Since I’ve been lagging on writing posts recently, I’ve failed to comment on the heavily rumored Microsoft Origami project. The product teaser website is already up and running but it doesn’t say much of anything of course.. except to tell you to wait until March 2nd, 2006. In the meantime, there are already videos out on the net showcasing the Origami project.

So what exactly is the Origami you might ask? It’s somewhere between a Pocket PC and a full fledged Tablet PC system – at least that’s what it sounds like from several News.com articles on the subject. It’s supposed to basically be a sub 1 pound device with an all day battery life and a cost of between $500 to $800. Bill Gates first mentioned that Microsoft would be interested in designing such a device back at last year’s WinHEC conference.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Microsoft will be able to hit these features with the first release of Origami devices (is that surprising?). It’s more likely that the new device will have at most a four hour battery life and price of around $800 dollars. Microsoft will probably not be manufacturing the devices either – just creating the software platform for other OEM manufacturers. You can check out the project page here:

You should definitely check out the videos of the new device that have popped up all over the net. They showcase the Origami device performing very typical laptop activities like browsing the web, reading email and listening to music. It’s clear that there’s supposed to be WiFi support built inside as well as media player support. It also looks like the box can connect to Media Center PC’s for remote control.

[Check it out]

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