Taking a fresh look at computing on the go with the Mintpad

2010 looks set to be the year of the mobile internet tablet. Many manufacturers are realising the potential for using the internet on the go, especially with wireless now being so common place and application stores becoming popular. From digital photo frame manufacturers to MP3 device vendors to e-book reader makers, with a little imagination here and there and an application store embedded into the device the flexibility of mobile computing is going to make the mobile internet tablet a key technology for 2010.

One of the more recent entries is the Mintpad, from Korean manufacturer Mintpass, and now available in the UK for around £129 (price from Amazon).The Mintpad is a fun looking and useful device with its 4GB internal storage, upgradeable using microSD memory cards (up to 16GB), a 2.86” screen and built-in wireless connectivity.

Based on Windows CE, similar to the recently talked about Toshiba JournE device, but using CE 5.0 the Mintpad offers computing on the go with Memo, Internet, Scheduling, Chatting, Text Viewing, Music, Videos, Pictures, Voice Recording, Name Cards, Applications (through the current beta Programs), and a Camera. Operating the device using the resistive touch screen is primarily using the stylus.

The specifications of the device include a small physical size of just 3.08 inches by 2.51 inches and a depth of just 0.6 inches. The central processor is ARM 9 running at 400 Mhz, and internal memory is 128MB plus 4GB storage. Wireless is 802.11b/g using WEP, WPA and WPA2 protocols. The Colour screen is 320×240 offering 262K colours and is touch based and the camera is a 1.3 megapixel and even a 500mW speaker has been fitted into the tiny device. Power is provided by a 900mAh Li-Ion rechargeable battery and Mintpass are quoting around 30 hours playing MP3 and around 5 hours playing videos.

Learn more about the Mintpad.