Pocketables

It's been a few months since we first heard that Korea-based Digifriends was courting NextWave Wireless to bring the modular MID shown at CES 2008 to the US. Whether flowers and moonlight serenades were involved in the courtship or not, the two companies formally announced several weeks ago that they had joined hands to develop the "sophisticated, WiMAX-enabled Mobile Internet Device" known as the M3.

Powered by NextWave's NW2000, the same next-generation "no compromise" WiMAX chipset being used in the dmedia G400, the Intel Atom-based Digifriends M3 is said to have been "optimized to deliver outstanding performance of bandwidth-intensive mobile multimedia applications." How outstanding remains to be seen, of course, as the specs (below) haven't been updated since January and the Poulsbo chipset has failed to live up to expectations.

But don't worry. The specs were never really cast in stone, and the M3 MID isn't due for launch until the second half of next year. So there's still plenty of time for everything to change.

Say hello to dmedia System's new G400 WiMAX MID.

Details are still a little sketchy right now, but I have a general idea of what the device is about based on a couple of PDFs and some excessive googling. Depending on the processor, which may actually just be a SiRFprima (SoC with ARM11 core, 3D graphics acceleration, and video decoding), the G400 certainly has the potential to impress. In addition to a 3.8- or 4.3-inch touchscreen with an 800 x 480 resolution, the device packs integrated WiMAX, Bluetooth, HSPDA/WCDMA, GPS, a microSD card slot, and "robust feature-sets to enable bandwidth-intensive mobile multimedia applications, including NextWave's MXtv mobile broadcast service, streaming video, video conferencing, and VoIP" (via PR-inside).

The Pocketables Holiday Giveaway entry period is only half over, so you still have a chance to win the Aigo P8860 MID and all the accessories shown here. In fact, depending on your membership status in the Pocketables Forum, you've actually got two or three chances to win.

Does anyone know which Sony department I should contact to request a refund of my time? Because I just spent an hour inside the Hibiscus Ballroom at the Ala Moana Hotel for the annual Sony Expo today, and I'd like that time back.

This was the third consecutive Expo my husband and I have attended, and it will most certainly be our last. The event is never exciting, as it isn't used to launch new products, but it was never this lame.

Whew! Thank goodness tax is included in that price. Otherwise paying €1475 (~$1880) for the Asus R50A would be ridiculous.

Madrid-based retailer Informatic Center, who is the first in the world to sell the R50A, has evidently been shielded from the economic crisis and has therefore taken a page out of the pricing guide that airports use to justify why a mass-produced sandwich costs $9. Let's see. Vista-running Centrino Atom UMPC with 32GB SSD, integrated GPS and HSDPA, 5.6-inch touchscreen, and 3.5-hour battery life? Ah yes, there it is. Right between "water, $7" and "50-cent candy bar, $4" in the pricebook.

It's good to know that sensible guidelines are being followed.

[jkkmobile|SlashGear]

The USBConnect Mercury is AT&T's newest and smallest broadband USB modem. In addition to its size, what makes the Mercury unique are its integrated microSD card slot and plug-and-play software installation.

Released in September and often available for free with a two-year $60/month DataConnect contract, the modem has recently begun to show up new or used (but always contract-free) on eBay. That's where I picked mine up in brand new, still sealed-in-box condition a few days ago.

If you're looking for something portable, versatile, and HSPA-flavored to accessorize your UMPC, netbook, and/or the Aigo MID you could win (and hack), then the USBConnect Mercury could be the end of your search. Have a look below.

Korean company UMID revealed today this little Atom-powered clamshell MID that has apparently been christened nothing but "MID."

As if being known as the UMID MID MID (using the same structure as, say, the Aigo P8860 MID) wasn't ridiculous enough, the 11.1-ounce device is actually very un-MID like with a 1.1GHz/1.3GHz Intel Atom Z510/Z520 processor, up to 32GB SSD, and OS options that include Windows Vista and XP. Typical Intel MIDs, as you know, are generally characterized by their 800MHz Atom Z500 processors, 4GB/8GB SSDs, and Linux distros.

When a price that has remained steady for nearly a year suddenly (and quietly) becomes eligible for a $100 instant rebate that's valid for several months, it's painfully obvious that something is up. Whether it's an indication of an impending new model, a discontinued product line, or just an early holiday sale, the Sony mylo 2 (COM-2) Internet Device can be purchased direct from Sony Style for $199.99 now until the end of January 2009.

UMPCPortal has finished corralling the Ultra Mobile Computing Buyers Guide they published in separate installments last week, and it's now available for free download as a single PDF file. The 11,000-word guide takes a comprehensive look at ultra mobile computing and offers valuable information for potential buyers as well as existing owners of UMPCs, MIDs, and netbooks.

With the holidays just around the corner, it may not be a bad idea to print out a few copies of the guide and leave them around the house as not-so-subtle hints for your spouse, family members, and/or roommates. Keep some in your bag, too, and you'll be prepared when a co-worker or friend casually asks over lunch what you want for Christmas.

Buyers Guide (PDF)

Need more proof that iriver's best designers and most creative minds abandoned ship to hop on board the mintpass vessel? Here it is: the iriver wave.

No, what you're experiencing is not déjà vu. You really have seen this 3.63-ounce device with its 3-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen, 4GB of internal memory, and miniSD card slot before. Although it now has 802.11b/g wi-fi and phone capabilities through Korean wireless carrier KT, the wave is just the reincarnation of the iriver W7 digital media player. Well, the reincarnated spirit in the same body, anyway.

An unsolicited copy of the Young Explorers catalog (Gift Book 2008) came in with the rest of the mail yesterday and would've been tossed into the trash unread had it not been for a small photo of these SMS Text Messenger/Organizers printed at the top. Out of the corner of my eye, the slide-up screen and keyboard had all the makings of a kid-friendly slider MID/UMPC or AT&T QuickFire-like device.

Since it's never too early to turn a niece or nephew into a little gadget hound and I'm in the early stages of Christmas shopping, I stopped to give the units a better look.

Even though the makeshift case I've been using with my 250GB Archos 5 for the past month has kept the Internet Media Tablet in pristine condition, my penchant for gadget accessories made it impossible for me to resist the official protective case ($24.99).

Archos describes the rigid case as a handy and stylish way to protect and hold both the Internet Media Tablet and a pair of earphones. What the company doesn't say, however, is that the case really should've been part of the accessory bundle included with the device. Read my full review below and you'll understand what I mean.