[cloudyone]

I was reading this Will MIDs have a rebirth?
and I thought that a MID (Mobile Internet Device, aka, "pocket PC") with ChromeOS would be perfect. I've always like the clamshell "computer in a pocket," like the Viliv N5 Dynamism - viliv N5 Series
but was put off by the limited battery life, heat issues, and relatively small screens. I don't need/desire a phone option (otherwise I'd buy a smartphone), and as of yet do not find the tablet and app model compelling (I have experience with the iPad1 and Android tablets). However ChromeOS with its lower hardware requirements could lead to a thinner, more viable clamshell MID. It would also provide access to Google cloud and productivity apps (Docs, Calendar, etc) without the Windows bloat and need for AV software. A true computer in your pocket!

 

[fred]

I don't remember MIDs. I guess I was out of the loop on that one. Wouldn't tablets be kind of like a MID? Wouldn't a Pocket Chromebook be a small tablet?

 

[russcasey]

A smaller chromebook would lose one of its killer features - the keyboard is something you can type at full speed on. I think touch screens have got to the point where they are just as good as any less-than-full-size keyboard so to go smaller than a 12" device a tablet is better, as it can scale down to a 4 inch form factor while still being quite usable.

There are niches to which the above doesn't apply, but I'd be surprised if any such device shifted more units than similar sized tablets. The N5 there is more of "How small can we make a win 7 machine" than "how can we make a useful mobile device".

 

[cloudyone]

The N5 there is more of "How small can we make a win 7 machine" than "how can we make a useful mobile device".

You say that like it's a bad thing... ;-)

 

[russcasey]

You say that like it's a bad thing... ;-)

Hey, I like Win 7. It's a great OS, but saying "how small can we make this thing that's already great in a bigger size" is flawed. This is how apple were able to come along and make everyone think the tablet was their invention years after XP Tablet Edition came out - plonking a great OS into a different form factor with minimum adjustments doesn't work.

It's like saying "how small can we make a 747 jumbo jet". You don't get a 707, you get something the same size as a 707 but with 2 decks that can only seat midgets!

 

[BenBarker]

I am going to have to agree with Russ, the main point is that I need a keyboard to type on. The biggest drawback of tablets and other devices like that are they do not have keyboards. It really slows me down.

 

[modder]

To my knowledge Google is still towing the line that the main difference to them between ChromeOS and Android is that ChromeOS should be on keyboard devices.

 

[rkaaay]

I am going to have to agree with Russ, the main point is that I need a keyboard to type on. The biggest drawback of tablets and other devices like that are they do not have keyboards. It really slows me down.

I have to agree that the lack of keyboards is a great disadvantage but who knows, these could perhaps be in the pipeline? I am just trying to picture how mini CB would look like?

 

[cloudyone]

Hey, I like Win 7. It's a great OS, but saying "how small can we make this thing that's already great in a bigger size" is flawed. This is how apple were able to come along and make everyone think the tablet was their invention years after XP Tablet Edition came out - plonking a great OS into a different form factor with minimum adjustments doesn't work.

It's like saying "how small can we make a 747 jumbo jet". You don't get a 707, you get something the same size as a 707 but with 2 decks that can only seat midgets!

Actually, I agree with you. That is why IMHO Windows continues to fail in other form factors like tablets and MIDs. With a light OS like Chrome, however, a device like the 5-7" screen clamshell MIDs l(e.g., Viliv N5 and Sharp Netwalker) would be viable, especially on an ARM system. Assuming of course that the Chrome OS is scaleable into a smaller form. Granted these sorts of MIDs (including the Fujitsu Lifebook U820) are niche devices, and not for everyone, but still...