Mobile Internet device

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Lenovo Ideapad U8 MID Lenovo Ideapad U8 MID example.jpg
Lenovo Ideapad U8 MID

A mobile Internet device (MID) is a multimedia capable mobile device providing wireless Internet access. [1] [2] [3] They are designed to provide entertainment, information and location-based services 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 computers. [4]

Contents

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. [5]

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 CPU and a touchscreen.

MID with Atom: Gigabyte M528 2008Computex Best Choice Gigabyte MID M528.jpg
MID with Atom: Gigabyte M528

Intel announced a prototype MID at the Intel Developer Forum in Spring 2007 in Beijing. A MID development kit by Sophia Systems using Intel Centrino Atom was announced in April 2008. [6]

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.

CentrinoMcCaslin platform
Mobile chipset an Intel 945GU Express MCH northbridge (codenamed Little River) with integrated GMA 950 graphics and an ICH7-U southbridge
Mobile processor a 90 nm Intel A100/A110 processor (codenamed Stealey )
Wireless network a wireless radio

Menlow platform (2008)

On 2 March 2008, Intel introduced the Intel Atom processor brand [7] 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 (codenamed Azalia). This platform was initially branded as Centrino Atom but such practice was discontinued in Q3 2008.

CentrinoMenlow platform
Mobile chipset an Intel SCH (codenamed Poulsbo) with integrated GMA 500 graphics (PowerVR SGX 535 based)
Mobile processor a 45 nm Intel Atom processor (codenamed Silverthorne )
Wireless network a wireless radio

Moorestown platform (2010)

Intel's third generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Moorestown ) contains a 45 nm Intel Atom 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.

AtomMoorestown platform
Mobile chipset a 65 nm Intel PCH (codenamed Langwell) and an MSIC (codenamed Briertown)
Mobile processor a 45 nm Intel Atom processor (codenamed Lincroft ) with integrated GMA 600 graphics (PowerVR SGX 535 based)
Wireless network a wireless radio (codenamed Evans Peak) [8]

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.

AtomMedfield platform
Mobile processor a 32 nm Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Penwell) with integrated CPU (codenamed Saltwell) and graphics (PowerVR SGX 540 based)
Wireless network a wireless radio

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).

AtomClover Trail+ platform
Mobile processor a 32 nm Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Cloverview) with integrated CPU (codenamed Saltwell) and graphics (PowerVR SGX 545 based)
Wireless network a wireless radio

Merrifield platform (2013)

Intel's fifth generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Merrifield ) contains a 22 nm Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Tangier).

AtomMerrifield platform
Mobile processor an Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Tangier) with integrated CPU (codenamed Silvermont) and graphics ( PowerVR G6400 [9] )
Wireless network a wireless radio

Moorefield platform (2014)

Intel's sixth generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Moorefield) contains a 22  nm Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Anniedale).

AtomMoorefield platform
Mobile processor an Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Anniedale) with integrated CPU (codenamed Airmont) and graphics ( PowerVR G6430 [10] )
Wireless network a wireless radio

Morganfield platform

Intel's seventh generation MID/smartphone platform (codenamed Morganfield) contains a 14 nm Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Broxton).

AtomMorganfield platform
Mobile processor an Intel Atom SoC (codenamed Broxton) with integrated CPU (codenamed Goldmont) and graphics (Gen 9)
Wireless network a wireless radio

Operating system

Intel announced collaboration with Ubuntu 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." [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centrino</span> Brand name by Intel

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 brand name occurred on January 7, 2010. The Centrino was replaced by the Ultrabook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentium M</span> Family of Intel microprocessors

The Pentium M is a family of mobile 32-bit single-core x86 microprocessors introduced in March 2003 and forming a part of the Intel Carmel notebook platform under the then new Centrino brand. The Pentium M processors had a maximum thermal design power (TDP) of 5–27 W depending on the model, and were intended for use in laptops. They evolved from the core of the last Pentium III–branded CPU by adding the front-side bus (FSB) interface of Pentium 4, an improved instruction decoding and issuing front end, improved branch prediction, SSE2 support, and a much larger cache. The first Pentium M–branded CPU, code-named Banias, was followed by Dothan. The Pentium M line was removed from the official price lists in July 2009, when the Pentium M-branded processors were succeeded by the Core-branded dual-core mobile Yonah CPU with a modified microarchitecture. It replaced the Mobile Pentium 4 processor, which suffered from power consumption and heat problems.

PowerVR is a division of Imagination Technologies that develops hardware and software for 2D and 3D rendering, and for video encoding, decoding, associated image processing and DirectX, OpenGL ES, OpenVG, and OpenCL acceleration. PowerVR also develops AI accelerators called Neural Network Accelerator (NNA).

The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) is a series of integrated graphics processors introduced in 2004 by Intel, replacing the earlier Intel Extreme Graphics series and being succeeded by the Intel HD and Iris Graphics series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra-mobile PC</span> Obsolete type of handheld computer

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 direction in 2004 with its Vaio U series, which was only sold in Asia. UMPCs are generally smaller than subnotebooks, have a TFT display measuring (diagonally) about 12.7 to 17.8 centimetres, are operated like tablet PCs using a touchscreen or a stylus, and can also have a physical keyboard. There is no clear boundary between subnotebooks and ultra-mobile PCs, but UMPCs commonly have major features not found in the common clamshell laptop design, such as small keys on either side of the screen, or a slide-out keyboard.

Intel vPro technology is an umbrella marketing term used by Intel for a large collection of computer hardware technologies, including VT-x, VT-d, Trusted Execution Technology (TXT), and Intel Active Management Technology (AMT). When the vPro brand was launched, it was identified primarily with AMT, thus some journalists still consider AMT to be the essence of vPro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMD APU</span> Marketing term by AMD

AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), formerly known as Fusion, is a series of 64-bit microprocessors from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), combining a general-purpose AMD64 central processing unit (CPU) and 3D integrated graphics processing unit (IGPU) on a single die.

Stealey is the codename for a low-power x86 architecture microprocessor based on a Dothan core derived from the Intel Pentium M, built on a 90 nm process with 512 KB L2 cache and 400 MT/s front side bus (FSB). It was branded as Intel A100 and Intel A110 and appeared as part of the McCaslin platform. They were replaced in 2008 by the Menlow platform, including the 45 nm Silverthorne CPU and Poulsbo SCH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intel Atom</span> Microprocessor brand name by Intel

Intel Atom is 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 Core series. Atom is mainly used in netbooks, nettops, embedded applications ranging from health care to advanced robotics, mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and phones. The line was originally designed in 45 nm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology and subsequent models, codenamed Cedar, used a 32 nm process.

Moorestown is the Intel Corporation's handheld MID and smartphone platform based on Lincroft system-on-a-chip with an Atom processor core, Langwell input/output Platform Controller Hub, and a Briertown Power Management IC. Announced in 2010, the platform was demonstrated running Moblin Linux.

Tick–tock was a production model adopted in 2007 by chip manufacturer Intel. Under this model, every microarchitecture change (tock) was followed by a die shrink of the process technology (tick). It was replaced by the process–architecture–optimization model, which was announced in 2016 and is like a tick–tock cycle followed by an optimization phase. As a general engineering model, tick–tock is a model that refreshes one side of a binary system each release cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moblin</span>

Moblin, short for 'mobile Linux', is a discontinued open source operating system and application stack for Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), netbooks, nettops and embedded devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platform Controller Hub</span> Family of Intels single-chip chipsets

The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) is a family of Intel's single-chip chipsets, first introduced in 2009. It is the successor to the Intel Hub Architecture, which used two chips–a northbridge and southbridge, and first appeared in the Intel 5 Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nettop</span> Low power, small and cheap computer meant for light tasks

A nettop is a small-sized, inexpensive, low-power, legacy-free desktop computer designed for basic tasks such as web browsing, accessing web-based applications, document processing, and audio/video playback.

Clarkdale is the codename for Intel's first-generation Core i5, i3 and Pentium dual-core desktop processors. It is closely related to the mobile Arrandale processor; both use dual-core dies based on the 32 nm Westmere microarchitecture and have integrated Graphics, PCI Express and DMI links built-in.

Bonnell is a CPU microarchitecture used by Intel Atom processors which can execute up to two instructions per cycle. Like many other x86 microprocessors, it translates x86 instructions into simpler internal operations prior to execution. The majority of instructions produce one micro-op when translated, with around 4% of instructions used in typical programs producing multiple micro-ops. The number of instructions that produce more than one micro-op is significantly fewer than the P6 and NetBurst microarchitectures. In the Bonnell microarchitecture, internal micro-ops can contain both a memory load and a memory store in connection with an ALU operation, thus being more similar to the x86 level and more powerful than the micro-ops used in previous designs. This enables relatively good performance with only two integer ALUs, and without any instruction reordering, speculative execution or register renaming. A side effect of having no speculative execution is invulnerability against Meltdown and Spectre.

Atom is a system on a chip (SoC) platform designed for smartphones and tablet computers, launched by Intel in 2012. It is a continuation of the partnership announced by Intel and Google on September 13, 2011 to provide support for the Android operating system on Intel x86 processors. This range competes with existing SoCs developed for the smartphone and tablet market from companies such as Texas Instruments, Nvidia, Qualcomm and Samsung. Unlike these companies, which use ARM-based CPUs designed from the beginning to consume very low power, Intel has adapted the x86-based Intel Atom line of CPU developed for low power usage in netbooks, to even lower power usage.

Silvermont is a microarchitecture for low-power Atom, Celeron and Pentium branded processors used in systems on a chip (SoCs) made by Intel. Silvermont forms the basis for a total of four SoC families:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola RAZR i</span> Smartphone designed by Motorola Mobility

The Motorola RAZR i (XT890) is a smartphone designed by Motorola Mobility. It was officially announced on 18 September 2012 in London, UK.

References

  1. Forward Concepts (June 2008), Mobile Internet Devices (MID) & Chip Market Opportunities, archived from the original on 2008-10-13, retrieved 2008-10-27
  2. "Mobile Internet Device (MID)", www.arm.com, archived from the original on 2008-10-30, retrieved 2008-10-27
  3. "Wireless Handset Solutions: Mobile Internet Device", focus.ti.com, retrieved 2008-10-27
  4. What is a Mobile Internet Device?, November 2008, retrieved 2008-11-02
  5. How MID Tablets Work?, November 2013
  6. MID dev kit sports Centrino Atom chipset, archived from the original on 2012-12-06
  7. Intel Announces Intel Atom Brand for New Family of Low-Power Processors
  8. Moorsetown: Intel's Next Generation Platform for MIDs and Smartphones (PDF)
  9. Shimpi, Anand Lal. "Intel Talks Atom Z3460/Z3480 (Merrifield), Z3560/Z3580 (Moorefield) and LTE at MWC 2014". www.anandtech.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  10. Shimpi, Anand Lal. "Intel Talks Atom Z3460/Z3480 (Merrifield), Z3560/Z3580 (Moorefield) and LTE at MWC 2014". www.anandtech.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  11. Canonical Announces Details of Ubuntu for Mobile Internet Devices, 2007-06-07, archived from the original on 2007-06-09, retrieved 2007-06-12