Update: Our worry has been confirmed. Moblin V2 for MIDs is now planned for 2010(See bottom of page.) “Moblin MID is a fully featured platform for next generation smart phone devices built on Moblin Foundations. It is expected for release in 2010.” Where does this leave Linux-based MIDs in 2009. Windows only?

I was pleased to see the announcement of the Moblin V2 Core Alpha Release today but annoyed to see that it’s “initially targeting Intel(r) Atom(tm) based Netbooks.”

Moblin, the Intel-funded core Linux distribution intended for OEMs and end-users is something we’ve been following on UMPCPortal since it’s launch and we’ve been looking forward to V2 for UMPCs and MIDs but the talk about little notebooks has us wondering if they’re going to ignore the touchscreen altogether. To state that it won’t even work with Menlow, the platform used on small UMPCs and MIDs, is a setback.

Known Issues:

• The user interface is under heavy development. The final user interface will look very different than the current user interface and will not be based on XFCE.
• 3D performance is known to be slow.
• Currently, Wifi is not supported on Asus eeePC 901.
• Platforms with GMA-500 Graphics chipset are not supported.

(My emphasis.) Netbooks are slowing down innovation. Obviously netbooks have been on the roadmap for Moblin for a long time and if Intel can provide an efficient core then it’s likely they can get the distributors to standardise. This brings in the possibilities of app stores and unified dev communities but it just turns my stomach to see MIDs pushed to one side in this way. Innovation is important.

If anyone want’s to give this a spin on their netbook, the downloads are available here. It fails to boot on a Samsung Q1P but I’ll give it a shot on a few other devices today.

From the Moblin website:

The Moblin Project is happy to make the Moblin Core Alpha for Netbooks available for testing and taking the bits out for a ride.

Moblin is a community open source project, initially targeting Intel(r) Atom(tm) based Netbooks.

This Alpha release is the first chance for the larger community to start multiple-level testing of:

• The core Linux O/S, boot process, inter-process, and package interactions.
• The new “Fastboot” feature of Moblin, which fundamentally improves boot time and allows for unprecedented speed for a general purpose Linux.
• Connectivity and networking, using the new ConnMan connectivity manager.
• Kernel 2.6.29-rc2.
• The Moblin Core Components (first look at this), including Clutter and all other UI development tools.
• Xserver 1.6 (with DRI2).
• New Moblin Image Creator (MIC2) and installation tool.

System Requirements:

• CPU: Intel Atom or Intel(r) Core(tm) 2 CPU (support for SSSE3)
  (Note: Moblin will not work on non-SSSE3 CPUs)
• Graphics: Integrated Intel graphics (915/945/965)
• Network Adaptors:
• LAN/Wired:
  • Intel e100/e1000/e1000e/iXGB
  • PCNet32 (Vmware)
  • RealTek 8139/8169
  • SIS 900/190
  • Broadcom ATL1/ATL2
• Wireless/Wifi:
  • Intel 3945/4965/5000
  • Atheros 5K/9K
  • Broadcom 4300
  • RealTek 8180/8187
  • Ralink 2400/2500/61/73

Moblin also supports various external, USB-based Wifi devices.

At CES 09, Engadget managed to get some hands on time with the recently announced Dell Inspiron Mini 10, which I am looking forward to. I see now that the mouse buttons are built into the trackpad which adds another unique item to this netbook’s list of features. Engadget had this to say about the Mini 10:

“…much nicer looking than the Mini 9, and more compact than the Mini 12. No wonder Dell’s calling it a “perfect 10.” The multitouch trackpad is really similar to the one on the newest Macbooks, but it’s a little less intuitive”

Have a look at some of the shots here, and head over to Engadget for even more.

Engadget still haven’t sussed-out that neither the S7 or the Vaio P are netbooks…

Also small is that keyboard, which is one of the most painful we’ve yet experienced on a netbook

Given the size, it’s actually one of the best keyboards. Up there with the Everun Note and way better than the SC3. With 8hrs battery life, CPU options up to 1.8Ghz and a Windows XP option, expect this to win in a bang-per-buck comparison with the Sony and with a rotated, flipped screen, reading websites and RSS feeds on the sofa will be one of the most relaxed experiences on any PC. Style and build quality are not, however, up in the Sony league. Engadget extracted a price from Viliv but ‘less than the Vaio P’ obviously means that the marketing department will make sure that 1.3Ghz model is $100-200 below the Vaio P price. We’ll have to wait to see how much the loaded pro version is. Short video also available in the Engadget article. Via Liliputing. More info and links for the Vaio P here, and the Viliv S7 here.

What do you do when the Dell Mini 9 [Product page] and Mini 12 just aren’t enough? Well the only logical thing to do is come out with the Mini 10. The Dell Mini 10, shown at CES, has (obviously enough) a 10″ screen. Something that immediately piques my interested is that the Mini 10 apparently won’t run the obligatory 1024×600 resolution, but instead use a properly formatted 16:9 aspect ratio screen with a 720p resolution (1280×720). Some other nice features include:

• Z530 Atom CPU (less typical than most netbooks)
• 802.11N WiFi
• Integrated GPS
• Integrated 3G
• TV-tuner
• A trackpad with what Dell is calling “exclusive gestures”

I have to say that this is shaping up to be a nice 10″ netbook. We’ll see how the pricing turns out, which at this point is not announced by Dell, nor a release date.

[Engadget]

The Sony VAIO P [Portal page] was a big deal at this year’s CES. Sony teased us with visions of a computer that would fit in our pocket. While the device is certainly small, I don’t think it is a realistic pocket machine (even the flash ad on sony.jp seems to agree). My three year old Sony VAIO UX [Portal page] is more pocketable, which is why I was somewhat baffled when they released the P which isn’t even close by comparison. Here are several pictures from Engadget China poking fun at the pocketability of the VAIO P that I chortled at. I find the one with the desktop to be particularly funny. First shot is official from Sony of course.

You probably caught wind (corny and probably overused, I know) of MSI’s latest U120 [Portal page] netbook, but you may not have seen a prototype at CES with a glowing trackpad. I’m not quite sure who this is supposed to appeal to, but we can at least be happy knowing that, as far as I can tell, this isn’t actually part of the U120 yet. I’ve always hated superfluous LEDs on notebooks, and this light-up trackpad is taking it just one step to far.

If they are going to make something glow, why not have a backlit keyboard? On a regular laptop, the screen is often large enough to provide the necessary light for typing in low-light situations. I haven’t found this to be true in my netbook experience. Unless you tilt to screen to shine on the keyboard (putting it at an unrealistic viewing angle) there often isn’t enough light on the keys. A backlit keyboard on a netbook might actually have some use.

Engadget seem quite impressed with the Pegatron Freescale-based netbooks. 8.9-inch screen, 8 hour battery life, 8GB of storage and retail prices near the $199 mark. Pegatron will be working with Ubuntu to get the ARM-compatable distribution cleaned up and ready for a late Spring launch.

Maybe it’s just the design that Engadget are impressed with though. “The limitation here is obviously straight-up processing power — it’s not very impressive, and certainly slower than Intel’s Atom” say Engadget but it’s clear (check the video below) that it’s a whole lot faster than ARM devices we’ve seen in the past. Cortex A8 seems to be hitting the right mark.

Pics and more commentary at Engadget.

Pegatron and Freescale team for low-power, ultra-cheap netbooks and nettops – Engadget.

Video below from Notebooks.com shows the device in action.

The first MSI wind was considered to be one of the better netbooks out there. MSI might not be Asus in terms of new netbook announcements, but they certainly didn’t slack off when it comes to churning out an improved model. The MSI Wind U120 [Portal page], as you might recall, features (among other things) a new hybrid storage system that uses an SSD and HDD, a-la Sony VAIO TT. Engadget has a hands-on gallery from CES 09′. Take a look at some of the shots below, and head through the Engadget link for additional images.

[Engadget]