I’m still in the process of unravelling all the ARM-related news from Computex to see what’s important and what is not but maybe ARM just saved me the trouble of going through a lot of news articles. They’ve got all the important links on their Computex blog. They’ve also created some great articles from within ARM
Rob Coombs says that the ARM software model is THE software model for smartbooks. : “There is a misconception that in the old world of x86 no porting is necessary. Well, this is only true if there is no further innovation around developing any new peripherals or advancing GPU/Video/Wireless solutions or supporting any new OS. Any of these changes require porting.” I tend to agree although Moblin seems to be tackling this problem well. The API is the key and both ARM and X86 have exactly the same issue. Like a swan, it needs to be graceful on the top while a lot of work goes on underneath to drive everything.
James Bruce has a teaser of an article. Why the Internet Experience will be better on your Smartphone. He argues that the always-on nature of a smartphone allows developers to think of more interesting applications. I totally agree. I’ve recently had UMPC devices that I have been able to leave on all day. People asked ‘why’ but I explain that IM, Skype and location services can run in the background. The problem with James’ argument is that all-day or even 24hr battery life isn’t only going to be capable on ARM devices. In 2010 ARM will start to lose their monopoly on this. Screen, radio, battery and software design becomes more important than how low a CPU can idle. Lets face it, with all these apps running in the background, most smartphone CPUs won’t even get to see an idle state!
Warren East talks about ARMs presence at Computex. “Well, I’ve spent a couple of days in Taiwan and I’m impressed. The ARM Partners who have targeted this new space are delivering.” It’s true. There were a ton of ARM-based products and I think we can safely say that it was ARM’s year at Computex in terms of media coverage. With the Pre, the N97 and the iPhone 3GS (which I assume is running an ARM core) news this week, the wave continues.
Finally, Bob Morris, Diretor of Mobile Computing reports: “what makes this year unique is the opportunity that they see in the diverging PC market and the potential to change what has been the legacy for the last 20+ years.” Yes, the market is diverging. Niches are becoming important. Choice is becoming important. Choice is now possible! Another must-read.
We’re entering a huge period of change in the computing market and it’s happening right under our noses in the mobile computing and mobile internet space. The next 5 years are going to be critical for all players. Lets see how Intel handles ARM’s home territory at Mobile World Congress in 2010.
We’ve reported on the Lluon Mobbit UMPC before so none of this is new but I took the chance to go over the device again at Computex. I love the way they’ve integrated a flat touchscreen with no recessed edges because it really helps accessing the start and windows close buttons. Quite important on a Windows-based device!
You can get the full specifications and find links to other news items in the Lluon Mobbit product page.Unfortunately we don’t have any information about availability and pricing outside the local market.
I wrote an update on Moorestown last week over at MIDMoves.com but I want to expand on that here on UMPCPortal today because I really think that the new information we have now is extremely significant for the core audience here. Moorestown is the first computing platform that covers my definition of ultra mobile computing. From high-end smartphones, through targeted, Ultra Mobile ‘desktops’ , super-mobile laptops and the whole range of internet-connected opportunities that exist in the mobile internet space.
You’ve seen the Inventec Mediaphone, the Moorestown-based MID already but we’re in for an even better treat tomorrow. At about 2pm here in Taiwan, Intel will be showing 3 working Moorestown products running Moblin V2 and if all goes well you should see a video of me making a phone call from one to the other proving that Intel are entering the smartphone market. It’s hard to believe that the PC architecture can be optimised and enhanced to the point where it defines a new category of smartphones.
In a discussion with the Ultra Mobility Group today I learnt that we’re going to be seeing demonstrations of working products. No timescales were given but based on what I saw of the product today and the fact that Moblin 2.0 will only be targeting the Netbook and Moorestown platforms, the Moorestown program has been accelerated and that we could be seeing product launches in 2009 rather than 2010.
We won’t be seeing low-cost smartphones of course and there will be products based on Moorestown that won’t include voice (think of the existing MID markets – PMP, Full Internet, Navigation, Social networking) and voice-enabled products that you might not even want to put in your trouser pocket but this is Phase 1 of a multi-year rollout of ever-improving platforms that can go from deep in the feature-phone territory right up to grab-and-go UMPCs. Intel is serious about this. They see themselves picking up every customer in the mobile phone ecosystem in this program.
My prediction for tomorrow.
You will see 3-4 Moorestown designs.
You will see future concepts based around Medfield specs
You will see devices that idle, connected, at 100-300mw with the screen off (The official line is that devices will idle at 1/50th of what we see on Menlow-based MIDs today)
The low idle and system power will allow battery sizes to be slashed in half. 8-10hrs online. 3hrs working.
You will see voice calls being made.
You will see 720p video recording being done in hardware.
You will hear that LG and others have committed to products in 2010
You will hear about new software partners
The Ultra Mobility Event starts at 1345 here in Taiwan 0645 London. 1:45am New York, 10:45am San Francisco and I’ll do my best to live blog it here on MIDMoves.com
For many, tommorrow will be a day to go down in computing history.
Getting ready for a conference or trade show always get me excited. There’s the thought of the new gadgets, the discussions, meeting with contacts (I’ll be catching up with the MeetMobility and NetbookNews teams while I’m there; @jkkmobile, @sascha_p, @joannastern) and of course, the thrill of the pack. The scout in me never ceases to get excited about packing my gadget bag.
Preparing for a conference or expo is important when it’s a core part of your job to report from the event so RELIABILITY AND FAMILIARITY are at the top of the list. It’s risky to introduce new items without having done a lot of testing and that’s why the Gigabyte Touchnote is my #1 laptop. Actually it’s a netbook but I’ve got and excellent 3G modem (retro-fitted by Mobilx.eu,) 64GB SSD (for speed and ruggedness,) touchscreen, Draft-N support, BT2.1 and an Expresscard slot which takes it way above the average netbook specifications. It’s been tested well and I recommend it. I usually partner it with the u2o power bank (tested here) which brings the total battery life up to around 5 hard-working hours. I do plan to pick up an extended battery for the Touchnote at some point though because I’d like to be at the 7-hours mark if possible. One huge advantage of the u2o power bank is that you can plug it inline with the Touchnote and both the power bank and Touchnote will charge overnight. No need to set a 3am wake-up call to swap out and charge a second battery!
I’ll also be taking the Viliv S5 with me. Actually, there’s a hidden agenda with this one. Viliv have offered to swap out my S5 (which is actually a loaner) for the new 3G SSD version which I’m going to do long-term testing on. I’ll only have one 3G SIM card though so that will stay in the Touchnote. It’s at times like this you really need a Mifi 3G Wifi router!
I’ll be using my trusty Canon S2 IS for photography and filming. It’s over three years old but it still taking good pics and videos. I know my way around the device well now so I’m really reluctant to upgrade despite the lack of external mic input, M-JPEG recording format and slow flash warm-up time. I’m also using the N82 for snapshot photography. It’s quick, has the xenon flash (great for catching incriminating evidence at parties!) and has a built-in ‘post to flickr’ feature. The quality is more than good enough for the web.
I’ll have my Samson USB mic for podcasts which gives great quality in noisy environments. Audacity is the software I use for recording. The Sennheiser headset goes too.
The blue box of tricks has spare batteries, connectors, SD cards, screwdriver set, tape and other bits and pieces in it. It usually stays in the hotel.
So is there anything missing? Yes. I’d like to have a slider-style all-day battery life, all-day on, 3G-connected MID in my pocket. Microblogging is important to me and so is staying updates over twitter, rss feeds and web page updates. The S5 does a great job with web consumption but I want a real keyboard for the back-channel. A UMID Mbook M1 with 3G and two batteries would suit me fine but let us hope that we’ll see one or two more options rising to the surface at Computex this week.
Follow @midmoves and @chippy on twitter (use this search page to view both) or simply view the home page on MIDMoves where the lifestream, blogs and flickr updates appear as soon as I post them.
JKK, ‘Sash’ and I recorded Meet Mobility Podcast 28 this afternoon. We spent an enjoyable 50+ minutes talking about Computex and what we think might be on the cards.
Check out the show notes and listen in at MeetMobility.
We’re all going to be there next week which makes the event twice as exciting! I’ll be at Computex as a guest of Intel so you’ll find breaking Intel-focused coverage over at MIDMoves. I’ll be covering the Intel keynotes where we’re expecting news on Moblin, Moorestown and the new netbook platform, PineView. There’s some mumblings about MIDs too. I’ll also be posting as normal in UMPCPortal so keep both sites in your bookmarks and check back regularly.
JKK, ‘Sash’ and I recorded the Meet Mobility Podcast 28 this afternoon. We spent an enjoyable 50+ minutes talking about Computex and what we think might be on the cards.
Check out the show notes and listen in at MeetMobility.
We’re all going to be there next week which makes the event twice as exciting! I’ll be at Computex as a guest of Intel so you’ll find breaking Intel-focused coverage here at MIDMoves. I’ll be covering the Intel keynotes where we’re expecting news on Moblin, Moorestown and the new netbook platform, PineView. There’s some mumblings about MIDs too. I’ll also be posting as normal in UMPCPortal so keep both sites in your bookmarks and check back regularly.
Phew! I was beginning to think that the bottom had dropped out of the MID launch-effort but it seems that the activity was just hidden behind a mountain of increasingly-difficult-to-get-excited-about netbook news. JKKMobile continued to track UMPC news coming out of Computex while I was away and I also found a nice clutch of photos from Steve at Fortune Fountain, the DialKeys people, in my inbox. Read on for the the full article.
Jkk of Jkkmobile has unearthed battery figures for the new Atom based Eee 901. Conflicting with the rumored 7 hours of battery life, the official figures are 4.2-6 hours for the 6 cell 6600 mAh (48wh) battery. Jkk also reports that the 901’s batteries will not be compatible with previous Eee models. Weight of the unit will also increase over the older Eee 900; head over to Jkkmobile for additional pictures and weight info .
Among the many interesting things expected to surface next week at Computex, the Eee PC 1000 is probably one that will get a huge amount of attention. While the 1000 isn’t a device I personally find that interesting for ultra mobile usage, its clear to see where ASUSTEK are going with the Eee brand. High-value devices for the masses.
Its not clear if it will launch with Atom, how much bigger it will be and how customers will choose between the 8.9 and 10" models.
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I’m still in the process of unravelling all the ARM-related news from Computex to see what’s important and what is not but maybe ARM just saved me the trouble of going through a lot of news articles. They’ve got all the important links on their Computex blog. They’ve also created some great articles from within ARM
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