Gizmodo Australia » mobile internet device

Lenovo’s Ideapad U8 MID Under Starter’s Orders at Olympics

Kit Eaton — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:59:00 +0000

Way back in April was when we first showed you details on Lenovo’s Ideapad U8 mobile internet device, and Lenovo’s just launched it at the Beijing Olympics. The palmtop phone/PC has an Intel Atom Z500 ticking away inside at 800MHz, GPS, dual cameras, and with 1GB of RAM and a sizable 6GB SSD. Connectivity-wise, it’s fully loaded with 802.11 b/g wi-fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G support and apparently “WiMAX support.” There’s also a dongle for picking up China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting signals so you can watch the Olympics for free. But therein lies the rub: The 300 gram, vaguely PSP-like U8 is a China-only gizmo, so you won’t care that it’ll have a price “equivalent” to other smartphones. [Pocketables]

Nokia N810 Tablet Priced With WiMAX

Brian Lam — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:47:07 +0000

Spotted at Buy.com with an MSRP of US$479. Still not sure how this thing is going to work on WiMAX when no one has WiMAX and also, not many people use these tablets. [Buy.com CellularNews]

Survey Shows Australians Feel Ripped Off By Mobile Internet

Nick Broughall — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:25:28 +0000

The fun thing about statistics is that with enough creativity, you can make them say anything, making them a great way to convince other people that your point of view is better than a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

I mention this not because I disagree with the findings of this survey – in fact, they’re quite accurate, in my opinion – but because they were commissioned by 3 Mobile and Sony Ericsson to educate about the new K660i mobile phone and its mobile browsing features.

The study, which was conducted in March by surveying 653 Australians aged between 18-49, came back with the following statistics:

Tame Cube Concept: A Good Excuse is Just a Roll Away

Sean Fallon — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000

If you are a multitasker that receives numerous calls, texts, ims, facebook messages and the like, you may find something useful in the idea behind this Tame Cube concept. Each side of the cube can be customised with a status message of your choosing and can be synced to your devices and applications. For example, if you are driving and don’t want to be distracted, simply turn the cube over to the appropriate message and anyone that tries to contact you will be notified of your situation.

It also features a red-yellow-green colour coding system for at-a-glance availability selection. And if you have a little gambler in you, just give the cube a roll for a random excuse. In theory, the whole shebang is wireless and easy to update via the internet, but all that aside, it probably won’t be hitting store shelves anytime soon. Still, the idea itself may have some potential in one form or another. [The Greener Grass]

Phone Retailer Talks About Giving Away Free Laptops With Mobile Internet Service

Addy Dugdale — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:09:00 +0000

Laptops could be the next thing to be given away for free, according to the boss of UK phone giant Carphone Warehouse. Andrew Harrison, the firm’s chief executive, reckons that mobile internet providers will be chucking portables at everyone in an attempt to sign people up to their services.

Carphone Warehouse has its own telecoms arm, Talk Talk, which provides broadband for landlines, and started offering free lappies to residential customers last year. “You fast-forward this three or four years,” says Harrison, “and it is a world where no one ever buys a laptop again but just expects it as part of their deal with their broadband provider or part of their monthly fee. They get a laptop and 18 months later they get a new one.”

The 37-year-old sees the laptop market as an extension of the mobile phone market. “Everything that everybody told me about the mobile phone, I can see happening with the laptop,” says Harrison. “I get people saying to me ‘you will not get a builder on a building site getting a laptop out’ and I say ‘you would have said the same thing about a mobile phone 10 years ago’.”

I’m not sure whether this would work for me. Firstly, I’m not particularly keen on being wired up to the web the whole time. Secondly, I use a Mac, and I can’t really see Steve signing up to this. Thoughts? [Guardian Online]

IdeaPad U8 from Lenovo Has Intel’s Atom, GPS, EDGE

Addy Dugdale — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:22:00 +0000

This is the IdeaPad U8 from Lenovo. With Intel’s Atom chip inside it, the Mobile Internet Device has an optical mouse to let you fiddle one-handed, supports 3G and EDGE, has GPS, a 4.8-inch touchscreen, a Paul Smith-esque striped back (hope that stays) and an annoying ambient bongo player (either that goes or I do.) Video after the jump.

Engadget also reckons you’ll be able to make phone calls as well, and that it’s Linux-based. I couldn’t possibly comment. [UMPCPortal and Engadget]

Mobile Internet Device from BenQ—Shake It Like a Polaroid Picture

Addy Dugdale — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:17:39 +0000

We’ve already seen a video of BenQ’s imaginatively named “mobile internet device” (you can call it MID) in action, but more details have been emerging about the touchscreen device, with its customized UI, in Barcelona this week—including the intriguing news that you can shake it, rather like an Etch-A-Sketch, to minimize open windows. More deets, plus a press shot, below.

When the MID finally goes on sale, sometime in the next few months, it will have an 0.3-megapixel webcam, 4.8.inch touchscreen with 1024 x 600 resolution, Wi-Fi and HSDPA. Inside is Intel’s Menlow platform with Silverthorne processor. [BenQ via jkkmobile]