this ain't your mama's microsoft

have you seen this - the Project Origami video. the buzz-o-meter is off the charts on this one.

i'm not a big fan of microsoft personally, but i really like this, whatever it may turn out to be. I guess someone found a video on Digital Kitchen - the news now is that it is over a year old - that shows the possible uses of a concept device by Microsoft called Origami. There is a website - verified to be owned by Microsoft - called The Origami Project which provides a teaser that more information will be released on March 2nd. You can follow the bloggers following this stuff on technorati.

I find this whole Origami thing really interesting. It looks like a really lightweight and sturdy handheld with multiple inputs methods - stylus, sync to computer, bluetooth etc. Microsoft has not really gotten into the hardware game until now (except for the XBOX of course), so this would be breaking new ground, if they actually deliver the box. On top of that, this whole viral buzz creation thing isn't something I'd associate with a MS product launch. Partly because it never really works if you are going to announce things that don't arrive on shelves for upto a year later. What I find surprising is that they didn't get their uber-blogger Scoble in the loop. I came across this Origami thing late last night and Scoble was where I went to look - but I was really surprised to see no information there. What I did find is this really cool video of how Microsoft may have packaged an iPod. Funny yet topical, methinks. Will this new Origami thing be victim of a similar process, effectively killing it before it even takes off?

I'm curious now. Waiting to see what they unveil.