Microsoft Reader has been optimized for Origami

[Bob Russell]

As the UMPC market begins to grow, and new devices come onto the market, what has Microsoft done to help the e-book customers out there? Until recently, not much. But that has all changed now with the release of an Origami friendly version of Microsoft Reader.

On the Microsoft Origami Team Blog, a member of the MS Reader development team is reporting that many features have been added to make the software UMPC friendly.

Some of the new features include:
* Support for Windows XP Tablet PC edition devices
* Audible support for the newer audio formats
* Page navigation touch points on the left and right hand margins
* An enlarged screen in landscape mode
* An enlarged "riffle" control when you tap on the page number at the bottom of the page
* Context menus have also increased in size
* Supports Audible's newer audio formats

So if you've been avoiding MS Reader because you've got a small screen Windows device, now is the time to give it another try.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I've been... well, not quite avoiding UMPC devices, but not paying them much attention either, because I presently have a functioning laptop, which I consider to be equal in purpose and practicality as the UMPC, and I'm not in the market for a replacement.

However, after taking a closer look at a few devices, I have to say (and part of me hates to say) that the UMPC seems more functional than an e-reader, and something I'd more likely buy than an e-reader. With MS Reader on board (and, for that matter, I'm sure you can read Adobe files, and get a few other readers for it soon), it makes the Origami UMPC a more rounded device, still capable of taking with me to read on vacation, and allowing me to stay connected and get some light work done at the same time.

With PDAs by and large being reduced to cellphones, I think it very likely that I will someday replace my present PDA and/or laptop with a UMPC of some kind... whether an Origami device, or another OS. So, essentially, my PDA will grow... but my laptop will shrink... and Both will become One. (And I'll probably have to get used to man-bags again... or buy really baggy pants...)

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

And I'll probably have to get used to man-bags again... or buy really baggy pants....

There are things specifically designed for carrying ... somewhat bulky items in an unobtrusive manner. They range in price and quality, but I'd think for most UMPCs they'd work just fine, and are a lot less fashion adventurous than man-bags, in my opinion. There are a range of costs available, from the more expensive to the less expensive, and are available in a variety of materials to suit your tastes and local weather patterns.

A web search will provide ample selection of other possibilities, if those two links have sparked your interest (I can personally vouch for the quality of products from that first link, I own several of their products, and find them well thought out and durable).

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Leave it to a Texan to recommend leather vests and holsters!

Well, maybe not vests for me, but I've done jackets with good-sized pockets before, so I could see something like that. And some of the bags are a lot like camera bags.

And in reality, I don't have a problem with "man-bags" (I tend to wear them on my belt in the hip position anyway, so they look a lot less geeky)... I've just gotten out of the habit, since trousers and cargo pants, even shorts, are coming with more and larger pockets these days. By the time I buy a UMPC, my cargo pants pockets might be big enough to hold my current laptop...

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

... I don't have a problem with "man-bags" (I tend to wear them on my belt in the hip position anyway, so they look a lot less geeky) ....

That's what I used before I came over to the vest side, my wife complained that it made me look deformed, and I never really liked them much, but the biggest logistical problem was that they massively restricted the jackets I could wear, as they'd make it either ride up, or stick out oddly.

I was skeptical about the vest thing too, before, but they're kind of "in" right now, and I'm apparently enough of a "character" that I can pull it off without raising any eyebrows.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Well, they might be "in" in your neck of the woods. Around Washington, D.C., I'm afraid it would elicit an entirely different response...

[NatCh]

I was basing that more on what I see on television, than on what I see on the streets here -- I don't think Houston is much of a fashion mecca.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by NatCh

I was basing that more on what I see on television, than on what I see on the streets here -- I don't think Houston is much of a fashion mecca.

Make that all of Texas is not a fashion mecca.

[NatCh]

Yeah, well, ya know....

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by NatCh

Yeah, well, ya know....

Texas is best known for cow poo.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Texas is best known for cow poo.

We deliberately foster that image to cut down on the number of carpetbaggers we have to put up with.

[JSWolf]

It's not an image, but a smell. Texas is the land of the stinky cow poop.

[NatCh]

I see the stratagem is working nicely.

[JSWolf]

So who would want origami on their reader? I just want to read my book. And thank you MS for another useless innovation.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Naw... the reader goes on your Origami-running UMPC. Silly rabbit... I mean, Wolf!

As fascinated as I am by the e-book readers out there, I can't justify getting a 1-use device at that cost right now. I personally would get much better mileage and flexibility from a UMPC than a reader (and I don't have problems reading on an LCD screen). So I'm keeping a close eye on the UMPC models, and when my laptop finally gives up the ghost, I may be replacing it with one of those.

Of course, it may not be one of the MS UMPCs... it depends on what's out there when I'm looking, cost, etc. But more likely one of those than a dedicated reader for me.