I got an email from a regular reader this morning and it was interesting to read thoughts that so closely echoed my own. It centers around frustration at the lack of MID hardware on the market so on a day where we’ve seen a lot of MID-related software announcements, it seems right to talk about the lack of hardware.
I 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 nothing much has happened. Sure, the Aigo MID is now shipping out of Japan as an export (without 3G) and the Benq MID is available in Italy (without a keyboard) but where’s the Gigabyte M528 that so many of us were looking for? The Kohjinsha MID, the Abit, Tritec, and the rest of the 33 MIDs? What about ARM-based MIDs. The Archos 5G? Where’s my Firefox-enabled, sub 400gm, 3G-enabled, 4+hr mobile Internet device? My Carrypad?
What amazes me is that the only device out there that is available and gets close to the mark is one that’s been on the market for over 18 months now. The Raon Digital Everun. I had one and enjoyed it [review] for a long time, but I moved forward to a Q1 Ultra for productivity reasons. Now that I have a netbook for my tabletop and productivity work, I need a 3G-enabled MID more than ever. Why am I not able to highlight anyone else’s devices? Has the netbook market taken so much grip that all focus has been diverted to squeeze out the consumers Christmas cash with cheap laptops? Do I have to go back to the Everun?
Article continues…
The only device that looks like it’s starting to feed through, albeit via exporters, is the Compal MID under the Aigo brand, but it doesn’t exactly look like a consumer-ready device from where I’m standing. (Test device arrives here on Thursday or Friday.) I spoke on the phone briefly with JKK of JKKMobile earlier and he’s loving the Aigo but he’s completed a 3G mod and hacked Firefox 3 onto it. I don’t have the time or desire to do the 3G mod so should I settle for tethering? The Wibrain i1 is another possibility but like the Everun, its not quite pocketable.
Are there are other people doing the waiting game for a fully capable Internet-focused MID? How many of you are looking at other alternatives? Are you looking at 3G-enabled netbooks? A smartphone upgrade? Are you considering the Everun, Wibrain or Aigo MIDs? Or are you just going to wait? It’s an interesting question so I’ve put a poll below. Write some comments too as I know a few resellers that would love your feedback on what devices you’d like to see in the market.
October 21st, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I share the sentiments exactly.
It’s very sad to see how the MIDs seems to be caught in some “pause” status, with Netbooks getting all the attention and one after the other coming out.
At the rate this industry is moving generally speaking, if the MIDs don’t hit the market in a very near future I feel there is a serious risk of the MID going into history as a great idea that never happened.
PMPs, Netbooks and Smartphones will only start to overlap the MID category more and more to the point where some (many?) might start to loose the interest in the MIDs, somewhat like the fate the Flipstart suffered due to the delays. Who knows what is happening with OQO perhaps the same shortly? Thereby the whole (true) UMPC category is drying up in my opinion.
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October 21st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I agree with everything in this article with some added concerns. I am currently looking for a device that will fulfill my basic computing needs while giving me solid multimedia performance and good battery life. I need a Nokia N810 on steroids with 8 hours of battery life, windows and a faster processor. Something like this would be killer. It would literally kill the market giving all the functionality in the palm of your hand. If anybody knows of something like this that will exceed my expectations I would love to know. If not I will continue to wait with the rest of you for a device that does it all and does it well.
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:03 pm
It has to be a POCKETABLE device correct? Unfortunately 8 hours is still a bit much, you’ll even have a hard time finding any laptop or netbook with that type of battery time (they exist but not many).
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Lets say it doesn’t have to be pocketable per say. but on the smaller form factor.. and not extremely expensive. Would you have any advice for something like that
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Well I have not much information/experience outside of what is reviewed, shown, tested on here and on JKK’s site. The only area where I might have some more experience and comments is the smartphone products which isn’t really covered on here.
It really boils down to what are you looking to do and how much do you plan on spending and what kind of size/battery time is acceptable to you? Oh and one last thing that somewhat affects things are you in Europe, Asia or the Americas or somewhere else?
October 21st, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I am unfortunately located in the US…. I began my search by looking for a multimedia device to play back video files on. Once i started my research I started finding different things that I would like to be possible but I cant seem to find them all in one place.
For example: The archos 5 internet media tablet: has decent screen, decent interactive guide, good accessories available (dock with HDMI output).
But it lacks in other areas such as a keyboard for one. Having a qwerty keypad of some type is a must. Thats why I would love to see a more powerful N810 with a larger hard drive and dvr capabilities. It is tough to find something that fits all of my needs/wants. The UMPC market is a unique market that has the potential to touch on all of these different things but has yet to do so. The oqo Model 2 has come the closest which is sad because it is over a year old now. Something like that if they could really take advantage of an atom processor and longer battery life would solve everybody’s problems. Unfortunately the product is so expensive you might as well stick with different components and save yourself some money.
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:51 am
Well Im in the GSM 3G deprived NA as well
Aside from the lack of good fast 3G I’m really complaining about the availability of UMPCs or the alike.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Well Nokia does have a N900 (or whatever they’re gona call it) in the works with a Ti OMAP3 (cortex A8) processor. That’ll be much faster then the current N810.
On topic, I agree completely with the post. The MID market is currently all talk right now. Hopefully the Lincroft chip that Intel is validating right now comes and saves us…. although probably won’t be till the end of next year.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I take it from reading you post and the replies that you are looking for a toy and not something to aid you in doing your work. If so why so pickey?
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Can you be more specific Travis what you say someone (I assume you’re talking to Blauhung?) on here is looking for a toy and not something to aid in doing work.
I mean let’s face it even if we got our “ideal” device right now, most of us would PLAY with it as much as we would use it for useful work. Personally I’ve been making a living 99% over mobile devices since the mid 90’s now, and by that I mean handled just about all the communication with customers and other interactions that require online access, such as browser, email , instant messaging. At this point I am “surviving” with a Sidekick LX (yes VERY MUCH designed as a toy for teenagers) and a first generation (jailbroken and unlocked) iPhone, and then an EEE 900 as “backup” for some real computing. The EEE however is only with me, well not even 1% of the time even except for around the house.
My point being one can really get quite far with MOBILE devices such as smartphones today if one is just ready to make certain compromises. I did use to carry an OQO 01, then 01+ and then a couple different 02’s but the size, the price (mainly the price to repair the screen when I cracked it :() and last but by no mean least the ridiculous battery time of the OQOs just made me settle for an EEE for the time being.
I think we are all picky (thats what you mean with “pickey” right? Oh sorry I guess I am being picky now :D) even though we end up using them as toys a lot of times.
On that note I still want to comment that I think that even if you took the best technology out there and even had a device that would cost $4000 with todays available technology very few of such devices (even if handed out for free) would be used for REAL SERIOUS WORK. I think we are decades away from a mobile device filling the real work tool a desktop or laptop does, in fact I think many (including myself) don’t really feel like we’re doing real work on a laptop despite how powerful it might be, it just has certain compromises to it.
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Totally agree. I was really hyped up on these devices 6 months ago. The M528 looked like my baby. But now they all seem to have disappeared, and the disappointing reports about the Aigo have dampened my enthusiasm for the M528 even if it comes out.
The only real release has been the Archos 5, and that devices does not offer enough productivity functionality to be what I was looking for.
Hard to believe, but it seems like an over 2 year old OQO device is still my best bet for a pocketable useful MID. That can’t be right.
I agree with the comment about re: the Nokia 800 series. If only they had a decent processor and a bit of productivity software support, that would have been my solution. I have the N800, and it’s a great form factor, and works well in many ways. But SOOOOOO underpowered.
In the meantime, I am very happy with my Gigabyte M704. I was worried when I bought it that it would be obsolete in 3 months, but as far as I can see, at the present time, it is closest to what I was looking for, even though it is very far from pocketable.
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Although it was only last year (2007) yes it is soon two years ago the 02 was released, but not quite yet. But its not “over 2 years old” either way.
http://www.oqo.com/news/press_releases/2007-01-07_02_launch.html
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:36 pm
LOL. OK. OK. It SEEMS like more than 2 years because I have been waiting so long. But even “nearly 2 years” is an infinity on the cutting edge of technology. Why have things advanced so little?
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I agree though that it FEELS like 2 years and more, I was in fact surprised to be reminded that it was only released in 2007!
Yes when you look at the Netbook market for instance, that’s months away from being a year old still so…
October 21st, 2008 at 8:22 pm
What are MIDs? Aren’t they Multimedia Internet Devices ran by OSes like Linux?
Well there’s a reason they are disappearing: Smartphones, like the:
iPhone 3G
T-Mobile G1
HTC Touch Pro
HTC Touch HD
Contrary to MIDs, not only do these devices have big high resolution screens, mobile internet, and Multimedia superiority, but they are also PHONES. They make and receive calls, text, email…etc. Who wants to hold an MID+Phone anymore? With Smartphones, convergence comes at almost NO COMPROMISE.
Even better, there is a wealth of more functional and variable 3rd party apps. With a Linux-based open OS like Android, you can expect even MORE.
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:35 pm
For me, the sub 4″ screens on the Smartphones (the biggest is the 3.8″ Touch HD, are not useful for surfing or for most productivity software. And only a few have good resolution. Most are still qVGA or hVGA.
The Touch HD is the class of the field, but it’s not readily available except to a select few. In North America there’s no sign of it at all. So really the only Smartphone that can seriously pretend to be a MID is the iPhone, and that’s laughable.
The ideal form factor for a MID, in my opinion, is a 5″ screen. The Archos is a good example, and the HTC Advantage as well. But there have to be some horses behind those screens, so we can run real operating systems and browser and applications.
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Even if you would get an HTC Touch HD there wouldn’t be any NA 3G support with it correct? http://www.htc.com/www/product/touchhd/specification.html Plus this is another NO KEYBOARD device which just cuts out the usability.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:19 pm
If you put something with a 5″ screen and a lot of battery life won’t it pull your pants down?
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:54 pm
It depends
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b335/jhalili/u810_ux_pants_2.jpg
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:55 am
Well all these devices range from VGA to HVGA screens. Also, a 4″ screen would make the device unpocketable. It will also need a thick battery to power the bug high-res screen. So what’s the use of having a small MID if it’s not pocketable? Why just not carry a netbook if you’re willing to have extra luggage on you?
Also, everyone carries a phone. Regardless of how small the MID is, it will always be extra baggage if you also need to carry a phone. So the way I see it, with Android phones starting to show up, as well as TEGRA powering 720pi and 1024pi-capable hi-res smartphones next year, it’s really pointless to carry an MID around.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Why would a 4″ screen make the device unpocketable? The AIGO MID and even the OQO are pocketable althought maybe not very easy so in the OQO case.
High res screens don’t need that much battery power, the AIGO is decent on battery in fact.
Well there are actually ideas or devices out there that could put an MID and phone into one frankly, look at the Nokia Communicators for one those exist and are on the market and have been for many years now, and here I go once again how about this MID in the original iPod size
http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/02/apple_tablet.jpg
Yes that is an imaginary product but I feel personally that it could be done, perhaps this new “one piece aluminum production” Apple has implemented might open up new doors in the MID/UMPC category?
Now will future MIDs have phones builtin also or will future Smartphones be as much an MID that time will show, it’s obvious that at some point the two will merge to some degree, but then again my homephone (oh that’s right I don’t even have one only a Skype Philips phone :)) and my home computer are not one and the same device. Nor is my TV a computer (though it has one hooked up to it) nor are there any offroad and sportscar in one that are good on both territories. I think that when you merge devices you make a compromise on both (or more) fronts. Take the multipurpose printer/scanner/faxes, none of them are really great printers or scanners when it comes to performance or speed. The best I found was a Brother color laser but it costed around $700 and came in a box big enough for me to fit in, for that money I could have def gotten a better printer AND better scanner, the fax I don’t use anyhow. So I think we will be carrying multiple devices for quite some time still.
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I agree on the screen size being too small and that 5″ is ideal for MIDs. But one thing I will say, solutions suzh as the zoom feature on the iPhone actually doesn get around the “too small for interenet sreen” syndrome quite nicely. Takes time to get used to it, but I have to say I’ve been amazed at how well visible it is even for older people wen I want to show them something. I’m talking ppl in the age that they have no clue about gadgets in general.
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Very true and this is the “song” I’ve been singing for years (and you can find it online everywhere :)) but still no Smartphone so far (or whatever you want to call these 2-3.5″ screened devices) has been able to really handle media (say YouTube etc) in a fashion that we are used to from our “full OS” computers. Also despite the growing amount of SW for the iPhone, G1 phone and WMO devices, it seems also that more often than not that the SW developed for these devices have it’s own “world” and/or agenda and not very often are they replicating what a desktop or full laptop does. Also most (large/well known) SW developers are NOT making a version of their software for these “new” mobile OS’ I could post a long list of 5-10 SW I would want to have with me, and for now I can only do it with a full XP device.
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Sorry have the Aigo, with Ubuntu and Midlinux, had the Raon, lasted two weeks, have samsung q1 ultra Premium, they need to change that name, and I still need a device small enough to fit in my pocket for quicky, I know I said the N95 would be good enough, but the N810 and the N95 continue to suffer from hardware problems. I would love the Aigo, even with the limitation running XP, I am sure I could use that device, even if I have to crack the unit open to turn it on, long story about that. In the end I am stil shopping for a device to bridge the gap, not so big, but just enough power so youtub still works, the Raon everun was so disappointing. if they upgrade to Atom, I would sell off my first born to get one in my hand, so like everyone I wait for the next offering, I really want the Asus now
:(
Steve, please help
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:37 pm
The Raon lasted “FOR YOU” or just gave up after two weeks??
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October 21st, 2008 at 8:55 pm
There may seem to be a slowdown on mids, but it seems the market is moving forward in a whole other branch, namely:
E-ink devices; e-book readers.
E-ink technology somewhat brings the pc and internet experience a couple of years back (about 15 years or so), but has an increasing popularity because of the e-ink technology.
you can best describe this technology as:
A digital solarpowered calculator leds, on a white paperlike non-transparent background;only here there are resolutions of about 800×600 pix on 6″ screen.
the meaning of the e-ink devices is to make reading books look like real books.
The amazing feat is that they run for about 7500 pages per single charge. Even for the avid reader that would translate in 2week batterylife!
So the interesting part of e-ink is batterylife, since once enabled, e-ink uses ‘no’ battery.
We’re really talking about once a page is refreshed, it takes a couple of hours before the screen goes blank unpowered,so we’re talking about power in the likes of Micro Watts!
Anyways, this sector is moving forward, as well as the newer ‘flexible screen technologies’!
Youtube for ‘oled’ and you see that slowly people are getting away from the ‘Liquid Crystal Display’ which required a hard surface like glass, to a softer, bendable screen.
Already technologies have been created to literaly ‘ROLL UP’ the screen inside a device.
The ‘Readius’ from ‘Polymer Vision’ is the first device out with e-ink technology.
Other manufacturers will follow soon using ‘Oled’ technology.
The good thing is that mids might be going to a place where the screen no longer forms the largest part of the mid.
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October 21st, 2008 at 9:17 pm
This E-INK craze I don’t personally see as a MID or UMPC product really, while the MID/UMPC market might benefit in some way from technology from these, I see them just as another category, like all the fantastically nice designed and looking E-Dictionaries of KOREA for instance!
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October 21st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Seems to echo my sentiments exactly. Right now the only portable piece I have is my LG Dare dumbphone and Lenovo x61s. There is a need for something in between a phone and netbook, mainly just for the larger screen for playing videos and for the FIE. However, there are way too many compromises. I echo what someone said about the OQO. It would certainly be the perfect device with some key improvements, but at that price point it is just way out of line.
If I had to build a device, I’d take something like the Archos and throw Android on it, and keep it under $300, $199 to achieve critical mass. These devices need Bluetooth tethering and stereo, Wifi, and add on 3G chips for popular providers (not to mention cheaper 3G plans, but I digress).
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October 21st, 2008 at 9:39 pm
frankly, what i desire in a mid cannot be catered for by Atom it would seem, i like the 528 but the software platform is too fractured and its just too big.
i will await the Nokia N900 tablet using the A8 Cortex chip for a truly pocketable computer.
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October 21st, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I’m waiting for the upcoming successor of the N810.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I gave up waiting for MID.
Right now I am looking for Smartphone as a companion for my Lenovo x61s to handle emails on the go.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Handling emails on the go is no problem for most feature and smartphones these days so you should have a nice wide range of choices.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Very true it basically comes down to a few features or points
A) Do you need access to more than one account? POP3 or IMAP?
B) Good keyboard, how much will you be typing, I doubt I need to repeat myself but the DANGER.COM Sidekick lineup as been the best keyboard out there for mobile emailing and instant messaging by far in my opinion. A lot of that has to do with the FIVE rows (which btw the G1 Google phone now has too!)
C) How it handles emails can it multitask so to speak between numerous of emails, say private and a business one? The sidekicks have been fantastic on that you just hit reply and they reply with whatever account it came in on, despite it all being (if you so chose) one inbox.
Ok ok I’m not trying to promote the Sidekicks, they have just worked well for me for email in particular.
If I was to be using a laptop (with me most of the time) and say wanted a somewhat normal phone, I would definitely use the JOIKUSPOT http://www.joikuspot.com/ (which I have been testing and love!) on a Nokia (a few Samsung models also supported) or the walkinghotspot (which I have NOT tried) since I feel it’s so handy to connect over WIFI from a laptop vs, any BT or other tethering, but hey that might just me in this GSM 3G deprived location
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
You’re saying you handle the emails on the Lenovo or on the phone? Sorry just not sure if you’re saying you (want to) use the phone for the emails or for accessing WWAN for the laptop?
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:51 pm
phone for emails and as modem for notebook if need more.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 am
Do you have a speicific phone now?
Do you do LONG emails (like my posts on here LOL) or just a sentence or two mainly meaning do you really need/want QWERTY keyboard on your phone?
October 21st, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Poll was missing from the post. Now enabled.
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:51 pm
hey!who stolen the mid?!
Damn!even the midkid got an job and quit!
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October 21st, 2008 at 10:57 pm
If you are thinking about the Archos 5 you might want to think again. Very innovative company but really lacking in both quality control and customer care. Among the problems are paint peeling off the device, beta firmware, DVR accessory fire, stuck pixels, defective screen, promised accessories not delivered, etc. It is a shame because the device has so much to offer but as it stands should not have been released in it’s current state. Check UNofgadgets.com to read some of the problems.
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October 21st, 2008 at 11:17 pm
This was a very good article Chippy, I can only agree. I’m very much for a living and “open” platform (open in the sense that anyone can develop for it), but it’s also important with the “always-on” thing, so I haven’t really looked too seriously at the stuff running full desktop OS. (For carrying around at all times I mean, I’d still love to have a UMPC, who wouldn’t ;).
By now I’m kind of looking at the high-end WinMo stuff, HTC advantage is pretty neat, and I’m really curious how the upcoming HTC Touch HD will be. With a WVGA 3.8″, it’s starting to get usable for browsing on the go, though it’s lacking keyboard input.
However, the other day I did have a good look at all the UMPC’s out there, and I came to the same conclusion that you did. Avoiding the smartphones, the Everun still seems like the best choice for small, long battery, and usability.
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October 21st, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Don’t worry guys, hardware is in late? software too!
The only “real” distribution open to the public is Ubuntu mobile based on Intel Moblin and belive it or not it is still missing LOT of drivers, from wifi to Poulsbo chipset.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 am
Wow, what a great response to the topic. Tells me that there is a lot of pent up frustration and interest in this type of product.
But all we get is netbook after stinkin’ netbook. Sigh.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 12:26 am
I still keep my Everun (with extended battery, no 3g, 6GB SSD + 16GB CF). It is about right size and battery life for me, but still kinda slow (flash video, skype, no 3D acceleration). But I do not see anything better on the market at this time.
Truth be told, Everun been gathering some dust since I bought Nokia N82. This is amazing powerhouse, and eats power it does when used for voip and navigation. But extra battery weighs nothing and takes same place as couple of credit cards.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 12:28 am
With delayed MID devices and next generation Moorestown devices round the corner, I’m just going to wait… unless there is some very tempting deal on a small netbook, preferably with 3G built-in!
I am a big fan of the OQO but can’t justify (to my wife) spending so much money on what is a toy at the end of the day.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 1:13 am
Moorestown is coming in a year… long wait ahead
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October 22nd, 2008 at 1:01 am
i was really waiting for m528.. but if it doesnt appear in next 2 to 3 weeks i’m buying the aigo..
it’s not good as it is ( software and missing 3G ) but i’m allready having fun with this loaner device so i’m sold..
i will post my findings soon…
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October 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 am
Amazing response here. I really hope OEMs and resellers understand that there’s a lot of strong desire for a MID out there. I’m glad many of you are voting to wait rather than switch to another strategy!
I see the USI MID-160 was demo’d yesterday. Am chasing this one up.
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS5727829499.html
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October 22nd, 2008 at 1:30 am
Well I guess I could vote on more than one of the votes
cause I did vote on that I’m getting an existing MID (cause I already did) but since it’s not really what I want just yet (need full OS like XP) I guess I could be voting on I will wait too 
at the same time in reality I’m using my EEE and mobile for now in reality. Last but not least I’m active on here cause I really want to see the OEMs come out with something we would talk about HOW TO USE, not HOW TO IMPROVE/CHANGE 
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October 22nd, 2008 at 1:28 am
I see the software as the main problem for mids right now. The hardware could proliferate if the drivers were ready, open, and available.
Witness the XP driver for the Aigo/Gigabyte/Compal has not yet arrived. Ubuntu and the many other Linux distros do not support the touch screens of the mids. The Aigo GPS has no apparent driver what so ever. The only OS running properly write now appears to be MIDinux.
The MIDs I have read about make it difficult to add new software. The Aigo and the Ideapad (U8?) users are trying to use the BenQ S5 repositories with only a little success. One has to be an unreasonably proficient hacker to modify the device to make it more open.
Yes, I want a slick interface for the popular activities of a MID: internet browsing, media viewing, and such. I also want the ability to take advantage of the fact that these devices are basically Intel Architecture PCs. With decades of software at my disposal, I want to keep the full PC experience at a price point that means I can replace the device when I drop it.
I have been a hardware/software developer for most of my life. I am part of a niche market at best, but I am not sure that the MID market is much larger than that niche market at this time. I think these devices take the knowledge of a long time PC user to see their value at their current price point.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 2:19 am
Hey!
I felt like you said, playing the game of waiting. They keep releasing so much hardware, I don’t even know what I want.
First, I wanted an small laptop. Then I realized that my cellphone (HTC wizard) was fairly good, but I the Tilt, had GPS and I wanted to upgrade. Now, I don’t know if I want a big cellphone and probably skip the laptop of a small basic feature cellphone and a small laptop/netbook.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 2:56 am
Plenty of HW released yes in the smartphone and netbook categories but not in the MID category which is what this post/thread is about.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 2:41 am
The responses here seem to point to the problem. There isn’t a consensus of opinion even among knowledgeable users of what a MID should be and what it should be capable of doing or what form factor it should take. And for most people a MID sits in an in-between class of devices with limited usefulness. A smartphone you carry with you always and a notebook can be used for more serious work. A MID may have its place but I believe most would rather spend their money on upgrading their phone or notebook than buying a third device. A MID can’t replace either.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 2:54 am
I think you’ve missed an important point here.
Most of us do not want to have this as a 3rd (or even 2nd device?), the whole point is to have a device that CAN replace a netbook but can fit in your pocket.
Also I believe a lot of us are aware of A) what we would WANT to have but also B) what might/could be feasible realistically at this point. This is why we are setteling for compromises of various sorts. Perhaps this is also where you’ve gotten the impression that we disagree on what a MID is or should be. Frankly since there hardly are any MIDs that has hit the market yet, of course its a bit difficult to define what is a MID and what’s not.
BTW when you say “…than buying a third device” are you trying to indicate that one NEEDS to have a (smart)phone a MID *AND* a Netbook/laptop??
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October 22nd, 2008 at 3:56 am
I’m saying that for the majority of people, a MID is not going to replace a netbook/laptop because there are too many compromises. And if your phone has email and a web browser you don’t NEED a MID.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 5:51 am
Well like I said before I think you’re missing the point, because I can personally say for sure that I am *NOT* looking for a MID (or UMPC) to “REPLACE” any (well I only own a Netbook now no laptop as such) laptop. Can you see yourself carrying around a laptop 99% everywhere where you go? Can you see yourself pulling out a laptop when you stand in line somewhere? When you’re walking down the street (ok sidewalk)??
Not me, yes as mentioned before my EEE comes with me not even 1% of the time, it has NOT replaced the place/purpose I want to use the MID (UMPC) for!
I for one run a business and there is NOT ONE (trust me I’ve been through all mobile platforms) mobile device on which I could readily search through hundreds (a few days of emails) not to mention the thousands that I have from within a few weeks. Secondly I need constantly about FIVE programs that needs to be installed on a full OS (these all actually need Windows) not to mention small programs such as Skype, which now do exist on mobile platforms to some extent but tend not to run as smoothly always on them.
If all you’re doing is exchanging a few “social” emails with your friends or family and surf the web only to read the news or what not, then yes you don’t even need a “smartphone” most phones can do that by now and you can do emails even without a QWERTY keyboard, I did all my emails and web browsing in the late 90s early 2000’s for instance on the Nokia 7110 it was great for its time.
But I believe most of us looking for these MIDs are actually looking for a TOOL to use not just things your phone can do (keeping in mind I am managing with two smartphones but not content with it).
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 am
I am about to give up on the wait. I have been following the “just about to come out” MIDs for nothing. I was well ready to buy a Nokia N810 the first day when it was available (directly from Nokia), but obnoxious customer service chased me away. Then, the wait for a MID started–I liked the appeal of a pocketable device with integrated cam and wifi, and (hopefully) good Linux compatibility so I can hack on it. One year later even the rumors have become scarse. Pfft…
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October 22nd, 2008 at 5:53 am
Actually the Linux that’s on the AIGO when it comes it quite locked down!
May I ask what your main goal or usage with an MID or the Nokia would be?
As I personally don’t really see them as competitors to each other that much, it’s obvious that COMPAL (Aigo, Gigabyte) has chosen the processor they have in order to be able to offer a pocketable FULL OS device!
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October 22nd, 2008 at 7:06 am
“pocketable FULL OS device!”
That pretty much sums up what I want. The full description is here (CCC 7):
http://www.umpcportal.com/2008/10/ccc-week-challenges-7-9
The GPS would be “nice to have”. The only thing that is stopping me now from buying a Nokia tablet is that the web cam doesn’t work with Skype (or should I say that is the other way around?). Otherwise I really like the device and the community behind it.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 am
Greetings:
I keep repeating the same thing over, if MID’s have to make a place in this Soft Economy, they must have a sweet price target.
The Company that markets a MID with 3G below $350.00US will turn heads and start the success of MIDS.
Who will that Company be?
Regards Robert
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October 22nd, 2008 at 6:07 am
I think you’ve misunderstood what the “soft economy” (as you call it) means from a manufacturing point of view! The MAIN KEY to any massproduction is just that MASS, whenever my company orders something the supplying factory only talks about 100 units, 1000 units and sometimes even 10.000 units of whatever it is we are buying in.
For instance just recently we did an enquiry about EEE 7″ replacement LCDs, the MOQ (minimum order quantity) was 500 PCS, why? Because all the prices are pressed to such a bare minimum that the only way the supplier can make a profit making it worth while is if you order 500 pcs.
Why am I bringing this up? Because the economical situation will NOT bring prices down from a supplier perspective but the opposite, yes some retailers and some suppliers (who have a profit margin such that they are able to) will have to lower their prices. But overall the industry will NOT see lower prices!! You will see prices going up in fact, except for items on which there has been more demand than there tends to be supply such as for instance memory. But anything new like these MIDs not going to happen.
Frankly I think your comment on $350 is a bit ridiculous, I just went on ATT Wireless for the kicks of it and the lowest priced phone with 3G I found is like $270 (with tax) on a “no commitment buy” term, do you know the amount of phones are being pumped out!? When I worked in that industry we were producing around a million of ONE MODEL/month this is over half a decade ago and our factory was not the only one to produce this model.
It just goes to show what the “hard economy” (?? opposite of what’s going on now) has distorted the American’s perception of most anything, very much so prices of things out there, it’s now going to take a few years and the USA will be paying the same (and then some, to make up for all the borrowed credit) as the rest of the world for things and services. Also it’s going to cost quite a deal to get the US up to speed when it comes to it’s infrastructure and car park, and you name it. Now that things are starting to cost more efficiency is also starting to have some value (in Dollars and cents!) in the USA and thereby slowly but surely businesses are swapping out there 2 or 3 decade old tech based vans for MB Sprinter diesels, and other similar changes are taking place.
Do not be mistaken it is the US consumer who will be paying for all these upgrades, since the US consumer makes up 75% of the US economy!
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October 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 am
I find this thread amusing somehow……
Mark
Posting this from his hacked Aigo…….
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October 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 am
Glad you could join us Mark!
So tell us what you DO use your Aigo for and what not would you
Also tell us what you IDEALLY would be looking to do with it once (if) you had full XP with drivers on it.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 6:40 am
Thanks, ecsk2!….
Well, I use it for websurfing (Coolfox works pretty well for me…), has full office suite (word proc, spreadsheet, presentation…), email, ToDo app, Calendar app, video app, …..comes with just about every type of app most users would want to at least have one of that type (some may want other specific choices of those type apps, but at least you get one out of the box…)
Before, Celtiore’s recent hack file, Aigo OS was ‘very closed’, ie, you couldn’t add or remove apps for example, which seemed odd to me for a Linux OS device….but now with hack file, you get Add/Remove app, Firefox, X Terminal, and other choices along with a new home button app manager….soon Celtiore should release an updated hack file which will be even better….
See pics over at pocketables.net forums and French site Owendia.com, Aigo forums…check for Celtiore’s posts, has nice photos for you…
As for XP, don’t really see why so many people are so excited about having XP on such a small device, when XP wasn’t designed for it, plus XP doesn’t really take advantage of touchscreen like XP TabletPC or Vista does…,but to each his own….only reason I’d put XP on it would be if there was a specific XP app that wasn’t available in Linux and you had to have it for some reason….
So, at least for me, if I get an updated hack file I will be quite pleased with my lil’ Aigo….
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October 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 am
Oh I know I’ve been following the progress both on the UMPCportal forums on Pocektables and on the Wiki site. I still long for the ability to have full XP though.
I still feel the AIGO and it’s siblings could enjoy a similar boom (granted not as huge) as we saw (are still seeing, as the non geek ppl learn about the EEE and Netbooks too :)) with the EEEs and Netbooks in general, but I feel one of the keys for such success is the ability to use Linux OR Windows (or any other OS someone decides to try on it … :)) the price will come along onto a better range I’m sure once (if) these MIDs take off!
I think why many of us want XP is that it is the best supported OS out there when it comes to 3rd party SW and applications, love it or hate it it’s kind of like with WM (Windows Mobile) so many people hate it but at the same time it ends up being the most versatile at the end of the day.
I’m not sure why you say “on such a small device”, OQO which is very close in size (the 02) was introduced by MS themselves when it launched back in early 2007. Yes there’s a bunch of politics around XP vs. XP tablet on a touchscreen device and the whole lifespan of XP but all politics aside, there’s no issues with XP on this size of a device. Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t you run XP on your Aigo yourself for a while?
Told you I’ve been watching the progress 
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 am
Oh P.S with MS I meant MicroSoft
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
ecks2, just to be clear, I have no problem with you or anyone else using XP if you want, just don’t see what the impetus is for it, given the lack of features built into it that take advantage of this type of hardware. As I said, XP TPC and Vista do that, so, I could understand the desire to run those versions….btw, I run Vista Biz on my lil’ P1610 that I use everyday and XP TPC on my 2710p at work too….so, have nothing against MS per se…
As for my using XP on Aigo, I just decided to try it on a lark, kept it for a few hours as I quickly realized it’s limitations without having all the needed drivers…anyway, this was way before Celtiore’s hack file…
Again, YMMV….
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I think I already covered the reasons for using XP in another long novel length posting above
I mean for me NOT having a widely used full OS like XP on the MIDs makes owning/using an MID pointless because the things the AIGO MID with Linux (this or that version) can do I can do with one or the other smartphone. While I don’t really love Linux as such I understand that it is considered a full OS.
But my point is that there isn’t that much support for Linux by major 3rd party sw suppliers, or any company out there that offers (req.) SW in order to use their services. This is my main need for XP. If I could get around these obstacles of installing such 3rd party SW on say Linux I couldn’t are less I could live with Linux no worries. Because I do feel (like is pointed out lower down on here too) that thanks to the open source of Linux there is an endless amount of developing and support out there, so if it’s not available now it might be shortly (just generally speaking about Linux).
One last thing when I talk about MIDs and XP I am obviously talking about XP fully working on an MID, I am kind of ignoring the lack of drivers for now which in my perception is a political one.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:59 am
If you guys want a MID so badly, why not just get an OQO 02? The Aigo cost $720 on eBay while the OQO is just $999 (or $750 when on sale) and it is a true XP powerhorse. It is slightly thicker and heavier than the Aigo, but still just 1 pound and pocketable. The screen does 1024×600 just fine if you know how to increase Firefox font by Ctrl-+ or use the great 2noon Display Change command line tool. When you hook it to a monitor via VGA or HDMI, it is the only one computer you ever need. With Intervideo Video Decoder, it can even play HD movie! The OQO 02 is a very thoughtfully designed piece of art, very customizable; spend enough time on tweaking and you’ll love it.
I have said many times: don’t go Archos or Samsung. They always spend all their time to add fancy features into their stuff and leave no time to tweak their products to offer a good user experience. OQO and Apple are the opposite.
Also, I beg you guys to try the new EEE PC 900A or 900HA. You’ll never need to carry your huge Lenovo 61 again and you might find you no longer need anything smaller. Even better, your local Best Buy stores have the 900A for $299.99.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 8:22 am
It appears like you haven’t visited this or the JKK blogspot much? First off as mentioned even above here the OQO 02 is getting old already, it doesn’t have an Atom processor for one. It has a ridiculous short battery time (trust me I know I’ve owned all of them 01, 01+ and a couple of the 02s). Aside from that they are relatively heavy and bulky, run quite warm if not hot. Are also LOUD and noisy from the fan. Not last but far from least it doesn’t have a touchscreen in the traditional (passive) sense.
One more thing you really need to have the extended battery in order to be able to use it realistically. Also I get the sense that most of us aren’t really looking for an EVDO edition device, the E2 editions are still quite unusual and only marketed for non NA markets.
Actually I’ve spent all too much time with the OQOs enough to have had to spend $500 on replacement LCDs
that’s another thing they are very expensive to keep running and repairing (when needed) on that subject they have had a number of quality issues too, my last 02 had non functioning scrollers and stopped working again after a while after I got it back from warranty repair (which is outsourced btw!)
I’m sorry but while OQO WAS (yes WAS not *IS*) a fantastic device and breaking new grounds as it came out, it has been on “idle” too long and unless they come out with something dramatic within the next few months I predict the same fate for OQO as for Flipstart, as much as I personally would NOT want that to happen I see no other outcome if it continues as it is doing right now, with CEO resigning no units NOR sales rep visits at their (walk-in) resellers..etc etc
I’m sorry but I use plenty of Apple devices Apple Pro (desktop) MacBooks, iPhone, Mac Mini, but all this just happened in the past year for me (switch to Apple) so while I do respect the Apple design and quality I am by no means a longtime “Apple fanboy” and frankly the OQO is no Apple as much as it want’s to be and though the founders came from Apple. It has not lived up to Apple’s image not on quality levels nor customer support (which has been mainly outsourced to ppl not always so in tune with the device frankly).
Personally I’m typing this on my EEE 900 and just got my $100 MIR check today from Asus, had the 701 before this and considering the 901, unlike JKK I’m ok with the 901 design