A mobile Internet device (MID) is a
multimedia
Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradit ...
capable
mobile device
A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physica ...
providing
wireless
Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
access. They are designed to provide entertainment, information and
location-based service
A location-based service (LBS) is a general term denoting software services which use geographic data and information to provide services or information to users. LBS can be used in a variety of contexts, such as health, indoor object search, en ...
s for personal or business use. They allow 2-way communication and real-time sharing. They have been described as filling a niche between smartphones and
tablet computer
A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being com ...
s.
As all the features of MID started becoming available on smartphones and tablets, the term is now mostly used to refer to both low-end as well as high-end tablets.
Archos Internet tablets
The form factor of mobile Internet tablets from Archos is very similar to the Lenovo image on the right. The class has included multiple operating systems: Windows CE, Windows 7 and Android. The Android tablet uses an
ARM Cortex
This is a list of central processing units based on the ARM family of instruction sets designed by ARM Ltd. and third parties, sorted by version of the ARM instruction set, release and name. In 2005, ARM provided a summary of the numerous vendo ...
CPU and a
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
.
![2008Computex Best Choice Gigabyte MID M528](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/2008Computex_Best_Choice_Gigabyte_MID_M528.jpg)
Intel announced a prototype MID at the
Intel Developer Forum
The Intel Developer Forum (IDF) was a biannual gathering of technologists to discuss Intel products and products based on Intel products. The first IDF was held in 1997.
To emphasize the importance of China, the Spring 2007 IDF was held in Beijin ...
in Spring 2007 in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. A MID development kit by Sophia Systems using Intel Centrino Atom was announced in April 2008.
Intel MID platforms are based on an Intel processor and chipset which consume less power than most of the x86 derivatives. A few platforms have been announced as listed below:
McCaslin platform (2007)
Intel's first generation MID platform (codenamed McCaslin) contains a 90 nm
Intel A100/A110 processor (codenamed Stealey) which runs at 600–800 MHz.
Menlow platform (2008)
On 2 March 2008, Intel introduced the
Intel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of IA-32 and x86-64 instruction set ultra-low-voltage processors by Intel Corporation designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation in comparison with ordinary processors of the Intel Co ...
processor brand for a new family of low-power processor platforms. The components have thin, small designs and work together to "enable the best mobile computing and Internet experience" on mobile and low-power devices.
Intel's second generation MID platform (codenamed
Menlow) contains a 45 nm Intel Atom processor (codenamed
Silverthorne) which can run up to 2.0 GHz and a System Controller Hub (codenamed
Poulsbo) which includes
Intel HD Audio
Intel High Definition Audio (IHDA) (also called HD Audio or development codename Azalia) is a specification for the audio sub-system of personal computers. It was released by Intel in 2004 as the successor to their AC'97 PC audio standard.
Featur ...
(codenamed Azalia). This platform was initially branded as
Centrino
Centrino is a brand name of Intel Corporation which represents its Wi-Fi and WiMAX wireless computer networking adapters. Previously the same brand name was used by the company as a platform-marketing initiative. The change of the meaning of the ...
Atom but such practice was discontinued in Q3 2008.
Moorestown platform (2010)
Intel's third generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed
Moorestown) contains a 45 nm
Intel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of IA-32 and x86-64 instruction set ultra-low-voltage processors by Intel Corporation designed to reduce electric consumption and power dissipation in comparison with ordinary processors of the Intel Co ...
processor (codenamed
Lincroft ) and a separate 65 nm Platform Controller Hub (codenamed
Langwell). Since the memory controller and graphics controller are all now integrated into the processor, the
northbridge has been removed and the processor communicates directly with the
southbridge via the
DMI bus interface.
Medfield platform (2012)
Intel's fourth generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed
Medfield) contains their first complete
Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Penwell), produced on 32 nm.
Clover Trail+ platform (2012)
Intel's MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Clover Trail+) based on its Clover Trail tablet platform. It contains a 32 nm
Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Cloverview).
Merrifield platform (2013)
Intel's fifth generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Merrifield ) contains a 22 nm
Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Tangier).
Moorefield platform (2014)
Intel's sixth generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Moorefield) contains
22nbsp;nm
Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Anniedale).
Morganfield platform
Intel's seventh generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Morganfield) contains a 14 nm
Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Broxton).
Operating system
Intel announced collaboration with
Ubuntu
Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: '' Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All ...
to create Ubuntu for mobile internet devices distribution, known as
Ubuntu Mobile. Ubuntu's website said the new distribution "will provide a rich Internet experience for users of Intel’s 2008 Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform."
See also
*
Centrino
Centrino is a brand name of Intel Corporation which represents its Wi-Fi and WiMAX wireless computer networking adapters. Previously the same brand name was used by the company as a platform-marketing initiative. The change of the meaning of the ...
*
Phablet
A phablet (, ) is a mobile device combining or straddling the size formats of smartphones and tablets. The word is a portmanteau of ''phone'' and ''tablet''.
Phablets feature large displays that complement screen-intensive activity such as mo ...
*
Android (operating system)
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of ...
*
CrunchPad
*
Moblin project
Moblin, short for 'mobile Linux', is a discontinued Open-source software, open source operating system and application stack for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), netbooks, nettops and embedded devices.
Built around the Intel Atom processor, all b ...
*
Netbook /
smartbook
A smartbook was a class of mobile device that combined certain features of both a smartphone and netbook computer, produced between 2009 and 2010.
Smartbooks were advertised with features such as always on, all-day battery life, 3G, or Wi-Fi conn ...
*
Ubuntu Mobile
*
Ultra-mobile PC
An ultra-mobile PC, or ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), is a miniature version of a pen computer, a class of laptop whose specifications were launched by Microsoft and Intel in spring 2006. Sony had already made a first attempt in this d ...
(UMPC)
*
WiMAX
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a family of wireless broadband communication standards based on the IEEE 802.16 set of standards, which provide physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) options.
The WiMAX ...
*
Mobile web
The mobile web refers to mobile browser-based World Wide Web services accessed from handheld mobile devices, such as smartphones or feature phones, through a mobile or other wireless network.
History and development
Traditionally, the World ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mobile Internet Device
Mobile computers
Classes of computers
Mobile web