It feels ironic that we have all these newer, faster, prettier smart phones but the economy is so bad that we simply cannot afford them. There were those days when we can get our paws on the latest gadget and still have enough to watch that new Pixar movie with the kids, bring the wife to dinner in a fancy restaurant and pay for satellite TV. But now, you seem to barely have enough to pay for air time top up, much less pay for a new smartphone  or a netbook.

And then there is this gadget called the Mobile Internet Device or MID powered by Intel® Atom™ processor technology. It is said to offer ‘the internet in your pocket’ – offering wireless connectivity and long battery life that allows you to stay connected, entertained, stay informed and be productive while on the go.  To differentiate MIDs from smart phones, MIDs are designed for more specific connectivity functions like navigation or watching a movie or listening to music.  ClarionMind for example is a navigator which also doubles as a portable media player

A netbook, on one hand, is basically a full-featured notebook with displays in the 7 to 10 inch range. It is much smaller than your regular laptap but has a more comfortable keyboard than your average smart phone. The Asus Eee PC 701 which started it all, now offers support for either Xandros Linux or Windows XP. Expect to pay anywhere between $299 to $599 from this line.

Newer models of netbooks like HP 2.8 pounder Mini-Note could cost around  $499 to $829. Acer’s Aspire One which weighs a bit lighter at 2.1 pounds starts at $329 for a Linux version while an XP version is $20 more.

Smartphones, on the other hand, are handheld devices that combine the functionality of a mobile phone and a computer, including e-mail and internet browsing. Mobile phone models like Ericsson R380, Motorola Razr, Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s Blackberry are examples of smartphones. Prices of unlocked versions (that is, without a locked-in call plan contract) could range anywhere between $149.99 and $649.99. However, prices for smartphones continue to drop as consumers continue to demand for them but less are unable to afford them due to recession.

The better news is that with certain lock-in arrangements with service providers like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, consumers can now “buy” free smartphones. By subscribing to Sprint’s Basic Plan for 2 years (at $29.99 month), you can get a Blackberry Curve 8330 Titanium for free. Verizon Wireless offers a Blackberry 8330 Silver for free with a Nationwide Basic 450 Plan ($39.99 a month) or a Nationwide Basic 900 ($59.99). AT&T has its own offer with free Blackberry Curve 8900 Silver with their AT&T Nation Plans which start from $59.99 to $99.99 a month. These offers are available for a limited time only so it is best to consult with your cellular provider just to see if these models are still available.

Now that personal computers have further evolved to smaller and handier versions like notebooks and netbooks and that mobile phone functionality has successfully merged with computer functionality with the smartphone, tell me what niche do MIDs occupy?  To sweeten the deal, prices of both netbooks and smartphones continuously drop through the years. And now, you can practically buy smartphones for free. (Plans and the featured phones will be discussed more in our next blog.)

So, what are MIDs, again?

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