So, everybody have been talking about Origami lately. It's started from the first Microsoft's unobscure marketing pitch on this site and finaly culminated after offical CeBIT announcements. I would agree with many people that the UMPC devices are a hardly revolutional idea, but it has got a great potential to become a new trend in the way people would use the computer, making it more usable for the average Joe.

So what's about the developer story for these devices? Since it runs Windows XP, it is a full .NET, baby! But consider a screen size, resolution and relatively less powerful processor - what does it remind you? Right, it is a pumped up version of the Windows Mobile device. And the people who have been developing for Windows CE based devices should feel themselves right at home. Need to create a smaller screen, touch driven user interface application? No problem here. 800x480 screen size is a football field for us and we know how to utilize it without cramping up the whole screen, draining the battery and making functional and easy to use. So WM and Windows CE developers suddenly have become experts in developing for UMPC! By the way, the beta of the UMPC emulator is already available for download here. It enables you to test your application's layout and screen behavior as it appears on UMPC's. But remember it is not a hardware emulator. It just puts the UMPC skin on your screen and resizes your desktop work area to the resolution on the UMPC (800x480).

Update: Don't forget to check the Origami team blog. I am subscribed!