http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 12:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 1:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 1:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/
Please. Even a blind man can see that this UI is completely ripped from the iPhone. Look at the dock. Look at the icons.

As a graphic designer, it's clear that these are not just "rounded corner" icons. These are iPhone styled icons.

This is America. This is not China. Don't be so open to accepting unoriginal ideas.]]>Jan 6th 2008 1:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 1:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/
Just wondering. ]]>Jan 6th 2008 2:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 1:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 1:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/
Are you going to be on fire or something?]]>Jan 6th 2008 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 1:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 1:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 5:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 2:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 2:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/
Fanboys piss the fuck out of me...especially the Apple ones

Its just a icon, i don't think you can have to many stupid variations to a icon, just because its a rounded square, doesn't mean its a copy of the iphone.

Get a life, get of your imac and open your curtains. ]]>Jan 6th 2008 3:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 5:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/
UMPC: Ultra Mobile PC and is a 4.5" to 7" wide-touchscreen X86 based standard PC capable of running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or later. Yes, that's in the specification for a UMPC.

MID: Mobile Internet Device and is typically 5" or smaller focussing on full internet experience and communications. If it has any storage, it'll be SSD and is not required to run a full copy of Windows. Think of them as PDAs on steroids. Also required to use X86 processors.

Even though UMPCs came first, they're now considered a category of the large Mobile Device class.

http://www.intel.com/products/mid/index.htm

As for the BenQ and the UI, lord knows I'm not a fanboy of Apple's products in general, but I actually agree with those complaining about the new 'must look like an iPhone' UI design - not because I give a whit about people copying Apple per se - but because I just hate seeing everyone pile on the same bandwagon.

I'd like to see something new and interesting that's designed FOR this device, not simply taking a design that's appropriate for an entirely different design and just glue it onto a new device solely to cash in on the iPhone hype.

Right now, UMPCs are stuck with Windows, which is ok - except it's not designed for 'fat finger' use, or it's stuck with really badly designed 'demo' apps like Origami Experience - or with apps that are trying hard to look like an iPhone.

None of these are good choices for this class of device.]]>Jan 6th 2008 6:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/
It's not JUST the rounded corners on the icons. It's the style of the artwork - some of these icons look like they were lifted directly from hacked iPhone or iPod disk images. The positioning of the text. The FONT of the text. The black background. The status bar along the top. The custering of icons into a larger area at the top and a single icon high row along the bottom separated from the ones at the top.

About the only thing that's obviously NOT a rip is the BenQ strip with the arrows on either side (which is ironic - if they'd done it right, you wouldn't need thst...)]]>Jan 6th 2008 6:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/Jan 6th 2008 8:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/
In case you havn't been keeping up, the line is no longer there. Sub $400 laptops are a common site nowdays.]]>Jan 6th 2008 10:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/benq-launching-its-first-mid-at-ces-2008/hmm yes because apple did patent the square icon didn't they.
uh huh. i thought so...]]>Jan 9th 2008 12:40PM