I actually carry my 770 in a Burro Pak, which is an old out of production "sholder hoster" for a PDA. Just don't go reaching for it around jumpy policemen.

I bought the 770 to be an 'around the house' casual internet-access device; opening and powering up a laptop is too much hassle, and existing WiFi-enabled PDAs have too small a screen.

An Origami-type device, I think, would be a full-on competitor to the 770. As a home device, it'll beat the 770 on media system integration, and a massive software development base (who potentially see a large user base of paying customers).

However, the 770 looks like it'll beat Origami on battery life, ease-of-use, and most likely price; I can put mine down, forget about it for a couple of days, then pick it up and use it, still with full battery power, and with instant-on access. Most MS devices are lucky to last a working day. The screen is gorgeous, and the media abilities are currently passable.

It's simply a question of whether Nokia (or someone) can get some decent software on the thing - that is to say, Media Centre remote control and integration, Plug-in Widgets, decent IM clients, etc. We're starting to get there on the basics, and who knows, we might get all of them by the time MS roll out their offering, probably with usable hardware, and more comprehensive and better-integrated software already packaged in.


Damian

Damian, i think you hit the nail on the head. This, i think, is going to be a HUGE example of open source vs. corporation. already i'm happy with many of the apps that have come out, and i can handle the occassional bug or shut down - this isn't a workforce computer, it's a tablet - so if the community can make things shiny and work with, say, your home media center, that would be the kicker. Having wifi & bluetooth already seems to make this an even greater possibility.

Of course, it will soon enough run Linux like any PC. The smarter manufacturers might even adopt one of the established handheld Linux platforms for its OS platform of choice.

Look at the technology vendors and their role:

• Microsoft provides Windows XP. Lots of existing brand name and very little R&D costs to accomodate a mobile device.
• Intel is huge on developing low-power, mobile technology. It is nice to have licensees for this technology even though it is not yet ready for prime time. But if the money will keep flowing in, one day it may dominate the market.
• UMPC vendors. These will have to put it all together and somehow become more attractive to the consumer than all the other UMPC devices and their alternatives. It is them who have to deal with the press and the consumers directly. They are risking their brand name and finances in delivering and selling the actual device.

I catch the bus to and from work. The great thing about the 770 is I can walk to the bus stop with it in my pocket listening to MP3s, I get to the bus stop and check my email mooching off someones wireless (and doing that ALWAYS makes the bus turn up!) then on the bus I can watch the latest Top Gear or the IT Crowd episodes or read ebooks then back to MP3s with it safely in my pocket for the walk to work. I can't quite see the difference between this new Microsoft thing and the old Tablet PCs? It kind of reminds me of the first mobile phones. Those very cool at the time but brick like things people had in the 80s. It wasn't until the size came down that everyone started having one. The Oragami is like those brick phones. The 770 is more like a modern mobile. They just haven't got to the everyone having one bit yet but it is a step in the right direction :)

That thing is bigger than a Newton 2000!
 

Hey, if I learned anything from Apple, it is that size matters. The Palm Pilot was small, to fit in a pocket. I saw a show on TV talking about the Origami, like it would fit in a purse, for soccer-moms. Ha! That thing is heavier and thicker than even the Newton Messagepad 2000. It is even bigger than 2 of those new mini-phonebooks stacked together. It's bigger than a box of cake mix. I thought it was supposed to be about the size of a Pop-Tart, but thicker.

It runs XP, which they think is great. What that means to me is: here come the viruses, adware and spyware. And it has a regular hard drive, so it will devour batteries. Plus, it is $1000, out of the gate. Plus, the thumb board, like the BlackBerry's, means carpal tunnel syndrome.

In my opinion, it will fail like the TabletPC and the (beloved) Newton.

The Microsoft Way
 

At Microsoft the arrogance compels them to approach all the hardware manufacturers with the latest, greatest idea of what kind of hardware they should all build next for the Microsoft software platform. One of the more notable disasters for all these hardware companies was the Tablet PC. The list of companies that built these things got skinned alive. Now Microsoft has convinced several of them to build a two pound thingy that runs a version of Windows (XP) that is near its end of life and costs about $1,000. I read the comments over at ZDNet today. The mockery is waist-deep over there. A two-handed, 7" display is perfect for various vertical markets but it's way too big, too expensive, too heavy and too general in focus to succeed. Microsoft's starting point for everything they do is a PC running Windows. That is, in today's world, the dumbest idea to build a new product around that anyone could come up with. Every hardware manufacturer who lets Microsoft talk them into designing yet another piece of hardware to run some silly version of Microsoft Windows deserves the failure that they invariably face.

There are more new devices similar to the origami and Intel started a web site about them:
http://www.umpc.com

Apparently, there isn't even an origami anymore. Or rather, there never was one.

According to the latest blurb from Microsoft, origami is nothing more than a software layer on top of Windows XP (rather like Windows Vista is turning out to be) for use on UMPCs.

Seriously, is there anyone who earnestly thought this would not turn out like this?

I don't disagree with you there.

How long will it be before there's a Linux port to the UMPC's do you think?