Microsoft took the lid off of its Origami project at the CeBit trade show in Germany this week. The new platform, Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), is in a new category of mobile computing: smaller than a laptop or tablet PC, bigger than a PDA, and apparently as ugly looking as the Windows XP operating system it runs. Basically, a UMPC runs XP with a special suite of software called "The Touch Pack" from Microsoft. As you may have guessed, all UMPCs will have a touch screen. Expect to see a program launcher and updated versions of popular Windows software taking advantage of this new format.

One UMPC from Samsung, the Q1, has a 900MHz Intel Celeron M processor, 512MB of RAM, a 40GB HD, and a 800x480 resolution. The price? A whopping $1200. CNET has a gallery of the eight-hundred-something UMPCs that somehow materialized overnight and made an appearance at CeBit. They all sport different designs and features, from directional pads to fold-out QWERTY keyboards. It's worth noting a CNET editor mentioned one model can "easily slip into a large pocket". Unfortunately, not everyone has an industrial-sized, temperature-controlled warehouse in their jeans.

 

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