Pocketables

Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID now available for $450

The 800MHz ARM11-powered Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID (SWD-M100) became commercially available today for those in Clearwire's mobile WiMAX service areas (currently Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Portland, OR) to put the "blazing fast internet in the palm of [their] hand." The 5.39-ounce Windows Mobile 6.1 slider can be put into the hands of those residing in other US states as well, of course, but those fingers will have to be content with using the Opera 9.5 web browser strictly over WiFi and presumably Bluetooth.

Beginning on August 1st, the 4.88" x 3.03" x 0.63" device will hit the shelves of Clearwire and Best Buy shops, where people can behold the 4.3" WVGA touchscreen in person and perhaps test out everything learned through perusing the user manual beforehand. For those who can't wait that long, LetsTalk.com already has the Mondi in stock for $450.

And guess who just ordered one!

[Samsung | Press release via Engadget]

W100 MID phone runs Windows Mobile 6.1

Since ARM-based Windows Mobile devices being called MIDs is a trend that clearly isn't going anywhere, I'll just go with it and introduce you to this 5.6" x 2.9" x 0.66" slate-style MID phone running WM 6.1on its 4.3" WVGA display.

It's called the W100 and is most likely the successor of what eventually became known as the Zhongyi S101, that Linux unit with the portable dock attachment. I heard something unconfirmed about a second-gen device a couple of days ago, so I recognized the company logo (the company, by the way, has never been officially named as Zhongyi) when my newshound presented the W100 to me yesterday and am going to assume that it's where those next-gen model rumors came from. It makes sense, really, as the W100 "one ups" the S101 with a slightly modified design and a small boost in some of its specs.

The new unit still makes use of the Marvell PXA310 processor, but this time it's clocked at 806MHz instead of 624MHz. It also has 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, tri-band GSM, 2600mAh battery, 3.2-megapixel rear camera, standard 3.5mm headphone jack, and miniUSB port. What it doesn't have, however, are 3G (GPRS/EDGE only) and the S101's 4GB SSD and dock attachment. Well, okay, so maybe the W100 is just the interim successor.

Thanks, Rah-Rah!

Dell celebrates its 25th anniversary: A look back

Unless you're a technology historian, you may not have realized that Dell celebrated its 25th anniversary this past weekend. No big marketing push or sitewide sale was launched to mark the historic occasion. The May 3rd date came and went with little fanfare. Dell may not want to publicly recognize this milestone but we will use this occasion to take a quick walk down memory lane and reminisce about Dell's contribution to the world of handheld devices.

Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID powered by ARM11 CPU

One of several unknowns surrounding the newly announced Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID was the CPU running the Windows Mobile 6.1 machine and allowing the included Opera 9.5 browser to provide users with "immediate access to the Web without having to sacrifice download speed and portability."

Neither the press release nor the company's news blog revealed the identity of the critical component, so I reached out to my PR contact at Samsung while he was mostly unavailable at CTIA last week. I heard back from him today and unfortunately, the news won't make Steve of UMPCPortal happy at all.

According to the email I received this morning, the CPU inside the Samsung Mondi is the 800MHz S3C6410 ARM11 Mobile Processor. Sorry, folks, no Cortex in this one. I hope the price is a reflection of that.

Samsung Mondi WiMAX MID gets official

Given Samsung's tendency this year to prematurely unveil its own products, the official announcement of the Mondi WiMAX MID first spotted at MWC in February and accidentally seen again just last week didn't catch anyone by surprise.

The specs are more fleshed out this time around, but key details like processor, price, and availability are still unknown. [Update: CPU revealed]

Full press release below.

Samsung keeping SWD-M100 Mondi MID details quiet

Well, considering that the new info about the Samsung SWD-M100 WiMAX MID, which is now apparently called the Mondi, discovered today was (according to an email I got from a Samsung Mobile PR rep) "a product leak that made its way to PhoneScoop," it should come as no surprise that my contact "can't confirm any details at this point."

The only tidbit gathered by PhoneScoop that wasn't already revealed at MWC last month, aside from the product name and press photo, is that the device's 4G access will come from Clearwire's Clear WiMAX network, which isn't a whole lot for Samsung Mobile to confirm or deny.

That said, it's probably safe to assume that the Mondi's previous specs (4.3-inch touch screen, Opera browser, Windows Mobile operating system, automatic screen rotation, TV out, microSD card slot, and dual cameras) still hold true.

[PhoneScoop via WMExperts]

Wistron MID loaded with Windows Mobile 6.5

ARM announced earlier this week that Wistron would be showing off a "sleek 5" advanced Internet experience device" at MWC, and here it is . . . running Windows Mobile just like the Samsung SWD-M100 MID spotted a few days ago.

Unlike some of the other products at the ARM booth, this thin device didn't have an accompanying sign to identify its specs, but Engadget's photos and ARM's previous announcement provide enough details to piece together a half-decent estimation.

Samsung SWD-M100 WiMAX MID runs Windows Mobile

A press release issued by Samsung yesterday included a casual mention of a MID:

The latest and the most diverse Mobile WiMAX line-ups include mobile WiMAX Ubicell Notebook, Mobile Internet Device (MID) and Smartphone, so as to target a diversity of consumer demands.

A Samsung MID has long been rumored to be in the works, so a simple statement like that would've been enough for many to begin speculating about what else besides WiMAX the handheld device would have. Fortunately, the team at Ubergizmo saved us from all the googling, feeding the rumor mill, and searching the FCC site to unearth more details by snapping a great set of hands-on photos of what has been identified at MWC as the Samsung SWD-M100 (specs below), a Windows Mobile 6.1 connected slider device with a 4.3-inch touchscreen and Opera browser.

I got in touch with Samsung's PR people this morning to find out more and was told that they couldn't talk about US availability of the "SWD-M100 WiMAX PC Card" (PC card?) right now. I'd ask for ideas on what you think that might mean, but since doing so would only cause exactly the kind of speculation we just avoided, I'll sit tight until the PR folks are able to speak more freely.

App Store for Windows Mobile on the Xperia X1

PocketGear unveiled its new App Store for Windows Mobile yesterday and let's just say that Microsoft's upcoming Skymarket will basically have no competition if it's announced at MWC next week. It's not that PocketGear's App Store is inherently bad . . . it's just a bit misleading and not very good, especially now that most people hear the words "app store" and immediately think of Apple.

Even though Apple wasn't the first to allow users to purchase and download applications directly from their mobile devices, they were the first to really bring it to the masses. The frequency of tantrums thrown by iPhone and iPod touch users when an application costs more than $5 makes that pretty clear. Windows Mobile users, by contrast, have been paying $20 to $30 for similar (and in some cases the same) applications for years; a $10 app was usually considered a bargain!

But now that mainstream consumers believe that most applications are worth about $3 and have grown accustomed to the way Apple's App Store looks, works, and feels, a service bearing the same name, even if for a different platform, has to contend with a lot of expectations. And PocketGear's App Store for Windows Mobile, which supports more than 950 WinMo phones (including the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1), falls short. Take a quick tour of the new store on the X1 below.

Outdoor photos from the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

I spent most of today at Six Flags Magic Mountain for the first day of my MID Moves tour. In between using the OQO Model 2+ and taking pictures with my Xperia X1's 3.2-megapixel camera for some light mobile blogging, I used the X1 to take a few scenic shots of the theme park. Since I've already shown you how the phone's camera performs for shooting products under CES indoor-lighting conditions, I thought it would be worthwhile to show you what it can do under natural light, outdoors on a Monday in California.