World Exclusive: I got to play with the Lenovo and Aigo Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) at Intel Shanghai

By Josh Bancroft (Intel) (57 posts) on April 7, 2008 at 8:38 am

There are only about 20 Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) existent in the world. Most of them were in Shanghai last week for the Intel Developer Forum (IDF). 10 of them were in the Mobility Software Enabling Lab at Intel Shanghai, where I got special access today to shoot photos and videos, as well as some hands on time to play, with the Lenovo Ideapad U8 MID and the Aigo MID. They also had some other devices around for comparison - an old prototype UMPC with a pivot screen, a Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC, and a Fujitsu Lifebook UMPC. And I threw my iPhone in a few of the photos for size/comparison's sake.

I'll post a more detailed writeup of my impressions of the devices soon, as well as the video of the time I had with them (summary: the Lenovo Ideapad U8 looks and feels wonderful in my hands - I WANT one!). I spent several minutes on video with each device, examining the hardware and UI/software features. Right now, thought, it's almost 1 AM, and I need to get up early to do a blogging training with the Intel Shanghai software guys. But I wanted to get these photos up and available as soon as possible.

Please post any comments or questions you have either in this post, or on the photo's page on Flickr. I want to answer all of your questions, but I'm going to sleep for a few hours, and don't want to miss any of them. Please be patient, and I promise I'll answer all questions.

The entire set of 33 photos is available in this photoset on Flickr. Feel free to browse through all of the photos (bonus photos: some shots of the Intel Shanghai sales offices, which occupy floors 22-24 of the ShanghaiMart tower). Click here to view as a slideshow, and you can see full size/resolution versions of every photo on Flickr by clicking "All Sizes" on the photo's page.

And now, the photos! Here are some that I think turned out best - be sure to check out all 33 photos in the Flickr set!

Categories: Events, Mobility

Comments (19)

By Tom on April 7th, 2008 at 9:33 am
how is this "world exclusive"??

I have seen videos and pictures of others playing with all of these devices!

By Charbax on April 7th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Check my 20 minute interview video with the director of Intel MID program at http://techvideoblog.com/cebit/intels-pankaj-kedia-introduce.....processor/

By Josh Bancroft (Intel) on April 7th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
@Tom - it's exclusive because this is the first time anyone, besides executives and corporate demo people, has been given access to these particular devices to play with, and take photos and videos. These particular devices made their debut at IDF a couple of days ago. Sure, we've know about the specs of these for a while, and seen photos. Up until now, everything has been prototypes. But how many people do you know who have had a chance to actually sit down and use one for a while? Not that I'm special, or anything, but that's why I called it an exclusive.

@Charbax - nice video! I can't watch it yet, because blip.tv is blocked in China. But I'll check it out when I get home.

By Christien on April 7th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
JB, these are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

By Archivos on April 7th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
opciones para conectarnos a Internet con ellos, con un reducido tamaño que los hace muy portables, pero con una pantalla suficiente como para trabajar con comodidad. Sin más, lo mejor es echar un vistazo a la galería de imágenes. Vía | Intel Software Blogs. Enlace | Galería de imágenes.

By x10Hosting | Corporate Hosting For The Masses! on April 7th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
opciones para conectarnos a Internet con ellos, con un reducido tamaño que los hace muy portables, pero con una pantalla suficiente como para trabajar con comodidad. Sin más, lo mejor es echar un vistazo a la galería de imágenes. Vía | Intel Software Blogs. Enlace | Galería de imágenes.

By Steve 'Chippy' Paine on April 8th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Great pics Josh. Thanks.
Steve.

By Intel® Software Network Blogs » An Appetizer: Video of the Lenovo and Aigo MIDs at Intel Shanghai on April 8th, 2008 at 2:49 am
[...] Great pics Josh. Thanks. ...JB, these are gorgeous. ...Oh - embed, embed! Mak...Sent from my blackberry, ...@Tom
- it's exclusive bec... [...]

By Christien Louviere on April 8th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Need space? Today, you can grab a 250+GB hard drive the size of passport for under $200. My future laptop need be nothing more than a screen, keyboard and USB port. Check out these pictures of the future Lenovo linecourtesy of John Bancroft.

By auto rss on April 8th, 2008 at 4:14 am
Very good looking devices. Great pics and bad that the devices is only ~20,.

By Wei Du (Intel) on April 8th, 2008 at 4:58 am
Josh is using the Lenovo Ideapad U8 that is pretty much close to a final production. Not much people have yet have a chance to get a hands on a U8 with the imprint at the back with Olympics logo. Expect it will be available within a few months.

By Xataka on April 8th, 2008 at 9:20 am
opciones para conectarnos a Internet con ellos, con un reducido tamaño que los hace muy portables, pero con una pantalla suficiente como para trabajar con comodidad. Sin más, lo mejor es echar un vistazo a la galería de imágenes. Vía | Intel Software Blogs. Enlace | Galería de imágenes.

By David Lipsey on April 8th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Josh -- Great pix...especially the Lenovo device w/ Olympic theme & the obligatory device stack-up w/ iPhone & Eee PC!

By Brazen Careerist on April 8th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
won’t be much bigger than a PSP. Need space? Today, you can grab a 250+GB hard drive the size of passport for under $200. My future laptop need be nothing more than a screen, keyboard and USB port. Check out these pictures of the future Lenovo linecourtesy of John Bancroft. Here’s an Intel Netbook via Engadget. My life would be so easy if I could put everything I need in my jacket pocket. The

By SlashGear on April 8th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
The U8 MID prototype Lenovo have been flaunting lately is, frankly, lovely, andJosh Bancroftwas lucky enough to get some serious hands-on time with the device - and the Aigo MID - at Intel’s Mobility Software Enabling Lab this week. Comparing the Lenovo MID to a prototype MID device we’

By Kickstartnews - Daily News & Reviews on April 8th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
page look pretty cool. Featured in the shots are the Lenovo U8 MID, the Aigo MID both of which are shown alongside a Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium UMPC, a Fujitsu Lifebook UMPC and Josh Bancroft's personal iPhone. Theblogis well worth a read.

By Rick (Vectorpedia) on April 9th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Great photo's of the MIDs..........using your iPhone was a good idea to compare their size.

By cadouri on April 10th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
very interesting, yes... nice video ! tnx for sharing with us .... thats alot of tehnology there...

World Exclusive: I got to play with the Lenovo and Aigo Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) at Intel Shanghai

By Josh Bancroft (Intel) (57 posts) on April 7, 2008 at 8:38 am

Categories: Events, Mobility

Comments (19)

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