Samsung plans Origami PC launch
Electronics giant schedules an event to release the first brand-name device to use Microsoft's Origami concept. Photos: Origami handheld devices
The Korean electronics giant did not offer any new details on the product in its e-mail invitation to journalists, but said it would launch the product at an event in San Francisco on May 1. (For photos of the Q1 and other Origami designs,
Samsung showed off the tiny tablet at the CeBit trade show in Germany in March, ending weeks of intense speculation over Origami. Microsoft and Intel also both talked separately about their visions for the category of devices, which they hope will someday amount to a device that costs as little as several hundred dollars and has all-day battery life.
The first round of devices are expected to cost considerably more and last only a few hours between charges. Intel and Microsoft have both expressed considerable hope for such ultramobile PCs, but the companies also say that the first devices are likely to appeal more to tech enthusiasts than the masses.
Samsung's device runs a customized version of Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, along with special software for thumb-typing and accessing media files.