Clearly, one of the most interesting and attention-grabbing devices we had at SXSW was the tiny clamshell form-factor UMID MBook. It’s design, a combination of a familiar form factor and attractive styling, has been highlighted by commenter’s as a winning combination ever since it first appeared in Nov 2008. Between then and now, very few people have had the chance to get quality time with it. Lazion, a Korean website, teased us with some early hands-on last month and Slashgear got some thumbs-on with the keyboard at Mobile World Congress so now it’s time for me to try and knit all that info together with what I experienced and tested out in Austin.

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It used to be the rule that a stand at a trade show would need ‘Booth Babes’ to attract the attention of the thousands of people at a conference. SXSW Interactive is not like that… what attracts the attendees in the Austin Convention Center are shiny boxes that go ping. And the MID based devices the team was toting around the floors of SXSW.

Sitting down at a table, and opening up one of the Qwerty keyboard devices caused a lot of oohs and ahhs at the size. Unlike a European conference, where the 8.9 inch screen sized keyboard machines can be seen by a significant number of delegates, they haven’t as yet made an impact which meant that the visual shock of seeing the MID hardware running caught everyone’s eyes.

The clear winner in the form factor would have to be the M-book. It’s incredibly small, but running a flown blown Windows XP set-up. Seeing pictures of these devices, even in the hands of an actor for scale, is not enough. Personally, the M-book didn’t blow me away, until it was sitting in my hands, with an almost full sized keyboard, touch screen LCD, all in the size of a small pocket diary. Standing in line and cradling the M-Book was a challenge… not because of the small size making it difficult to use, because of everyone asking what the device is, and where can they get one?

The big challenge for any MID device makers is going to be getting the impact of these devices in the physical world into the minds of a consumer looking to purchase a new portable device. Once the hardware hits your hand, the size and usefulness starts to become clear.

Of course another part of that attractiveness is the software, but that kicks in after the f irst look of lust. How to build a solid relationship with software is a discussion for another day. Perhaps tomorrow…

In another MID open-table session, Ellie Rountree of Rocketboom exposes my lack of knowledge about new software products launched at SXSW (For the record, this was day 1!) We take a look at the UMID MBook and the Fujitsu Loox which was getting a lot of attention due to it’s Tokidoki screen graphics.

In one of our mid-day ultra mobile PC and MID open-table sessions at SXSW, social media strategist Chris Brogan dropped by and spent some time discussing details and asking good questions about the devices we had. See the UMID, Fujitsu Loox, Viliv S5 and others. Listen to discussions about 3G and GPS.

Strange things happen when there’s a lot of beautiful devices around and a lot of time to play with them. The Viliv S5 was riding high on my personal list of faves but there’s something about the on-screen keyboard I cant get used to. I’m reaching a barrier with it and I think its something to do with the amount of thought needed to remain consistent with the on-screen keyboard. Its a tough learning curve that doesnt seem to be flattening out and considering the amount of content I create while I’m mobile, Its not fitting my needs.

Being able to use the UMID Mbook for a while made me realise how comfortable a real keyboard is. No learning curve, no eye stress and that important tactile feedback. Its certainly got a few build quality issues and the battery life isnt as good as on the S5 but its looking like a great tradeoff for a pocketable device. It feels fast too and after running it through a CrystalMark test, I can see why. The SSD is really helping. I dont like the lack of mouse buttons and again, I have reservations about the build quality but its really breaking through for me as a great MID.

But that’s not what i’m falling for in Texas. What i’m falling for in Texas is something very similar but slightly higher up the quality chain. It’s the Fujitsu Loox U/B50N that Conics have loaned me.

I can sum it up by saying ‘quality.’ Everything about the device is HQ from the screen to the well thought-out control buttons and excellent efficiency. The 1.6Ghz CPU gives me enough power to do basic video top-and-tailing and a bit of headroom when using Skype and Im using the SD card slot all the time for transferring photos to flickr. There are definitely some issues with Vista but in general, its running acceptably. XP would be a lot better but I think Windows 7 could be the one to go for here.

The question now is, do I buy one?  Do I need one. If I had my netbook here, would my thoughts be different? Pocketability hangs on my thoughts too.

Any Fuji ultra mobile PC owners out there care to chip in with a comment about the good and bad of the device?

As you probably know, Chippy made the jump across the big puddle to attend this years South by Southwest in Austin Texas. SXSW started as a music festival many years ago, but has since evolved into much, much more. A good bit of SXSW involves showing off new media trends.

That is of course why Chippy is there this week, showing people who have been lugging around 17 inch laptops that there is a pocketable alternative in the form of a MID. Chippy has tons of MIDs to show around; have a look at his video below:

Chippy will be at SXSW all week covering the show and is updating the MIDMoves blog to get you all the coverage. If you like your updates in micro flavor, check out @MIDMoves on twitter.

Jeff, our man from Intel arrived with a few MIDs and UMPCs. Below the video you’ll find an overview of the devices we have with us here.

Click on the images for more information (external links)

UMID M1 [detailed info] running WIndows XP on a 1.3GHz Atom. One of the smallest computers in the world and truly pocketable. With the touchscreen and storage, this is turning out to be one of the best devices to have while you’re waiting in line at SXSW.

Compal/ Gigabyte M528 [detailed info] is the one to have when you’re out and about and away from the SXSW hotspots. With 3G and the full, fast browser, looking up schedules, checking email and staying in touch over instant messaging services couldn’t be easier.

ClarionMind [Detailed info] will probably be finding a place in the Tech Cab.

Benq S6 [Detailed Info] is the bargain of the bunch. Nice UI, fast browser, good video playback qualities and built-in 3G. This one is retailing for under 300 Euro in Europe.

Viliv S5 [detailed info] is perfect for web and media consumption. Read feeds, watch videos and update twitter on the device that has over 6 hours of continuous in-use battery life.

Fujitsu U820/U2010 [detailed info] It’s ‘Tokidoki’ styling disguises what must be one of the most technically advanced UMPCs to date. Hi-res rotating screen, fingerprint reader, FM transmitter and long battery life. This is probably the most productive of the bunch (and the one I used to create and edit the video and post here)

OQO Model 2+ [detailed info] Up there with the Fujitsu as a power-house of a UMPC. 1.8Ghz processor and OLED screen running Windows Vista. High quality slider keyboard and built-in 3G.

Msybe its the jet-lag or maybe its just the radio-waves flying around here from the constant mobile internet activity but im definitely feeling something special here. SXSW has started and im getting ready to meet up with Intel.

Ive chosen the Fujitsu U820 as my weapon this morning and so far its working well and raising some eyebrows. Perfect for opening up discussions about mobile Internet.