Brighthand is reporting that Access Co. Ltd is beginning to focus on an emerging market known as the Mobile Internet Device (MID) market. Access has traditionally focused strictly on smartphones, but has now begun trying to get its Access Linux Platform (ALP) more popular with handset makers.
One of ALP's strongest applications is its NetFront browser (with over 500 million deployments), but ALP is an entire Linux based operating system, not just a browser. Access was demonstrating its capabilities at the LinuxWorld Conference last week.
So what exactly is a MID? A MID is an internet device with typically a larger display than a smartphone like a Treo, but smaller than a laptop. Typical uses mainly involve web browsing and email. This class of device is expected to really begin to be seen later this year and into the next few years with analysts predicting some 90 million devices.
Could the now defunct Foleo have been an example of this type of device? Palm - what do you have planned in this space? Let's hope they are scrutinizing this type of market.
