Many of us use mobile computing to make life easy and more productive which involves keeping in touch, getting information, accessing your business applications and of course entertainment. Today a variety of single function devices are available, such as GPS navigation, media players, smart phones, web tablets, etc… But with the Internet now delivering the bulk of these experiences, the single function devices are challenged to provide a desirable Internet experience.

To simplify this, the industry predicted and saw early attempts of device convergence. That’s where things get interesting. Can the industry deliver one device that can be the best navigation device, best entertainment device, best communication device and yet behave like a computer for productivity when required? A device that has the performance of a PC and the simplicity of the iPhone? That is the promise of Centrino Atom.

But, for a device to behave different in different contexts, its not just the hardware. Software plays a critical part in delivering the functionality you want. Users demand rich experiences that need solid performance that is responsive and delivers amazing graphics. This requires a seamless dance between software and hardware. That is the promise of Centrino Atom.

So, what would you do when you can get your hands on this device? Better yet, what do you think your ideal killer device should do for you? Can Intel’s Centrino Atom meet that challenge?

So, what is a SIM card. Here’s a link to a Wiki article and a very short explanation from Answers.com for those uninitiated.

A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) is a removable smart card for mobile cellular telephony devices such as mobile computers and mobile phones. SIM cards securely store the service-subscriber key (IMSI) used to identify a GSM subscriber. The SIM card allows users to change phones by simply removing the SIM card from one mobile phone and inserting it into another mobile phone or broadband telephony device.

And, what does a SIM card store? This is where it gets a little hazy as it seems to be largely dependent on the service provider, type of phone, etc…but a good guess is that it holds all Incoming SMS messages, Contact Information, and apparently email addresses and web sites with some phones.

So, long and short of it is, if you get your cell phone stolen, you have some possible tools to catch the thief. But, let’s hope the thief isn’t smart enough to think to pull your data off the SIM card first. In other words, keep your cell phone, safe! If you lose it, talk to your service provider immediately and see if there’s a way to remotely wipe your SIM card once you transfer the data (this might be a pipe dream — but it would be cool)

I’d love to hear some more thoughts from people that know more about SIM cards than I do.

-Jeff

But the reason I do it is because there is SO MUCH cool stuff I can do with all of these devices. I get a huge kick out of living “The Mobile Lifestyle”, and I want to share a little bit about how it can change your life, too. It will probably require that you make some changes to your computing habits (like moving some of your activities “into the cloud” - onto the web). But I promise, you will not be required to wear cargo pants or a utility belt. ;-) In fact, the devices that grant you admittance to The Mobile Lifestyle are now considered fashionable, too. At least, they generate lots of buzz and interest when I use them in public. And they’re only getting smaller, more beautiful, and more powerful…

Starting with a regular old PDA and AvantGo, way back in 1998, and graduating to reading feeds, I discovered that I loved being able to take my reading with me. Shortly thereafter I discovered ebooks. At first, most people hate the idea of reading a book on a small screen, and I admit that it takes some getting used to. There are those who are partial to the sensory experience of holding a dead tree in their hands and turning the pages (I even still read tons of books on paper - you should see them scattered around my house!). But once I started reading ebooks on my PDA, where I could take a whole library with me on a memory card - hundreds of books! - and have them available to read at a moment’s notice, anytime, anywhere, I was hooked. Now, ebooks are seeing a resurgence with the launch of Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader. This clever device has a very low power “electronic ink” screen, and a wireless connection to Amazon’s ebook store, so you can browse, sample, and buy new books right on the Kindle reader. They’re currently back ordered, or I’d have one already. ;-) There have been other ebook reader devices, and I’m sure there will be more in the future. But reading books, whenever, wherever, is another thing I love about The Mobile Lifestyle.

Now, I can hear some of you saying “Enough of this frivolity! I have serious work I need to get done!” And of course I have some features of The Mobile Lifestyle that might interest you. Today, whether you work for a big company (like Intel), or are self employed, or fit somewhere in between, you probably get at least some of your work done on a computer. And chances are, it’s a laptop. Recently, laptops surpassed desktops in the global mix of computer sales, and lots of companies issue you a laptop as your one and only computer (Intel has done this for several years). That way, you can work while traveling, at the coffee shop, at home, or wherever. As I mentioned, my main computer is a MacBook Pro, and I can get just about any part of my job done as long as I have somewhere to sit with my laptop, and an Internet connection. Most of the time, it just doesn’t matter where I’m physically sitting. Wifi is almost everywhere, and we’ve been hearing about the next big thing - WiMAX - for a long time.

What is WiMAX? Think of it as super long range wifi. As in, wifi covers your house, WiMAX can cover your whole city. This year, WiMAX becomes reality. For example, Sprint (the cell phone company) is getting ready to launch a nationwide WiMAX network called Xohm (pronounce it “zome” as in “home”, I’m told). Imagine not having to hunt for a wifi hotspot, and not being limited to working from one of those magical locations. With WiMAX, you can stay connected from anywhere in the coverage area. Sure, those last few sentences could have come straight from a marketing brochure, but on this blog, we’re going to bring you the real scoop - news and experiences from people who are actually using WiMAX - including the good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m very excited - as much as I love the few places around town that I frequent because of their free wifi, I can’t wait to have the freedom to work and be connected just about anywhere.

And speaking of the trusty old laptop, there’s a lot of cool stuff going on there, too. Laptops are getting smaller, lighter, and more powerful. You’ve seen the drop-dead gorgeous MacBook Air, right? Or the Lenovo X300? Well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Later this year, Intel is launching a new processor, codenamed Silverthorne, that’s so much smaller, and uses so little power compared to current laptop processors, that we’re going to see a whole new class of computing device. We’re already starting to see glimpses - Ultra Mobile PCs have been on the market for a year or so, and we’ve been hearing about MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices) at shows like Intel Developer Forum and CES. These are tiny little computers that fit in your pocket, but still run a full-blown operating system, so you can do, well, just about anything with them. Silverthorne and its variants are going to really shake things up for those of us who partake in The Mobile Lifestyle.

One of the most popular devices that’s available right now is the Asus Eee PC. It’s a tiny little laptop, with a 7 inch screen, a 2 or 4 or 8 GB solid state disk (flash memory - no moving parts), wifi, and in current models, a 900 MHz Ultra Low Voltage Intel Celeron processor. It runs a custom version of Linux, and it’s built for the web, so it’s got a full blown version of the Firefox web browser, OpenOffice, Adobe Reader, and some games and learning applications. It’s got a webcam and built-in microphone, so voice and video calls using Skype (which is included) are a breeze. And the whole thing is no bigger than a hardback book, and weighs no more than a couple of pounds. Oh, and did I mention that it only costs $299 (for the 2GB model, and only $399 for the 4GB)? I got an Eee PC to play with for a couple of weeks, and it’s been absolutely amazing. I took it to the bookstore on date night with my wife, wrote some emails, had some IM conversations, and read a couple hundred feed items with ease. My kids love to play with the webcam, and record videos of themselves (the Eee PC would make a GREAT kids computer!). You can hook it up to an external monitor, keyboard, USB hard drive, and mouse, and you have a very capable desktop computer system. When I first brought it back to my desk, my cube neighbors gathered around in awe. We all started geeking out, testing out its capabilities, and within a few minutes, we were all pretty much convinced that we each needed one of these little babies for ourselves. In fact, one guy started shopping for one online right then and there. :-)

If the current devices with Celeron, Pentium M, and Core Solo processors are great, just imagine how much they’re going to improve when Silverthorne arrives. They’ll get a lot smaller. They’ll perform much better, and you’ll be able to do more things like, say, audio or video editing, which is possible on today’s devices, but not exactly speedy. They’ll get much better battery life and put out a lot less heat, because of Silverthorne’s super low power consumption. In addition to wifi, which has become standard on mobile connected gadgets, we’ll start to see WiMAX, both in the devices and in the cities you live in. Faster, smaller, cheaper, better connected, and more capable. Plus a few things that will probably take you completely by surprise. What’s not to get excited about? ;-)

In short, this year is going to be pretty amazing. Those of us who partake in The Mobile Lifestyle are going to be able to take it to a whole other level, and I’m betting that a whole lot of people that haven’t yet tried it out are going to take the plunge. Thanks to the support of the folks who run this blog, as well as my work with Intel Software Network, and the fact that I can’t resist buying and playing with the latest and greatest mobile toys, I’ll be right in the middle of all of it, blogging the whole time. So stay tuned, and join in the conversation! Let us know how YOU live The Mobile Lifestyle. Ask questions, share tips and tricks, cool gadgets, killer apps or web services, or anything else that helps you kick butt without being chained down to a desk. We hate it when we’re the only ones talking in the room, so leave us a comment, and make your voice heard!