DigiHunter

Update information about the LUUON Mobbit (MID)

Dec 5, 2008 16:22

I'd like to update on some more details about the LLUON Mobbit MID which was announced yesterday by TG Sambo. About the Mobbit, I was very much curious about the its battery life since the device doesn't have a physical QWERTY keyboard, which smean it has a bigger battery capacity compared with previously released MIDs like Aigo or Compal. Similar-sized PMPs claim up to 5-6 hours of movie playback.

After reading several media press releases about the Mobbit, I finally extracted some details on the battery life which claims around 3 hours of movie playback time with the bundled six-cell battery. Should I say that it's disappointing at this stage? Yes, it is. I think at least 5 hours is required to operate a portable device in an outdoor environment.

Mobbit has various input options like touchscreen, optical mouse with mouse buttons, and stylus. Of course, it has a virtual keyboard inside, but it will need your stylus to input anyway. Better check out the movie below to see the actual operation of the Mobbit.

Clip #1:


Clip #2:


(Two movie clips that I found from Korean media sites which show the operation of the Mobbit.)

I think TG may have misjudged by dropping the QWERTY keyboard from the device. Most of you should remember the first-generation UMPCs came out with this bar type of design and virtual keyboard. People had a hard time typing in words or linking to Web browsers. That's why most second-generation UMPCs came out with a slide or sideway QWERTY keyboard. There was a good reason they were redesigned after the first generation offerings. The same goes for most of the MIDs overseas. Personally, the keyboard must be included anyway, otherwise it's very uncomfortable to use on-the-go or even at your desk. Even TG sambo presented its Mobbit via an attached mouse and keyboard at the launch event.

Also, TG Sambo made the same mistake that HTC & Google did on the Android phone, which is the earphone jack. TG put a specialized 14-pin connector for its audio-out and this means you will need to use the bundled headphones (if any). Or wait for a gender or converter in order to use your own headset. I think a 14-pin and a standard 3.5-inch socket are quite similar in size, aren't they?

TG Sambo is the first MID which will be available with the Windows XP edition since Sharp & ASUS MID are out with the Vista OS, and Aigo, Compal, BenQ, Lenovo, Toshiba and Clarion use Linux. I know some of the Korean manufacturers will launch Windows XP MIDs later on, too. Vista is too power-heavy for MIDs and Atom processors and Linux isn't the right solution for Korea's Internet environment.

I think TG made the right decision on this and one more is the retail price. I reported that Mobbit's retail price will be around US$400 (600,000 won) and it's according to the circumstances of the current exchange market. Otherwise, it should be around US$600. However, Koreans can get this baby even lower than that. How? Mobbit has WiBro accessibility and this will connect to any WiBro network provided by Korea Telecom. They can have a US$100 or more discount with a WiBro contract (typically one- or two-year plan).

I think Mobbit has great potential since it's running on Windows XP which can support ActiveX which all other local PMPs and imported MIDs have problems with in Korea. Also, the Windows XP license will expire from January 2009, which will mean less likelihood of seeing other Windows XP-based MIDs later on until Windows 7 is out.

Other MIDs' resolution is around 800 x 480 pixels, which isn't suitable for use in Korea's Internet environment, but Mobbit has a 4.8-inch screen with 1,024 x 600 resolution. Most of the negative factors about the MID have been solved by TG Sambo except for the keyboard issue.

TG is expecting more than 10,000 units to be sold by end of 2009. Since the local PMP market is about 700,000 and the e-dictionary market about 1.5 million units for 2008, Mobbit has a chance to fit into this market with a similar price tag but various more functionalities compared with WinCE- or Linux-based portable devices.

Let's see how TG and Mobbit can develop the MID market in Korea. It is great to see TG join the MID industry since TG is a very popular PC brand in Korea and has the resources to promote the MID category much more than small companies like Wibrain and Digifriend. Also, Intel Korea has put a lot of effort into this launch event since it's the first MID announced in Korea which runs the Intel Atom processor. Intel and TG will promote this device a lot in Q1 2009.

I think it will be fun to write about my thoughts of the MID in my next posting, since many people are confused by the terms Netbook, MID and UMPC and smart phone these days.

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