14 DAY TRIAL // The ultra-mobile PC concept dates back a few years ago when Samsung and partners released an attempt at ultra-portable computing. Of course, given the fact that the PC would quickly suck the battery dry, it was more of a loss of time. This year's Consumer Electronics Show brought yet another similar initiative: Intel's incarnation of Mobile Internet Device (MID), previously presented at the Intel Developer Forum last fall.
Most of the users are still puzzled when it comes to spotting the differences between the UPMCs and MIDs, as these two concepts seem to share a whole bunch of features. Dan Monahan, Intel's Global Internet Segment Manager of Ultra Mobility explains that there are essential differences between the two families of devices.
The ultra-mobile PCs are aimed at business users and are usually running Windows Vista. Moreover, they are heavily optimized for Office applications and productivity tools. On the other hand, The Mobile Internet Device (MID) is a consumer gadget usually running a Linux distribution that facilitates web surfing and multimedia applications.
The borderline seems to be at least made out of lace, since these two types of devices are usually overlapping. Moreover, should an user need web browsing and multimedia rendering capabilities, they would choose a mid-range mobile phone (iPhone, Nokia N95 or Sony Ericsson W810), a much cheaper solution as compared to a sub-notebook.
At the same time, business and corporate users need more than Word and Excel to get their jobs done. The fact that this sector also needs Internet access and multimedia capabilities goes without saying. After all, spending a full load of money for a palm-sized device should bring some serious mobility advantage, doesn't it?
The vast majority of Multimedia Internet Devices presented during the Consumer Electronics Show were all boasting a clone of iPhone's interface, Intel should consider to trick Apple into seeding Menlow chips into the next generation of iPhones.