...it does't help my career?

It will take a long time to cut into laptop sales (desktops will not happen that much), and it will not happen until after the handhelds have video out, TV-out or a projector type large display. I expect it would be TV-out first because it's already supported by TI arm and Nokia did it on the N95. I believe the largest effect of a big MID market would be to reduce the trend towards larger and more powerful cell phones. You will see some cell phones be smaller and designed to be used for voice only and to be tethered to a MID when computer type processing is desired.

I love where all this is heading

Apple is already boasting that they will create the first highly-mobile device that supplies ALL your computing needs. I give development for such a thing at least 5 years. But I doubt any company is going to step aside and let Apple completely dominate...

That's device convergence for you. It's interesting how many different start points seem to be heading towards the same end point.

There's the thread of taking the desktop UI and software and trying to squeeze it down to a mobile format (like Origami, or Tablets to a lesser extent). Then there's taking the phone UI's and trying to expand them to be more capable in some of their functionalities. Or taking a PDA software and trying to expand that. Or starting from a rather new system (like Apple did with the iPhone [although it shares part of the code with the desktop]).

Ultimately... I would say that the device physical size becomes the determining factor. There is a clear need for something that you can carry around with you all the time - like your phone currently - and something a bit larger that will enable efficient working, like a laptop.

Personally I'm skeptical is there really a viable niche between these two form factors. I do see small laptop and large laptops, but I'm not sure about the hole between the phone and a small laptop. The UMPC's, like Samsung Q1 are basically too big to be pocketable but too small to be actually usable as laptop replacements.

Isn't that viewpoint somewhat heretical on your current project? ;-)

Having said that, I think I agree - with regards to the mass-market - there's a niche, and my requirements sit in it a lot of the time, but as you say, I dunno if it's viable.

The N800 is *just* under typical UMPC size. It slips into almost every shirt and coat pocket I have (and some pants pockets). That's not by accident.

But this is the scenario I envision: your main computer is small, iPod Touch small. On one end is access to say a card edge connector (or mini usb) that lets you plug this little thing into a laptop form... or a desktop form... or a car dash form... so basically you tote around an engine that has at least what the N800 + iPhone offer now in accessibility and the processing power of a decent laptop.

The N800's small. Revo-sized small.

But it's still too big to carry around everywhere: I live in a country which has a bit of a summer, no room for an N800 when just wearing a t-shirt and shorts. And it's not got the necessary oomph to be more than a nice video player and a device for quick checking of Google/Wikipedia/email/maps on the move (which my phone can do too, adequately).

But anyway, your dream of a micro-computer (literally) which can be used as a desktop/laptop/UMPC/tablet is one I share. It's also the use case of the OQO.

Ah, back to the old IBM Meta Pad.

It's definitely not heretical.

I think there is a big fight over being the #1 device in your pocket, and being the #1 device in your suitcase/backpack. But I don't think there's a big fight over being the #1 device that doesn't really fit your pocket. Unless we're talking about an oversize belt clip for a device. Fortunately they are not in fashion here in Finland.