MID's

[Hoot69]

Based on the latest info on MID's, does there appear to be any that will appear stateside in the sub $500 range?

I see lots of "noise" and things "coming", but haven't seen much actual guaranteed ship dates.

=-= Hoot

[Silvio76]

Hello Hoot69

if you are looking for a MID you could check for the Nokia N810.
It's definitively a MID even if it's not equipped with Intel CPU.

It's the best for web surfing on the way and it's cheaper than any MID to come for the next 6 months probably.
I personally own a N800 and I'm really happy.

Cheers
Silvio76

[Raggamofyn]

MIDs give me the same feeling that the OQO did when I first saw it; "I must have this, but, for the life of me, I can't figure out why." I have no idea what I would use one for but it sure is purty.

Personally, I don't see MIDs themselves taking off, but what they bring to the table will live on through other devices. The iPhone is a pretty good example of this. First and foremost, it's a phone. But it's also got Safari and the EDGE/3G connection to give it that *umph* in the browser area as opposed to the horrendous text-only browsers on some phones that can't render HTML properly. For many, it was the first experience with ubiquitous internet. Well, relatively ubiquitous, tower locations notwithstanding.

Getting back to the price of some of these things, slash the price in half and even then the thing better wash my dishes because there's no way I'd pay any more than about $300 + a data plan for any of these things.

[Silvio76]

Keeping apart the desire for the hightech stuff, I have the same thoughts.
It makes no sense to have a mobile internet device if then we have to pay a fortune to use it on the way.
As for mobile phones, some time is needed to get reasonable data plan to come.


But consider a MID can also be used instead of your laptop and/or PC at home.
I personally use my N800 for sofa surfing. So I don't need to sit in front of my laptop or desktop for further several hours and my wife will not blame me for my passion.

Originally Posted by Raggamofyn

MIDs give me the same feeling that the OQO did when I first saw it; "I must have this, but, for the life of me, I can't figure out why." I have no idea what I would use one for but it sure is purty.

Personally, I don't see MIDs themselves taking off, but what they bring to the table will live on through other devices. The iPhone is a pretty good example of this. First and foremost, it's a phone. But it's also got Safari and the EDGE/3G connection to give it that *umph* in the browser area as opposed to the horrendous text-only browsers on some phones that can't render HTML properly. For many, it was the first experience with ubiquitous internet. Well, relatively ubiquitous, tower locations notwithstanding.

Getting back to the price of some of these things, slash the price in half and even then the thing better wash my dishes because there's no way I'd pay any more than about $300 + a data plan for any of these things.

[Raggamofyn]

Ditto. And now that I lost my n800 and have no laptop either, I long for the n800 again. It's incredibly convenient.

[JRated]

Although MID's seem nice, I have yet to find a true use for them. I always carry a WM phone with me so I can do any surfing on my phone. I just don't see the point in carrying another device when my phone will do the same thing.

[tcrossey]

I have to agree that as far as MIDs go I really consider the IPhone in there. With the new pricing scheme you can pick one up for $200+plan (which you gotta have to really use the net) and/or the IPod Touch if you insist on only using wifi. Even without jailbreaking it can become a serious search tool with the use of Evernote on the web and Evernote is supposed to have a webclipper for the IPhone soon. For the non-geek/non-techie I especially feel the Iphone makes a very good sub $300 MID.

[Silvio76]

I also have a WM phone but I can't compare it with a N800/N810 in terms of web surfing..
If I just need to do quick search on the web a WM phone is good., but I can't use it for one hour or my eyes will start bouncing.

A 3.5''/4'' display with a decent resolution it's a lot better!

bye

Originally Posted by JRated

Although MID's seem nice, I have yet to find a true use for them. I always carry a WM phone with me so I can do any surfing on my phone. I just don't see the point in carrying another device when my phone will do the same thing.

[tcrossey]

I know how you feel about your eyes bouncing. So many of the smart phones have such small screens. Things like the IPhone and the N800/N810 have a screen that is large enough to use comfortably for extended periods. One thing I still wish they had on the IPhone was a decent keyboard or ability to use a bluetooth keyboard. For me it would be close to perfect.

[Silvio76]

yeah

the Iphone is a good gadget for consumer, but it really miss some features like

- bluetooth
- sd/mmc slot
- support for various media file
- keyboard (even if the one on the screen is good)

I have no doubt that these lacks can be solved in the next release/future generations......(3G version lost this opportunity)

[Raggamofyn]

I found in the brief time that I had to handle an iPhone that I couldn't tap the screen with the tip of my finger and have it register properly. Perhaps it's a setting but I can use my fingertip or the entire finger on a n800.

Also, the $200 3G iPhone is a good deal, providing you are satisfied with AT&T. I, personally, am not too fond of them.

[FlyingAero]

I also agree with the people above me...but everytime Im about to buy an n810, something else comes out. If you can wait a while until the Dell "MID" comes out ...looks interesting....unless you dont want the 9 inch screen for $300.

[Raggamofyn]

Dell's MID in the notebook form-factor is incredibly appealing to me. Some people are about form vs. function, and the Dell has both bases covered for inviduals like me.

[Hoot69]

Personally, I would like something along the lines of the screen on a Samsung Q1U and the software/interface of an iPod Touch. The Touch is OK for movies, but I actually like my PSP better. However, web browsing and many of the jail-broken apps on the Touch make it a better Internet device.

I have a web-capable phone, but never use it for such. I like the idea of NOT having my phone be my web "appliance". But then, I'm old...

=-= Hoot

[orbitalcomp]

I agree with whoever suggested the Nokia N800, it definitely fits in this category. I have had mine since the very first week they went on sale, and before that I was an early user of a Nokia 770.

Also, the iPhone probably will be considered much like a MID in the coming months, especially once we see what kind of software apps start coming out. But if we're going to have WM smartphones and iPhones in this conversation, then we better also include the Nokia N95, or other Symbian S60 devices. I love my N95 8GB, it is an awesome phone / portable computer. It has all of the features that the iPhone is missing, including A2DP, GPS, and 3G.

No touchscreen, though...