Samsung 'Origami' Device Hits the U.S. Market

SAN FRANCISCO -- Samsung Electronics said Monday that its Q1 Windows-based ultramobile PC is available online through hardware reseller CDW.

The Q1 will retail for $1099 in the United States, slightly higher than the target price named by Microsoft in March. Microsoft collaborated with Intel to create the Origami platform, on which the Q1 and other ultramobile PC devices are based. When it introduced the platform Microsoft said the devices would be priced between $500 and $1000.

The Q1 also was made available in South Korea today for $1264.

In addition to being sold by CDW, the Q1 also will be available in the United States starting May 7 from Best Buy's online outlet. The device will be available in select Best Buy stores in the third quarter, according to Samsung.

What Is Origami?

Origami machines run a tablet version of the Windows XP operating system and are aimed at a market niche between laptop PCs and PDAs. The devices allow users to browse the Internet, listen to music, view movies and other video entertainment, play games, and "write" handwritten notes much as they can on a Microsoft Tablet PC device.

Samsung's Q1 has a 7-inch LCD monitor with touch screen functionality and is about half the size of an average laptop PC. At 1.7 pounds it is also lighter, and is less than an inch thick. Battery life runs about 3 hours.

Other companies that plan to offer ultramobile PC devices include Taiwan's Asustek Computer, and a company tied to China's Founder Group.