UMPC & MID trio: LimePC comes in three sizes
Along my show floor wandering, I stumbled across three prototype UMPCs / handheld MIDs running LimeOS, which is a Debian variant of Linux. Each of the three runs on the Freescale MPC5121e mobileGT processor offering 800 MIPS within a 2W power envelope. WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 and a microUSB also appear in each; where they vary is in the form factor. Here's a quick rundown with a pic or two of each.
The UMPC is the largest of the three and offers a 5.6-inch touchscreen with resolution of 1024x600. Hard drive choices are 30-, 80-, and 100-GB; strange that there's no 60 GB choice. The 450g unit is powered by a 4800 mAh battery that apparently charges by USB. The device should be available in China very soon and there's hope of a U.S. release before end of year.
Next up is the HandheldPC, which is similar in size to my Apple iPhone. It's a little thicker but I was told the final product could be as thin as 7mm. This device has a 4-inch touchscreen at 272x480 res and offers either 8- or 16-GB of flash for storage. The smaller battery is also USB charged and has a 1600 mAh capacity; weight is 170g. Here's a shot with my iPhone for size comparison.
The PalmPC gets really small... maybe too small with its 2.86-inch screen at 240x400 res. Same flash storage capacity as its older sibling, the Handheld PC and of course, a slightly smaller battery. Again, this Freescale-powered device should be thinner if we see a release.
While the devices do work, they are still design concepts; we'll have to see if someone picks them up for manufacturing and sales. Aimed squarely in the MID space, I hope we see them, if for no other reason than purely for choice. Unfortunately, a smaller company like this (with only $7m in sales last year) will have a hard time denting the market against the likes of Intel and partners like Lenovo, Toshiba and more.
Fail.
Look, MIDs have to standardize on ONE flavor/variant/mutation of Linux. Everyday people are NOT going to scour the Net looking for something that will work.
Eh, scratch that. Everyday people won't be buying these things to begin with.
Posted by: Mike Cane | January 07, 2008 at 01:26 PM
And of those who do, what percentage will immediately wipe the OS du jour and put on something they actually want?
Posted by: Mark | January 07, 2008 at 04:19 PM
if everyday people buy these, they will be treated like devices. as in, think of the os as firmware, not software.
when the decide to go with linux on these things, they dont expect people to install stuff left, right and center. they expect them to use it as is, and thats it.
its like a overgrown non-smart mobile phone in a way.
hmm, linuxdevices just popped a item on them:
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6231914514.html
and those "screenshots" looks very familiar...
Posted by: turn_self_off | January 07, 2008 at 09:55 PM
Yes, that is LimeOS, which is a sister OS to Symphony OS, to clear up any confusion.
Posted by: Alexander Drummond | January 09, 2008 at 11:31 PM