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Samsung Announces Launch of “Origami” Mobile PC

5:30 am on May 4, 2006 | Category: Mobile Devices

Samsung Electronics is officially launching its new ultra-mobile computing solution, which was co-developed with Microsoft and Intel, and uses Microsoftâ€™s â€œOrigami Projectâ€ technology.

The so called Q1 device will be available on the BestBuy.com website, beginning on May 7, the South Korean manufacturer revealed, and will hit the shelves of Best Buy retail stores in time for the summer.

The Q1 is a cross between an ultraportable tablet PC and high performance PDA, and will carry a retail price of $1,099 in the United States. It has a 7-inch LCD touch screen, and weighs a mere 1.7-pounds, packing in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology, for easy on-the-road internet connectivity.

â€œThe Q1 is a good companion PC for the mobile professional that is looking for the freedom and flexibility of a small mobile device without having to sacrifice functionality,â€ said Samsungâ€™s executive vice president of Computer Systems, HS Kim.

All three companies involved in the Q1â€™s production have promoted the product as beckoning in the â€œnext generation of mobile devices.â€

Research agency, Gartner, however, says that it will be difficult for the Q1 to find willing buyers in the immediate future, as it is too large to be a Personal Digital Assistant, yet too small to be a functional notebook.

If it is to be a success, the new device will almost certainly need to carve out a whole new niche for itself. The Q1 could have a decent chance at doing this, with features like video functionality, the ability to input data directly onto the screen with a stylus, and the capability to play music without booting up Windows.

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