A defining moment for Origami by Craig Pringle

Although Ive only just found these posts I feel that theyre relevant enough to reference.

• More on defining UMPCs (Craigs follow on post)
• PC that is ultra mobile <> UMPC (his original post)
• Steve over on The CarryPad UMPC Journal (Steve got involved)
• Betsy Weber and Craig Pringle talk UMPCs / Origami (Rob Bushway gets involved too)

Even though Craig corrects himself on his own previous definition, i.e. "When I use the term UMPC I mean something running the touch pack. I use the term Ultra Portable to describe other devices like the LS800" I do believe that now hes on track:

"We have a real problem with confusing terminology here. Let me be crystal clear on this next point Steve, and others like him, did not cause this problem. Microsoft did."

and this one

"From this point on I am going to avoid using the term UMPC at all. For devices running the MS touchpack Im going to revert to the term Origami. For other really small computing devices In going to stick with the term Ultra-portable."

As for my opinion you may have noticed that Ive been dubbing these devices Origami for a while now, even on the Official CeBIT Blog. I thought it only appropriate given the lack or clarity that Microsoft provided on the subject. While the snowball effect of codename/releasenames is almost irreversible I also agree with Craig, "who cares really." Lets all make an effort to denote these devices as Origami as it stemmed from that Project. Ultra Mobile PCs is a generic term that should be allowed to be used by anyone...otherwise we might see Microsoft coin "Really Clever Software," or Intel coin "Very Fast Processors;" theyre both tags for marketing and not definitions of entire movements in the PC space, or hardcoded monikers for all to rule over.

Im done!

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