Nvidia has announced that it plans to power $99 mobile internet devices with its Tegra 600 series chips, perhaps as early as this summer.
What’s a mobile internet device (MID)? Well, it’s a gadget that fits somewhere in between a smartphone and a netbook. It’s compact and internet-enabled, but it can’t quite fit in your pocket or make phone calls. It’s primarily intended for web surfing and watching videos over a WiFi or 3G connection.
According to VentureBeat, Nvidia is touting both the long battery life and the HD video capabilities of these Tegra-based devices. General Manager Michael Rayfield says they can go for days without a recharge and they support 1080p HD video playback, which is the high end of what you’ll find streaming online.
Nvidia plans to use both Windows CE and Android to power its cheap MIDs (although it appears as though the Windows CE-based versions will come first, with Android-based devices a more distant prospect). The $99 Tegra-based device is just the low-end of a product line that includes a $299 device (that also runs on an Intel Atom processor) and a $599 device that has more of the functionality you’d find in a regular laptop.
Part of me wonders whether Nvidia is trying to fill a niche that doesn’t really exist. If I want to surf the web, my smartphone does just fine – and I’m already paying a monthly data plan for it anyway (I certainly don’t need to pay for two). As for video, I’ll stick with my laptop since it can play DVDs, which are still the most reliable way to watch TV shows and movies.
It also doesn’t help that Nvidia plans to run Windows CE (really…Windows CE?). Android sounds more promising, though, especially with its greater potential to power netbooks and an array of smartphones all at the same time.
Why even purchase a $599 MID when you can get a full-fledged laptop for the same price…or cheaper?
It’s not about price, laptops aren’t much more expensive.
It’s not about mobility, smartphone’s are much easier to carry around.
It’s not about features (especially if it’s running Windows CE).
What is there to get excited about? What am I missing?
The devices would likely have 10 times the battery life, amounting to days of usage on a single charge when compared to the Intel’s MIDs
The graph is a little confusing, the $599 is the laptop chipset
Ah.. people..
The $599 device *IS* a laptop. It’s there for comparison.
The graph just says : our new announced mobile internet device will come at $99 price range and is smaller and less expensive and has much more battery life (days instead of hours) than a laptop or a UMPC.
Ironically, this sounds a lot like the CrunchPad.
That is precisely what I thought…
Give it a touchscreen and voila!
I can see a market for the $99 device i.e. me but not for the $300. Can’t exactly put my finger on why. CE is certainly not a selling point.
Has noone in the US ever heard of Nokia’s internet tablet? Even on tech blogs?
These devices will take sales of several different segments and make a good sized niche. For example after I bought my tablet I never was tempted to buy a sat nav unit. Though it’d be a very long time before the tech crunch tablet is a good alternative to anything Nokia make.
HD video capabilities in a MID is pretty cool – but would still probably buy a Crunchpad.
Its worth to spend $99, if it allows side loading or auto sync via wi-fi
HDTV for small screen. Not worth watching.
For that price I will prefer an Eee PC.
Would it not be possible to install voip on this MID? Thus it could be a phone too, at $99 I would consider buying it, but a touch screen would be a must have. Or an addon for the ipod touch that let’s you plug in a 3g usb mobile internet connection
What yer missing is the “oooh” factor amongst the juvi age group – make the screen 1/3 bigger for a touchscreen keyset, and lose the keyboard, and you are looking at the next ipod – everyone under 25 will SIMPLY HAVE TO HAVE one, and the first person to bring that product to market is the next Apple (tho, it will prolly be apple that does it)
Joy programmable shader technology for 99$ the first step to a computer without a cpu yeaj
If carrier provides this device for free and offers the service for additional $5 or less/month then it may succeed