UMID MID poses again; expected ‘early 2009′

UMID’s wireless-packed Mobile Internet Device pulled in the pageviews last week, and the company has responded with new photos and more hardware details for the 4.8-inch touchscreen device.  Particularly interesting is the battery, rated at 17Wh, which estimates suggest will offer in excess of four hours use.

Size is just 158 x 94 x 19mm, putting the MID in line with the Aigo and Gigabyte MIDs, but the clamshell form-factor more closely resembles Fujitsu’s UMPC range.  Of course, the UMID device lacks a convertible swivel hinge, so although it has a touchsceen you can’t use it in slate-orientation.

Of course, the headline aspects are still the connectivity options: WiBro, WiMAX, HSDPA, WiFi and Bluetooth.  Under the hood there’s a choice of Intel Atom 1.1GHz or 1.3GHz processors paired up with 512MB or 1GB of RAM; storage ranges from 8GB to 32GB SSD.  Still no word on pricing or definitive availability; UMID are saying it’ll launch early in 2009, which could mean a full CES or CeBIT launch.