Crowds are gathering outside the presidential palace, Tahrir Square and the offices of state TV in the city.
Meanwhile, the military's supreme council has said it will make an "important statement to the people".
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says the mass protests could bring protesters into direct conflict with the army.
This is the most dangerous moment so far in more than two weeks of protests, he adds.
In a televised speech on Thursday evening, Mr Mubarak said he planned to stay in office until September's polls, but pledged to hand over some powers.
He had been widely expected to stand aside. Instead, his announcement has left uncertainty and confusion, analysts say.
Mass protest marches are expected to get under way following Friday prayers at midday (1000 GMT).
On Friday morning, there was a stand-off outside the offices of state TV, with troops sealing off the building and keeping back a large crowd.
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Jon Leyne BBC News, Cairo Demonstrations are planned today in multiple locations.
The headquarters of state TV and the presidential palace itself could become the targets.
That would put the protesters in direct confrontation with the military. The role of the generals will be crucial but there must also be questions about whether junior officers will obey if they are ordered to disperse the protests.
It is the most dangerous moment so far in this crisis, one that will determine the future of Egypt and quite possibly the whole Middle East.
In his speech, Mr Mubarak said he would pass some of his powers to his vice-president, intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, but details of this remain unclear.The Egyptian embassy in Washington said the changes meant Mr Suleiman was now the de facto president.
But the crowds in Tahrir Square reacted with fury, yelling "be gone" and waving their shoes in acts of defiance.
US reactionAfter the speech, US President Barack Obama convened a meeting with his national security team at the White House.
Then, in a strongly worded statement, Mr Obama urged restraint from all sides, and said it was "imperative that the government not respond to the aspirations of their people with repression or brutality".
Egyptian opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei called Mr Mubarak's speech an "act of deception".
"There is no way the Egyptian people right now are ready to accept either Mubarak or his vice-president," Mr ElBaradei told CNN.
"And my fear right now is this will start violence."
Cairo resident Sherine Barakat told the BBC that she did not think there would be violence between the protesters and the army.
"Yesterday in the square soldiers were saying: 'If you march to the palace, no officer will stand in your way'. I think the army will help the people," she said.
Expectations that Mr Mubarak might leave began to circulate on Thursday afternoon when a statement by army chiefs said it would remain "in continuous session" to discuss how to safeguard "the aspirations of the great Egyptian people".
Hossam Badrawi, the new secretary general of the ruling NDP, then told the BBC he would be surprised if Mr Mubarak was still president on Friday.
The anti-government protests that began on 25 January were triggered by widespread unrest in Egypt over unemployment, poverty and corruption.
They followed a popular uprising in Tunisia which brought about the downfall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
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