Intel (NSDQ: INTC) is continuing its push to get ultra-mobile personal computers to a decent sales volume, planning to ship processors and associated chipsets that are smaller and use less power, so they can fit in smaller devices, reports AP. CEO Paul Otellini (who likes to call them “mobile Internet devices") dismisses criticism that there is no demand from laptop users for a smaller device nor from mobile users for a larger one, claiming that it’s still an early technology and therefore could go anywhere. The example he planned to demonstrate the usefulness of the devices (which capacities will be a few years away) is “how an American traveler to Beijing might use a pocket computer to get real-time navigation tips and instant translations of signs, menus and conversation from Chinese”. Which is pretty much what mobile phone manufacturers are looking to add to their higher-end devices, so I don’t see a big demand there. AP notes the weak reception for Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) Mylo which uses WiFi, inferring that mobile networks are important for the success of the niche. Personally, I see a use for ultra-mobile personal computers to take notes at conferences, which is a fairly niche segment. Would I think it’s worth buying one in addition to my laptop and mobile phone? Only because I’d get a tax deduction… While there is a theoretical limit to the number of gadgets people will buy, there are a significant number of people with multiple iPods indicating they only need a weak functional reason to fork out more money.

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