Archive for the ‘mid’ Category

In a recent ‘Thought Leaders’ study by Phil Hendrix of IMMR, a number of (US-based, I believe)people were asked the following question:

Three years from now, among individuals who own or use a PC, cellphone or smartphone, at home or work, what percentage do you think will have purchased a MID, again, by Q3 2011.

The average prediction is that by Q3 2011, 33% of these people will have a MID.

I know what you’re thinking. ‘No way.’ That’s what I thought until I read their definition of a MID. The IMMR definition of a MID is:

MIDs, or Mobile Internet Devices, are a new class of devices/PC’s that offer many of the features of a PC, but at 1-3lbs. are lightweight and portable enough to easily carry and use virtually anyplace, at any time.

Its not the definition that Intel use but its certainly the definition I’m hearing from ARM, Ti and others that regard even netbooks as mobile Internet devices. Based on that definition, I totally agree with the ‘Thought Leaders,’ whoever they may be.

A complimentary copy of the report, titled ‘The M in MIDs stands for Mobile’ and sponsored by GigaOM,  the GSMA mobile Innovation Market and InMobile, can be downloaded from the IMMR website at www.immr.org and it’s an interesting read covering more than just the penetration question. There are some quotes from the respondents included too like these two that I hear a lot: "Someone who has an iPhone right now, essentially has a MID already" and "With smartphones taking on 80%+ of MID-type activities, it will be tough to convince people to carry yet another device."  So if the iPhone is a MID and more voice-enabled MIDs are on the horizon, what are we arguing about? Based on this segment of the market alone I’d say we will reach 30% penetration by end of 2011. Add netbooks into the mix and it’s almost a certainty but for me, the even nicer thought is imagining the hundreds of variations of mobile Internet-enabled devices that will appear.

Related article: MID, a definition that is hard to ignore.

As you might have seen from the initial hands-on review, the Aigo MID brings a new level of Internet browsing to the pocket.

The results beat a previously tested set smartphones and other pocketable ‘Internet’ devices by an average 9 seconds per page. In terms of Internet browsing performance, it blows the N800/N810 out of the water and even the iPhone only averages 20 seconds per page over WiFi. [Aigo averages 12 seconds] The only pocketable device that gets close is the new Archos 5 with an average, over a similar set of tests, of 15 seconds.

It does pretty well on video playback too with higher-bitrate files really taking advantage of the high-quality screen. Its just a shame that the media software is so basic. In my opinion, Video, Search and Browsing are the most important elements of a MID’s capabilities so lets see how the Aigo P8860 performs. Videos and notes below…

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Umid of Korea have kindly sent over a set of new images and the official specs of the nice looking clamshell device we saw a few weeks ago. It’s due for official launch in ‘early of 2009′ which hints towards CES or CeBIT. Pricing is unknown but with those pro-level specifications I would expect it to be more than the Aigo MID variants.

We’ve added all the details to a new UMID product information page so feel-free to browse the specs, the gallery, the links, see what devices are similar in specification (Fujitsu U2010 is probably the closest competitor in terms of form-factor but the Aigo MID comes closer in size) and take note of a few things. 1 - The battery is 17Wh which, given the lower processing power and smaller screen when compared to the U2010, should give it a 4hrs+, active-online battery life. 2 - The size. It’s much smaller than a U2010 so this one should be easier to slip in a jacket pocket.

Thanks to UMID for sending the details over. The device isn’t on the UMID website as we publish this but there’s obviously a placeholder there. No pricing or territorial info available at this stage.

The MID market is really starting to build up steam in and its fairing-up to be an exciting Q1 2009. Here’s the latest entrant under the ‘next-gen PMP’ banner as presented by Pocketables. With a possible ARM-11 core, this may not be the powerhouse required by many pro-mobile users and if the media experience isn’t up to scratch, it probably won’t compete well with the Archos 5G but it at least proves, again, that mobile devices are evolving towards a better mobile Internet experience.

Read what Pocketables have uncovered here.

Thanks to Mobilx.eu I’ve had the Aigo MID for a few weeks now. I put a fairly lengthy post up a few weeks ago explaining where this device fits in but now it’s time to give you an overview of it in action.

Here’s the video, made with very little preparation so you get to see a few problems with the device too.

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Just in time for the holidays: you could win yourself an impressive gadget package from Pocketables.net. The holiday prize package features one of the first MIDs to have real consumer availability, the Aigo P8860 [Portal page]. Take a look at Jenn’s review of the unit, and don’t miss UMPC Portal’s own coverage of the device.

The Aigo P8860 is certainly the centerpiece of the prize package, but there are some other great accessories as well. The winner of the prize package will receive the following:

• Aigo P8860 MID (white)
• iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth keyboard
• Original Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset (black)
• Sennheiser CX500 in-ear headphones (black)
• 8GB SanDisk microSD card
• Book-style leather case (black)

The iGo bluetooth keyboard is arguably the best portable bluetooth keyboard out there and I have heard good things about the Jawbone bluetooth headsets. When all is said and done, the package you could win is worth over $1000. Want to win? Head over to Pocketables to read the official rules. Be sure to hurry, the entry period is already half way over!

When we talk about ‘Mobile Internet’ the first thing we often think about is mobile Web. We’ve heard about ‘Full Internet Experience’ and ‘Internet in your Pocket’ and seen diagram after diagram showing how a full-fat 800×480 browser is the key but the truth is that it is just a small element of what’s picking up steam in the mobile Internet device market.  In fact, the mobile Web is just one of the things enabled by mobile Internet. Its a strong focal point but it would be a complete mistake to think that that is the only thing a MID is going to be.

Article continues…

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Getting closer to the ever-green PSION 5 design is this PC, yes, Atom-based, design that Aving have just published news about.

Looking just slightly bigger than an Aigo MID, this 315gm device looks like it covers all the angles with 3G and digital TV options, a 1024×600 4.8" touchscreen, 8-32GB SSD options, 1.1 or 1.3Ghz CPU and an SD slot.

It looks like it’s due for release in 2009 according to the translation that you can find here. [Original]

Via JKKMobile

If you look at the UMID website, you’ll see a placeholder for the MID but there’s no info there yet. You’ll find an interesting 7" UMPC slate though that’s also a new one on me.

Lets not beat around the bush here. The Aigo P8860 MID is a slightly unpolished, slightly locked-down, slightly thin-app, early-adopters Mobile Internet Device. Almost everything in the application suite is underwhelming and after the initial unboxing high, the experience takes a sharp dive. Thank goodness then, that the only real problems are software-related, fixable and have nothing to do with the excellent form factor and superb Intel Atom platform which make this device truly breakthrough. I can’t put it down!

We’ve all seen small devices before. High-end smartphones and low-end UMPCs have been around for a while but none of them have managed to combine true pocketability with acceptable battery life and a top-notch Internet experience. The Aigo does though. 4.8″ 800×480 screen, check! 3hrs online battery life, check! Useable keyboard, check! Powerful processor, check! In ‘Internet’ power-to-weight ratio terms, this is a winner. Read on…

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The Fujitsu U820 is coming to the U.S. according to both JKKMobile and Pocketables. Don’t expect bargain-basement pricing though as these are firmly aimed at the pro-mobile market with their advanced design and high-end features. (See the reports on the Asia, U2010 version) $999 (introductory offer) buys you the entry-level model with Vista Home Premium and a 60GB drive but if you want the extra features of Vista Business and a 120GB drive, you’re looking at $1299. Both come with GPS and Garmin Mobile navigation software. Leading edge quality still costs a lot of money!

I try to stear clear of the many unconfirmed or uncited reports that come through Digitimes but this is one that you might want to keep an eye on. Apparently, Intel will be introducing updates to the Z-series (Silverthorne) CPUs in 2009. The CPUs will have higher clocks and there will be a new chipset say Digitimes. One assumes that the manufacturing process on the CPUs is getting better and higher quality (overclockable) parts are now coming off the production line. Digitimes mentions two chipsets in its brief report. The UP15W and the UL11L. The UP15W variant is new and the UL11L is the low power variant with the video decoding hardware removed (apparently found in the Aigo MID but I haven’t confirmed this yet.)

Current SCH (Poulsbo) chipset variants. (From this Intel PDF document.)

Proving that the Italians just never stop communicating is the second MID to appear in their country. The IDOL.

Baed on the Compal JAX-10 design and using the Redflag Midinux software build, the IDOL is selling through Itelco for 449 without contract or FREE if you sign up for a 24×40Euros data contract.  It calls into question the current 500 Euro + price for the Aigo MID which doesn’t have 3G included!

Details here (Italian)

Thanks Minuz.

Jkk has been playing with the first MID that has world-wide availability, the Aigo P8860 [Portal page]. Being the amazing modder that he is, he has already managed to put 3G in it, and has a video demo of the MID browsing with 3G which later goes into details of the mod itself. The video which you can see below, shows various sites including YouTube playback which works great, and I am happy to see that scrolling looks to be very smooth and easy to use in the web browser. The MID manages to load Engadget quite quickly and all of this has my hopes high for MIDs to deliver the full internet experience in your pocket when they finally start ending up in consumer’s hands.

You might not have seen the announcement that Ubuntu-mobile had a last minute name change to Ubuntu-UMPC based on the fact it was targeting mobile computers rather than the lower-spec Intel-based MIDs. Oliver Grawert, one of the lead guys on the Ubuntu-UMPC project, explains on his blog. It was just in time for the release of version 8.10 (AKA Intrepid Ibex) which was went live today.

Before I give you the links to the 8.10 versions (that I’ll be trying out ASAP) though, let me quickly give you an overview of the two distributions…

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I’m going to keep this short otherwise I’ll end-up writing reams of thoughts (many negative) that are in my head about the Aigo MID I also have (thanks to Mobilx.) I’m going to save those thoughts for my own hands-on post.

Pocketables have posted a review of the Aigo 8860 MID.  Personally, I think she’s being too kind as, out of the box, this is like the Christmas present that wasn’t the one you asked for. The platform is fantastic but this product is not for the average consumer right now. Fingers crossed that there are some early adopters that believe in the platform (as I do) and have time and energy to start improving the basic software suite and that Midlinux take their feedback and pipe it back into the software updater. As with all of the Moblin implementations I’ve seen so far though, there doesn’t seem to be any formal channel for this which could put developers off.

More links, info, specs etc in the Aigo MID product page.