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 tradi ...
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 physical ...
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 mos ...
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 ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...
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 comput ...
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 vendor ...
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 ...
.

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 Beij ...
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 ...
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
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 ...
) contains a 45 nm Intel Atom processor (codenamed
Silverthorne
The Town of Silverthorne is a home rule municipality in Summit County, Colorado. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 3,887.
History
The town was named for Judge Marshall Silverthorn who served as the judge of the mine ...
) which can run up to 2.0 GHz and a System Controller Hub (codenamed
Poulsbo
Poulsbo ( ) is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the smallest of the four cities in Kitsap County. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census and an estimated 10,927 in 2018.
The area was historically ...
) 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 ...
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 ...
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
DMI may refer to:
Organizations
* Danish Meteorological Institute
* Data Management Inc., a time-and-attendance software company
* Dead Man Incorporated, a predominantly white prison-gang formed in Maryland
* Development Media International, a ...
bus interface.
Medfield platform (2012)
Intel's fourth generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed
Medfield
Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Boston's fina ...
) 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 th ...
to create Ubuntu for mobile internet devices distribution, known as
Ubuntu Mobile
Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system, being developed by the UBports community. Its user interface is written in Qt, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, ...
. 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 ...
*
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 d ...
*
CrunchPad
*
Moblin project
*
Netbook
Netbook was a commonly used term that identified a product class of small and inexpensive laptops which were sold from 2007 to around 2013. These machines were designed primarily as cost-effective tools for consumers to access the Inte ...
/
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
Ubuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system, being developed by the UBports community. Its user interface is written in Qt, and is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, ...
*
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 ...
(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 WiMA ...
*
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