It’s been a while since I’ve used a thin client solution and while I was looking at this ARM-VIA based notebook yesterday, I was thinking ‘Redfly’, ‘Eee PC’, ‘Thin client’ [Update: The notebook had been reported as an ARM-based device, hence the thoughts!] and decided that today I would run the daily operations over 3G and RDP to confirm to myself again that it’s a valid method for mobile working. It’s nothing new at all and if you go back to pre-Origami days and look at the mobile WinCE devices, many of them supported this sort of working. In fact, back in 1986 when I first started working in a networked computing environment, my Sun 2/80 was a thin client. It was a huge device with a disk drive that took minutes to spin-up but it used X11 to remotely display my session from the central server. The principle was much the same.  [more after the break]

Techradar are reporting that they have talked to ASUS representatives and that they have confirmed that there will be an Atom based EEE PC900 and that it will be available in the UK at the end of June this year. The timeframe fits with Intel’s planned launch of its basic mobile platform at Computex in June although if availability will be there just a few weeks later is still an open question.

ASUS has not commented yet on what the price of this new 900 model will be but as the basic computing platform is very similar to the existing one (Diamondville/Celeron+945) one assumes that it will simply replace the existing models for a very similar price.

A reminder that the competition to win a WiBrain ends on Friday at 1200 Berlin time (GMT+2) Here’s how to enter.

You click through to Mobilx and have a look around to see what your fave object d’lust is. Come back here and go to this forum and enter your fave item. Of course, you’ll need to register so that I can contact you if you win (i’ll be watching for those multiple registrations and ip addresses folks!) If you win, you get a code that you can redeem at Mobilx for a Wibrain B1E. All applicable EU purchase taxes and postage paid (you will be responsible for your local import duties.)

At the end of the day I will have introduced you to one of my favorite UMPC resellers (I’m an affiliate so if you buy something there, you help UMPCortal too!) and someone will walk away next Friday with a WiBrain. Oh, and if you win, don’t forget to write a report for us!

I confess to having a soft spot for the U1010/U810. Its not pocketable but the more I read about it, the more I like it. I like the size, the SD slot, the keyboard and the swivel screen. To me, it even looks good. Not a lot of people will agree with that! Add 3G to the specs and it gets even more attractive.

Gadgetzone had the U1010 3G recently and didn’t find it to be the best mobile computing solution citing poor battery life and price as issues. I guess they’re right in a general sense and the Eee PC offers a better keyboard, more battery life and a much better price point but, like the HTC Shift, the U1010/U810 has some unique features that you won’t find in the Eee PC. The simple question is, are you the person that is happy to pay for those features? UMPCs are not created to be generic computing devices and I don’t think their success should be benchmarked against general computing devices, however, the points made in the review are worth bearing in mind when you consider any UMPC.

GadgetZone. U1010 review

U1010 (non 3G) information page.

I’m knee-deep in coding today as I work on a new feature for the portal so I’m in skeleton-post mode. Two posts that I want to highlight though are both about operating systems that are relatively new on the UMPC scene.

First-off is the new update to the mobile phone operating system from MontaVista. [news via LinuxDevices.] Mobilinux 5.0 (not Intel’s Moblin) was released last year but they’ve just added a new component which brings in support for the Ti OMAP 3430 ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC), a platform I consider to be a contender for use in the mobile Internet device sector. It’s based on ARM’s Cortex A8 architecture which brings some very important processing speed advantages over the current ARM 11 architecture. How about a Nokia N810 with two to three times more processing power?  It brings ARM-based silicon into the same ball-park as Intel Atom in the same release timeframe. Pocketables highlights that ARM are now using the ‘Mobile Internet Device’  label and I can add that TI are using it too. They’re not shying away from a face-off! Operating systems like LiMo, MontaVista, Android, Moblin, Symbian, Maemo, Apple and others are all ones to watch in this space. There’s even a rumor that Microsoft might be planning a catch-up exercise within a new consumer-focused division called ‘Premium Mobile Experiences.’ I don’t believe that any one player is going to totally dominate the space as there’s room for multiple target markets but it will get very busy as Smartphones, PMPs, Navigation and Internet tablets platforms offer the opportunity for real convergence.

At the high-end of the UMPC/MID range, desktop operating systems are a possibility and Kevin Tofel of jkOnTheRun has reported that he’s had some success installing Apple OS X on a Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium which appears to have stirred up more desire for the long-rumored Apple tablet, something that I feel sure is in a lab somewhere. Good job Kevin.

We’ve been running a poll in the forums over the last three of four days and I’ve just brought it out to the front page (top right) for a public airing. (Logged-in members will only see it in the forums to keep things tidier on the front page.)

There’s a lot of overlap in mobile devices so in this poll we’re proposing a scenario where you already have a notebook PC and you’ve got the choice of adding a featurephone, smartphone, UMPC and netbook in different combinations. Which devices would you combine for your ideal mobile device strategy?

Of course, if we had the money, we’d take one of everything and use each device when needed but there’s probably a happy medium somewhere along the line. For example, you could combine a featurephone and netbook or you could replace the netbook with a UMPC or MID.

Basic definitions for the devices are as follows and are based on the mobile market segmentation report and diagram I did a few years ago.

• Featurephone = small/2″ screen/MP3/cam/3G/mini-browser.
• Smartphone = 3″ screen. Slider. 3G. E.g. N95.
• MID = pocketable. 4-5″ screen 3G. Full browser. WVGA. HQ vid. Keyboard. E.g. Gigabyte M528.
• UMPC = 5-7″ slate/slider. Ghz-class. Windows OS. E.g. Samsung Q1 Ultra.
• Netbook = Low cost, 7-9″ screen. e.g. Eee PC.

The same poll is running in the forum so click through and join in the conversation if you have alternative ideas.

Josh Bancroft of Intel has just posted a couple of really nice videos of the Lennovo and Aigo MIDs. Here’s the video of the Aigo. Go to the Intel Software Network blog for the full article and second video.

I’m unable to confirm this story that has turned up via Engadget today but Information Week are running it so it must have some substance to it. However, having read through the source article a few times, there’s no real info in it and no press release. It’s just a bunch of marketing-talk as far as I can see. The Techtree article that runs along the same lines shows an image a mentions the ‘H series’ but I’m not sure where the info comes from.  HCL are in India and I doubt we’ll see the devices outside the country but it could have an impact on Kohjinsha and Vye if it’s true.

The MiLeap H Series will run Windows XP Home and will sell for 17,000 Indian rupees, or about $425. Information Week.

We’ll have to keep an eye on this one.

Via Engadget.  Thanks for the tip,TSO.