UK will soon be hit by a mass of internet access devices

After a number of successful launches in other areas of the world, Intel have announced that the UK is set to be bombarded by internet access devices.

The processor company has said that netbooks with Intel Atom processors inside had proven their worth and with MID’s it will do the same. Intel also said that at 33 of the current 50 Intel Atom-based devices that are currently available are MIDs.

A huge cross-section of form factors, including what it calls MIDs or Mobile Internet Devices will showcased by Intel, which has a stand at the CES that will be dedicated to MIDs that use its Atom low-power processors. Although many of the devices will not be recognized by many people, Intel said this was because there had not been a major launch in the UK yet.

Intel explained that a number of MIDs had already been launch in countries like France, Italy, Korea and Japan mainly because of the established demand and market for these devices in these countries. This coming year will, however, see all that changing with the UK being targeted for the rollout of these Intel Atom based MIDs.

Most of these handheld MIDs are roughly the size of portable gaming consoles and look like oversized smartphones or PDAs. Broadband internet is offered using Wi-Fi, 3G mobile broadband and sometimes even WiMax to allow for access anywhere. The main interest for mobile phone providers is the combination of SIM card access and Bluetooth facilities on the devices.

Third party applications that allow users customise their devices, similar to the current Google Android or Apple iPhone handsets, will be its next step in development said Intel. The addition of gadget-like functionality to devices sold in France by SFR is an example of this, and a compatible application has already been written by Skype.