Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) were the hot topic of CES 2008, but we never really saw them hit the market in large numbers in 2008. At CES 2009, there were MIDs again shown to the crowd, but the small notebook (aka netbook) category is what people seem to be more excited about. I think the familiarity with the keyboard is a tough thing to overcome and personally wonder if MIDs are relegated to niche markets. If you are interested in mobile computing and MIDs, then I recommend you check out and follow the Mid Moves project this week. Four well-known mobile bloggers are out and about around the world and posting wireless from different models of MIDs as they try to showcase and test out the capabilities of these devices.
The Mid Moves team consists of Steve “Chippy” Paine from UMPCPortal, Jenn Lee from Pocketables, Ewan Spence from EwanSpence.com and All About Symbian, and Nicole Simon from Cruel to be Kind. They are each on a different four-day trip this week and I am enjoying their posts so far. I just ordered my own XPERIA X1 and was particularly interested in hearing about Jenn’s recent usage of this device.
As stated on the About page of the site:
The MID Moves project is an event designed to highlight how mobile Internet and Mobile Internet Devices bring you the power of the full Internet and the full Web in a way that enables you to go mobile while remaining productive, able to communicate, able to locate yourself and your contacts and even allowing you to have some fun on the way.
Each of the team will be taking two or more Intel-based Mobile Internet Devices on a fun and exciting 4-day tour and using this website, social networking and other internet media tools, bringing the whole event to you; update-by-update, picture-by-picture-by-picture and inevitably, problem-by-problem. A veritable Web2.0-fest!
The MID devices they are using include the newly announced OQO Model 2+, Benq S6, ClarionMiND, and Aigo MID. You will find real-time maps, Twitter updates, Flickr photos, videos, and text from the writers and it an interesting experiment to follow. I’m still now sure if there is much of a market for MIDs in today’s smartphone world, but this tour should be a good test of their capabilities.
