Would you consider a PC an essential item in times of emergency? A growing number of people rely on their laptops for important documents, photo storage and communications but even the latest efficient laptops are big and power-hungry. MID’s on the other hand, take about one quarter of the power of a modern laptop, run a complete Linux operating system, a rugged storage module and cram in all the comms required to connect with public and private networks or device. Its one of the few classes of PC device you could run easily with solar or wind power.
If you unexpectedly had to go mobile, would you rely on a mobile phone, would you grab the laptop or would you rather take a MID?
Let me know. Emergency Computing for the Masses – Solar-UMPC.com
If the MID has a keyboard, a decent world-wide broadband connection and the ability to download and edit document attachments to e-mails, then I would definitely make a MID an integral part of all my travel plans.
I will go for a MID(), a MID that is running XP at least. And the hand-crank battery pack.
If a MID cannot run XP, why I want to carry it in addition to a smartphone? If MID cannot run XP, what advantage Intel has competing to ARM? Intel must negotiate with MS on a MID version of XP (just a new name is enough), otherwise MID is designed to fail for a stupid reason – they can run XP, a huge advantage over ARM based such as Nokia, but Intel decided to run the same crippled version of Linux.
I know, Chippy only want firefox on a MID. Don’t expect majority people to accept Linux.
Again, a huge advantage of Intel MIDs are the capability of running XP. Could someone tell me why the hell Intel does not use this advantage? Without this advantage, why the hell people go Intel instead of ARM?
simple:
intel goes for massmarket, MS is massmarket. XP is outdated and soon not available anymore. next comes Vista or Windows 7 – two very POWERHUNGRY operating system, which definitely will make a MID look… you get me.
so intel pushes for Linux to develop OS variants which run everything you can run on XP just…faster.
or maybe you’re willing to pay more than 1k USD or EUR for a device with vista or windows 7 which is slower than a calculator.
That’s why I suggested Intel to negotiate with MS on a “new” version of XP (basically just a new name). I see very good reasons to drop Win98 etc. instable and outdated OS, but dropping a perfect OS like XP is simply … you get me. If Intel cannot make MS change its mind, Intel MID will remain as a dream to Intel.
Intel does not have to install XP on MIDs, just the XP drivers are enough.
Massmarket seems sending the signal to Intel and XP drivers might finally appear. Without XP drivers, why the hell I spend $700 instead of $300 to get the Aigo instead of the Nokia? Because we love extra weight and size? Give me a single reason.
Dream come true: pocketable x86! All the legacy software, all my files created and collected through the years in a palm of my hand! I’m looking at my phone now and see evolution of it. Every year it getting bigger and bigger. Now my 3.5 qvga ARM device a bit outdated. So im looking at this Viliv s5 and see my future device. Why many people are so skeptical about this? Its new life for XP!(hope so)Its a pity there is no combo with gsm radio.
Just to point out there is added benefit of x86 vs arm even if you plan to run linux. Not all free in cost are open source. There are some proprietary software that simply runs on x86 the better.
Also there is a lot more pre-compiled and up to date packages available for x86 while other architectures require compiling everything, which could take a long time on somewhat slow hardware.
Basically x86 is not only a benefit to windows, but in general would help in linux or if you wanted to hack OS X onto the device. Obviously most people would probably not realize the benefit of x86 other then windows, but it does exist for the geek crowd, which while small is a group of people.
Why you repeat yourself?
Why blame Intel?
MicroSoft is the one saying XP must die and has to say it has a future, and make it cheap like $2 per MID/UMPC or something.
My Samsung Q1 Ultra is always close to hand and believe me if I’m grabbing something computerish to head out the door it will be that.
Vicente:
Because, other than ask MS for corporation, Intel decided to go on its own and depend on Linux. IBM did exactly the same mistake (first the OS/2 and then Linux) and now you no longer see the name “IBM” but “Lenovo”.
Intel should send enough money to Obama. Obama can then continue Clinton’s job to cut MS into pieces and Intel then can buy the XP department.
Oh, i forget to mension USB HOST !!!
I’d grab a UMPC/netbook, BUT that’d be secondary to having documents onto an external hard drive (and hyper important documents on a USB stick). That’s part of why I’m not too bothered by low disk capacities on UMPCs/netbooks: if anything goes wrong on a plethora of important bits (cpu/mb/memory/connector) as well as the drive, the data on the machine is not accessible without serious hardware. On the other hand you can probably ask for access to someone elses machine and access the data on your USB hard drive if your UMPC machine breaks/etc. My philosophy is that the data on the hard drive of a particular computer is a only a “cache copy” of the data I’m currently working with, it shouldn’t be the primary copy of anything other than new data that hasn’t replicated yet.
(This is assuming a localised emergency where the problem is getting insurance documents, bank details, etc, not something where no computer will help).
Mids are too small for me.
Id stick to my Q1Ultra – with 3g and Live Mesh on Vista I can connect to anything run most things and have a bit more screen to make the difference.
as of today only a smartphone/communicator etc can do that. the only advantage a MID has over a laptop is weight and size. battery is absolutely ESSENTIAL for a mobile device in EMERGENCY. so today a MID is basically…useless. period.
here the question is, how “emergency” is defined:
real emergency? when everything else doesn’t bother but your life, or emergency like…”hm, i’m in moscow downtown and cannot go home right now to finish the presentation to send to my boss…”
i think you meant the second emergency, because in the first i don’t think you will survive without being able to make a phone call…
the second emergency..i finish important things at home :-)
You could use VOIP though!
fab,you’re pretty wrong about everything.
*If you unexpectedly had to go mobile, would you rely on a mobile phone, would you grab the laptop or would you rather take a MID?*
In case of calling for help I’d take a cellphone of course.In case of using internet and such I’d use a MID because it can do the same stuff as the Laptop which the cellphone cant.
I have to disagree. A good smartphone can do everything a laptop can (virtually) with better communication options and it is smaller and lighter. The difference is in the OS. You can’t run identical programs, but you can run programs that do the same thing. If the Willcom D4 was a bit different and could take a UK SIM then that is what I would want to take. (Battery is the big problem here!)
I also agree with some one else that I would wantr an external SSD with USB connection. Give it a screen and a means of input and you have a PC ;-)
in order for anything to be useful, one must be able to get ahold on a device. I am waiting on something I can pick up here in the states. I have been told the m528 would be available soon, this is the mid I will get. However I just receved confirmation that it won’t be available until next year and it won’t be available in north america.
I guess I will stick with my current mid – iPhone which I am writing this on while my wife is driving us to a family event.
voice enabled mid :)
skype enabled mid with camera, 3g and, Bluetooth headset
I grab my Raon Everun 24/7. Emergencies vanish! Slip it in my pocket and off I go. Full MS Office Enterprise, lots of media, GPS, Bluetooth, all my contacts, checkbook sw, etc. All of this runs quite nicely on 512 ram with XP. Std battery lasts all day with no problem. If I need radios on all day then I use the extended battery but no longer pocketable. Plus USB host if I need it.
MID with functions i have already written about
Faster than a speeding netbook.
More powerful than any MID.
Able to fit in normal pockets in a single bound.
My OQO 02 to the rescue.
I just replaced my “MID” (Nokia N810) and smartphone (Nokia E61i) with the HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1. That’s probably what I’d take with me :-) I’m quite happy with it, and it seems to handle most of my use cases (except for having a tiny screen, and a few rough edges … like no file manager).
If I could _also_ manage to carry an UMPC/Netbook, I might grab one (Q1UP or Everun Note), but definitely not a full sized laptop.
Greetings:
I would definitly use a MID.
As others have stated as long as my MID would have
Windows XP, Broad Band WiFi connection, and a slide
out keyboard.
Regards Robert
Easy, I’d do what I do now – take my Nokia E90. It does everything I need and, most importantly, the screen is usuable anywhere.
The E90 is indeed a good choice!
(am seriously looking forward to the next release by Nokia in this product category!
Steve
ah yes, communicators. about the only nokia product (besides the tablets) that have maintained my interesting. sad really that i could never work up the need and money to actually get one of them.
As I was mentioning before I believe the E90 form factor is very close to the ideal one. Although I have to say the keyboards were actually better on the 92xx models than the 9300/9500 and now E90 :( It’s better to have some space between the keys when they are thumboards, like on the 92xx, Sidekicks, Flipstart etc.
I just wish Nokia would use some more common OS, well ok Symbian is one of the MOST common mobile OS’ but what I mean is some more general OS :) even Linux on the Communicators would be an interesting step.
I’ll take my WiBrain B1H and a cell phone that I can tether with. That combo gives me enough storage, the ability to make phone calls, and is almost pocketable (depending on the size of your pockets)