There’s a lot of discussion about the role of convergence of devices. Everywhere you go, it seems that someone’s pushing the notion that every function needs to be converged into one device. Now convergence is a great idea: the idea of carrying one device instead of multiple devices is compelling, but is it really realistic? Sure, I’d rather carry one device than two, but our research shows consumers will carry two or, in some age demographics, they’ll even carry as many as three.
It comes as no surprise that UMID are delivering the first look at their second-generation mbook MID at next week's IDF - after all, they revealed those plans back in August - but the big news is that they're promising a US launch for the new device by the end of the year. That could mean the UMID M2 discussed back in February.
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It's now got a whole lot easier to pick up UMID's mbook M1, as exported Justek announce that they're shipping the clamshell MID to anywhere worldwide. Rather than having to go to Korea, then, you can now order the Atom-based mini-notebook online; prices start from $659, and both Linux and Windows XP versions are available.
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We've a definite soft-spot for the UMID M1 here at SlashGear, but with the company themselves dragging their feet on official US and European sales, and import prices riding ever higher, it's hard to see the clamshell MID ever finding its niche. Australian-based importer Justek have tweaked the pricing on the non-HSDPA version of the M1, but for US customers it's still in excess of $660.
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Ah, the perils of not being specific enough. When we said we wanted UMID to sort out the first-gen M1 mbook having non-US-friendly HSDPA, what we hoped was that the Korean company would switch radios to a US-spec 3G chipset. Instead, they're now planning to leave out HSDPA in the first wave of shipments.
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While we grabbed not one but two hands-on demos with the UMID M1 MID at Mobile World Congress last month, we didn't want to push our luck running benchmarks on the compact touchscreen handheld. Obviously UMPC Portal's Steve isn't quite so shy, hence these CrystalMark 2004R3 results for the 1.3Ghz Atom MID.
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Bad news for anyone considering picking up a UMID M1 mobile internet device in the US, as the company confirms that the previous Summer release has now been replaced with "[UMID] can't give exact information on the releasing date in US." It's also been confirmed that the currently shipping M1 units - the MID has been launched in Korea already - are incompatible with US-spec 3G, not supporting the 850MHz or 1900MHz bands.
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If you've watched our two hands-on videos from MWC09 (here and here)you've probably seen all you can stomach of the UMID M1, but the company still has a few surprises in the shape of their retail bundle. While the first batch of Korean M1 pre-orders - sold there as the mbook - have been recalled due to dodgy build-quality, that hasn't stopped the reviewers from detailing exactly what you get in with the mobile internet device.
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Details of UMID's roadmap have emerged, which indicate the company's upcoming M2 follow-up to the recently-launched UMID M1. According to a company proposal document, the UMID M2 will have a sub-3-inch display, and both HSPA and WiMAX connectivity, all in a slim, smartphone-style body.
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The ClarionMiND seems like it's been around for a long time now, though it was only CES 2008 when the company officially unveiled the touchscreen navigation MID. It took all the way until November to be released, then we had to wait until last month to see it in action; now Gear Diary have reviewed the MiND. Clarion promise the full internet, navigation and media experience from one single device; unfortunately it seems they fall well short.
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After my brief hands-on with the UMID M1 mobile internet device at the start of the week, and coming away not entirely convinced by its keyboard or OS, we stopped back to see the MID again and test out just how suitable the keyboard is for thumb-typing. The good news is, a combination of two-handed use and the standard Windows XP scheme make this ultraportable a whole lot more tempting a prospect: check out the second hands-on video after the cut.
Video and more images of the UMID M1 after the cut
We had a chance to spend some brief time with the UMID M1 MID at Mobile World Congress this week, courtesy of Intel’s stand, and in the plastic it certainly does little to disappoint if it’s a super-small full QWERTY notebook you’re looking for. One thing that was hammered home after some hands-on time: this is very much a niche product.
Photos and Video Demo of the UMID M1 MID after the cut
