It's a mystery. The idea of the ultra-mobile PC seems perfect for today's ultra-mobile business professional, but the powerful portable devices have sold well below expectations. Intel wants its partners to succeed (since that means selling more chips) and has introduced a new design spec and a new industry consortium to come up with products customers are more likely to buy [1]. The Ultra Mobile Platform is based around Intel's A100 and A110 processors. The Mobile Internet Device Innovation Alliance (MIDIA) has a simple charter: Develop a device that will access the Internet from anywhere and cost less than $500. The alliance, which includes  Asustek Computer, BenQ, Compal Electronics, Elektrobit, High Tech Computer, and Quanta Computer, is working toward a device that can run either Windows Mobile or Linux and use any available network for access. Support for WiMAX has been promised for the future, an interesting development for Intel since it dropped 3G network support [2] from Centrino.

For more on the new mobile platform:
- read the complete article [3] at CIO Today