HTC to Make Mobile Internet Device / Netbook?

Looks like Palm really was ahead of the curve with the Foleo -- since then we've seen a raft of laptop-esque devices. Call them Mobile Internet Devices (“MIDS”) or (as Engadget recommends and we agree) Netbooks, it a neat idea that's coming on strong. The EEE PC, Dell's upcoming little monster, the Shift, the RedFly, the list goes on.. The latest rumor is that HTC intends to get in on this action in a big way:

market sources in Taiwan indicated that HTC is developing new MID (Mobile Internet Device) products, using Intel's Atom and Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset platforms. New devices are likely to be unveiled in the second half of 2008. -

This rumor fits in very nicely with something Qualcomm let drop not too long ago, that they're excited to develop NetBook-style-devices with Windows Mobile 7 as the OS. It's a good idea. The thing that struck me most during my RedFly Review was that although the Windows Mobile interface is plagued by too many “Desktop Metaphors,” that very weakness becomes a big big strength when you put it on a laptop-like device. It's like Windows Mobile was made for Netbooks.

[via MoDaCo]