Jason Sidabras

Thanks to CES, Intel finally explains the difference between a Mobile Internet Device (MID) and a Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC). Here are the highlights:

UMPC

• Business-class device for enterprise users
• Runs a “heavy” OS like Vista
• Optimized for office-use applications like Excel, Word, etc.

MID

• Consumer-class lifestyle device
• Runs a ‘lightweight” OS with quick startup like Linux
• Optimized for things like media playback and web surfing
• In 2009 (or so) Moorestown-based devices will be classed as MIDs only

So the question then comes up, why does one need a “heavy” os, like vista, to run a business class UMPC?

Presumably a UMPC is a laptop replacement. The normal processing power (found with the A110), business-class graphics and program set is needed to maintain a laptop like environment for the business class. But vista, having such crazy requirements, seems like a complete waste of resources. Watching the video on the HTC (one which I will not post because of the annoying reviewer, baby crying and phone ringing.) the reviewer was able to start the booting process (which he claimed was Vista getting out of hibernation) talk for an additional 3-5 minutes, waited for the network to come up, went into the control panel to get his network up correctly before showing us the awesome power of Alt-Tab.

So besides wishing that Windows v7 will be a mean, lean, OS machine (which it probably won’t) what can someone do to get the power of a business laptop in the palm of their hands. So how can we get away from the Vista hog.

As I mentioned in an earlier post on my “ultimate” UMPC two programs are needed to make me run out an buy into this trend: An excellent pdf annotator and an excellent note taking program.

Obviously most of the programs that you will find will be windows based, but that doesn’t mean that will always be true. One such example is this pdf annotating program:

Typing in the pdf or writing and highlighting comes naturally. The best part is everything could then be saved as a pdf again for easy portability. Googling for a pdf annotator in linux has yielded some poor results. One annotator is typing only and the others are java based. Jarnal, one of the java based pdf annotators also is a note taking program.

One thing I did find that would be useful to all of us is a graph paper generator. Smith chart, semi-log, or anything you want. Great find, I would love to have this and use a pdf annotator to show people how to plot smith charts or bode plots on the fly in a presentation.

So lets make the assumption I can use Jarnal and I am happy with its response using both typing and a touch pen. I like the overall feel of the n800 desktop that comes with OS2008:

It has a minimalistic feel to it and most of your applications are only a menu or two away. But one problem with the device is the scrolling associated with the menu driven system. With that I propose tweaking the hell out of the Mezzo desktop from Symphony OS on an ubuntu platform.

The Mezzo desktop was introduced in Jason Spisak’s Laws of Interface Design. I love the look/feel of the Mezzo desktop and I am debating putting something similar to this on my MacMini for media playback. The resizing menu “desktop” and four corner hot keys almost screams for use in a touch device.

What do you think? It runs python and fvwm with the power of a full linux distribution behind you. Definitely more user friendly than the small start bar/program list in vista and I’ve seen configure files for fvwm that take screen shots of your application windows for use in alt-tab viewing, just like vista.

Vista is definitely not the answer.

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