Over the past couple of weeks the IT market has been abuzz with rumours, speculation and opinion surrounding the release of Microsoft`s `Project Origami` platform and the numerous hardware vendors that have jumped on the bandwagon.
Thus far, market sentiments on a local basis have been mixed and an international vendor has yet to announce the product`s availability in South Africa.
Jamie Scott, HP business unit manager at Tarsus Technologies who saw concepts at CeBIT earlier this year, says his first impressions are that it`s a great start, but it has a long way to go before it adequately satisfies the needs of its potential market.
"I face the same problem every mobile user does," Scott says. "When I travel, whether it`s just to a site meeting or to an international conference, I have to carry too many devices with me in order to stay in contact with the office, continue being productive as well as enjoy my personal multimedia content when relaxing.
"Currently, I take my notebook, cellular phone, PDA and iPod with me whenever I`m out of the office. It`s just too bulky a package, especially if you consider that each of these devices has its own set of cables and charging devices," he says.
"I think that many mobile users will sympathise with this, since I`m probably not alone in my desire for a single device capable of doing everything I need.
"While `Origami` has been hailed as that `one device` it`s unfortunately still a while away from hitting the market. It`s more of a forerunner of good things to come," he opines.
"For starters, it looks like a great solution for ultra-mobile users, but may well be too small, thin and light for normal office use. Executives ideally need a very versatile device, one that can be a PC replacement when spending time in the office, but offers ultra-portability the moment they are on the road or abroad.
"Commonly, that device should offer the user access to e-mail, the Internet and their work-specific data while mobile. It should also offer a reasonably sized screen and provide entertainment in the form of digital media as an additional benefit. Origami meets some of these requirements, but not all of them.
"It is too small, thin and light to replace a conventional notebook computer. The user would still need two devices, a notebook for serious work and the Origami device for more portable computing, so essentially they would still end up carrying at least three devices (if you include a mobile phone) with them. It doesn`t solve the problem.
"With a little bit of further innovation though, it could end up being a splendid tool for business executives.
"In the meantime, however, I see it fitting squarely into the Internet kiosk, mobile terminal (albeit with a ruggedised casing) and to a small extent, the mobile executive space," he concludes.
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With 20 years` experience in the ICT industry, Tarsus is the leading value-added distributor in South Africa, specialising in the supply of the world`s foremost PC and peripheral hardware brands to the local reseller channel.
Tarsus strives to meet the channel`s needs for credit funding, stock availability and efficient logistics, ensuring that resellers are able to deliver the highest quality service to their customers, focus on support and compiling the best overall solutions for their end-user customer base at the lowest possible cost.
The company prides itself on its flexibility, adaptability, knowledge, skills and successful track record combined with an industry-leading ability to manage large rollouts. These are the reasons Tarsus has consistently been rated as the top distributor in the country by international vendors, resellers and the IT media alike.
With its strong commitment to the South African channel, Tarsus is able to not only make the reseller channel more efficient, but more importantly, it plays a vital role in dramatically reducing the costs of doing business in the local ICT market.
Brands represented by the Tarsus stable include industry leaders like Acer, Cisco, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Oki, Samsung, TallyGenicom, Targus and Wyse Technology.
More information about Tarsus is available at http://www.tarsus.co.za.
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