ACCESS intos Beta 3 of Garnet VM, supports 30,000 Palm OS titles

Palm might be treading water these days (if not drowning), but that doesn't mean fans of Palm OS apps have to stay in one spot. Those older bits of software are still usable thanks to ACCESS's Garnet Virtual Machine for Nokia N-series Internet Tablets. The company has long offered Beta 2 of this VM for free, but it expired recently. Enter the release of Garnet VM Beta 3, which is freely available on the product page. ACCESS says that it supports a library of over 30,000 Palm OS applications and I know that some have no equivilent on other platforms, so this could be a life saver for some.

ACCESS hasn't stated in vast detail what's different between this version and the one prior. Aside from the presumably new expiration date, there's some under-the-hood fixes in the VM core components and in the PIM applications.

(via Internet Tablet Talk)

BenQ, Lenovo MIDs washing up on shores of U.S., U.K.

Now don't go running down to the beach expecting to find MIDs among the seashells... the post title is figurative. You can literally, however, hit up the eXpansys U.S. or U.K. site and place your pre-order for two MIDs that are scarce in these parts. Scarcer than the MID market in general, that is. There's no price announced for either MID, but Pocketables notes that eXpansys is taking orders for both the BenQ S6 and the Lenovo IdeaPad U8, which might be the only MID with a name that's bigger than the device itself. Any takers?

Aigo P8860 MID stars in one-man video show

One of the first true Intel Atom MIDs is finally showing its face in the world. Actually the Aigo P8860 it's showing its backside, profile and slide-out QWERTY keyboard thanks to fine coaching by video director Steve Paine. Don't worry, the film is safe for all audiences... even with the gratuitous Bluetooth pairing scene. This was my first good look at the Aigo P8860 MID running Midinux and while there was plenty to be impressed with, I see a few things that need refining for sure.

There's no question that a full-desktop type of environment in a pocketable package leaves you lusting. While the device comes with Coolfox, Steve has Firefox 3 installed and shows off how the full AJAX version of Google Reader works flawlessly. No need to run a mobile version, like I do on my iPhone for example, and that means little to no compromise. From my standpoint though, I currently don't mind the compromise... in fact (continuing the example) the mobile version of Google Reader looks to perform a little faster on my current device. Hard to say from just a single video, of course.

All in all, I came away more impressed than disappointed because with more refining, a device like this could be very handy. It wouldn't function as a full computer for me so I'd need to carry that, plus a phone, making for three devices on my person. That's where I'm struggling with MIDs at the moment: without phone capabilities and not usable (for me anyway) as a full and productive computing environment, where do they fit?

Qualcomm intros Kayak PC alternative, has 15 Snapdragon customers lined up

While we wait for Mobile Internet Devices powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon solution, the chip company isn't sitting on the sidelines. Today, Qualcomm announced their Kayak PC alternative to help emerging markets navigate the web's choppy waters. According to the company, "the Kayak PC alternative fills the niche that exists between desktop PCs, which normally require landlines or seperate accessories for connectivity, and Internet-capable wireless devices." Based on the reference design features, the quote sounds like another name for a small and portable 3G-connected low-end net appliance.

The design is powered by Qualcomm's dual-core Mobile Station Modem MSM7xxx-series chipset which provides both the computing power and the connectivity. It also offers:

• A full featured Web 2.0-capable browser from Opera
• Display output support for television and computer monitors
• Support for standard keyboard and mouse input solutions
• A music player and 3D gaming

Actual specifications are scant after that meager and general list, and while it doesn't sound like a high-end solution by any means, it's not meant to be. Qualcomm expects that the first units will see Southeast Asia's CDMA2000 and WCDMA (UMTS) networks. It's interesting to note that Inventec will produce the first units; we've seen mobile products from them in the form the Kohjinsha devices as well as the HP Mini-Note.

As far as Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset, it sounds like folks are lining up to produce devices based upon it. Qualcomm indicates 15 device manufacturers are Snapdragon customers and I'm sure you're recognize a few: Acer, Asus, HTC, LG, Quanta, Samsung, Toshiba are among the bunch. I'm looking forward to seeing what products we'll see: expect power-efficient handhelds running at 1 GHz, integrated 3G & WiFi, aGPS, hardware accelerated 3G graphics and display resolution up to WXGA or 1280x768.

MIU's two-CPU handheld replaces 13 devices?

Could the third time be a charm for MIU and their Hybrid Dual Portable Computer? The latest device iteration follows the two before it and neither of those truly panned out. Perhaps the time is right for a fully converged handheld with two processors and two screens?

Yup, the HDPC has an ARM CPU for handling phone capabilities and other light functions on the WindowsCE side. But there's an Intel Atom that was dropped in place of a VIA CPU to handle Windows XP. We've seen that handheld-computing model before and while it sounded great on paper, it never became a widespread reality.

I do like the two-screen concept though. On the outside is a QVGA AMOLED panel that flips up to reveal a QWERTY keypad and a larger WVGA screen. For the record: MIU has leap-frogged the wireless industry based on the claim that this is a 5G device. Take that 3G handset owners! Even better: based on this chart from the product page, this single product replaces thirteen other devices you might have around the house. Such a deal, no?

Porient H12: mobile Internet device available for adoption

Anyone want to own their own brand of mobile Internet device? Hit up the folks at Porient and maybe they'll change the name from H12 to [insert name here]. See, they have this nice little Linux handheld that's about as big as a 3x5 index card and weighs under 11 ounces. It has a just-my-size 4.8-inch touchscreen display with a highly usable 800x480 resolution. There's even 2 GB of flash memory, integrated WiFi and GPS. Sound good? There's just one problem: it doesn't seem to have an identity... other than H12, that is. That's where you come in: you can inquire to buy in bulk and some are speculating that maybe you can own the device line outright since Porient doesn't have the name or backing of Apple, Dell, HP or anyone else right now. Your guess is as good as mine on the price for one unit or the rights to sell 'em all with your fancy name on them. Makes me wonder how many interesting concept and beta devices are sitting at the pound waiting for a good home.

Don't get too excited about this screen shot of the homeless MID, even though it looks like a Mac screen. That's Safari for Windows which actually muddies the waters even more as the [insert name here] runs on a 520 MHz XScale CPU. You'll get by with Windows Mobile on that, but not Windows itself.

Averatec's netbook wants to be your Buddy

There's a new netbook coming to town, but it's got the same face as many others. What's the difference then? Averatec's device wants to be your Buddy. Maybe in name only, but you have to admit that it's a good name for a companion device. Pricing for the Averatec Buddy in the U.S. is $449 and gets you the standard netbook specifications: 10.2-inch display, 160 GB hard drive, 1.6 GHz Intel Atom CPU, Windows XP Home and a gigabyte of RAM. There's no mention of a Linux model, but of course you can mod your Buddy as you see fit. If he or she really is your Buddy, I'm sure they'll understand.

MSI Wind working great for mobile use

I see that UMPC Portal has an Medion Akoya Mini writeup after ten-weeks of using the netbook. Aside  from a few small differences, that's essentially the same device as the MSI Wind I brought with me to San Francisco. This little workhorse is holding up really well in terms of usability, battery life, and portability. I find that I can carry the Wind around without a thought, much as I carry my iPhone. And believe me: I'm running around here at the conference. The Wind isn't a hinderence in this situation; it's actually a great tool in this environment.

No, it's not going to compare in terms of performance to all of the MacBook Pros in the room here,but that's actually a telling sign. When I leave the room, the Wind comes with me. The MacBook Pros? They're all left behind in the room. ;)

Share your thoughts on Mobile Internet Devices

Just in time for the Mobilize conference, GigaOM has a brief poll regarding Mobile Internet Devices. Who better to offer up their thoughts than the excellent and well informed jkOTR audience, right? If you have a few minutes, consider sharing your thoughts in the poll, which is being conducted by Dr. Phil Hendrix of IMMR. I've taken the poll and I've also shared my thoughts on the MID space with Dr. Phil (no, not THAT one!) and he's very interested to see what consumers think of MIDs.

Ironically, I was first introduced to him on the very day that I asked if MIDs were dying a slow, painful death. Now's your chance to tell him & his team what you think. There aren't too many questions so if you have a few minutes, here's the poll link.

Are MIDs dying a slow, painful death?

That's the question I had after reading a UMPC Portal post making a last call for MIDs in 2008. Last call? When was the first call answered? There were plenty of Mobile Internet Devices shown off at the recent Intel Developers Forum, but we're hearing far more about netbooks than MIDs even though the MID concept was born before the netbook idea.

I like the idea of MIDs, I really do. My iPhone is a MID that I use daily. The Nokia Internet Tablet is a nice MID also. But I'm wondering if the time has passed for the original MID vision due to a few factors:

• The lines are blurring between feature-phones and smartphones. Consumers are getting some of the MID functions from these devices already and clearly, they're already carrying their phone just about everywhere.
• Netbooks have the focus right now and although they're larger and not pocketable, they are very portable and have the capabilities to access the internet while mobile.
• There are way too many possible MID interfaces and no emerging standard in terms of software just yet. That's coming through the Moblin project but the market is passing by.

At this point, with very few devices available and the lack of consumer recognition of the term "MID", average consumers are buying other solutions. Phones are getting more advanced and offering a better Internet experience with with each generation plus they have built-in connectivity. Netbooks aren't too big or too heavy. Hmmm....  I'm starting to think that MIDs in their original form are going the way of the UMPC. I'm trying to think about this from the mainstream consumer point of view... not as the mobile tech addict that I really am. Thoughts as they relate to you as a mobile tech maven or as an everyday consumer?