There is currently a flash video of the upcoming MS Origami at http://www.d-kitchen.com/launch_center.htm -> Enter -> Work -> Brand Theatre.

By the looks of it it's a convergence device like the Nokia 770, but quite a bit larger, and features 'fun' applications like graphics, messaging and games. It won't be a true pad computer, a handy communication device like the Nokia 770, but rather a competitor to the PepperPad, converging more closely with the bulky tablet PCs.

Wow, that thing is hella huge! I think I'll stick with my 770 till someone comes up with something better. I don't know what consumer market that thing is targeted to, but it must be for the few hundred giants in the world or something.

I think MS had to leak Origami to sort of compete with the apple rumors floating around.

I agree. For now I can't see the difference between a tablet PC and this origami but the OS of course.

Try to fit it in your pocket !

db

Blast, another thing to play WMV files on. Yes, it is big! I agree that it's more of a Pepper Pad competitor, but still, anything small that uses the internet is a competitor to the 770, since people are only going to buy one of them (if that). Having compatibilty with your home computer is a big plus, though, like in the last part of the video.

If you check out engadget.com, you'll see a story on this device/hardware platform that says the video is a year or more old. The author of the blog entry also suggests that Microsoft released the video in response to Apple rumors about tomorrow's new product announcements. I don't know that there is even a release date on this type of device.

Also, the Sony e-book reader has been given a price of $350, so I would guess that this is the price point set for portable tablet style devices. In the meantime, you can get a smallish notebook computer for less than $1000; the dualcor cPc is expected at $1500, and the Oqo is $1800. It will be interesting to see where this Microsoft thing comes in in terms of price and features, and how aggressively they are interested in taking this market. This may be the kind of thing where the cost to the consumer is partially subsidized by Microsoft, like the XBox. Of course, with a gaming system, you sell games to make up profit, so the model is a little different.

Hmm ... People are going to just wet themselves when the Nokia 770 gets fleshed out and can run Firefox, portable Firefox extensions, and has enough CPU power to watch Flash movies. That and some platform fixes are all it needs. It'd be a contender against anything Microsoft pushes.

If it can run Halo convincingly, it can't be too cheap. But Microsoft may yet be desperate to capture a sizable corner of the market, with all the new pad devices sprawling to the market (Intel, Apple?) it seems there is vendor interest and with nice marketing videos like these, people will start to think padded life is something they should try out. (It could be that Nokia/770 will benefit from this Microsoft move...) If you think ahead you can see that pad computers may become the new strategic battleground for OS dominance.

Of course, not only does it not have a release date, but worse, Microsoft has not yet even announced it. This means they can back off, never let the device leave Redmond, and still not lose face.

So what? Obviously tablet PCs are "in". The problem is that none of them really works (including the 770), and the origami is just vaporware. I'm supposed to wet my pants on WHAT?

Let's see if Apple can get it right tomorrow, but my hopes aren't very high.

I must say that I agree with Jerome's idea, unfortunately... The mini-tablets for less than 500$ are not really around the corner. The mini-tablet that can run games such as Halo, that can be connected all-day without power cable and that works flawlessly... well that one might well be around next corner.

Anyway the Nokia remains my personal favorite to-date