So, What Can You Do With The Origami?
I know, I know, too many Origami posts. Sorry to say, I’m posting about it because I’m pumped about it.
Now, Scoble says on Thursday he’ll have video of the Origami device. He says he’ll buy one himself. But what he really says of consequence?
The Nokia 770 isn’t even in the running. Hope that helps! Why? Cause can you run iTunes on a 770? Can you run Photoshop? Can you run Quicken? MSN Messenger? And on and on and on.
So, what are the system requirements for Photoshop?
- Intel® Xeon™, Xeon Dual, Intel Centrino™, or Pentium® III or 4 processor
- Microsoft® Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 4, or Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or 2
- 320MB of RAM (384MB recommended)
- 650MB of available hard-disk space
- 1,024×768 monitor resolution with 16-bit video card
- CD-ROM drive
Now, obviously Origami will be running either Windows XP or Vista, depending on when it ships, and the CD-ROM thing is questionable. I think its safe to say that Origami will have to have 512 MB of RAM (if it expects to run Vista) and a few gigs of space for music, video, the OS and programs, 10 at a bare minimum. Beyond 10 gigs is gonna cost, depending on what form factor they use. If its a standard laptop hard drive, I’ll just buy the smallest one and replace it with something bigger.
Beyond that, at twelve inches it should be fine, but can a possible seven inch screen have a 1024×768 resolution? Maybe, but I suspect that Photoshop’s interface doesn’t scale well to ultra-tiny PCs. Perhaps Microsoft is talking to companies like Photoshop to design simple tablet versions of their interfaces, something without tiny li’l toolbar buttons.
You know what’s interesting: The Office 2007 UI is perfect for tiny screens in a way that most office apps are not. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
Okay, no more speculation.
Eh, more speculation I’ll leave to you guys. Feel free to go nuts in the comments.
Just picked up a 770 myself a few weeks ago before Origami was discussed.
I’m skeptical of the hardware requirement for a full version of XP and what is being produced for mobile devices right now. Intel’s announcment better be good, otherwise the performance will be disppointing.
I’m looking forward to it though.
Comment by David | March 6, 2006
Are you sure that Photoshop needs a screen that’s 1024×768 res?
Comment by Robert Scoble | March 6, 2006
Yeah, Robert, that’s a good point. The screen resolution is the most meaningless part of the requirements. I’ve run Photoshop far smaller than that.
What I’m more concerned about are all the various Photoshop buttons and tools. How can they possibly be usable and readable when shrunk down? Does Origami enlarge interface elements, or is it big enough to make that a non-issue.
Oh, and I believe we just got another clue. Robert’s statement would seem to say that the Origami does not have a 1024×768 screen.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | March 6, 2006
You know what’s funny? Every time Scoble comments here, I check the IP tied to the comment to make sure it was really him and not some idiot using his name. Wouldn’t want to get fooled.
I pretty much do the same thing anytime a “name” comments. Does that make me paranoid, or a good watchdog of the conversation?
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | March 6, 2006
Well, you could play off his comment as trying to mislead in regards to the resolution. Or as you answered back more or less, programs can run on less hardware, it’s just not optimal.
Total speculation here, but maybe Origami itself doesn’t run Photoshop (or “x” application). Maybe it’s just being a terminal to your desktop or something where Photoshop is running. Being a dummy terminal even for something relatively high end on the graphics takes far fewer resources then the machine having to run the program(s).
Honestly, I’m surprised Scoble was able to make the original comment on his blog at all regarding the multiple applications. But I’m glad that he did. I’m worried about it getting over-hyped as well so I’ve been trying to week out what everyone is claiming it might can do, and stick to what I know is possible given relatively current hardware and software. With him mentioning it being able to run chat app’s, itunes, etc … I think it’ll be closer to what I’ve been looking for then the 770. The 770 is cool, but I don’t want to get one and sit around waiting for developers to port applications to it. That being said though, if Origami isn’t going to be released for a year or more, and if the planned price point is much higher then the 770, then I’ll probably just get a 770.
Comment by matt | March 7, 2006
Oops, “week out” = “weed out”
Comment by matt | March 7, 2006