There hasn’t been much that has excited me at CES so far this year, but this Inbrics MIDphone running Android is probably the coolest thing that I’ve seen yet. They are calling it the Inbrics M1 MID for now, but don’t confuse it with the UMID M1 [Portal page]. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a good slider, and this one looks rather sleek and promising. Unfortunately Inbrics doesn’t even seem sure that they’ll release the device at this point, but I’ll definitely have my fingers crossed. Jkk says that the keyboard is pretty good and jkk knows his slider keyboards very well. Inbrics says they’ll be improving the keyboard a bit as well.

After testing the N900 I’m a bit scared to think about a primarily landscape device as a phone. The issue is that you almost always need two hands to use it. Without really solid portrait orientation support on the M1 (and any other primarily landscape device) it might be tough to make this a mainstream phone.

Check out a video below from jkk and click through to jkkmobile for the press release (under the video) which gives a few details of the device.

[youtube]FVm5mhqAYxk[/youtube]

I was considering using the phrase “who isn’t? inch somewhere in this post, but I would be remiss not to mention that I’m actually happy to hear this news. There are already a bunch of random no-name devices out of Asia that will boot Android, but when a big company steps in, others take notice, and generally this leads to competition, which breeds innovation, and in the end we get devices that users actually want.

TechCrunch has revealed that HP is working on a slate device that will run Android. You may have seen that an HP slate running Windows 7 was revealed yesterday during the Microsoft keynote. Apparently the Android version is quite similar, possibly a bit smaller. There isn’t a lot of info at the moment, but you can catch a quick teaser below (supposedly of the Windows 7 HP slate, but as we’ve heard, they should be very similar).

[youtube]IIIjTDnX2Y0[/youtube]

Our first CES 2010 post of the day is the press release by Spring Designs of their new eInk/LCD combo eBook reading device, The Alex.  The device features a 6-inch eInk screen at 600×800 resolution and a 3.5-inch LCD display with a 320×480 resolution.  The device weighs in at 310 grams (11 ounces) and 7500 ePage turns and around 6 hours of media playback.  Key features include the Android OS and wireless connectivity to surf the internet, listen to music, or watch video on the LCD screen portion of the device while reading on the eInk screen above.

The price seems to be a bit higher than its closest rival, the Nook from Barnes and Noble, at $399.  Still, the form factor and features of this device make it a real winner for people willing to pay a little extra for a fantastic eInk reading experience.  Spring Design created the Alex as an open systems device with the ability to download any book or document that conforms to the Adobe ePUB/PDF/DRM standard or .txt or HTML format.

Check out the device on the Spring Designs web site and this video taken at CES 2010.

The Alex eReader

With less than one day left before I leave for CES 2010, it’s time to make sure I have all the right equipment and to give you a run-down on how to follow the MIDMoves, UMPCPortal and Carrypad news from the event but first I need to say ‘thanks’ to the team at Intel that are bringing me over to CES as part of my ‘Intel Insider’ status. Not only do I get to go over as a guest, I get involved in some interesting stuff both in front and behind the scenes too. I can’t give any details at the moment but there will be at least a few great opportunities to bring you some exciting news. While I’m out there I’ll also be working very closely with Sascha and JKK, my partners on Meet:Mobility.

Kit List.

I love putting the kit together for events like this. There’s always a chance to optimise the kit, to include new software and use better techniques in order to bring you better, faster and more detailed coverage. Interestingly though, my hardware doesn’t change much at all since the last event. I’ll be using three main computing devices.

• Nokia N82
• Gigabyte T1028M
• Fujitsu Loox U50 / U820/ u2010

I’ve searched high and low for something better than the N82 to use as a phone-cam and PIM but every single cameraphone I’ve tried in the last year has disappointed me. The Xenon flash and sizing is unbeatable on the N82. The reliability and the fact that I’m very familiar with the software makes it difficult to change up to. I’m also a big fan of Ovi Maps as a pedestrian navigation system. Coupled with the high quality GPS, pre-loaded maps and web-based planning tool, it’s been unbeatable for me.

Much the same applies to the Gigabyte T1028M netbook that I use. It’s been upgraded with 3G and a Runcore SSD and has been working perfectly for 8 months. I’m efficient with the touch screen, I have all the software and data I need on the device and with the additional  extended battery, I’ve got a good 7hours working time with the device. I doubt I’ll ever be able to find an upgrade within the netbook category although I’m looking closely at the T101H, S10 and after today’s news, the Lennovo S10-3t as possibilities.

As for the U820, well once again it’s a case of being truly at one with the device now. I’ve been using it for about 10 months and find it to be my favorite two-handed productivity device. It’s got that Runcore SSD upgrade too which, when combined with the Atom 1.6Ghz CPU and the clean Windows XP install makes it fly. Standard and extended batteries give it a total of about 7-9hrs active use and the docking station means it can be used as a desktop PC given a USB keyboard/mouse and external monitor.

In addition to the main kit i’ll be taking an Archos 5 IT (as my flight companion), a Mifi unit, the i-up power bank and the usual array of cables, USB mic, headset, Canon S2IS (I’m still recording video with this. VGA format is quick to edit and upload to YouTube)

The Channels.

As always, I’ll be using a range of internet channels to publish my work but everything from Flickr to Youtube and Twitter will end up on of my three websites.

MIDMoves for the Intel-related activities I’m getting involved with at CES. This includes sneak peeks and reports from events and private meetings.

UMPCPortal for pro-mobility news picked up by myself and the editors.

Carrypad for consumer-related mobile computing news. Large format smartphones and consumer tablets, smartbooks etc. Again, a lot of this news will be coming from the UMPCPortal and Carrypad team.

On both UMPCPortal and MIDMoves you’ll find a column of information coming in near real-time from Flickr, Twitter, YouTube and other sources. Check back regularly to get information on my movements and things going on behind the scenes.

MeetMobility will also be at CES. MeetMobility is the podcast I do with Sascha (Netbooknews) and JKK (JKKMobile) and i’m excited to be involved with our first live podcast!

And now it’s time to get back to the packing….