Microsoft's dream of a mini-tablet PC? (from WinHEC)

Alexander Turcic · 04-26-2005, 07:54 AM

C|Net has a quick write up of Microsoft's plans to work on a new type of portable device with a 6-inch screen - "a tiny tablet computer as thin as 10 sheets of paper with a camera, a battery that lasts all day and a price of about $800."

Don't expect this device to reach the market any time soon. According to the article the commercial release will still take at least a year or two after the arrival of Windows Longhorn (the successor of Windows XP set for release sometime next year).

Chaos · 04-26-2005, 01:18 PM

If it really will be released after Longhorn, this could take a while... Longhorn, while they say it'll be out next year, could easily not be. Microsoft is notorious on their release dates. Even if it is released, chances are they'll be cutting most of the features, and the ones they do have done, will probably be backported to XP...

Sure, the device itself looks cool, but...

1) When will someone hack it to run Linux?

2) That's not exactly a small device... It's pretty large...

Bob Russell · 04-26-2005, 03:45 PM

The article says they hope to make it as thick as 10pp of paper. And a full day battery life. And fast. And cheap. And if you strap it to your back, it will also serve as a rocket propulsion system to get you to work without traffic concerns. Okay, okay. My point is simply that what they hope to do with a concept model due in about 3yrs is not always close to reality.

04-26-2005, 07:54 AM	#1
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,175 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Microsoft's dream of a mini-tablet PC? (from WinHEC) C\|Net has a quick write up of Microsoft's plans to work on a new type of portable device with a 6-inch screen - "a tiny tablet computer as thin as 10 sheets of paper with a camera, a battery that lasts all day and a price of about $800." Don't expect this device to reach the market any time soon. According to the article the commercial release will still take at least a year or two after the arrival of Windows Longhorn (the successor of Windows XP set for release sometime next year).

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04-26-2005, 01:18 PM	#2
Chaos Evangelist Posts: 418 Karma: 281 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Canada Device: Assorted older devices	If it really will be released after Longhorn, this could take a while... Longhorn, while they say it'll be out next year, could easily not be. Microsoft is notorious on their release dates. Even if it is released, chances are they'll be cutting most of the features, and the ones they do have done, will probably be backported to XP... Sure, the device itself looks cool, but... 1) When will someone hack it to run Linux? 2) That's not exactly a small device... It's pretty large...

04-26-2005, 03:45 PM	#3
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	The article says they hope to make it as thick as 10pp of paper. And a full day battery life. And fast. And cheap. And if you strap it to your back, it will also serve as a rocket propulsion system to get you to work without traffic concerns. Okay, okay. My point is simply that what they hope to do with a concept model due in about 3yrs is not always close to reality.

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