The two leading MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices) currently are the Viliv S5 (pictured left) and the UMID M1 (pictured right). I recently featured the S5 here. jkkMobile has a number of posts on the M1.

The form factor is the obvious difference. The S5 is a slate. The M1 is a clamshell.

Preference between these two form factors is subjective. A hardware keyboard usually is easy to type on than a software keyboard. However, the hardware keyboard adds extra weight and thickness. Since the hardware keyboard on the M1 cannot be swiveled to the rear as on a Tablet PC, it also can make it more difficult to interact via touch with the screen. My preference (bias) is the slate. But that’s me.

There are other differences. The S5 has 1GB of RAM, the M1 512MB. But the M1 has a Micro SD slot, whereas the S5 has no removable storage. The M1 has a SSD, whereas the S5 has a HDD, though the S5 supposedly will be available soon in a Premium Air version with a SSD and 3G. The M1 also will be available next month in a 3G version per Pocketables. 

Both are available from Dynamism. So which one will I get? Umm … maybe neither.

My readers know that I have a strong preference (bias) for capacitive screens. Both my phone, a Blackberry Storm, and my Tablet PC, a Dell Latitude XT2, have capacitive screens. The screens on the S5 and M1 are resistive. 

Archos, which makes MIDs and PMPs (Portable Media Players) has announced a press conference on June 11 in Paris. The speculation is Archos will announce an Android MID based on Texas Instruments’ OMAP 3 platform. Back in early March, my TI Joins the (Phone/MID/Netpad) Party discussed this platform and the possibility of its use in an Archos Android. Android is a very interesting platform … and there is speculation (hopefully informed speculation) that the screen will be capacitive.

So as usual, I’ll wait a little longer. In the meantime, I have my HTC Advantage to tide me over.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2009 at 7:40 am and is filed under MIDs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.