10:48AM: Portable Media Centers are perfect for travelers and kids - but that’s about it. They, unlike audio devices, truly require the full attention of the user to make the investment worthwhile. You can get video, audio, pictures, and… and… no RSS feeds, no “offline” content, no features to backup licences or ratings, no ability to develop your own plugins to extend the hardware’s functionality. If you want to spend ~$500 on a rich uber-mobile media experience, I’d push you to a Pocket PC (with CF or SD slots) before I would a PMC. Battery life definitely comes into play, as does the issue of space - but the price point of this Microsoft venture is its biggest weakness. There aren’t enough people who need it today; even prosumers aren’t sold on it yet. I can’t see a “perfect” solution on the landscape - everybody wants something different.

But what would one really want to see on something so small? Video games spring to mind - but I don’t think Microsoft wants to get into that particular market. That said, I bet the addition of gaming would send sales of the Portable Media Center devices through the roof. Think about it: Microsoft’s latest push is all about media. They want to provide you a true media center - at the center of your life. Or, at least, provide the platform for OEMs. We’ll see.