The Mobile Community : Ultra Mobile Devices

location based services

I’ve been spending a lot of time learning about Ultra Mobile Computing. The question that I’m still working to address is “Where is the line that defines when a mobile devices becomes ultra mobile?” The two groups that know the most about Ultra Mobile are the Platform and the Software Teams here at Intel. The Intel platform team is all about the “what”. What it will look like. What you will do with it. What will be the interface. What is the market. And what problem will need to be addressed. Then my peers in the software group come into the scene and address the “how”. How it works. How software is developed for it. How software is optimized to mange battery life, network connecting and user input. This is where things get interesting. The Intel Developer Forum is in San Francisco this week. It is a huge event designed to give the world a glimpse into what Intel has been working to develop. I’m going to be attending specifically to learn more about Ultra Mobile devices, but also to meet the hardware and software developers that will work to make the devices most useful to the market. I’ve been working with the ultra mobile platform team to sync up their plans with the software teams plans so that when developers ask how to develop for the platform we can give them the technical information through the Mobile Developer Community.At IDF I’m hoping to learn and share what it takes to develop for the planned usage models. I’m very excited to see the reality of Ultra Mobile in action. There is going to be a session on Introduction to Ultra Mobile and another for in-car Ultra Mobile Computing. I want to see the example of using the device in the car, in the living room and on the street. I believe that Ultra Mobile devices can fill the gap between cell phones awkwardly connected to the internet and the limitation of using a laptop when you are walking around. I’ve also heard from the developers that they are excited about the potential of location based services. There is a whole new opportunity to build solutions that provide value by knowing exactly where you are. I’m hoping to see how Intel’s Ultra Mobile team addresses these challenges and give the platform the capability to know where it is. Developers are expressing interest for the Ultra Mobile devices. There is a lot of exciting about things happening with Ultra Mobile and Intel has some great things in the pipeline. After IDF I’m sure I’ll have a whole new list of the opportunities and limitation, but why wait? What do you see as the opportunity and limitation for Ultra Mobile devices?
Published Monday, September 25, 2006 4:56 PM by MAD\acterste