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History of Origami by Otto - Part 3

With Haiku, I tried to incorporate what I had learned up to this point while incorporating core beliefs I still held about mobile computing. I tried to leave nothing to chance. For example, my concept model was based around a 7” display panel which was significantly larger than previous concepts, but still small enough to allow a highly mobile design. We had previously done functional prototypes using a 4” display, and the feedback was too often “the size is very interesting, but it’s hard to really use Windows and applications on something this tiny with such a small screen.” The PC is primarily a visual experience, and there’s only so much data you can represent on a very small display surface. And navigating through (or even to) applications – or simply reading text and web pages – was very difficult. A very small display just doesn’t have enough surface area to easily support the touch and pen-based interaction needed on a very mobile PC geared for on-the-go use.

The moral of the story is that just because something can be done, doesn’t mean it should.

The Haiku concept model also included a touch and pen interface (i.e., a touch screen), a microphone array (for voice command and VOIP), a fingerprint reader, and cameras on the front (for video-enabled communications) and back (for picture-taking and environment recording and recognition).

Given the super-thin form factor, it assumed the use of either a micro-drive, or 100% flash (no hard drive at all).

The concept also includes a stylus and docking connector for hard-wire peripherals (although the goal was to be 100% wireless with PAN, WLAN, and WWAN).

I could go on describing buttons and other details, but I think you get the idea. There are photos of the concept on the web if you go looking since Bill Gates showed it at the last WinHEC keynote. Here's one of those photos:

If you look at the pictures, you may wonder if any part of the “Haiku” concept was based in reality since it seems a bit fantastic…

I probably won’t have another entry tomorrow since it’s a travel day back from CeBIT-

Published Saturday, March 11, 2006 4:04 PM by Otto

Comments

	chippy said: Hello Otto. Firstly, congratulations on finishing Origami. The concept is fantastic and I'm looking forward to that day when we see highly styled and niche versions of the UMPC. I understand why you chose the 7" over the 4" display but will we see any 5" or 6" displays soon? Are the 7" panels so much cheaper? (automotive mass-market components) Even if you had a 5" or 6" panel, would you be able to fit everything into the smaller case size or will we have to wait for more minaturisation of components? Whats the reason why we dont see a keyboard on a device that is perfect for emails, real-time IM and blogging? Is it again a cost factor for the hardware and design? Regards Steve 'Chippy' Paine. March 11, 2006 5:32 PM
	scoobie said: I agree with the comments about the 4 inch being too small. But equally the models that have 7 inch screens, then a 1.5inch frame all around are too big in my view to be truely portable. Something in the middle would be great. For me its not price thats driving my purchase, it will be the portability. I would also love an intergrated keyboard like the Intel design. Keep up the good work. March 11, 2006 6:53 PM
	Jerryrock said: I do not see a lot of new technology here. It appears to be a reworked tablet pc. As I posted in the hardware section of the forum, I have been using the Advueu V800XPT2 (8.4" screen)for over a year now and although it does not have a touch screen it looks like and acts a lot like like the prototype posted here. March 11, 2006 7:07 PM
	big__m said: You really wouldn’t want anything smaller than a 7” screen. If you really wanted something that small you could get a PDA. The only suggestions I have would be to decrease the size of the plastic border around the screens, increase battery longevity and increase screen resolution. I understand there are some hardware hurdles at the moment preventing all of the above however once this is accomplished the UMPC will appear to be much more capable. The concept above looks much better than the Samsung/Asus models posted on the Microsoft website as it almost completely eliminates “wasted space border” around the screen. Battery life would also be great if it could last 8 hours or so however I understand why this would be a challenge. Even the ability to swap batteries on the fly using an internal bridge battery that keeps the device live while switching the batteries would be great. And last, but not least, it would really be nice to see these devices output a clean 720p video signal (1280x720). Micheal Lambert March 12, 2006 11:08 AM
	milan221 said: (this is off topic) when i looked at the picture of the UMPC at this blog, i noticed that the native windows xp theme is used. Why not Lorayale?! Its better looking and gives a more 'advanced' impression. March 12, 2006 1:32 PM
	said: PingBack from http://onlyumpc.com/archives/27 March 12, 2006 2:32 PM
	UMPC Buzz said: Otto continues the history lesson in his second post: Team Blog : History of Origami by Otto - Part 2.... March 12, 2006 3:12 PM
	Justin15 said: Does anyone know when the Oriagmi itself will be released? I know its in April, but whats the date? March 12, 2006 8:37 PM
	Floodguy said: Hi, just a simple question: I'm using my Vaio U70 now since it came out in 2004. It runs WinXP pro, has some good hardware specs, a touch screen and some good battery life (of course, it won't run for a whole day). So I would say, that I own a early UMPC or not? What's the real difference (except that we now have other CPUs)? March 13, 2006 1:22 AM
	Brano said: Vaio U70 has a 5 inch screen and costs or did cost new about 2000 USD that is the main difference. I think the main difference why bring these devices up is to make them cheap and create a competitive market for them. Anyone knows when are UMPCs coming out in the UK ? March 13, 2006 6:22 AM
	DigDoug said: 1) Does it support switching to portrait mode? I intend to read e-books, and this would heavily sway my generation 1 purchasing decision 2) When should we expect higher density screens? Some laptops already pack more pixels into their panel than the standard(ish) 72dpi. 3) Do existing visual studio tools support compiling to this platform? I realize it's just XP Tablet as an OS, but does the change in processor require developers to purchase any additional development tools before they can even begin porting existing applications? March 13, 2006 7:32 AM
	Otto said: A lot of interesting comments - I'll try to address a few. I expect to see UMPC's with 5” displays (and other smaller-than-7’ sizes) as well, but based on my experience using existing Windows apps (and Windows itself) on such a small display is tough. The display can get smaller, but our eyes and fingers stay the same size. I’m more optimistic about the smaller displays as application support for small displays improves, and 5” is good for some more focused/limited scenarios such as media or GPS. But also keep in mind that the rest of the form factor wrapped around a 5” display needs to be a lot smaller, which means greater challenges with miniaturization, smaller battery capacity, tougher thermal challenges, etc. All of these will drive cost up until there is smaller, more efficient silicon to support smaller form factors. Development tools are the same as for any PC. I hope to see higher-resolution 7" displays some time in 2007. 1024x600 is the next logical jump – but because of the higher DPI, it will not eliminate the need for 800x480 support. While the “Haiku” concept has a very thin border, it does not have controls for thumb interaction. That’s why it’s a design concept rather than something intended to be manufactured as is. Ultra-Mobile PCs can be used with USB or Bluetooth keyboards, and I expect keyboard peripherals to be a very popular accessory. Display output is only limited by the display hardware. I expect UMPC's to be able to display 1024x768 and higher on external monitors. March 15, 2006 3:36 AM
	Main News said: Otto Berkes, Microsoft&rsquo;s Ultra Mobile PC Architect and General Manager, gives us more background... March 15, 2006 10:10 PM
	big__m said: "While the “Haiku” concept has a very thin border, it does not have controls for thumb interaction. That’s why it’s a design concept rather than something intended to be manufactured as is." I would prefer to see most of the controls integrated into the display. I think the touch screen capability could potentially render most external controls useless. My HP Pocket PC would be a perfect example of this as I never use the hardware buttons. This would also decrease the overall size of the UMPC thus making it that much more portable. Either way, I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these, literally. Micheal Lambert March 15, 2006 10:54 PM
	UltraMobilize.com News said: In the comments of&nbsp;Otto Berkes&rsquo; History of Origami by Otto - Part 3, the Ultra Mobile PC Architect... March 15, 2006 11:13 PM
	UltraMobilize.com News said: In the comments of Otto Berkes&rsquo; History of Origami by Otto - Part 3 , the Ultra Mobile PC Architect January 22, 2007 11:36 PM
	UltraMobilize.com News said: Otto Berkes, Microsoft&rsquo;s Ultra Mobile PC Architect and General Manager, gives us more background January 22, 2007 11:36 PM
	xm9x9mx said: انمي August 14, 2007 12:44 PM

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