My answer is colored by the gadgets I already carry:
- Cingular 8125 - 320x240 screen, keyboard (on order)
- IBM Thinkpad - 1024x768 screen, keyboard
- Apple iPod
And by the times I need a device away from my desk:
- Walking the dog (playing MP3's, taking pictures)
- Going to meetings (giving presentations, taking notes)
- Commuting in the car (playing MP3's, doing email in traffic jams)
Looking at the Origami form factor, I can't understand where people are going to use it. I can't carry it with me to walk the dog because it won't fit in a pants pocket. I wouldn't carry it with me to meetings because I touch-type, and
taking technical documentation notes with a stylus is horrendous. I wouldn't use it in the car because it's not a vision-free interface - you have to look at the device to control it, as opposed to the iPod that can be operated blindly.
In a nutshell, where is it more convenient to use, that's my question. The only answer I can come up with is in coach in an airplane, where the trays don't afford you the space to fold out a laptop with keyboard. But as a guy who used to travel full time, I don't get that either - when I traveled, I got a TabletPC because I didn't want to lug around a small device and a big one.
I think the Origami made sense before the HTC phones with keyboards/Wifi/Bluetooth came out, like the Cingular 8125, but now - I don't get it. Seems like too little - well, rather, too large - too late.
