First Impressions of Samsung's Origami Device
Posted by Edward N. Albro | Monday, May 01, 2006 4:28 PM PT
We don't yet have our own
Samsung Q1, the company's Ultra Mobile PC, but I did get an extended chance to play with it at the company's launch event today. My first impressions:
1. The Q1 is more of a shrunken Tablet PC than a superpowered PDA, though with some instant-on capability that should make it somewhat PDA-like.
2. The price you pay for what you get will make it tough for most people to warm up to the Q1 and the other early UMPCs, which are similarly priced.
The Q1 allegedly went on sale today at CDW.com (thought I couldn't find it with the site's search engine) and should be on Best Buy's site within a week. It sells for $1099 and ships with a 900 MHz Celeron M processor, 512 MB of DDR2 RAM, a 40GB hard drive and a 7-inch screen. It has two USB ports, built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but no optical drive.
For a quick comparison, I priced notebooks with similar specs from Dell and HP. Dell's
Inspiron B120 has a faster CPU, twice the screen size and the same amount of RAM and hard drive capacity. Its price: $549. Unlike the Q1, though, the Dell notebook doesn't include touch screen capability or the Tablet PC version of Windows XP. The
HP Compaq tc4200 is a Tablet PC and, like the Dell, has a faster CPU and larger screen. It goes for $1549.
Of course, Samsung would argue that the Q1's smaller screen is an advantage, since it makes the device very portable. But given that we're always told that the LCD is a big part of the cost of a notebook, shouldn't a smaller one lead to a smaller price?
In most ways, the Q1 acts like any Tablet PC, but there are a few differences. There's what Microsoft is calling a radial keyboard, which displays as two quarter-circles in the bottom corners of the screen. That allows you to type with your thumbs as you hold the Q1. I found typing on the virtual keyboard slow, but I'm sure it would get quicker with practice.
There's also an application launcher that makes finding your apps quicker than digging through the programs folder. And Microsoft has put a new streamlined UI on Windows Media Player to accommodate the small screens on UMPCs.
Samsung's included AVS software allows you to play music, movies and photos and get directions without booting into Windows. Samsung execs said AVS starts up in 22 seconds. I wasn't able to time it on my own, but the software itself seems like a solid media player. For now, though, the directions in AVS are for destinations in Asia -- Samsung execs said it'll take awhile for them to add information on the United States.
Beyond that, the Q1 has some hardware features specialized for its purposes. There's a volume control on the side, along with the kind of hold switch used on MP3 players to prevent accidental button pushes from interrupting your music. The Q1 also has one button dedicated to changing the screen resolution from its native 800-by-480 to 800-by-600 or 1024-by-600. You won't want to use those higher resolutions for navigating around the device -- they make type ugly and hard to read. But they can come in handy for viewing movies or photos. And the movies I saw on the Q1's wide screen looked pretty good.
There's a lot I wasn't able to evaluate from my look at the Q1. It was locked into a stand, so I wasn't able to judge how comfortable it would be to walk around and work with. It's 9 inches by 5.5 inches by 1 inch, weighs 1.7 pounds and has the kind of fold-out stand you see on the back of picture frames.
And of course, I couldn't independently evaluate the battery life. Samsung says it gets three hours in mixed use, but only two hours when you're watching a movie (or more likely with that battery life, part of a movie).
I'd like to live with the Q1 for awhile to get a better feel for what kind of digital companion it makes. But based on my experience so far, I'm not in a rush to buy one -- and that's not just because of the price. The Q1 just seems stuck in between -- too big to use comfortably as an MP3 player and too small to efficiently perform the work tasks I need.
Don't blame Intel. It's Microsoft BS.
Sounds like the Libretto does a better job with about the same size (albeit more costly).
why dont you both get a clue.
especially you "Sam"
What about this:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sharp_Actius_MM20/4505-3121_7-30800836.html?tag=pdtl-list
The only down side is smaller hard drive (20 GB).
With some laptops being so light these days, and things like the PSP being in existence, I just don't see what "niche market" this is supposed to occupy. I guess instead of a PDA and a hard drive video player, you can have one device that does neither particularly well?
I'm not sure what this is. I've seen some really small laptops out there that do a better job than this Origami.
When it comes in stores, I'll check the demo and see what it does.
I agree with Sam, Vint, Plon and Chris. As for Vlad, he's clueless criticism reveals that he's an AMD fanatic.
Don't waste your money on this new gadget.
It doesn't matter what chip you use. Hey, they could have used the IBM chip from X-Box 360. The bottom line is that if this gadget is not a lot better than a PDA or a laptop, then it's a waste of money.
From other online reviews, this new product is very weak.
Microsoft is trying to come up with new products that will make them look innovative. May be Apple should come up with something similar but more user friendly, practical, affordable ($700-$800), and flexible with other software.
Having both a standard 14.5" notebook and a pda and I finding them both inappropriate for my daily routine, I'm really interested in UMPCs and other sub 10" screen subnotebooks.
I want something small and light enough to be thrown into a bag without noticing it but big enough to be used as an ebook to read my novels in bed and as a replacement for my creaking shelf of computer manuals.
My notebook's keyboard gets in the way more often than not when using it as an ebook and it's too cumbersome as a bedside gadget so a mini-tablet PC seems like the perfect solution.
I can also see many uses as in-car entertainment/mapping devices and perfect for hundreds of vertical markets.
However, at the moment the price, battery life and weight are still way off base. I'm going to sit it out and wait for v2.
A way overpriced product for a market that does not exist. I recommend pulling a Dell and waiting for version 3.
When I first heard of the Origami and all its hype, I thought there might actually be something there. This is a joke though.
Glad to see Microsoft hasn't forgotten how to disappoint.
Hey Psyko, you are right about Microsoft.
Microsoft has been disappointing for quite a while and they are still in business because 97% of the home systems use their OS.
Windows XP Pro 64bit has been suspended due to too many bugs. So people buying systems using 64 bit extension chips for home use don?t get a change to use it properly because there is no software on the market. DAH number 1.
Vista has been postponed again and again. DAH number 2.
Origami needs no explanation. DAH number 3.
I think that Origami is a good idea. But, the technology is not there yet. That?s why at the moment it?s just pricey junk that should be sold at Wal-Mart.
For Origami to work, the parts need to be smaller and more powerful, than what Samsung put together.
Here is an idea for a gadget that doesn?t exist:
1/ The size should be similar to a PSP, but with a dual screen. Hey, may be the size of a portable DVD player could be a start.
2/ The hard drive needs to be at least 60G and smaller in physical dimensions. May be flash cards will lead the way.
3/ The chip is another factor. Whether you use the latest from Intel (65 nanometers) or AMD (90 nanometers), that?s way too big. Ideally it would something around 15 nanometers, 1.5 GHz dual core, and ultra low voltage with really good cooling system.
Anyway, that?s just a wishful thinking.
May be we can still make V1 of this device if we hire the right engineers and designers. Hello? Steve Jobs are you interested?
What you call a 3 strike looser? Answer: Microsoft.
(good input FightClub)
Funny you should mention Mr. Jobs. I was thinking this thing looks remarkably like the Newton MessagePad 2100. More full featured, but repeating many of the same mistakes that Apple made 10 years ago. Still, I miss my Newton, and would drop a grand for a full-featured, OS X-compatible replacement in a heartbeat.