Comments on: Last call for MIDs, Intel

By: MID ‘Frustration’ | UMPCPortal - The Ultra Mobile Computing reference site

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:31:08 +0000

[...] wrote last month about the delays and said I would re-visit the issue at the end of October but I’m sorry to report that [...]

By: Archos 5 browser speed shows promise. | UMPCPortal - The Ultra Mobile Computing reference site

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:50:07 +0000

[...] is sitting on the Ti OMAP platform but Ti aren’t the only people using it. Intel really do need to watch their backs in this territory now because they’re not fighting against relatively small companies like [...]

By: Dukeswharf

Dukeswharf — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:27:51 +0000

As a business centric person having a device with joysticks/pads on it is a non starter, I have abosultely no need for them.

By: dbzeag

dbzeag — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:55:21 +0000

What about the design is flawed? The controls?

By: dbzeag

dbzeag — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:49:39 +0000

Pandora will have Skype ported over. USB 3G adapter subsidized by the carrier for under $50, job done. It has almost 5″ screen and is not much larger than an iPhone. $330 + $50 for the adapter, if you need it.

what I would like to see, however, is something the size of a Zaurus or Pandora will the full ability to type (thumb ok) for email, chatting, light gaming like Bejeweled or something, reading Adobe documents and Office documents, and a media player and bluetooth with GPS capabilities.

I would carry this device as well as the smallest and simplest (read: featureless) phone with bluetooth to tether for those rare occasions I need to sync email when I am not at a wifi-enabled location.

If I can have two devices, that’s what I want. You don’t need a MID-like device AND a smartphone; there is too much functionality that is duplicated. Netbooks are too big and cumbersome when on public transport or on vacation seeing sites to use. A pocketable device like I mentioned and a phone for the sole purpose of what it was invented to do (place and receive phone calls) would be ideal.

As long as whatever OS and application combination can open and modify .xls or .doc documents or Outlook email contacts or playback .mp3 or .mov, it doesn’t matter if it is XP or Linux.

If I can only carry one (because that’s just easier) I would choose the iPhone today. It includes all of that functionality on a screen that is just a bit too small and office functionality that is a bit lacking, but it is the closest thing available today.

By: zak

zak — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:19:06 +0000

its intresting but i dont know about that keyboard. maybe kind of cramped for what i need.

By: Dukeswharf

Dukeswharf — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:14:30 +0000

If anything will make the Pandora fail it will be its design. Technically speaking its a sound device but the design is much to be desired.

By: Crastic

Crastic — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:03:51 +0000

I suppose in a way, the Pandora is also a MID, just not a ‘true Intel’ MID. But still it’s small, lightweight, features great battery life, touch screen, WIFI and Bluetooth, dual SD cards, and it runs Linux. If they can actually manufacture the machine (and release it) in reasonable quantities, why would you want anything else?

By: Crastic

Crastic — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:46:10 +0000

I’m sorry but as I see it, MID’s are almost unnecessary. The iPhone, or even the iPod Touch *can* fill the subtle needs of the consumer or enterprise. If it’s not already available, it will be. I can already VNC from mine, surf anything but Flash, use any web based communications service (Twitter, Forums, TRAC, Bugzilla), even use IRC if I cared to. The *only* thing missing is IM, and everyone’s well aware that’s coming. Word/PDF viewing, it’s not something I care to do, but there are a hand full of viewer apps already.

A mere $229 and a reasonable Wifi router later, and you have an infrastructure.

I’ll take a Netbook though.

By: Realtor

Realtor — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:15:38 +0000

I think I agree with Dukewwharf. I can be happy without Windows as long as I get the following. The full Internet experience. Email and IMs. Video and picture viewing. Finally some way to open and view Word and Excel docs in an easy to use and navigate UI on a small screen. (Ya Apple missed the boat on some of this.) Personally I am waiting to see what RIMs Storm looks like. (Due 11/15/05 at Verizon.) That or something like it may be all the UMPC I ever need. I will keep my laptop with its touch typing for the serious work.

By: Dukeswharf

Dukeswharf — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:22:27 +0000

“These delays, if caused by software issues, show that having an X86 core may not be the advantage that Intel thinks it is.”

Agreed!

As very aptly described by Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, “disruptive technologies tend to come from the bottom”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsxYQzl4snw&eurl=http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYsxYQzl4snw

By: tjs

tjs — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:20:45 +0000

For the basic apps Nokia seemed to do pretty decent job. It is not too hard to modify gnome apps for touch screen device. Maemo project has a bunch of community provided ports and original apps at http://maemo.org/downloads/OS2008/ some have good usability, some don’t.

The maemo site is also an example on how one can handle 3rd party apps. However the usual linux way would be integrating them into the distribution! This is very different mindset and I’m not sure if people not involved with linux can actually appreciate the idea fully… When using e.g. Ubuntu on desktop PC you get all “3rd party” apps from the distro. And basically they should all be tested and integrated into the system as a whole. The selection of software is enormous: about 25000 different packages on Ubuntu repos right now. I don’t need to go outside the distro for my software needs and I like to think myself as quite a demanding user.

Being based on ARM Nokia does not have the benefit of sourcing from existing distro. Of course, if all GUI based apps need to be tailored due to UI issues, there is not so much benefit in relying to existing distro anyway.

One can build basic N8×0 look-alike software stack from existing components in couple of weeks. Intel is aiming higher with their UI plans but I don’t believe the current lack of MIDs is about software at all… Maybe vendors still lack trust in bigger success of UMPC-like device categories?

By: chippy

chippy — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:30:52 +0000

Thats the east part, then you have the difficult job of tailoring all apps to look good with the same UI and then making the UI and finger access layer. That where it gets very hard.
You do not want a horrible xcalc popping up otherwise you have something as shocking as the Xperia and HTC Touch whenyou get to the core WM apps.
The other very very difficult bit is 3rd party app distribution and even just seeding 3rd party apps in a controled way.

I think we all agree that software and UI is critically important.

These delays, if caused by software issues, show that having an X86 core may not be the advantage that Intel thinks it is.

By: Dukeswharf

Dukeswharf — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:27:28 +0000

Last one, I promise

http://cnettv.cnet.com/9742-1_53-50001904.html

By: Vakeros

Vakeros — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 07:16:14 +0000

I have to agree with dbzeag. Chippy mentions a 5″ screen as the differentiator. You can already get 5″ screen smartphones. I would rather go with an Advantage than an M528. BT headsets are still taking off, but holding any phone up to your head is going to look so out of date soon, just as holding a brick to your head looks now! Especially with the need for safety of handsfree driving, people also prefer handsfree walking, cycling and everything else they do. This means leaving the phone in your pocket to answer a call will become the norm. Also you now can get the same 800×480 res. on some phones, which means it covers the PMP angle.
True, Pocket PCs (smartphones – I hate that term) still aren’t there yet, but neither are MIDs.