The AC100 is definitely getting closer. Amazon UK have a pre-order page up, Toshiba UK have product details up, Peter from Netbooknews in Japan says it will launch there next week and there’s now a German retailer showing the product. Although this is probably a UK QWERTY version being sold, it’s the availability figure that’s interesting. 2 weeks!

I’m quite excited about this one. We’ve got one on order and the more I read about it, the more excited I get. Yes, it won’t have any deep and meaningful productivity apps and yes, Android on a netbook style device will feel strange but with 8hrs battery life in a stylish sub-900gm package, a week or more standby power (and an estimated 2-3 days always-connected ) a high brightness display, dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and built-in 3G for 369 Euros (4-week delivery on the 3G version,) it’s something I just have to test out. It’s likely to have some of the issues of the similar Android-powered Airlife 100 [review]but I’m adamant that this concept has legs. As soon as someone brings out an always-on ‘smart’ netbook with the right applications, it will start a new chapter in laptop computing. No more shutdown!

Jenn of Pocketables has a Libretto U100 from Conics.net and in her unboxing and first impressions there are definitely getting some good vibes being sent out. ‘The cool factor is off the charts’ she says. I tend to agree but is it actually usable?

I had a chat with the guys from Wow Pow blog yesterday and there’s some good vibes coming from them too. Certainly the keyboard software seems well thought out and provides for some unique flexibility. Heat and battery life are flagged as issues and of course, there’s the price to think about too. $1100 for a 2hrs device! (W105 in the USA only comes with standard battery and no 3G or 4G, the W100 import from Conics is more expensive but comes with the large battery in addition to WiMax.)

Two very interesting ultra mobile PC designs. HTC Shift and W100

International users will be happy with the different language keyboard layouts (video) although both Jenn and Pow-Wow say that the full keyboard layout is too small to touch type on. I get the feeling that the Sony Vaio P would be a better choice is you need to input a lot of text on a sub-800gm device although the comparison image of the HTC Shift above highlights another very interesting design.

The CPU power on this can’t be understated though. It will bring Windows 7 multitouch features to life. If only there was a VGA or docking port then you’d have a really nice mobile desktop set-up.

Check out Jenns unboxing and first impressions bullet-point list and stay tuned over there for more. We’re tracking important news, popularity and forums on the W100 information page.

Long-gone are the days where netbooks were available at the 1KG mark. The Asus 901, Acer A150. Classic 1KG, 8.9 inch netbooks that worked well as mobile-focused PCs for getting things done almost anywhere. The EeePC 901GO was arguably one of the best mobile bargains around at the time, at least in Europe. No hard drive, sub 1KG, 3G and a great price. Oh how things have changed. All we seem to see now are 10-12 inch devices at 1.2KG or more with moving hard drives. The 800gm-1KG mark is now a specialist segment.

If you take a long hard look though and are prepared to relax your requirements a little there are a few gems hidden in there that would work well for ultra-mobile fans so I’ve taken a long look at the netbook segment, spoken to a few people (thanks Avram and Sascha) and come up with a shortlist for you. I’ve also taken a look above and below the netbook segment to give you a few alternative options.

Requirements.

Ultra Mobile devices need to be feature-rich, rugged and connected. They are the Swiss army knives of PCs that need to be ready for anything. Getting the best productivity out of any situation is important. 12 inch devices give great comfortable real-estate. 10 inch devices can be good value. 7 inch devices get right under the 1KG mark. Here are some other important features.

• No Hard Drive. Ideally you don’t want any moving parts at all in a mobile PC. Hard drives and fans can fail or get damaged and even rotating screen hinges need to be thought about very carefully. If an SSD doesn’t come as standard, I’ve looked at the upgrade possibilities.
• Bright screen. Matt finish. 10 12 inch for comfortable productivity. 7-10 inch for lighter weight.
• 3G, Wi-Fi-N and BT 2.x (but not self-upgrade unless the antenna is pre-installed)
• Long battery life (6+hrs)
• Lightweight PSU, Car Kit
• Other useful options GPS, memory upgrades. Case
• Latest CPU technology.
• Weight 1KG or less. (I’ve looked at devices up to about 1.2KG here.)

The Netbook Shortlist

Based around the 10 inch form factor, these are the gems that I’ve managed to dig out. Of the 400+ devices that I’ve searched through, these match the requirements the best. Quite amazing that there are really only this many that I would class as truly mobile devices. Note, these devices may not appear in your local market (and there may be others in your local market that I haven’t seen please lets us know if you find one.)

Shame. While the Libretto W100 looks good and opens the mind, that second touchscreen is obviously more for the marketing than for the people that were attracted to the original Librettos. Like a diamond-encrusted iPhone, the W100 seeks out media attention rather than addressing the issue of getting things done when on the move. Not only is the hardware keyboard missing but the battery life is going to be an issue as this appears to be running on a laptop processor. Imaging trying to use this anywhere near a window – the backlight and CPU requirements would be huge.

I’d love to test it out and maybe I’m being too harsh and blinkered but I can almost see the summary now: “Great concept…for marketing. Now let’s stop trying to impress the touch-friendly media and get back to some serious mobile productivity.”

More details, pics and specs at Engadget.

Toshiba Libretto W100 resurrects the classic ultra mobile PC brand with dual 7-inch displays — Engadget.

Much like the Pepperpad and SmartQ7. Much like the Crunchpad and EeePC keyboard much like the Archos range of media players, the Toshiba Journe Touch is a tablet aimed at the home zone.

Its not a ultra mobile PC (no productivity. Very little application flexibility) and until I see that its able to provide a full, fast internet experience (unlikely) I won’t call it a MID. The sofa is a very forgiving place though; a place where the user is relaxed, open minded and under no time pressures. You can get away with slow browsing and input in these scenarios. I found that out myself.

Its focus is really media control and playback. Both in standalone and HDTV-docked mode. Apparently  the Journe will be able to play back HD content. I’m wondering if it’s an Nvidia Tegra platform they’re using.

Sascha gives us an overview of the device at the press conference where it was launched yesterday.

With Windows 7, home media control improves dramatically and with devices like the Archos 9 and Zune coming, it won’t be a one-man race.

As time goes on, more and more of my time is being taken up reading very interesting smartphone news. WVGA, Android, WM6.5 and Cortex are the important keywords and every time a device comes up it becomes clearer that the push towards the MID market is greater from the Smartphone manufacturers than it is from the Intel-based MID and ultra mobile PC market. With Menlow in a strange UMPC-like state (with no Moblin support now) there’s a long wait until consumer-focused MIDs come out on the Moorestown platform in 2010. It’s even clearer than before that ARM will have the upper hand in the MID space in 2009 by building up from existing products and brands that already sell millions of devices. Intel will have to sit back and wait for the time being.

Today has been particularly active in the ‘MIDPhone’ space.

As I was updating myself on the status of my Samsung Omnia order (no delivery date in sight) I took a quick look at other options that are available and the Toshiba TG01 (soon available in the U.S.) jumped up at me. With a screen size of 4.1 inch, a resolution of 800×480 and  processing power that is 2-4 times as much as the Nokia N800 / N810, it’s difficult to ignore. Pricing is now under 500 Euro for an unlocked version and 02 in Germany are selling it for 150 Euro with a 25 Euro / month contract. Add 15 Euro on top for Internet and you’ve got an interesting option that you I could walk out and buy tomorrow. Chris over at SlashGear has just finished his review and although he wasn’t impressed with the UI and predicts that the WM operating system could be an issue, I still think that the device represents great value for mobile internet fans. When Windows Mobile 6.5 comes along it could make it even more interesting, especially if Opera 9.7 works on it. I’m looking forward to seeing some browsing speed tests on this one. Note: No keyboard!

As I was finishing up reading Chris’ article a news item about an HTC Leo popped up. The Ai.rs blog has posted what they say are the specifications for this new HTC device. I don’t know who Ai.rs are but everyone seems to be following up the story. WMPowerUser (a blog I frequent more and more these days) says that the device is the HTC Firestone. All I know is that it’s rumored to have a 4.3 inch screen and run a Snapdragon platform at 1Ghz. This is definitely another one to add to the MID list. Again, it looks like there’s no keyboard.

Only a few minutes later I read the news that the Samsung Mondi is launching. The Mondi is an even bigger device with a slider form factor and a 4.3 inch screen. Samsung are dropping a WiMax module inside and handing it over to Clearwire for a launch in Las Vegas. It’s an ARM11-powered device running Windows Mobile again. No pricing, No availability details. Style and feature-wise it’s not too exciting and in fact it doesn’t even support voice so this is really focused at mobile internet activities.

The Mondi’s compact design provides the user with a more mobile form factor and ease-of-use than the typical laptop or netbook. While it is small enough to fit into the user’s hand or pocket, the Mondi packs an impressive Web browser, powered by Opera 9.5, which takes full advantage of the device’s 4.3-inch touch screen.

I’d like to see this with HSPA, Android, a high-end CPU and a big fat battery for all-day mobile internet use!

Press release. Via.

Finally, in addition to all that, there’s news about a Sony Xperia X3 which had previously been known at ‘Rachael.’ Dutch blog ‘All About Phones’ found the information in an Expansys we page and it’s quite the interesting read, largely because it’s going to be running Android and will have a 4 inch 800×480 screen. As yet, the CPU information is unknown. If you’re thinking about an HTC Hero, you might want to wait for final specs and pricing on this one.

Breaking: Xperia X2 news is coming in

None of these devices represent the ultimate MID yet but you can see where things are going. The 4 inch to 5 inch space is getting very busy already. I’ll beadding some of these (if not all!) to the database very soon.

Maybe 50% of people will be calling this a MID?

News is breaking about a new 4.1 inch smartphone (same screen size and res as the Nokia N810) that will be running on the Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm.

It’s another cross-over between MIDs and smartphones and I don’t care what anyone wants to call it. If it performs well as a browser (Its running Windows Mobile 6.1 so Opera Mobile 9.5, Fennec and other options could work well on this) then it’s well worth considering.

We’re tracking news from a press events (PocketLint, ElectrigPig) but in the meantime, check out this presentation video from MegaWhat.tv

Toshiba TG01 with 4.1-inch WVGA touchscreen: a world’s first Snapdragon – Engadget.

The word ‘concept’ is not an easy word to write here. I want to say ‘product coming’ instead!

This image is from Pocketables.net who have a few more that you should take a look at. I have a feeling that by using the best available display technology and platforms like Menlow designers could come up with some incredible umpcs and e-reader devices. And when I say connected e-reader devices I mean everything from locally stored ebooks and PDFs to live webpages. The modern-day newspaper. I’m imagining a slick UI and a capacitive touchscreen and an OS and hardware that offers the normal desktop PC experience. MmmmmID-Tastic!

Check out Pocketables for more pics.