Friday Easy Origami: Business Card Becomes iPod Earbud Winder

Those designers at Core77 never stop. Today, one of them devised a super-simple but damn-if-it's-not-worth-it business-card hack that finally gives you a way to stash those damn white earbuds. Share your attempts in comments. [Core77]

Dollar Origami iPhone App Instructs How to Properly Fold a Bill

Ever wanted to create a dollar bill TIE Fighter? What about a shirt? Well Dollar Origami is here to help, but let me warn you it's much harder than you think... More »

Space Origami Kit (Pew, Pew, Blast Off, Etc)

Paper cranes are alright, but they won't match our bedsheets.

Origami Space Shuttles Unveiled, Kids Around the World Hold Their Breath

This has to be the dream of every kid and adult on Earth: Make a paper plane and throw it from orbit. Well, there's one lucky Japanese astronaut who is going to get nine of them, a paper space shuttle fleet which will go up to the International Space Station. Then, they will be dropped from orbit into a 250-mile, two-day flight to the ground. If you are thinking that these origami spacecrafts won't be able to resist the re-entry, think again: They can sustain Mach 7 speeds (5,300MPH) and 400-degree Farenheit temperatures. More »

Netflix Origami Folds Out the Trash

Even with Netflix's reusable mailers, the little torn-off panels begin to add up. Of course, you could just throw these away. Or if you're a bit more pretentious about it, you could recycle them and tell the whole block what a fantastic recycler you are—after all, some people just throw these things away. Or, if you're really great—and by "great" I mean freaky-obsessive compulsive—you'll fold these scraps into origami. Full instructions await those who are finished tweezing microscopic shreds of red paper from their rug while patting their heads and singing The Wheels on the Bus. [NetFlix Origami]

Origami Iron Man Has a Reasonable Handicap

A real Iron Man would be too powerful for this world. That's why origami artist Brian Chan used a bit of restraint while constructing his own super suit and utilized only one piece of paper for the fabrication. Our own Jason Chen calls it "beef jerky man." Takes one to know one, Jason! Here's a shot of just the tiny mask: More »

Folded Paper Turns Into Hilarious Animations by Rob Ives

Rob Ives makes it easy to fold up pieces of paper and turn them into animated paper sculptures. His Flying Pig kits require just a bit of folding and a touch of white glue here and there, and suddenly you have yourself a "Cat Walk" model like you see here. Don't like cats? Choose from a menagerie of other $8.95 paper animations depicting animals, jokers, a creepy hand and chickens pecking in a row. There's even a guidebook that'll show you how to create your own paper engineering marvels. In the gallery on the next page, see this kitty in action, and a few more of Ives's unique inventions. More »

Origami as Musical Instrument

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Origami Experience Requires a UMPC on Steroids

We were hoping that Microsoft's Origami Experience would add a dash of color to our otherwise drab UMPCs, but from the looks of this video, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, it looks like Origami does the opposite—slowing your UMPC down to a crawl. Granted, the interface is easy on the eyes, but the lag times are horrible (at least they are on this 1st Gen UMPC) and nothing seems to work the way it should. Check out the video for yourself. – Louis Ramirez More »

Microsoft Brings Origami to UMPCs Running Vista

It's official—any of you out there running Vista on your UMPC (::crickets::) can now download the Origami Experience Pack direct from Microsoft. The pack is made up of three programs designed to make your UMPC easier to use. We've already shown you some of the screenshots in action and we have to admit, it does add a friendlier face to your UMPC experience. But you gotta upgrade to Vista first. – Louis Ramirez More »

$200 Origami iPod Shuffle

Big Images is a design printing company that gave out an iPod Shuffles wrapped in two $100 bill origami boxes to all of their employee for Christmas presents. The pictures speak for themselves (click it for larger version). This could also be the most expensive Shuffle carrying case to date. Any chance you folks are hiring? – Travis Hudson More »

Dealzmodo: Refurbished Samsung Q1 UMPC, $750

We've never really been on the whole Origami/UMPC bandwagon, but if you do happen to be on it, this deal ain't too shabby. For today only Woot.com is featuring the Samsung Q1 UMPC for $750. It is refurbished, but that is just another way of saying it has received extra care. New Q1 models retail for well over $1,100. More »

Working Origami TV

This cleverly named Sharp Pencil Quality TV is a set of the DIY variety. Although its screen is only 2-inches across, the screen resolution can be as precise as your pencils are sharp. It supports premade Video-On-Pulp scrolls for Kill Bill Volume 1, Dirty Harry, and Dr. Strangelove. Pencils and paper not included. –Brian Lam More »

Design: Optigami Folding Glasses

This design for a pair of foldable glasses may look a little bulky, but it more than makes up for that in convenience. After you take off the glasses, the lenses fold neatly into the sides, which contract to form a hard case that you can place into your pocket. No more putting your glasses into your shirt pocket only to have them get smashed when some jerkface bumps into you on the street. More »

Samsung Q1 UMPC Hands-On, Part 1: The Out-of-Box Experience

We just got a review unit of the Samsung Q1 UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) via FedEx, and here are a few pics of our out-of-box-experience. We wanted to begin reviewing it right away, but of course, it's not going to let us play until the battery is charged. Until then, take a look at the beautiful packaging from Samsung, which reminded us of iPod packaging. – Charlie White

Next for Origami: "Vistagami"

It appears the Redmondians don't know when to give up, continuing to kick the overpriced and underpowered dead horse they call Origami. Now we're hearing that within the company, Microsoft is calling the next iteration of the Origami ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) platform that will run the upcoming Windows Vista operating system "Vistagami." More »

Samsung Q1-SSD UMPC: Solid State but Pricey

Take a look at the Samsung Q1-SSD, this one with a 32GB solid-state flash drive. We must tell you up front that it costs $2430, far above the $500 Origami fantasy price point originally touted months ago. More »

Downloadable Paper Camera

Not sure why we like these paper cameras so much, but heres one you can download, print, and fold yourself. The plans come in PDF form and you simply cut it out and paste it together. It apparently accepts 35mm film and should be quite sturdy, provided you don't breathe on it. More »

Sony Joins the Origami Battle

We present you with the Sony UX ultra-portable PC. Here are the facts known so far. It has a 7-inch touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Core Solo processor, Wi-Fi, biometric sensor, two cameras, Windows XP Pro, 3G and Bluetooth. Whew, that was a lot. These details and specs are from an anonymous tipster over at Mobility Today, so be warned it could still be a fake. It is still pretty sexy, and more competitors can knock down prices—so hooray! More »

Apple Working on Origami UMPC?

With all the UMPCs being rolled out lately, Apple appears to be preparing one of its own, filing patents for a number of telltale technologies. First, in a patent application dated today, we see a single-arc QWERTY keyboard similar to Microsoft Touchpack software, with this drawing describing "activation of virtual keys of a touchscreen keyboard." More »

Samsung Q1 UMPC to Hit on Mayday

The Samsung Q1, that ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) we've been hearing so much about, will reportedly be available worldwide on May 1. It's going to be expensive, too, selling for around $1400. That sounds like a lot to pay for a glorified-yet-smaller tablet PC with a 7-inch 800x480 LCD. It has a few mildly interesting features, though, such as GPS, WiFi, Ethernet and Bluetooth. But still. If this piece of bling cost $500, that would be different. More »

Papercraft FTO: Origami on Testosterone

If you thought those mind-boggling origami objects we showed you the other day were a little frilly for your taste, here's Papercraft FTO, and it's origami on testosterone—a scale model Mitsubishi FTO made entirely out of intricately folded paper. More »

Origami? Here's the Real Thing

We talk a lot about Origami around here, but let's not forget what real origami is. Some of this intricate paper folding is just mind-boggling. The one above is made of 30 uncut squares all folded together in this compound-of-five tetrahedra design called "Peter's Snowflake." Take a look at some of these pieces of artwork. Amazing. More »

Origami is a Media Center Extender

Most of our predictions regarding Origami have come true—it's not a piece of MS hardware, it's media-centric, it's dumb—so this just bolsters the impression that we are omniscient. More »

Smart Caddie UMPC from PBJ

Japanese company PBJ enters the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) Origami derby with its Smart Caddie, this one with a 1GHz Via C7M processor instead of the Intel Celeron that all the others are using with UMPCs. The Smart Caddie runs Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, has a 7-inch display at 800x480 and comes in a lovely, Mac-like white form factor. It also has Bluetooth and WiFi compatibility but battery life is just 2.5 hours per charge compared to the three to four hours of the Q1 from Samsung. Pricing is rumored to be around $1190, and it will be available in Japan in mid-April. More »

SlingPlayer for Origami Announced

Soon after Microsoft s Origami and its Ultra-Mobile PC platform were officially revealed, Sling Media announced a SlingPlayer for the platform. When the UMPC products are delivered, and nobody is mentioning any dates yet, users will be able to remotely view their cable, satellite or PVR programming using this re-worked software. The SlingPlayer application has been customized for a touchscreen user interface and the strange resolutions of these new UMPC devices. Now you'll be able to watch TV from nearly anywhere on the planet, as long as there's a broadband connection nearby. More »

Microsoft Ultra-Mobile PC Goatse

Either someone over at Microsoft decided to have some fun in anticipation of the Origami/UMPC launch, or no one at Redmond has ever been Goatse'd. More »

CeBIT Trade Rag Reveals More Origami Details

The online version of CeBIT's tradeshow newspaper is already online, revealing a bit more information about Microsoft and Intel's Origami platform. More »

CeBIT '06: Asus Origami Prototype

Reader M Milach sends us this image of an Asus Origami device, presumably from the showfloor of CeBIT, since we're told the image is from this German gaming site. More »

Rumors: Origami Just a Glorified Media Player with Nasty DRM?

In the comments for yesterday's Origami revealed post, strangeweather said: More »

CeBIT 06: Samsung Jumps on the Origami Bandwagon

Here's another Origami-compatible computer; this one is the Samsung Q1 which was shown in a preview at CeBIT. It has a 900MHz Intel Celeron chip inside with 500MB of RAM. It s also packing Bluetooth, WLAN, and WiFi 802.11a/g. More information is forthcoming from our intrepid reporters now on the ground (but not yet in the gutter, we hope) at CeBIT, where Intel and Microsoft will have a press conference on Thursday. More »

Rumor: Origami Has Custom Pen-Friendly Launcher

An anonymous reader writes:

[The above image] is in fact a screen shot of the emulator MS has been providing to their software partners - which also look similar to the reference design MS created.

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Intel's Origami/Ultramobile PC Videos Online

Intel has videos up showing more Origami/UMPC prototypes and scenarios in which they'd be used (including, thank heavens, a model with a sub-notebook/tablet design). Lots of happy, beautiful folks use their UMPCs to instant message, watch videos, sync up videogame save states, and respond to email—all using an interface that looks considerably different than regular Windows XP, we might add. More »

Origami: Buzz Killer?

Ignoring the fact that the just revealed Origami platform is indeed a small, electronic device, thereby forcing a compulsory moment of craving, we are thoroughly surprised at how accurately Microsoft and Intel have targeted a segment of the computing market completely barren of potential customers. More »

Origami Revealed: It's a 7-Inch Tablet PC Platform

News.com is showing the first official pictures of Origami 'minitablets,' which look not unlike the large origami images we saw a couple days back—and exactly like the small images we posted this morning. More »