Now that all the pyrotechnics from Shanghai have died down, I think it’s a good time to update my assessment of the current status of the market for Ultra Mobile Devices. Here are a few thoughts:

While there was a lot of talk about pocket-size Internet devices last week, the only one that is currently available on the market is the OQO Model 02 – and that of course is based on our VIA C7-M processor.  

Indeed, while the demand for pocket-size devices will definitely grow in the future, the main momentum in the market right now is centered around the mini-note category. Last year, we saw the first wave of mini-notes with a 7” screen; now we are seeing the second wave of 8.9”/9” screen devices.

These slightly larger devices will, I believe, truly take the category into the mainstream market. I’ve seen forecasts of around 50 million units a year by 2011 being bandied around, and I don’t see any reason to disagree with them.

While pricing will of course be important in driving demand for mini-notes, other factors such as style and functionality will be just as important - if not even more so. We showed with the announcement of the Everex CloudBook Max earlier this week, the exciting possibilities that exist to create attractive machines packed full of innovative features such as dual video cameras and high-speed wireless broadband capabilities.

Success in this market will be determined by manufacturers’ ability to add value to their mini-note devices – not simply to race to the bottom by offering the lowest prices. Focusing on value is the approach we have adopted with our VIA C7-M Ultra Mobile Platform and the VIA NanoBook Reference Design, and we have received a very positive response from the market as a result of it.