Microsoft News Tracker

I mentioned an Ina Fried Origami story earlier today, but she’s dug up more since then about how the hopes for Origami have not been fulfilled by the available technology:

Microsoft’s Origami is shaping up to be cheaper and smaller than today’s Tablet PC, but the device will likely miss the software maker’s most ambitious targets for size, price and battery life.

When Chairman Bill Gates first outlined the notion of an ultramobile PC at a hardware conference last year, he talked about a device that would weigh less than a pound, have all-day battery life and could cost less than $800, possibly as little as $500.

Those are still Microsoft’s goals when it comes to its much talked-about Origami project. However, the first Origami devices, which are set to arrive before the end of April, will likely not reach those lofty ideals. Instead, the machines are likely to start somewhere near that $800 mark and have battery life that hovers around four hours, according to a source familiar with the first-generation products.

More by following the link, but the battery technology curve has such a small slope compared to the rest of electronic technology that portable device makers will be running into the battery life brick wall for the foreseeable future. If anything, you get better battery life more easily by jiggering with the other components to reduce their draw, but a mini-tablet like the purported Origami still has significant demand.