Gartner Calls Microsoft's Ultra-Mobile PC A 'Tweener' Gadget
 

Microsoft Corp.'s much ballyhooed ultra-mobile PC is more promise than real, as the technology needed to deliver the device envisioned by the software giant is at least two years away, a research firm said.

In a recent analysis, Gartner Inc. said the device scheduled to ship in the second quarter is more of a "tweener" gadget that's too big to be a personal digital assistant, or PDA, and too small to be a useful notebook.

For future models of the UMPC to match Microsoft's hype of a "lifestyle computer," a new category of device, a number of factors need to fall into place, some of which is not technologically possible today.

For one, the 2-pound computer with a 7-inch touch screen will need an eight-hour battery and a sub-$400 price, both of which are at least two years away, Gartner said. Current pricing is in the $799-to-$999 range.

More at source

News Source: www.governmententerprise.com

Hype didn't live up to reality
 

And MS was actively hyping it too, actively leaking some info, and even putting up a teaser site (http://origamiproject.com/).

Jeesshhh.... all that for an ultra-mobile Windows PC? Dunno about ya'll, but I've played around with Windows Mobile and Tablet PCs, and really tried to get going on em...

Windows Mobile aka Pocket PC was just too buggy and unreliable. Also, the Windows UI just didn't work on em small screens.

I also bought a Tablet PC when they first came out. Again, it had a half-baked feel to it since it was nothing more than a thin layer over Windows.

If MS is doing ultra-mobile, they have to design something from the ground up rather than recycling Windows code on these devices.

Just My 2 cents...