announced devices will have a hard time gaining traction.

Nehowig, the president of a software development consultancy, notes that Microsoft's "Origami" concept of a portable, media-centric, tablet-like device seems to have evolved from two earlier Microsoft-promoted device categories -- the Portable Media Center and the Tablet PC -- neither of which has achieved spectacular market successes. He identifies several feature/function obstacles UMPCs will need to overcome, and suggests what is needed for the devices to win in the market.

Read Nehowig's complete guest column here:

Origami: a swing and a miss

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