Scoble
points out this Fortune article
about how Sir Gates manages his workload. Well actually Scoble’s intention for linking to the article was to show
us that a Channel9 guy was on Bill’s desk. It looks like 10% of
Gates’ reading is still done on paper. He has the now compulsory tri-monitor setup and Tablet PC, yet
surprisingly has an analogue whiteboard -- maybe next year Bill. The article goes on to explain how Bill focuses his
attention and how he tries to prioritize his time.
Bill Gates' workflow
First UMPC Available
TabletKiosk has a UMPC for sale on their website
called the eo, which sports a 1GHz processor, a 30 or 40GB hard drive, and to start out with 256 or 512MB RAM. The
surprising thing to me is that the eo is upgradable to 1GHz of memory, and there is already a slew of accessories you
can buy to supplement the eo, including a USB modem, an external CD-ROM/CD-RW drive, and others. The eo has a 2.5 hour
battery life or 4 hours with the optional extended battery. That's a decent battery life for a first model, and this
will only continue to get better as the next generations and other OEMs come out with their renditions. Granted,
$800-1000 bucks is a bit expensive for a UMPC, but remember how expensive tablets were (still are) or laptops were when
they first came out. Honestly, laptops have had a long incubation period, and now prices are down. It just takes a
while. UMPC's will get there.
Part 3 - How Origami could change our lives
Even more ways Origami could change our
lives.5. Recipes in the kitchen. Perhaps a laptop used to do this job, but wouldn't it be nice if Origami could display a recipe while you were cooking? Even the "simpler" recipes like when I was a bachelor and tried to make mac-n-cheese. Two words, dis-aster. My wife came up with the idea, so I know it's not just one of my half-baked ideas (no pun intended). Imagine also being able to take the recipe "tablet" to the store with you to do your shopping. A PDA just doesn't have the size to bring all your recipes on it, and who would fight with a laptop at the store, especially if you have to bring kid(s) with you? Origami may be the shopping killer app. It will be in our house, to me it just makes too much sense.
6. Automotive multimedia. You cannot yet take all your media with you in your car, SUV, truck, van, whatever unless you are somewhat gifted like the contributors to hack-a-day. The mobile entertainment market just hasn't hit critical mass yet. XM, iPod hookups, and rear-seat DVD players have done a lot for the genre, but it's not quite there. With Origami, you can take all your media with you (I'm dreaming of a 200GB Origami far down the road) including movies, music, TV shows, even video games.
7. As part of the mobile audio/video genre, what about taking all your media with you to the beach? When you are done swimming, it's nice to relax with a good book (e-book on Origami perhaps) and some smooth tunes. Sun-bathing is one of the top activities at the beach. What if you could read, listen, play, and in a perfect Wi-Fi enabled world SURF the net while you watch others surf the waves? Or play your favorite games, bejeweled, insane aquarium, dynomite, sodoku, mah jongg or {insert your favorite game here}? That sound like summer to me.
Keyboardless Computing?
Will Origami devices
help usher in the first wave of keyboard-free computing? At least semi-keyboard free? With Windows Vista's highly anticipated voice recognition software, it
is possible. Will voice recognition make computing in the car, at home, maybe even in the office the next mobile killer
app? Imagine telling Google Local to get a map of a certain address or "look up" a restaurant location with
your voice. How about telling your Windows Vista-based device to find you all the local shoe sales?
Yes Origami devices have a way to input text with an on-screen keyboard (or hardware based alternative for some), but that is completely necessary while running XP. Vista will make things even easier by using a grown-up voice technology and might make text input not quite so necessary. I realize that this is a vision of the future, and that not everything works perfectly yet, but if there is a sliver of potential here, it is actually pretty exciting.
OrigamiProject.com Updated
Microsoft's OrigamiProject.com is updated, not that week 3 contained much we didn't already
know. There are however, a few links to new information which is very helpful and informative including Origami's main
page and GottaBeMobile.com as well as Intel's Video. Microsoft's official UMPC website has a lot of
information including specs, typical uses for Origami devices, and even some flash-based "product tours" for
the Samsung and ASUS models. Intel has some info, more from a highly technical perspective as is Intel's tradition.The big debate right now is whether Origami is even a viable device. Many blogs don't think so, but I think it has great potential. Does anyone remember the first iPod? It was nothing like it is now, even abysmal compared to 5th generation iPods. Origami needs time to unfold. The first devices look much better than the initial speculative reports. They contain digital cameras for video-conferencing, media card slots, a prop stand on certain models, and it runs a full version of XP Media Center Edition. Microsoft's touch-pack will enhance the device even more.
Origami may not support the latest in gaming, but it will do gaming, and for the skeptics, yes it will play more than just solitaire and minesweeper. It may not yet run Halo all that well, but it depends on the hardware. Halo may become available when better devices emerge from the shadows. My guess is that Vista will run on even current models of Origami devices, but will run better in the future. There is no doubt in my mind that higher-end games will run on Origami soon. If that isn't good enough for hard-core gamers, there is always the Xbox. The big plus is most of the software you already have can be loaded on it.
This is only the beginning.
Why Origami? - Part 2 (Response to Engadget)
More reasons why Origami has good potential:
5. Devices such as the OQO are so far very popular, but have mostly lacked the marketing power to get the word out. Many mobile professionals I know personally hate how big and heavy their laptops are, and can't very well watch DVD's or do any work on the plane. Origami could offer a solution to this for those who travel often.
6. Getting through college. Those who can't afford a laptop, or don't want to lug one around, will love Origami as well.
7. If Origami has satellite or GPS of any kind, Microsoft is instantly in the TomTom market for GPS navigation.
8. Developing Nations. Everyone is talking about the elusive $100 PC for emerging markets and educational opportunities in remote locations. Origami may be a good solution to that as well, provided the price is knocked down and runs a tabletized version of Vista starter edition. Satellite capability would also lend itself very well to this. It would simplify the use of a PC for those who have never used one before.
Why buy a portable DVD player, a Sony PSP for gaming, an iPod for music and pictures, a PDA for mobile apps and internet, when you can have it all in one device that will allow you to it all and then some?
My deal-breakers for Origami are:
1. No keyboard or other shall we say "high-speed"
input method.
2. No way to dock it or hook up at home to use a bigger display, mouse, so in short,
extensibility.
3. Not enough muscle to be the kind of laptop/PDA/portable DVD killer it claims to be.
So to
the point, is Origami worth it? You decide. Let me know below. Also a huge shout-out to Engadget, the podcast and site totally rock. Happy 2nd birthday!
Update on Origami project with video
Jason had a post up yesterday
about Microsoft's mysterious Origami Project. We then had Engadget show us what it actually looked like. Now we
have the video from one of
Microsoft's PR firms. Enjoy!
