Great, the old XP Tablet OS on even older Celeron chips. Exciting!!!!
(Hence, the circa '97-style Flash maybe...)
Their point seems largely valid: this is nothing: the hardware dreams (24 hour battery life, sub-$500 cost, etc...) aren't there, there is nothing compellingly-unique about the software (hence an OS from 3+ years ago), there is nothing new about the vision (Gates has been saying this is just around the corner for half a decade)... The hype is being generated primarily as an attempt to battle the iPod ( a dedicated media device) with a broader offering.
Larry
· 3 years ago
I think they are just confused and were really referring to the iPod.
/zing
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Goebbels: if you think this was designed to battle the iPod, I have a bridge to sell you in San Francisco. Not gonna happen. The iPod fits in my pocket. This does not. It's not even in the same space. No one is gonna go into a store and think "should I buy an iPod or an Origami?"
Zoli Erdos
· 3 years ago
OK, here’s a lil’ making fun of your competitor :-)
But some of the Origami still look ugly (have you seen the Samsung one?)
Zoli Erdos
· 3 years ago
Goebbels, they are doing something well though, the video was cute:-)
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Zoli: yeah, the Samsung one is the one I have on the video tonight.
Mujibur
· 3 years ago
The problem is what space is this attempting to capture? From what I've read so far, it seems like that space is going to very, very small.
Goebbels
· 3 years ago
"if you think this was designed to battle the iPod, I have a bridge to sell you in San Francisco."
When Microsoft says we want to go after the iPod but it will have to do everything our other software does and play games and other things, yes, I do.
"Not gonna happen."
No sh!t. That doesn't mean it's not the best your company can come up with at the time being.
"The iPod fits in my pocket. This does not."
No sh!t.
"It’s not even in the same space."
Sure, it is. As much so as silly softies think the Mac mini is in the same space as a Media Center.
I bet you MS particularly advertises the media features of these devices (since most OEMs will relegate them to the niche, not-worthy-of-advertising segment that Tablets currently occupy) more prominently than most any other feature. (Oops, that's right, if I bet you, you would just welch on it anyways.)
"No one is gonna go into a store and think “should I buy an iPod or an Origami?” "
Again, NO SH!T. And, again, that doesn't mean it's not your companies primary motivation to be hyping such a niche product so prematurely (Celeron? XP months before Vists? Come on!)
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Mujibur: 7-inches small, to be exact!
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Goebbels: have you ever put a more powerful processor than a Celeron into a small box? Does it burn your hand too? Does it increase cost to the point where now you're over $1,000? Does it decrease battery life beyond an acceptable level?
Yeah, it does. Otto covers this stuff tonight in the video too. But, I guess you won't watch it cause you're <strike>scared</strike> repulsed by my goofy laugh.
Goebbels
· 3 years ago
"Yeah, it does."
No sh1t, which is why this is entirely premature.
"But, I guess you won’t watch it cause you’re scared repulsed by my goofy laugh."
You're getting pathetic: you couldn't scare a fly. Yes, you are repulsive; not sure why you're proud of that. But, come on, you know the primary reason why I won't watch your sh!tty videos: the lame and pathetic WMV format.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Ahh, so you WOULD watch my shitty videos if I did them in Quicktime format? Are you paid by Apple?
Mujibur
· 3 years ago
The point everyone here is getting at is:
What the hell is the market for this device? You say it's not " killer".
WTF is it supposed to do?! From the coverage we've all seen, this seems like an unfocused hack that is exists soley because of the success of the iPod. There is no doubt Microsoft will attempt to push media playback on this device.
Like I said in another post, this thing has disaster written all over it. I said I'd wait for more facts, but given the coverage on other sites, I feel fairly comfortable making that call.
Chris
· 3 years ago
By not being pocket sized, it means you have to have a bag or such to carry this device(esp the organizer style one), unlike the Linux powered Nokia 770 mini-tablet which is pocket sized.
At that stage the advantage over a standard sized laptop(possibly with touch screen) which is far more powerful and cheaper becomes insignifcant.
Plus the keyboard appears to be of the blackberry nature which is a minus compared to a laptop kb. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchT... You can get a whole lot of portable horse power for close to $1000. They have touch screen models as well with a stylus.
For what most consider gadget devices, this may not have been a very good idea. I'm sure the video that will be shown will show it in the very best light possible though. It's definately not a device aimed at corporate.
Farhan
· 3 years ago
But seriously, are we going to release a version that comes pre-loaded with Vista in a year or two? Also, how easy is it to re-install the OS on this?
I wonder how long it will take the Linux hackers out there to get Linux running on it.
Can't wait for the video.
Goebbels
· 3 years ago
"Ahh, so you WOULD watch my shitty videos if I did them in Quicktime format?"
I would watch them in just about any format that is not exclusive to Microsoft. Why are you acting as if this is so foreign a concept? Isn't platform independency or at least some platform compability desirable and fundamentally basic when dealing with media formats? Aren't you youself the one realizing this and trying to migrate to a more acceptable format.
"Are you paid by Apple?"
No, not at all. Your the shill, not me, Scobie.
Mujibur
· 3 years ago
Gotta concur with Goebbels here -- it's absurd that you're using a media format that excludes so many people. How does that fit into your "blogs are a discussion" mantra?
mcepat
· 3 years ago
Goebbels why don't you just head outta here then, if you hate Microsoft so bad then don't stick around here anymore since this blog presents good technology news and more of what we really want which is juicy details of MS happenings and future stuff, but I continue to be hampered in this endeavor by a whiney troll named? yes Goebbels, so logoff your Apple Tablet and leave (wait a minute?)
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Farhan: I ask about upgrading to Vista in the video tonight. Otto also covers the future roadmap pretty well.
Goebbels: >I would watch them in just about any format that is not exclusive to Microsoft.
So convert them! That's what I do here so I can play them on iPods and PSPs. Geesshh. We give you the downloads. You can do what you want with them.
>Chris: the advantage over a standard sized laptop(possibly with touch screen) which is far more powerful and cheaper becomes insignifcant.
I TOTALLY disagree. Which is why I'm buying one of my own. Why? You can't walk around with a laptop and use it at the same time you're walking around. Also, reading on a laptop on the couch is just not comfortable. Also, using a laptop in coach in an airplane just plane sucks compared to using an Origami. Also, there are many things that having a small device without a hinge is far superior for. Ask a nurse. Or a TV newsperson. Or a salesperson who needs to walk around with a device. Or a school child who needs to take notes with a pen (ever try drawing a carbon molecule with a keyboard? It's a lot harder than doing it with a pen). Or a variety of other kinds of things (I'm going to mount one in my car and use it with my GPS).
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Mcepat: Goebbels gets all his self worth from beating up a Microsoft guy. Let him keep doing it. It probably keeps him off of drugs.
Goebbels
· 3 years ago
"Goebbels why don’t you just head outta here then, if you hate Microsoft so bad then don’t stick around here anymore since this blog presents good technology news and more of what we really want which is juicy details of MS happenings and future stuff, but I continue to be hampered in this endeavor by a whiney troll named? yes Goebbels, so logoff your Apple Tablet and leave (wait a minute?)"
I the classic: if you don't like America, then Leave argument... only a little more moronic when applied to a tech blog.
P.S. I'm on a Dell PC running Windows, foo.
Kirupa
· 3 years ago
Robert - I have no problems with WMV, and neither do most people I know. You and everyone at C9 are doing a great job!
Regarding the DRM, I don't know of any mainstream device that doesn't have some sort of content lock-in. As long as it is reasonable, I have no objections to it.
Chris
· 3 years ago
Goebbels, they're desperately trying to regain format control with what's left of their market dominance. Dell, IBM, they're starting to drop, and they have a window of time now to push format lock before they lose too many users.
If they don't act now they'll lose everything. If open or mp3 style formats start to dominate commercial portable players with video as they have with music, they'll lose it all.
They just can't come out and literally say so.
Mujibur
· 3 years ago
The usage models for this thing are no where near compelling enough to justify the price for the mass market.
RL
· 3 years ago
Needless to say, I am disappointed. I was hoping for more, and from what I have seen....the "origami" is no longer on my wish list. What I was hoping for, was that Microsoft had learned some valuable lessons over the past few years and had applied that knowledge to taking on Apple. It's apparent that the portable media center is a bust and Apple is now running away with the online video market as well. If you could boot this message up to MS marketing/development team. Let the XBOX team handle the portable media/game/tablet projects. Yes, I know that this would scare your manufacturing partners with the company competing in the hardware market, but if they can't seem to pick up the ball and run with it maybe its time Microsoft did. I have no use for an Ipod, it's an overglorified mp3 player that doesn't do anything else and the Itunes software is a pain to deal with compared to media player. The only reason the Ipod has succeeded was the fact that Apple pushed to become trendy and that most users have no clue on using Media Player to manage their music/video collection. When you have one company that is pushing a proprietary product they will succeed in the marketplace. Apple demonstrated it with the Ipod, and Microsoft demonstrated it with the xbox and x360. Microsoft can design "sexy" products(once again the x-box 360), now the question is will they learn to take what a division has learned and apply it to overall market strategy. Thanks for keeping us posted.......
Dave Fourputt
· 3 years ago
Let the free market decide if this is a winner or not.
I personally see a need for something like this or that Nokia one that is similar (and cheaper I believe).
The most self-indulgent thing for me to use this device for is online poker believe it or not. :-)
Good luck Scobleizer.
Dave Fourputt
· 3 years ago
Oh yeah. And OneNote. I'm a OneNote junkie and if it runs OK on this device you have a sale!
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Dave: my dad bought a $5,000 machine in the 1990s. What did he do on it? Played Solitaire. Drove me nuts.
Goebbels
· 3 years ago
"So convert them!"
No! Plain and simple. I'm happy not watching them, complaining about your company's platform-specific media strategy, your own unwillingness to support other platforms. If you're unhappy with me not seeing them and complaining, then CHANGE!
Downloading them and converting them is the same as watching them; I won't give you any marketshare until your company supports multiple platforms.
"Goebbels gets all his self worth from beating up a Microsoft guy."
Don't be so high on yourself; I get an hour's amusement a day while on the web. That's about it.
"It probably keeps him off of drugs."
Yeah, that's it. Damn, you know you're a geek when you think commenting on a tech blog can keep you off drugs. Here's a hint: I'm not off drugs, and I'm perfectly happy. (Waits for assinine "Oh, that explains it! He's on drugs!" comments.)
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Dave: when I get mine, that'll be the first thing I test.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Goebbels: sounds like I struck a nerve there with my drugs comment. Well, enjoy whatever you're doing! Life is too short to not have fun doing it!
RL
· 3 years ago
I have to ask (sorry for being lazy) when's the street date for "origami" and what extra features (if any will it have over a tablet?)
Anonymous
· 3 years ago
Scoble, Why do you let people like Goebbels suck you in so easy?
I think Goebbels sounds like an idiot, doesn't make much sense, and needs to find something constructive to do but you just keep adding fuel to the fire.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
RL: we'll cover that tonight in the video. Sorry, but they still are holding me to an embargo on details.
Mujibur
· 3 years ago
Scoble: No offense, but you're being a real prick -- the 'drugs' comment was unnecessary.
Goebbels is commenting on something that's important to a lot of us -- the fact that your company has embarked on a media strategy that locks platforms out. This is no different than Live.com not working in Firefox (which at the time you were upset about).
In any case, you often attack people when you no longer want to focus on arguing about a subject. You did it to me yesterday and you're doing it again today with Goebbels.
met
· 3 years ago
I'll wait till Scoble's video to make any witty comments. If I don't like what I see, thats all there is to Origami for me... no more "the good stuff is coming" shit. signing off with a :)
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Anonymous: cause it keeps me off drugs. :-)
RL
· 3 years ago
Fair enough, I understand. Will have to wait until a slow moment tomorrow to take a look. I will say this about the device, it looks like a great alternative to the bathroom reader. Here's hoping for a waterproof/sports model as well.
Goebbels
· 3 years ago
"Goebbels: sounds like I struck a nerve there with my drugs comment."
No, not at all. As I said, why wouldn't I laugh at such an idiotic comment as "he comments on my blog to stay off drugs"?
Absurd. However, I think suggesting that without your blog I'd "slip" into drug use shows that I hit a nerve. Why are you avoiding the question of whether or not you are migrating to mpeg (and if so what the reason is)?
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Mujibur: hey, for you guys it's a mission. For me, after a while, I just get tired of being beat on and I bite back.
Brett
· 3 years ago
I thought the drugs comment was pretty funny.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Goebbels: >Why are you avoiding the question of whether or not you are migrating to mpeg (and if so what the reason is)?
Come back Monday. Oh, crud, there I go again, hyping up yet another Microsoft thing. :-)
Mujibur
· 3 years ago
It's not really a mission. I don't think I've attack you personally. I just disagree with your WMV strategy and it seems counter to what you believe in. Yet you're not willing to speak up about it which is curious.
Brett
· 3 years ago
Im actually really excited for tonight and hoping that this is a great product.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Mujibur >Yet you’re not willing to speak up about it which is curious.
Are you guys really that dense? Do you understand that you're asking me to do more work? Now I have to convert each video twice. Hope that helps. Me? I'm lazy. Underpaid. Overworked. And all that. So, I push back on people who tell me to do more work. Pay me more and I will.
met
· 3 years ago
Don't go thru the WMV > MPEG process thats why its more work... go directly to MPEG
RL
· 3 years ago
On the whole wmv format, I will say this concerning all the popular formats out there. WMV is the only media file by a major company that allows you to convert for free. If you use Apple's quicktime to encode there's $40 bucks out of your pocket. If you use real producer and the real player format then you are going to get bombarded with ad's courtesy of Real Networks. You have a choice when you install real player to turn off the ads, but that can be thrown to the wind when you burn a cd. Itunes installs itself as a service on your pc and constantly runs in the background. Hmmm spend money, or bombarded with ads, or use WMV. I'll take wmv. As far as mpeg, I notice that Windows Media Player handles them just fine.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Met: unfortunately I have streaming customers and a huge streaming infrastructure that forces me to support WMV first.
Richard Brownell
· 3 years ago
Goebbels: "I the classic: if you don’t like America, then Leave argument… only a little more moronic when applied to a tech blog." That's MORE moronic? You equate visiting a tech blog to living in a country your entire life? You LIVE at Scoble's blog? When somebody tells you if you don't like America to leave they are telling you to do something you probably can't do or at the very least something that would change every single aspect of your life. And you would actually compare that to being told to leave Scoble's blog because you tend to act like a jackass? I think whatever drugs you've got need to be passed around a bit.
RL
· 3 years ago
One other bit, I'd like to see Apple display their movie trailers in mpeg. I don't see a push to have them do that, why should we expect Microsoft to do something different. It's easy to beat up on Microsoft, but it seems the rules that people use when discussing Microsoft's policies, do not apply to anyone else.
Diego
· 3 years ago
From Engadget: "From the five minutes we spent with it we can tell you, well, it’s an XP Tablet PC with a 7-inch display. Sorry, that’s about it, nothing earth-shattering here folks. In fact, for all the hype, it’s hard to find anything revolutionary or even evolutionary in the hardware specs or loaded software (perhaps that will come when the price is announced)."
They describe it like many people have been seeing it. Nothing special. Too much hype around this thing that's for sure.
brettchang
· 3 years ago
You know what Diego brings up a good point is it nothing special? Or should we be excited.
RL
· 3 years ago
This is the goldilocks of gadgets. If the pocket pc was too small, and the tablet pc was too large, then this one appears to be just right. There was a similar product that was out a few years ago that was a wireless monitor that used a touch screen for input with a toggle button for navigation when not using the stylus. The problem with that one is you needed to be close to your tower for it to operate and it was an arm and a leg in price. If you don't have a tablet pc or want something more convenient this looks like it could be right up your alley.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
Four years ago I bought a desktop PC with about the same amount of power as an Origami. It cost me $2,500. It wasn't portable. It made a ton of noise (still does). It didn't have Wifi. Didn't have Bluetooth. Didn't have a touch screen. Didn't have an array microphone. Didn't have stereo speakers.
So shoot me if I'm more than a little excited that I can now buy that same PC power for less than $1,000 (with more features and more reliability) and I can carry it around with me and use it in the kitchen, on my coffeetable, in my car, and keep pictures running on it on my desk at work.
Is it worth all the hype? No. When I saw a newspaper headline saying that Microsoft had an iPod killer that's when I knew the hype was overboard.
But is it worth SOME hype? I think so. It'll expand our computer usage.
Can I do this with an OQO today? Yes. But that's a $2,100 device.
Can you do it with a Palm or a Nokia device? Sorta, but my favorite software doesn't run on Palm or Nokia. Sorry.
Is it pretty? It's just as pretty as most of the laptops that sell in the world (I think it's moreso because of its size, but that might just be me).
Am I getting one? Yes.
brettchang
· 3 years ago
Ok you have cleared my worries i will be spending the extra time tonight watching the video.
RL
· 3 years ago
Ok, Scoble, pitch me. Why would I want one of these when I could get a full Tablet PC. I love my pocket pc phone edition, and liked the looks of "origami". But the hardware geek in me says go with the full size tablet. I know there's alot you can't talk about, but the hardware geek says wait for the tablet with vista and sideshow function.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
RL: I don't see it as a replacement for my regular laptop or Tablet PC. This doesn't have enough screen resolution to run, say, Visual Studio comfortably.
So, for most people I'd say go with the Tablet.
But, let's talk later.
Z
· 3 years ago
I agree with Scoble's comment (#54). :)
I'd love to try using it during lengthy presentations and as a scratch pad that I can take anywhere.
Jed
· 3 years ago
Uh-ohhhh... :)
ElCapitanAmerica
· 3 years ago
Actually, depending on the price, people should give this device a try ... the form factor looks big, but it's hard to tell from pictures. Definetly something you have to hold to get a "feel" for it.
I almost think a laptop is still a better choice, but we'll see.
My big dissapointment is the UI for it. Having a small device running WinXP is not my idea of mobile UI. I don't want to be "hunt and pecking" around the start menu and the regular windows interface that makes more sense on a bigger screen.
Why doesn't MS provide a simpler interface for this device instead of a front end designed for a desktop computer or even a laptop?
Unless the engadget pictures are not accurate, this doesn't make much sense to me.
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
ElCapitanAmerica: that's the Windows tax. Changing the UI radically will be very tough to do. Why? Because then you're fighting the tide even harder. You can see it's already hard getting people to accept a new form factor. Then add a new, weird, UI onto it and things are really tough.
Just put ActiveWords on it and be done with it!
RL
· 3 years ago
Thanks for keeping this blog. Here's a little wish list to throw to the guys upstairs. When I was traveling home on a long road trip using streets and trips with the GPS hooked up (no I wasn't driving), I thought about how easy it would be to create a microcomputer to fit where my stereo is now, since the form factors are pretty much the same. So what would I want out of this product? Windows mobile os. Built in xm and sirius satelite recievers, built in gps. A usb slot for portable drives, built in sd card slot,and a sim chip slot to enable mobile phone usage/mobile internet. It would have a built in DVD/CD Drive for movies and music and a standard am/fm reciever. I know its a dream, but if microsoft could make that one happen......(yeah i know car wrecks aplenty from email checking and movie watching)
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
RL: damn, you want the "ultimate gadget." Me too, me too!
The problem is you've gotta make some tradeoffs when designing this. You could probably build that for about $2,500. But then it won't sell very well.
Keeping it under $1,000 is very difficult.
ElCapitanAmerica
· 3 years ago
That's a good point, people are familiar with the regular windows UI. I guess I was seeing this as not a mini laptop but a more portable device, an opportunity to provide something simpler, or at least a layer on top of it that made sense for a more mobile device.
Like I said, this thing is hard to judge by pictures, it's something that definetly you have to try and I hope to see it somewhere soon.
Chris
· 3 years ago
"Goebbels: sounds like I struck a nerve there with my drugs comment. Well, enjoy whatever you’re doing! Life is too short to not have fun doing it!"
Back on the subject of drugs, Anyone and everyone living in Washington State should write their local representative about this guy.
He didn't really do anything and they want to throw the book at him over in WA.
John C. Welch
· 3 years ago
Robert,
The playback problems with WM on a Mac are largely fixed thanks to Flip4Mac. However, according to the CEO of Flip4Mac, the WM team has *ceased* all further development of anything for WM that is not Windows. (Listen to the interview on the Your Mac Life stream for 8 march 2006).
So what happens when your WM infrastructure gets upgraded without you knowing to a setup that only supports WM 10 and newer? What happens if they require Windows - only DRM?
Bang, no Channel 9 for anyone not on Windows. Bye.
If the WM streaming server can't properly stream MPEG 4, then that's a pretty piss-poor limitation on its part, but you have not control over that.
now that I can FINALLY scrub past stuff I don't care about in WM, i've been watching the channel 9 stuff a little more, but if the WM team decides that it's WM 10 or newer, then WM is a single - platform stream, and I see nothing from MS or the WM team to counter that.
This is a HUGE problem for anyone using WM, because god knows THOSE servers weren't free, but there's no assurance that they aren't going to be forced into a Windows only posture via "stealth" upgrades in security packs and service packs, (something MS has done before with WM).
Goebbels
· 3 years ago
"Are you guys really that dense?"
As dense as what?
"Do you understand that you’re asking me to do more work?"
No, we're not. Do you realize that you just asked us to convert the video. Why is it okay to ask us to do more work but not you? Don't you understand?
"Now I have to convert each video twice. Hope that helps. Me? I’m lazy. Underpaid. Overworked. And all that."
No, you don't. As met said, just go straight to mpeg.
"Met: unfortunately I have streaming customers and a huge streaming infrastructure that forces me to support WMV first."
That's your company's fault for removing mpeg features from their streaming server and advocating their format, but that doesn't rationalize the technological deficit, not does it permit you to start insulting me. I'd have no problem with you saying: I know we're limiting ourselves and it's against my beliefs but my company refuses to support standards and forces me to use this format. At least there's integrity in that. Rather than asking people to spend an hour converting them.
"So, I push back on people who tell me to do more work. Pay me more and I will."
Do want you will. Because you are lazy or overworked or because you work for a company that fosters lock-in won't prevent us from criticizing, and personal insults aren't an answer to that criticism.
"When somebody tells you if you don’t like America to leave they are telling you to do something you probably can’t do or at the very least something that would change every single aspect of your life."
You miss the point: it has nothing to do with living in a country. It has to do with it being perfectly valid to support or care about something or to be a part of a dialog and still criticize it. Guess that went over your head. This blog would be pretty lame if it was just sycophantic support. There needs to be debate.
"I don’t see a push to have them do that, why should we expect Microsoft to do something different."
Because Apple provides a full-featured playback option for both platforms. Whereas Microsoft has decided to limit it's support in an attempt to regain some marketshare.
"So shoot me if I’m more than a little excited that I can now buy that same PC power for less than $1,000 (with more features and more reliability) and I can carry it around with me and use it in the kitchen, on my coffeetable, in my car, and keep pictures running on it on my desk at work."
And the point is: components get cheaper and smaller and more efficient, but you've been acting as if Microsoft invented something.
"The playback problems with WM on a Mac are largely fixed thanks to Flip4Mac."
It's caused to many crashes on my systems. I've uninstalled it.
ElCapitanAmerica
· 3 years ago
Robert, it sounds like you just need an engineering solution to this "problem". If it takes you a lot of time to convert the video, just have somebody automate the task for you, it's not rocket science after all.
I did convert a video you had once to mp3 for an audio version (an interview), you never posted it. I know you're pretty busy (so are we) but working at a bleeding edge technology company it's a bit weird that you haven't asked anybody over there to just automate this task and provide different versions of the video/interviews. I know for the interviews, I would love to just have audio version to listen to in the car (like I do with podcasts)
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
ElCapitanAmerica: the problem is that our uploading system isn't automatable. But, yeah, I've let some of the execution stuff slide. Sorry. I say, as I am working at 7:40 p.m.
Mr. Sun
· 3 years ago
If you go to www.CBSNews.com now, you'll find a video report on Origami. Just look to the left and click on the "Microsoft Origami Mystery Unfolds" link and the video will play on the right side of the web page. This video is different from the one broadcast on TV. For instance, it shows how you can write "M" on the screen with your finger and the music will begin to play.
Roberto J. Dohnert
· 3 years ago
Damn, what a shame. I was hoping of accusing you guys of being evil just a little while longer :)
J. Random Poster
· 3 years ago
Scoble,
The "are you paid by Apple" line that you've tossed at Goebbels (and me, a couple of weeks ago) is a cop-out. If Steve Jobs were to personally criticise your product, you'd still better be able to counter the criticism with facts.
Unfortunately, the facts are that "origami" is just a new name for the same old crap, with doesn't get any better for having been squeezed into an even smaller display than the tablet PCs already had. You didn't make it small enough to go in a pocket, and you didn't make it big enough to work on comfortably. In fact, I'd have to say that MS has managed to perfectly hit the "sour spot" for the potential utility of such a device.
You got some buzz for about a week or so by not saying what it was, and now everyone's learned that it's just another Windows frob. Nothing to see here.
J. Random Poster
· 3 years ago
Goebbels,
If you're using a Dell, then I certainly understand your hostility towards the Evil Empire and anyone who works for it. ;-) Put it on E-bay, and get yourself a Mac. You'll feel so much better.
In the meantime, I highly recommend the latest version of Flip4Mac (released either today, or very recently). It's made CNN work reliably for me for the first time. The Windows Media Player package for the Mac was hopeless, and the previous Flip4Mac only worked for me after I reloaded the page at least once.
John C. Welch
· 3 years ago
“The playback problems with WM on a Mac are largely fixed thanks to Flip4Mac.”
It’s caused to many crashes on my systems. I’ve uninstalled it.
Well, to be specific, I was talking about the problems with WiMP Mac. WM will never, according to the WM team, be 'fixed' on a Mac, unless by 'fixed' you mean in the veterinary sense.
Which makes Robert's attempts to crack on QuickTime even funnier. Hell, on Windows, QuickTime allows you to convert WMA to AAC. I can't even do that on my Mac without paying Flip4Mac some real cash.
But Robert's never been a slave to the facts, why expect him to start now.
But...the UPLOAD system isn't automatable? Holy crapola batman, that's ridiculous. You can't automate a file upload?
Frank Casanova and the QT team should be paying Robert. Every time he talks about how lame WM Servers are AT MICROSOFT, they get another convert to QT/Darwin Streaming Server.
John C. Welch
· 3 years ago
I think it's time to change that slogan from "Microsoft is Evil" to "Microsoft is Dumb".
scobleizer
· 3 years ago
How about "dumb and evil?" ;-)
Eric H.
· 3 years ago
That CBSNews.com video was pretty cool. I liked the yellow/black model they showed.
I wanted to bring something up that I've found interesting through this whole unravelling of the Origami campaign.
I read an article in Wired about a year and a half ago about the Vaio U50 and Vaio TR5B being import only and that there was no market for such small, uber-portable devices in America because of the small screens and high prices. The other point they made was that the laptop market was still growing exponentially and that the need to innovate at that point was unnecessary. There was a quote something to the effect of: "American manufacturers have been sitting on palmtop / ultra mobile technology for a while now, but won't release anything of the sort until a lower price can outweigh the criticisms for having such a unfriendly screen size and lack of desktop-replacement power."
Having read that, this completely fell into that timeline they established and was no shock to me. Now, I truly think the trick will be to make a 'hot looking' version so that it'll be fashionable to carry around. How many people bought RAZRs despite the massive recall of the first waves due to manufacturer defect on the hinges? How many people buy iPods and watch them pick up every scratch and scuff that normal use can throw at it (and then some), just to show it off on their arm at the gym? Apple has stayed competitive through their dominance (or monopoly?) of the pretty gadgets market. *That* is where competitors must strike if they want to take back some of that stake.
Eric H.
· 3 years ago
P.S. I'm a Microsoft Whore running MSWhore.. XP.. Professional.
I forgot to mention that if this has WiFi now, couldn't you use VOIP to make an awkward phone out of it?
OH, and you mentioned Celeron was the choice for price and power usage. Where does Centrino match up in those categories? I couldn't find any direct comparisons that really answered that.
Eric H.
· 3 years ago
P.P.S. I have two Macs, two iPods, and two PCs. They all know their roles.
Frank Mucklo
· 3 years ago
This is the car pc I've been waiting for. Mount it on the dashboard. GPS. Down load podcasts with wifi. Play your mp3 files. This might just be perfect for that drive time commute. Load Itunes and and let it update with your wireless router at home when you pull into the garage. Satalite radio will die. Bring it in at the $500 price range and you have a winner!
J. Random Poster
· 3 years ago
John,
A few days ago, I needed to run an experiment with streaming the video from an iSight camera to another host (unicast). Starting from scratch, never having launched the Quicktime Broadcaster App, it took me about twenty minutes to have the video showing up on the other machine. That was with me just frobbing the controls, rather than reading the documentation. ;-)
So, WM servers are a PITA to set up? Gee, who'd have imagined that?
tpollock
· 3 years ago
Robert I am freakin lost here and I truly think you drank too much Microsoft Cool-Aid.. First things first..
Can I say DUALCOR!!!
Robert what does it say when a private company who has "NO INS" at Microsoft creates a product with Windows XP Tablet and Windows Mobile 5 (TO GIVE INSTANT ON) something Intel is saying they are going to try to do in 2007!!!
What does Microsoft say when they can have INSTANT ON FUNCTIONALITY if they just use the OS like DUALCOR is!!
Second PRICE!! 1,000 Freakin dollars? Must I say it again.. Dualcor 1,500 freaking dollars?
Third Speed!!! INTEL CELERON!!! 900MHz!!!! DUALCOR 1.5GHZ!!!!!!
Fourth Weight... 2.0lbs .... Dualcor 1.1lbs
Robert I am not trying to be a jerk but if someone slaps a Samsung, Acer or Intel logo on a box with Microsoft they tend to go WOOOHEEEE..
Michiel
· 3 years ago
"Origami devices run the same Windows Tablet PC Edition that my full scale Tablet PC is running."
Bet your tablet doesn't have use Viiv technology. and THERE is the difference. It's not in the software.
Also: Bloggers hate the Origami mainly for the lame attempts at hyping. Or because they're snarky. Lord know I don't like it, but then again, I'm prolly not the market you are aiming for.
tpollock
· 3 years ago
Ooops I forgot ---- 512mb RAM ---- DualCor 1Gig Ram
tpollock
· 3 years ago
oh yeah and I guess this doesn't help but Gizmodo agrees
I find it rather disturbing that an employee of a company in violation of court order - and operating outside the bounds of its antitrust settlement - in the United States and in Europe is talking about evil like it's a positive trait. Nothing a few years in prison for execs and accomplice employees won't fix.
Eric H.
· 3 years ago
#88: Classic..
My God I love Microsoft.
tpollock
· 3 years ago
Oh Robert I would love to hear your answer...
Dmad
· 3 years ago
#54 "Am I getting one? Yes".
Well, that's a shock! This surprises us....how? Methiks you would be getting one even it was running Windows for Winos 3.11 and had and elograph touch screen. That's how much of a shill you have become. I can't believe you seem to ignore even the most valid of criticisms of this thing. You're not losing credibility daily, you are losing credibility with each post.
John Tokash
· 3 years ago
Dmad, is it that hard to believe that someone would honestly want to buy an affordable (
tpollock: I like the Dualcor a lot. But it's $1,500. Origami will be less than $1,000. In some cases, a lot less. To many of you that won't be a big deal. For others?
John Tokash
· 3 years ago
Ooops... my comment was cut off because I used the less-than sign - I guess Wordpress thought I was putting in HTML.
Anyway, Dmad, is it that hard to believe that Robert is just a victim of technolust like I am? I've avoided the windows mobile and wince line of devices forever (I prefer palmos - started with a Pilot, then a Palm III, then a Palm V, then a Tungsten C, then a Palm TX) and I'm really loving the Origami specs so far! I'll most likely be buying one on day one.
Technolust victim != shill. At least, not necessarily.
monk.e.boy
· 3 years ago
So much hype, so many sexy looking renders. Then, today, I actually see a working device. I am soooo disapointed. I was expecting something slim :-( something that'd fit in my pocket.
Ah well.
Maybe next year ;-)
John C. Welch
· 3 years ago
Robert, "evil" implies something calculated, and a deliberate, planned strategy.
Anymore, the entire Windows parts of MS are just like a big, stupid, moose of a kid in a china shop. Oh sure, bad things are going to happen, but it's because the kid is too stupid and uncoordinated to not break crap.
In the 90s, MS was far more calculating about things. These days? Nah, not so much. You're still making all the same mistakes, but now, it's out of habit, not any deliberate plan.
One Example: Where's WPF/E? I mean, besides marketing literature. It got a great bit at the PDC keynote. OOooh...cross platform.
But now, you go looking for it, and it just doesn't seem to exist. No articles in MSDN, no sample code, no examples of how to use it.
I'm sure that somewhere, some prat at MS thinks that they can half-ass this, and sucker people into writing a bunch of WPF code planning on WPF/E, and WPF/E will just never really happen. I know you ignore the subject constantly, but then, you do that when the answer's inconvenient.
So, no, not evil Robert. Just stupid and clumsy. (Excepting the Mac BU, but then I ALWAYS except the Mac BU, for they are everything the rest of MS is not: Focused, aware, running lean, and the best cross-platform team MS has, has ever had, and will ever have. They code RINGS around the rest of Big Dumb MS)
Cider
· 3 years ago
John C Welch,
Oh, the Mac BU. They MUST be fantastic, because THEY run MACS!!!!!!!!!
Shut up, you blethering twat.
John C. Welch
· 3 years ago
No cider, they aren't. They're great because they have the characteristics that the rest of MS desparately needs:
1) they're focused. They have a line of products that are all related, and work together, and are small in number. The Mac BU's product line is easily recited from memory.
2) They have a clear mission: To make great MS software on the Mac.
3) They don't over hype and under-deliver.
4) They create over 4x the amount of products as the any single Office:Win team, yet they have less people, including the Janitors than even the WinOutlook team.
5) They are not afraid to say "No" or "Not yet" when "Yes" would be a bad idea, even if the customer wants it, and they do so far more straightforward and honestly than any Windows team does. Kevin Brown's blunt reason for not porting Access to the Mac in spite of clear, continual customer demand was a great example. They didn't, and still don't have the resources to do so and still keep producing the software they already do make. Instead, they realized that FileMaker is a great solution on the Mac, and did the work to make Office work better with that product.
6) they aren't afraid of other people's ideas. Office Mac had support for PDF images and PNG alpha channels/transparencies long before Office:Win. Powerpoint on the Mac has transitions that PowerPoint on Windows can't match, and those came from Keynote first. Rather than cobbling together some hacked-arsed version of an MSI, they created a nice drag and drop installer that doesn't vomit files all over the place, unlike some other people, oh, say Adobe.
That is why the Mac BU is one of the best, most productive, and damned sure cheapest divisions in Microsoft, and the only one with a clue about heterogeneous software development and implementation.
tpollack
· 3 years ago
Robert the Samsung Q1 will retail $1199!!! As per Samsung!!! So what would you rather a Dualcor for $1500 or a Q1 for $1200??? Ummm The Q1 is running at 900Mhz!! Dualcor 1.5...
Robert no offense but where is the innovation? Why is it that the Windows Mobile Group and the tablet team never work together? Also that would give you the instant on like the dualcor.
Podesta
· 3 years ago
tpollack, I was shocked to see that the actual price of the Samsung Origami device is well above even the highest projected price. Puts 'that's all she wrote' to the marketing campaign.
You are not going to get an answer to your questions. Scoble evades substantive issues or uses his resident sycophants, like RL, to change the subject.
John C. Welch
· 3 years ago
Podesta,
Microsoft has no control over this. They don't make hardware, they don't manufacture it. BallmerGates can promise price points all the livelong day, it's meaningless, because they don't make the widget. The only hardware they can promise a price on in a meaningful fashion is stuff they make. Once you get past the Xbox360 and its crackhead price point, you're down to input accessories.
Never take MS seriously about hardware prices, they have no power or standing to set them.
Kevin Marks
· 3 years ago
OK, lets ask a different question. Do QuickTime Player, iTunes and VLC instal and run on this new toy? If so, you can avoid the evil DRM.
All Comments
(Hence, the circa '97-style Flash maybe...)
Their point seems largely valid: this is nothing: the hardware dreams (24 hour battery life, sub-$500 cost, etc...) aren't there, there is nothing compellingly-unique about the software (hence an OS from 3+ years ago), there is nothing new about the vision (Gates has been saying this is just around the corner for half a decade)... The hype is being generated primarily as an attempt to battle the iPod ( a dedicated media device) with a broader offering.
/zing
But some of the Origami still look ugly (have you seen the Samsung one?)
When Microsoft says we want to go after the iPod but it will have to do everything our other software does and play games and other things, yes, I do.
"Not gonna happen."
No sh!t. That doesn't mean it's not the best your company can come up with at the time being.
"The iPod fits in my pocket. This does not."
No sh!t.
"It’s not even in the same space."
Sure, it is. As much so as silly softies think the Mac mini is in the same space as a Media Center.
I bet you MS particularly advertises the media features of these devices (since most OEMs will relegate them to the niche, not-worthy-of-advertising segment that Tablets currently occupy) more prominently than most any other feature. (Oops, that's right, if I bet you, you would just welch on it anyways.)
"No one is gonna go into a store and think “should I buy an iPod or an Origami?” "
Again, NO SH!T. And, again, that doesn't mean it's not your companies primary motivation to be hyping such a niche product so prematurely (Celeron? XP months before Vists? Come on!)
Yeah, it does. Otto covers this stuff tonight in the video too. But, I guess you won't watch it cause you're <strike>scared</strike> repulsed by my goofy laugh.
No sh1t, which is why this is entirely premature.
"But, I guess you won’t watch it cause you’re scared repulsed by my goofy laugh."
You're getting pathetic: you couldn't scare a fly. Yes, you are repulsive; not sure why you're proud of that. But, come on, you know the primary reason why I won't watch your sh!tty videos: the lame and pathetic WMV format.
What the hell is the market for this device? You say it's not " killer".
WTF is it supposed to do?! From the coverage we've all seen, this seems like an unfocused hack that is exists soley because of the success of the iPod. There is no doubt Microsoft will attempt to push media playback on this device.
Like I said in another post, this thing has disaster written all over it. I said I'd wait for more facts, but given the coverage on other sites, I feel fairly comfortable making that call.
At that stage the advantage over a standard sized laptop(possibly with touch screen) which is far more powerful and cheaper becomes insignifcant.
Plus the keyboard appears to be of the blackberry nature which is a minus compared to a laptop kb.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchT...
You can get a whole lot of portable horse power for close to $1000. They have touch screen models as well with a stylus.
For what most consider gadget devices, this may not have been a very good idea.
I'm sure the video that will be shown will show it in the very best light possible though. It's definately not a device aimed at corporate.
I wonder how long it will take the Linux hackers out there to get Linux running on it.
Can't wait for the video.
I would watch them in just about any format that is not exclusive to Microsoft. Why are you acting as if this is so foreign a concept? Isn't platform independency or at least some platform compability desirable and fundamentally basic when dealing with media formats? Aren't you youself the one realizing this and trying to migrate to a more acceptable format.
"Are you paid by Apple?"
No, not at all. Your the shill, not me, Scobie.
Goebbels: >I would watch them in just about any format that is not exclusive to Microsoft.
So convert them! That's what I do here so I can play them on iPods and PSPs. Geesshh. We give you the downloads. You can do what you want with them.
>Chris: the advantage over a standard sized laptop(possibly with touch screen) which is far more powerful and cheaper becomes insignifcant.
I TOTALLY disagree. Which is why I'm buying one of my own. Why? You can't walk around with a laptop and use it at the same time you're walking around. Also, reading on a laptop on the couch is just not comfortable. Also, using a laptop in coach in an airplane just plane sucks compared to using an Origami. Also, there are many things that having a small device without a hinge is far superior for. Ask a nurse. Or a TV newsperson. Or a salesperson who needs to walk around with a device. Or a school child who needs to take notes with a pen (ever try drawing a carbon molecule with a keyboard? It's a lot harder than doing it with a pen). Or a variety of other kinds of things (I'm going to mount one in my car and use it with my GPS).
I the classic: if you don't like America, then Leave argument... only a little more moronic when applied to a tech blog.
P.S. I'm on a Dell PC running Windows, foo.
Regarding the DRM, I don't know of any mainstream device that doesn't have some sort of content lock-in. As long as it is reasonable, I have no objections to it.
If they don't act now they'll lose everything. If open or mp3 style formats start to dominate commercial portable players with video as they have with music, they'll lose it all.
They just can't come out and literally say so.
I personally see a need for something like this or that Nokia one that is similar (and cheaper I believe).
The most self-indulgent thing for me to use this device for is online poker believe it or not. :-)
Good luck Scobleizer.
No! Plain and simple. I'm happy not watching them, complaining about your company's platform-specific media strategy, your own unwillingness to support other platforms. If you're unhappy with me not seeing them and complaining, then CHANGE!
Downloading them and converting them is the same as watching them; I won't give you any marketshare until your company supports multiple platforms.
"Goebbels gets all his self worth from beating up a Microsoft guy."
Don't be so high on yourself; I get an hour's amusement a day while on the web. That's about it.
"It probably keeps him off of drugs."
Yeah, that's it. Damn, you know you're a geek when you think commenting on a tech blog can keep you off drugs. Here's a hint: I'm not off drugs, and I'm perfectly happy. (Waits for assinine "Oh, that explains it! He's on drugs!" comments.)
Why do you let people like Goebbels suck you in so easy?
I think Goebbels sounds like an idiot, doesn't make much sense, and needs to find something constructive to do but you just keep adding fuel to the fire.
Goebbels is commenting on something that's important to a lot of us -- the fact that your company has embarked on a media strategy that locks platforms out. This is no different than Live.com not working in Firefox (which at the time you were upset about).
In any case, you often attack people when you no longer want to focus on arguing about a subject. You did it to me yesterday and you're doing it again today with Goebbels.
signing off with a :)
No, not at all. As I said, why wouldn't I laugh at such an idiotic comment as "he comments on my blog to stay off drugs"?
Absurd. However, I think suggesting that without your blog I'd "slip" into drug use shows that I hit a nerve. Why are you avoiding the question of whether or not you are migrating to mpeg (and if so what the reason is)?
Come back Monday. Oh, crud, there I go again, hyping up yet another Microsoft thing. :-)
Are you guys really that dense? Do you understand that you're asking me to do more work? Now I have to convert each video twice. Hope that helps. Me? I'm lazy. Underpaid. Overworked. And all that. So, I push back on people who tell me to do more work. Pay me more and I will.
That's MORE moronic? You equate visiting a tech blog to living in a country your entire life? You LIVE at Scoble's blog? When somebody tells you if you don't like America to leave they are telling you to do something you probably can't do or at the very least something that would change every single aspect of your life. And you would actually compare that to being told to leave Scoble's blog because you tend to act like a jackass? I think whatever drugs you've got need to be passed around a bit.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/08/hands-on-wit...
They describe it like many people have been seeing it. Nothing special. Too much hype around this thing that's for sure.
So shoot me if I'm more than a little excited that I can now buy that same PC power for less than $1,000 (with more features and more reliability) and I can carry it around with me and use it in the kitchen, on my coffeetable, in my car, and keep pictures running on it on my desk at work.
Is it worth all the hype? No. When I saw a newspaper headline saying that Microsoft had an iPod killer that's when I knew the hype was overboard.
But is it worth SOME hype? I think so. It'll expand our computer usage.
Can I do this with an OQO today? Yes. But that's a $2,100 device.
Can you do it with a Palm or a Nokia device? Sorta, but my favorite software doesn't run on Palm or Nokia. Sorry.
Is it pretty? It's just as pretty as most of the laptops that sell in the world (I think it's moreso because of its size, but that might just be me).
Am I getting one? Yes.
So, for most people I'd say go with the Tablet.
But, let's talk later.
I'd love to try using it during lengthy presentations and as a scratch pad that I can take anywhere.
I almost think a laptop is still a better choice, but we'll see.
My big dissapointment is the UI for it. Having a small device running WinXP is not my idea of mobile UI. I don't want to be "hunt and pecking" around the start menu and the regular windows interface that makes more sense on a bigger screen.
Why doesn't MS provide a simpler interface for this device instead of a front end designed for a desktop computer or even a laptop?
Unless the engadget pictures are not accurate, this doesn't make much sense to me.
Just put ActiveWords on it and be done with it!
The problem is you've gotta make some tradeoffs when designing this. You could probably build that for about $2,500. But then it won't sell very well.
Keeping it under $1,000 is very difficult.
Like I said, this thing is hard to judge by pictures, it's something that definetly you have to try and I hope to see it somewhere soon.
Back on the subject of drugs, Anyone and everyone living in Washington State should write their local representative about this guy.
http://www.vsocial.com/video/?d=16339
He didn't really do anything and they want to throw the book at him over in WA.
The playback problems with WM on a Mac are largely fixed thanks to Flip4Mac. However, according to the CEO of Flip4Mac, the WM team has *ceased* all further development of anything for WM that is not Windows. (Listen to the interview on the Your Mac Life stream for 8 march 2006).
So what happens when your WM infrastructure gets upgraded without you knowing to a setup that only supports WM 10 and newer? What happens if they require Windows - only DRM?
Bang, no Channel 9 for anyone not on Windows. Bye.
If the WM streaming server can't properly stream MPEG 4, then that's a pretty piss-poor limitation on its part, but you have not control over that.
now that I can FINALLY scrub past stuff I don't care about in WM, i've been watching the channel 9 stuff a little more, but if the WM team decides that it's WM 10 or newer, then WM is a single - platform stream, and I see nothing from MS or the WM team to counter that.
This is a HUGE problem for anyone using WM, because god knows THOSE servers weren't free, but there's no assurance that they aren't going to be forced into a Windows only posture via "stealth" upgrades in security packs and service packs, (something MS has done before with WM).
As dense as what?
"Do you understand that you’re asking me to do more work?"
No, we're not. Do you realize that you just asked us to convert the video. Why is it okay to ask us to do more work but not you? Don't you understand?
"Now I have to convert each video twice. Hope that helps. Me? I’m lazy. Underpaid. Overworked. And all that."
No, you don't. As met said, just go straight to mpeg.
"Met: unfortunately I have streaming customers and a huge streaming infrastructure that forces me to support WMV first."
That's your company's fault for removing mpeg features from their streaming server and advocating their format, but that doesn't rationalize the technological deficit, not does it permit you to start insulting me. I'd have no problem with you saying: I know we're limiting ourselves and it's against my beliefs but my company refuses to support standards and forces me to use this format. At least there's integrity in that. Rather than asking people to spend an hour converting them.
"So, I push back on people who tell me to do more work. Pay me more and I will."
Do want you will. Because you are lazy or overworked or because you work for a company that fosters lock-in won't prevent us from criticizing, and personal insults aren't an answer to that criticism.
"When somebody tells you if you don’t like America to leave they are telling you to do something you probably can’t do or at the very least something that would change every single aspect of your life."
You miss the point: it has nothing to do with living in a country. It has to do with it being perfectly valid to support or care about something or to be a part of a dialog and still criticize it. Guess that went over your head. This blog would be pretty lame if it was just sycophantic support. There needs to be debate.
"I don’t see a push to have them do that, why should we expect Microsoft to do something different."
Because Apple provides a full-featured playback option for both platforms. Whereas Microsoft has decided to limit it's support in an attempt to regain some marketshare.
"So shoot me if I’m more than a little excited that I can now buy that same PC power for less than $1,000 (with more features and more reliability) and I can carry it around with me and use it in the kitchen, on my coffeetable, in my car, and keep pictures running on it on my desk at work."
And the point is: components get cheaper and smaller and more efficient, but you've been acting as if Microsoft invented something.
"The playback problems with WM on a Mac are largely fixed thanks to Flip4Mac."
It's caused to many crashes on my systems. I've uninstalled it.
I did convert a video you had once to mp3 for an audio version (an interview), you never posted it. I know you're pretty busy (so are we) but working at a bleeding edge technology company it's a bit weird that you haven't asked anybody over there to just automate this task and provide different versions of the video/interviews. I know for the interviews, I would love to just have audio version to listen to in the car (like I do with podcasts)
The "are you paid by Apple" line that you've tossed at Goebbels (and me, a couple of weeks ago) is a cop-out. If Steve Jobs were to personally criticise your product, you'd still better be able to counter the criticism with facts.
Unfortunately, the facts are that "origami" is just a new name for the same old crap, with doesn't get any better for having been squeezed into an even smaller display than the tablet PCs already had. You didn't make it small enough to go in a pocket, and you didn't make it big enough to work on comfortably. In fact, I'd have to say that MS has managed to perfectly hit the "sour spot" for the potential utility of such a device.
You got some buzz for about a week or so by not saying what it was, and now everyone's learned that it's just another Windows frob. Nothing to see here.
If you're using a Dell, then I certainly understand your hostility towards the Evil Empire and anyone who works for it. ;-) Put it on E-bay, and get yourself a Mac. You'll feel so much better.
In the meantime, I highly recommend the latest version of Flip4Mac (released either today, or very recently). It's made CNN work reliably for me for the first time. The Windows Media Player package for the Mac was hopeless, and the previous Flip4Mac only worked for me after I reloaded the page at least once.
It’s caused to many crashes on my systems. I’ve uninstalled it.
Well, to be specific, I was talking about the problems with WiMP Mac. WM will never, according to the WM team, be 'fixed' on a Mac, unless by 'fixed' you mean in the veterinary sense.
Which makes Robert's attempts to crack on QuickTime even funnier. Hell, on Windows, QuickTime allows you to convert WMA to AAC. I can't even do that on my Mac without paying Flip4Mac some real cash.
But Robert's never been a slave to the facts, why expect him to start now.
But...the UPLOAD system isn't automatable? Holy crapola batman, that's ridiculous. You can't automate a file upload?
Frank Casanova and the QT team should be paying Robert. Every time he talks about how lame WM Servers are AT MICROSOFT, they get another convert to QT/Darwin Streaming Server.
I wanted to bring something up that I've found interesting through this whole unravelling of the Origami campaign.
I read an article in Wired about a year and a half ago about the Vaio U50 and Vaio TR5B being import only and that there was no market for such small, uber-portable devices in America because of the small screens and high prices. The other point they made was that the laptop market was still growing exponentially and that the need to innovate at that point was unnecessary. There was a quote something to the effect of: "American manufacturers have been sitting on palmtop / ultra mobile technology for a while now, but won't release anything of the sort until a lower price can outweigh the criticisms for having such a unfriendly screen size and lack of desktop-replacement power."
Having read that, this completely fell into that timeline they established and was no shock to me. Now, I truly think the trick will be to make a 'hot looking' version so that it'll be fashionable to carry around. How many people bought RAZRs despite the massive recall of the first waves due to manufacturer defect on the hinges? How many people buy iPods and watch them pick up every scratch and scuff that normal use can throw at it (and then some), just to show it off on their arm at the gym? Apple has stayed competitive through their dominance (or monopoly?) of the pretty gadgets market. *That* is where competitors must strike if they want to take back some of that stake.
I forgot to mention that if this has WiFi now, couldn't you use VOIP to make an awkward phone out of it?
OH, and you mentioned Celeron was the choice for price and power usage. Where does Centrino match up in those categories? I couldn't find any direct comparisons that really answered that.
A few days ago, I needed to run an experiment with streaming the video from an iSight camera to another host (unicast). Starting from scratch, never having launched the Quicktime Broadcaster App, it took me about twenty minutes to have the video showing up on the other machine. That was with me just frobbing the controls, rather than reading the documentation. ;-)
So, WM servers are a PITA to set up? Gee, who'd have imagined that?
Can I say DUALCOR!!!
Robert what does it say when a private company who has "NO INS" at Microsoft creates a product with Windows XP Tablet and Windows Mobile 5 (TO GIVE INSTANT ON) something Intel is saying they are going to try to do in 2007!!!
What does Microsoft say when they can have INSTANT ON FUNCTIONALITY if they just use the OS like DUALCOR is!!
Second PRICE!! 1,000 Freakin dollars? Must I say it again.. Dualcor 1,500 freaking dollars?
Third Speed!!! INTEL CELERON!!! 900MHz!!!! DUALCOR 1.5GHZ!!!!!!
Fourth Weight... 2.0lbs .... Dualcor 1.1lbs
Robert I am not trying to be a jerk but if someone slaps a Samsung, Acer or Intel logo on a box with Microsoft they tend to go WOOOHEEEE..
Bet your tablet doesn't have use Viiv technology. and THERE is the difference. It's not in the software.
Also: Bloggers hate the Origami mainly for the lame attempts at hyping. Or because they're snarky. Lord know I don't like it, but then again, I'm prolly not the market you are aiming for.
http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/dualcor/index.php
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx...
My God I love Microsoft.
Well, that's a shock! This surprises us....how? Methiks you would be getting one even it was running Windows for Winos 3.11 and had and elograph touch screen. That's how much of a shill you have become. I can't believe you seem to ignore even the most valid of criticisms of this thing. You're not losing credibility daily, you are losing credibility with each post.
How about Michael Gartenberg's first take? http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/gar...
Anyway, Dmad, is it that hard to believe that Robert is just a victim of technolust like I am? I've avoided the windows mobile and wince line of devices forever (I prefer palmos - started with a Pilot, then a Palm III, then a Palm V, then a Tungsten C, then a Palm TX) and I'm really loving the Origami specs so far! I'll most likely be buying one on day one.
Technolust victim != shill. At least, not necessarily.
Ah well.
Maybe next year ;-)
Anymore, the entire Windows parts of MS are just like a big, stupid, moose of a kid in a china shop. Oh sure, bad things are going to happen, but it's because the kid is too stupid and uncoordinated to not break crap.
In the 90s, MS was far more calculating about things. These days? Nah, not so much. You're still making all the same mistakes, but now, it's out of habit, not any deliberate plan.
One Example: Where's WPF/E? I mean, besides marketing literature. It got a great bit at the PDC keynote. OOooh...cross platform.
But now, you go looking for it, and it just doesn't seem to exist. No articles in MSDN, no sample code, no examples of how to use it.
I'm sure that somewhere, some prat at MS thinks that they can half-ass this, and sucker people into writing a bunch of WPF code planning on WPF/E, and WPF/E will just never really happen. I know you ignore the subject constantly, but then, you do that when the answer's inconvenient.
So, no, not evil Robert. Just stupid and clumsy. (Excepting the Mac BU, but then I ALWAYS except the Mac BU, for they are everything the rest of MS is not: Focused, aware, running lean, and the best cross-platform team MS has, has ever had, and will ever have. They code RINGS around the rest of Big Dumb MS)
Oh, the Mac BU. They MUST be fantastic, because THEY run MACS!!!!!!!!!
Shut up, you blethering twat.
1) they're focused. They have a line of products that are all related, and work together, and are small in number. The Mac BU's product line is easily recited from memory.
2) They have a clear mission: To make great MS software on the Mac.
3) They don't over hype and under-deliver.
4) They create over 4x the amount of products as the any single Office:Win team, yet they have less people, including the Janitors than even the WinOutlook team.
5) They are not afraid to say "No" or "Not yet" when "Yes" would be a bad idea, even if the customer wants it, and they do so far more straightforward and honestly than any Windows team does. Kevin Brown's blunt reason for not porting Access to the Mac in spite of clear, continual customer demand was a great example. They didn't, and still don't have the resources to do so and still keep producing the software they already do make. Instead, they realized that FileMaker is a great solution on the Mac, and did the work to make Office work better with that product.
6) they aren't afraid of other people's ideas. Office Mac had support for PDF images and PNG alpha channels/transparencies long before Office:Win. Powerpoint on the Mac has transitions that PowerPoint on Windows can't match, and those came from Keynote first. Rather than cobbling together some hacked-arsed version of an MSI, they created a nice drag and drop installer that doesn't vomit files all over the place, unlike some other people, oh, say Adobe.
That is why the Mac BU is one of the best, most productive, and damned sure cheapest divisions in Microsoft, and the only one with a clue about heterogeneous software development and implementation.
Robert no offense but where is the innovation? Why is it that the Windows Mobile Group and the tablet team never work together? Also that would give you the instant on like the dualcor.
You are not going to get an answer to your questions. Scoble evades substantive issues or uses his resident sycophants, like RL, to change the subject.
Microsoft has no control over this. They don't make hardware, they don't manufacture it. BallmerGates can promise price points all the livelong day, it's meaningless, because they don't make the widget. The only hardware they can promise a price on in a meaningful fashion is stuff they make. Once you get past the Xbox360 and its crackhead price point, you're down to input accessories.
Never take MS seriously about hardware prices, they have no power or standing to set them.
If so, you can avoid the evil DRM.