft chose the Origami name.
It's also not yet clear whether Microsoft is simply building the software technology and will tap hardware partners to actually build Origami. The company took such an approach with Portable Media Centers, which have largely failed to take off in the marketplace in the face of competition from Apple's iPod.
In a blog post Monday, Robert Scoble, who has written a book on the importance of blogging, used Origami as an example of how Microsoft could have better kept the hype from boiling over. He warned that customers might feel let down when an official announcement is made.
"I know you don't want to let bloggers in on the secret, but when you don't tell us what's up we can't help you keep expectations under control. Now everyone expects Origami to be bigger than the Xbox. I'd much rather expectations were dialed down a bit," Scoble said.
But gadget lovers aren't easily dissuaded when a new device is on the horizon -- especially one coming from Microsoft that claims it "can change your life."
While he can't yet comment on Origami, Jupiter Research senior analyst and Microsoft Monitor author Joe Wilcox echoed Scoble's sentiment. "My rule of thumb for any product is simple: Under promise and over deliver," he told BetaNews. "If you promise the moon, make sure you deliver the stars."
Paint.NET - one of the most underrated graphic programs available. I personally love it when Photoshop is overkill and MSPaint isn't enough.
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|Nate, Ed...
Something wrong with your database, or are people actually posting in incorrect topics a hell of a lot more often now?
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|Anyone want to hazard a guess how this compares?
http://www.gp2x.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gp2x
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|lmao...
Not even close.
"2D graphics accellerator"
Yeah, 2D? I'm impressed.
No, the origami will run Windows XP and should, hopefully, be ablet o run most Windows Apps. (perhaps not DOOM 3, but ya never know.
No comparison.
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|hehehe, not even close to similar...
GamePark releases systems to a gaming market while the Nokia 770 would be a comperable project to the Origami.
http://www.nokiausa.com/770
The hardware itself defines the potential.
Its the software's duty to meet the expectations.
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|Apparently not enough innovation on TabletPC, so BillG decided the hell with it and made them better. We'll see if the niche is really there or not.
If I had to guess, this is a flash-memory getup. No standard HD, bluetooth, wi-fi. Prolly 4gb of memory total.
The remote desktop feature would be handy. I do use a Dell 700m that way now. Whether it's more or less than a small laptop will make a big difference in the purchase. I'm shocked it doesn't have GPS ready to go... glad I bought my Garmin nuvi!
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|I'll wait and see the specs on this when they're announced before drawing any other conclusions... but as you can read in my posts below, I'm a huge supporter of TabletPC's in general. I saw the potential, and now that I have one, I accomplish many tasks faster and easier than I do on my other systems. The reduction of paperwork alone has been entirely worth it... no books, no papers, and a lot better organization.
Niche or not, I'm happy with mine, and everyone that has seen me with it is impressed enough as well. I know of several people who are looking at them quite seriously.
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|I like what I see so far. I would get one
I am not looking for an ipod replacement. I got two and they perform just fine.
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|seems cool,
too bad it will/would be dependant on windows media player, ie, etc (which my version of win xp pro dont have, (thanks to nLite;D). like all other ms products.
wonder when theyd make a linux distro for it if it comes out, :)
or cool plugins and 3rd party software.
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|What makes you think that? Haven't you ever heard of USB and Network access to install programs?
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|what? the dependancies...
i ment for the advanced multimedia functions and stuff.
as fot usb/ethernet to instal, i know they exist, but im guessing they are thinkin of some special hardware, new OS? so new software would have to be developed.
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|You obviously didn't bother to look at any of the screenshots or anything to show it very clearly running Windows.
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|Microsoft really has this thing for tablet PC's. Problem is....tablet PC's stink.
There is no good use for them. Not even in health care (as I work in health care).
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|Umm, on the contrary... my Tablet PC is the best purchase I've made in ages. As a student, I use them for notes, lecture recordings, drawings, homework, math equations, and presentations. No more notebook paper getting lost... I only print off what I can't submit digitally. Not only that, but I have wireless internet access, so I can sit in classes and pull up information on a topic on the spot... which is great when I start proving professors wrong about their assumptions.
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|I don't see how this is any better than a laptop.
I can do all the same with a laptop. I don't have any need to "write" on the screen or have it recognize text. I can type faster than I can write anyway.
Tablets just have more stuff that can break and a screen that needs cleaned more.
I'll stick to my laptop.
Thanks :)
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|For the record, I'll just say that I carry a soft cloth and wipe my screen gently once in a while. As for breaking, I'll let you know... I've only had mine for a few months now.
As for the laptop comments... As a student, teachers tend to get irritated when you are tap-tap-tapping on keys during their lectures... or at least, the profs around here are, and I confess I am irritated by it too. While I agree I am a much faster typer, and I do type my papers, I find it much easier to write my notes, because I can more easily format them how I want on the page, and I can draw with much greater precision than I could with a mouse or touchpad. So I suppose the argument is valid that most good laptops can do the same things, I argue that having a tablet/laptop hybrid as I do gives me the flexibility to do them with greater ease and proficiency. (I might add that many people are not as proficient with a keyboard as they are a pen and "paper")
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|and why would you want to draw with precision in a device like this ???
you use drawing tablets for that :P ....
imma have to back up mr. Joe Dirt there ....
i guess people with very poor computer knowledge would preffer a device like this for its simplicity but for productivity is practically useless
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|So let me see here.... I can buy a big, bulky add-on device that gives me the functionality on a full-sized system... or I can buy a laptop-tablet hybrid that gives me the functionality built-in without all the hassle of add-on devices.
Sorry, I'm going to have to continue to insist that just because you can't be creative enough to find a use for it doesn't mean others can't. :) No one is forcing you to buy one... I'm just saying why I *would* buy one.
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|other than taking notes, i see no other use for this thing ....
if you can point me out a few, that'd be great :)
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|What do you do on a daily basis with your computer, and I'll let you know what I come up with for you. :)
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|Pr0n!!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
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|ok, on a daily basis, i administer a cluster, monitor a newtwork of about 35 computers, update and streamline a website, as well as an oracle database, reset specific services for MBS (great plains), update and reset veritas backup .... and of course some photoshoping on the side ... this commonly past 3 ... when theres not much left to do ....... then im off to myspace, and some pr0n ( as PC_Tool said :P
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|I'm proud to say that I have just the solution for you then! Imagine, if you will, propping your tablet upon an easil so that you can simply hold the pen in one hand for "pointing" and freeing your other hand... well, I'm sure you get the idea. :)
Seriously, though, I would say that your administrative work may or may not benefit from a Tablet... I would argue that I am a much faster pen navigator than I am a mouse or touchpad navigator, which is why I've always been a keyboard junkie. But between keyboard shortcuts and the pen, I save a lot of effort. Aside from that, I won't argue that server administration isn't made easy... but then again, a laptop was never intended to be a server. :)
The web site updating and streamlining as well as Photoshopping, however, are much more efficient with the pen. I do all my updates with pen in hand these days, and as strange as it may sound-- I think a bit more creatively with it than a keyboard. Just my perspective though, perhaps.
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|You think the probability of losing notebook paper far outweighs losing information on a tablet PC?
Both paper and Tablet PCs are subject to liquid and fire damage. But paper doesn't need electricity, it can't get viruses, it won't disappear if you drop it on concrete, it's inexpensive, and it's a lot more expressive than any drawing software when rapid notetaking is required.
I guess the other things outweigh these tho.
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|oh come on .... that thing is huge ....
an iPod replacement ??? no ... i dont think so
remind me again why this object is better than a PDA ??
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|Exactly.
This is just another tablet PC.
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|You gotta give it to MS, when they make hardware, good god do they make hardware. RUN! OMFG IT'S HUGE!
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|Because PDA's are small and limited in functionality, and often times you need to learn a whole new "pen language" to write with it. On the other hand, a tablet genuinely recognizes your natural handwriting (and very well from my own, sloppy experiences-- I'm using it now, btw).
Just because you have no use for it and can't imagine anything beyond your own limited view--- that doesn't mean countless others have that same affliction.
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|But...and it's a big one...
You're still a niche, my man.
Tablet PCs are still undergoing very slow adoption. It's not just us deprived individuals who don't really see the use, it's literally billions of us.
MS is going to have to market/hype/push the crap out of this thing to get it to fly.
Hey...maybe they should hire Apple's Marketing Department. ;P
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|yeah, you're right .... this new gizmo might come in handy after all ... i can already see a few heads i would love to smack with it ... and well, i just know i wouldnt enjoy it as much with a PDA ....
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|exactly ..... is not as portable as a PDA but not as useful as a laptop ....
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|I think you and das mod are wrong... No one thought laptops would take off either-- they were overpriced and underpowered (both in terms of battery life AND processing power) for years until businesses decided they were worth the "convenience". The PDA market started the same way, but took off faster because people wanted ever more convenience, and then a lot of people use them only as a calendar or access to quick documents and GPS. Now Microsoft is about to offer form and function that seems useful in multiple ways, and I am going to make a bet that if the battery life is impressive and the "price is right"... this will be of interest to a lot of people.
Maybe not to you or das mod, because neither of you have an interest to picture the possibilities... and maybe others like you that also lack imagination to look beyond your own uses, but I think it will be of interest to more than either of you admit. More importantly, you said it yourself--- they're going to market and hype this stuff like they haven't before. Think about it... prior to October, how many "ads" did you see for TabletPC's? Since then, I can't turn the TV on without seeing one.
It's a shame that I can't meet either of you in person, because I would gladly give you a demonstration of how much faster and more efficient tasks are.
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|But we have laptops, we have PDAs...
Do we really *need* something in the middle?
I think this is more for the gadget lovers out there.
I seriously don't see a need for it.
Not that you can't. I'm not arguing that some people might find it useful, I just think it will remain, "some" people, not "a lot" of people. ;)
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|Do we *need* PDA's and cell phones? No... the world got along fine without them, as it did with much other technology. It's not meant to be a question of need-- it's a question of efficiency and convenience... and not everyone is comfortable with 2 options. I think you pointed this fact out with the flavors of Vista. It's all about money and choice.
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|I guess I'll have to wait and see on pricing then. If they hit a sweet-spot, who knows...
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