Photos: Origami handheld devices debut at CeBit
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Microsoft on Thursday unveiled details for ultramobile personal computers (UMPCs), a new category of mobile computing devices that features small, lightweight, carry-everywhere hardware designs coupled with the full functionality of a Windows PC and a choice of input options, including enhanced touch-screen capabilities.rnrn
Samsung’s Q1, which debuted at the CeBit show in Hannover, Germany, has a 7-inch 800-by-480-pixel TFT touchscreen, is powered by a 900MHz ultra-low-voltage Celeron M processor with 512MB of RAM, and has a 40GB hard disk. Samsung says the European model, due in May, will cost about $1,200.
The new Via C7-M ULV mobile processor powers Japanese manufacturer PaceBlade’s Ultra Mobile PC, fusing PC flexibility with the usability and cost associated with consumer electronics.
The R2H from Asus includes a high-resolution Webcam, a fingerprint scanner and–in the deluxe model–a built-in GPS receiver with a flip-out antenna.
Few details are available on the minitablet from Chinese company Founder, which did not exhibit at CeBit. Shown here is the on-screen thumb keyboard provided by Microsoft’s Touch Pack add-on for Windows XP.
Samsung showed off practical applications for the new portable devices. Here the Q1, connected to an external GPS receiver, is running navigation software.
Wide-area connectivity is not built into the Samsung Q1. Here, it’s connecting via a Bluetooth GPRS phone.
The Samsung Q1 shows off digital TV via a rather awkward-looking USB-stick solution.
Intel showed off two prototypes of ultramobile PC devices at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco on Tuesday. The models are examples of full-featured, low-wattage minitablets that can run a variant of Windows XP, developed as part of Microsoft’s Origami Project.rnrn
This prototype mobile PC, about the size of a paperback book, has a 7-inch touch screen and standard x86 processors. It can run full versions of desktop operating systems beyond the XP variant from Origami.
This Origami-like model has a QWERTY keyboard that swivels out as needed. There is also a navigation panel.
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The hardware includes Intel’s ultralow-voltage chips.
This Origami-like device is shown with its keyboard and panel tucked away. The product can slip easily into a large pocket.
