Microsoft uses the codename "Origami" to designate the devices.
"The problem that the PC has had, even a notebook, is that it's too large to carry with you," Sean Maloney, general manager of Intel's Mobility Group, reportedly said, in an IDF keynote.
"The opportunity is in the in-between," Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel's Mobility Group, reportedly added, during an IDF session. "In the in-between there's the opportunity for a new category that will not necessarily... replace the cellular phone or replace the notebook."
"The first UMPC devices running on Intel silicon are expected to launch from major OEMs this quarter," Intel said, in a statement.
The initial UMPC devices -- which may arrive on the market within weeks -- will based on low-power Intel Pentium M processors and will run full versions of Windows XP, according to the
eWEEK story.
Intel reportedly showed two UMPC prototypes at IDF.
The first has a 7-inch screen and a built-in 1.8-inch hard drive. It's about half an inch thick and weighs approximately two pounds, according to
eWEEK. This version is likely to be representative of the UMPC devices that will be introduced in the coming months.
This UMPC version is expected to become available within weeks or months
(Source: eWEEK.com)
The second, a "hand-built prototype" roughly half the size of the other version, featured a 5.5-inch screen and a swing-out keyboard. This version was intended to show what UMPCs might look like in the two-to-three year timeframe,
eWEEK said.
Intel's second UMPC concept prototype has a swing-out keyboard
(Click each image to enlarge. Source: eWEEK.com.)
Microsoft launched an
Origami Project website about two weeks ago and says it will disclose further details on its concept (pictured at right) for the mini Web tablets on March 9th.
Further information on the Microsoft Origami Project, including images captured from a Microsoft Origami concept video, comparisons of the Origami/UMPC concept to other mini-tablets such as the
OQO's Ultra Personal Computer (UPC) and
Nokia's 770 Internet tablet, and other analysis are available in our
earlier coverage.
Read the complete
eWEEK story, which has additional details and more photos of Intel's UMPC concept prototypes,
here.
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