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Dell Mini 5 Stars in MWC Video — More Minis To Come?

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:15:33 +0000

Dell’s Mini 5 is making the rounds at Mobile World Congress and Carrypad caught it on camera. Interestingly, the device was only held by the Dell representative, who gave a run down on the device. When I first heard about the Mini 5, I didn’t expect the device to offer cellular voice capabilities, but based on the video, it sounds like it will when paired with a Bluetooth headset. That makes sense since you probably don’t want to hold that 5″ display next to your face. The Dell rep indicated a screen resolution of 800 x 400 for the display, but that doesn’t sound right. I suspect it’s actually 800 x 480 or 854 by 480. 720p video playback looks solid on the device although with the screen resolution, true 720p video has to be scaled down.

Powering the Mini 5 is the same Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon found in my Nexus One, so from a performance standpoint, I’d expect it to be comparable, although the amount of memory in the Mini 5 could vary the experience. Dell decided to emulate HTC a little by adding a custom user interface that rides atop the stock Android experience. It’s difficult to evaluate the UI with just a few minutes of observation, but it’s clear that Dell is taking advantage of Android’s widget support. I also noticed a port on the bottom that could be for docking, but no mention was made of such a peripheral.

I’m a little surprised that the availability quoted was summer of this year and it makes me wonder what version of Android will be on the final device. By then, I’d expect at least one, if not two, more Android releases. Once the device does hit the market, folks can purchase it direct through Dell or from a carrier. That means this isn’t a standalone MID, but will likely require a contract here in the U.S. Of course, Dell could sell it direct at full price and let you add a SIM card, just like Google does with the Nexus One.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Mini 5 isn’t about the device itself. Dell said the Mini 5 is the first in a family of devices. I take that to mean larger devices in the Mini line will appear, in order to compete with tablets in the 7″ to 10″ range. Obviously, Apple’s iPad comes to mind, as do many Android tablets, but what about that HP slate? That’s a 7-incher but runs a full desktop operating system, and I wouldn’t expect cellular voice support. Does the Dell Mini 5 or a theoretical Mini 7 sound more or less appealing than a UMPC?

Which Will Find Success: MIDs, Media Tablets or Smartbooks?

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:30:44 +0000

Here’s a topic we’ve been kicking around since the first netbooks arrived — which device classes have a chance for success and which don’t? That’s actually a difficult question to answer because it’s going to vary based on your definition of success. And just because a device doesn’t see millions of sales doesn’t mean it won’t meet your individual needs.

Laptop Magazine’s Mark Spoonauer pinged me to share a handy chart that summarizes MIDs, media tablets, and smartbooks. Aside from the definition and characteristics of each, Mark also lists pros, cons and the chance of success. It’s a useful grouping of data, although I’d probably amend the pricing of media tablets. Mark lists them between $300 and $600, and includes Apple’s iPad in the category. With 3G and 64 GB of storage, you’ll pay $829 for a loaded iPad. And ironically, even though Mark’s definition wouldn’t consider the iPad to be a smartbook, I think that Apple cornered the smartbook market before it even took off. Even with a keyboard, smartbooks are sure to be compared to the iPad by consumers.

I’d consider adding another factor to the mix as well — how “mobile” is the device class. In my mind, a MID (or high-end smartphone) is more mobile than an iPad or a netbook-sized smartbook. This can make a difference because consumers could opt for a smaller device over a large one when leaving home.

Otherwise, I like what Mark put together as a reference. And I’m general agreement with his “chance of success” rates too. MIDs — and UMPCs with full desktop systems — are still fairly niche products and I’d expect the low rate of success they were given. How about you? Do you think Mark is a good odds maker for mobile device success rates?

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The State of the Smartbook

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Dell Mini 5 Spotted in the Street

James Kendrick — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:20:52 +0000

Dell has been giving hints about the upcoming handheld Android tablet, previously called the Streak, for some time. TechCrunch spotted CEO Michael Dell in the street and he pulled out what he now calls the Mini 5 and gave a very brief demo. I must say the Mini 5 is much thinner than I expected, and the 5 MP camera is a benefit. Dell stated the Mini 5 will be available in a “couple of months”, so it’s no longer a concept device but a product.

Thumbnail courtesy Brighthand

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Can Android Tablets Find a Market?

Colin Gibbs — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:45:49 +0000

A handful of Android-based tablets will be released over the next few months, offering bigger screens and a more immersive experience than smartphones and eschewing bulky QWERTY keyboards in favor of touchscreen navigation. But is the Android operating system enough to entice users to pony up a few hundred dollars for the gadgets?

Dell is rumored to be the next player to join the space at CES in Las Vegas early next year, introducing a device with a 5-inch screen targeted at UK users. If that’s true, the handset would join a rapidly increasing number of Android tablets such as Fusion Garage’s JooJoo, the Archos 5, Camangi’s WebStation and IDC’s Vega. While price points have yet to be announced for some of the gadgets, the Android tablets generally fall in the $250-$500 range. They’ll compete against the Courier, which is being developed by Microsoft , and a rumored Apple tablet said to resemble a larger iPod touch and carry a $1,000 price tag.

Sizes can vary dramatically between some of the new tablets, but many are more closely related to mobile Internet devices (MIDs) like the iPod touch than to the larger tablets of a few years ago. With the exception of the touch, though, MIDs have largely failed to gain traction due largely to high price points, a lack of overall functionality and the apparent unwillingness of consumers to carry a connected device in addition to a phone.

That may change, though, as VoIP and other technologies bring voice support to non-cellular mobile devices. As Kevin over at jkOnTheRun noted yesterday, Google Talk can be an effective replacement for cellular connectivity, allowing users to easily “call” others with minimal losses in call quality. If Google or another player can bring easy-to-use voice offerings to the new wave of Android tablets — and if Google would add support for the Android Market without forcing users to jump through hoops to access the storefront — the tablet/MID space might finally produce more than just one winner.

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Netbook v2.0 to Best Laptops in Portable Computing?

James Kendrick — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:31:07 +0000

The mobile tech arena is as diversified as it’s ever been, and consumers are finally latching onto the idea of portable computing. Smartphones have upped their capabilities to the point where some folks now use them as their web device on the go; the portability of netbooks lets others carry a full computer anywhere. Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) also are trying to gain a foothold in the consumer space, and the plain old notebook is still hanging around. All of these devices bring a lot of functionality to the user — but with various degrees of convenience.

A new report from Forrester Research attempts to determine what types of devices are considered the most convenient for the average user. The report looks at how each type of device performs with applications, working in the cloud and its portability. A key finding, in my opinion: The so-called netbook v2.0, or the second-generation netbook, outscored the standard laptop in many areas, and was found to be almost as convenient to use as its bigger sibling. The report describes these v2.0 netbooks that will be appearing over the next 12 months as having “more powerful CPUs and graphics engines; Windows 7 running on the devices; and embedded mobile broadband.” It’s an interesting observation — and one we should begin to prove or disprove right away as these v2.0 netbooks are already starting to appear.

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Go Mobile Young Millennials, Go Mobile

Stacey Higginbotham — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:05:01 +0000

More research is out showing that today’s youth view their mobile phones as an extension of the online lives they keep on their PCs. This report from In-Stat points out that millennials, the generation aged 8 to 27, use their mobile phones to access their social networks wherever they are.

This is great news for a variety of companies attempting to bring PC content to the mobile. As content is pulled to mobile devices, publishers will pay to make sure it arrives in a readable format and quickly enough to satiate user demand, meaning content delivery networks, providers of transcoding services and services that render PC content accessible to mobile phones could benefit.

Alas for content providers, especially web application builders, the In-Stat report makes clear that the revenue model for mobile content is still nascent and will revolve around advertising, subscription services or premium upgrades.

The report estimates that businesses will spend $1.5 billion on mobile advertising in 2008, which is scant compared to the $486 billion forecast to be spent on advertising as a whole in 2008, but still enough to launch 1,000 mobile widgets. It’s clear that getting content from a PC to a mobile seamlessly is a problem worth solving, but it’s unclear who will pay for it. Much like the problem of getting content from a PC to a television hasn’t been solved, getting PC content on mobiles may be a long time in coming. You might argue that this difficulty is why the chip makers are betting so heavily on the mobile Internet device category, which makes the PC experience portable rather than having to translate it to a mobile phone.

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