Samsung launches fresh Origami PC

SAMSUNG RELAUNCHED ITS physical incarnation of Microsoft Origami concept, dubbed Q1Ultra. We are not sure why it decided not to add number two after the "Q" mark, but this device at least looks like a far better proof of concept than the original model.

The Q1Ultra comes with a cellphone sized QWERTY keyboard, which is divided in two parts and located on the upper part of the device. The middle of the device on both sides is reserved for new navigation controlls (PSP-style thumbstick on the left), but physical controls are not all, since Samsung also modified Vista UI with a enlarged virtual keys which now suit users with bigger thumbs. Device also features fingerprint-id scanner, located in lower left corner.

INQ is always accessible, even when typed on cellphone sized keyboard

Top of the device features an audio jack, USB 2.0 connector, SD card slot and DMB antenna. And best part of the all, Samsung finally created "Any key", or Ctrl+Alt+Del on a single key, located at right side of the device. Hardware-wise, specs were updated so that Vista can run in a normal fashion - Samsung talks about Intel New Technology processor clocked at 900 MHz, 1GB of DDR2-400 memory, 60GB of storage in 1.8-inch format - sadly, not SSD, HDSPA/WiBro and Bluetooth 2.0 support. Q1Ultra also spots two digital cameras, 1.3Mpixel for taking photos and 0.3 Mpixel for web conferences.

But the best part about this new device is the improved battery life, which now makes it more than half-decent. There are two batteries in the mix, four cell and six cell ones - combination of the two should give you around 10-11 hours.

All in all, the device looks cool, but usability is still a problem. For a gadget, this just costs too much. µ