July 06, 2009
Written by: Kenneth Kwok
This day marks a new chapter in Netbook Updates history. No, it isn't a corporate takeover or anything of that sort. We just have a new perspective article that is not on a Netbook, Nettop or Netbook processor. Well not really anyways, today's article is about a new MID (Mobile Internet Device) that has recently gone on sale internationally. It's from a Korean company called Mintpass, and they have always believed in creating a device that they had designed and today it is finally here. Their ultimate goal is "To be connected" between both consumers and producers. On Netbook Updates, we make this happen by connecting the consumers with the companies and here we seem to share a common goal. Anyways, enough about the company, let's get into their product. The Mintpass Mintpad, an all-in-one MID/device, for we lack of a better term to describe this device.
The Mintpass Mintpad is a device that is definitely a first in the international markets, well at least for North America and Europe. This gadget is about the size of a small digital photo frame. However, the features are incredible for a device it's size. Imagine a camera, a touchscreen, an MP3 player, a video player and MID all in one package. That's the best way to showcase the Mintpass Mintpad. Before we move on, let's take a look at the specifications as obtained from Mintpass's official English website. Specifications are reorganized for easier viewing.
*CPU: ARM9 400Mhz
*Memory: 128MB SDRAM
*Display: 72.64mm(2.86 inch) color TFT touch screen LCD @ 320 X 240 (QVGA)
*Internal Storage: 4GB
*External Storage: Up to 16GB (microSDHC supported)
*Wireless LAN: 802.11 b/g
-Security protocols: WEP, WPA, WPA2
*Camera: Built-in 1.3MP
*Video Recording: 15FPS @ 320 X 240 QVGA
*OS: winCE 5.0 Pro
*Supported Audio Formats: mp3, wma, ogg, wav, APE, FLAC
*Supported Video Formats: avi, wmv, mp4, mpeg4, wmv7, wmv9, MPEG-1/2
*Supported Video Resolution: 320 X 240 (QVGA) @ 30FPS
*Size: 78.22mm X 63.8mm X 15.2mm
*Weight: 90g (Battery included)
*Battery: 900mAh Removable and Rechargeable Li-Ion
*Battery life: 30 hours playing mp3, 5 hours playing videos
It's interesting to note that this device runs on an ARM9 400Mhz processor. This processor is found in many GPS devices and some portable devices. It is said to run pretty smoothly and should be more than powerful enough for a device of this size and caliber.
Let's first discuss the size of the device. The Mintpad is very compact and is very stylish. Although it is currently only available in white for international buyers, it is featured packed and very sleek. It's size can be comparable to that of a digital photo frame, as stated before. It's design looks very clean and the LCD screen on it looks great, the colors of the screen looks pretty nifty for something of this caliber. This gadget can fit in your hand easily as seen in the image above and the included stylus should provide a great user experience. The color scheme looks similar to that of the white Nintendo DS Lite, and the stylus looks similar as well.
The program displayed above is called Memo and it is supposedly superior to other devices similar software. It boasts anti aliasing technology that features cleaner lines and drawings. Meaning it should feel and look similar to standard handwriting or drawing instead of those blocky and pixelated lines that some devices may produce. An interesting feature though is the G-Sensor which is most likely an accelerometer in the device that saves memos from just shaking the MID. Best of all, Memo can be integrated with all the other features which we will discuss as we move on.
Chat is another feature to the Mintpass, and it uses ADHOC instead of the internet to connect. Chat rooms can be made free of charge and may have up to 6 users in it at anytime. The Mintpad's chatting software allows you to send pictures to one another, there isn't too much detail on how it works but it will most likely allow for one to click on one's picture to see it. Mintpass also suggests that we should refrain from chatting during work hours or lectures. If we had one of these devices, we probably wouldn't be too worried about work or lectures, now would we. At least they warned us about it.
Other features include the schedule which again works with Memo to allow for planning each day the way we like. There is also a text viewer, music player, video player, picture viewer, voice recorder, Name Card which stores contacts, and of course other programs that can run on winCE 5.0 Pro.
Most importantly to us users, is the internet function. Although the display may be small, the quality still looks pretty good for a machine of this size. The picture above on Google looks pretty clear and seems to be readable. I would be interested on how you would type or write in your search ideas, but I am fairly certain it needs to be pretty good for this device to sell well. Again, it implements G-Sensor to set the page to full screen. Of course, there is a favorites option so you can bookmark your page for quick browsing. All in all, the internet browser seems viable and should be a good experience with a good input system. Wifi should drain quite a bit of power from this device and I'm guessing it will get in a maximum of 3 hours of moderate surfing on a full charge.
Also seen in the photo is the power and wifi LED implemented as one in the top left corner of the device. The top of the device has a single button for taking photos and other uses in various programs such as seeing the status bar or returning to the main menu. The right side of the device holds the stylus, the power button and the 3.5mm standard earphone jack. The bottom has a proprietary USB connector and a hold button for listening the music without accidentally changing the song.
An optional cradle can also be added to the package. With the cradle, the device charges easily on a desk and looks even better doing so. It should not cost too much and is a must for the consumer that cares for cleanliness or want to keep their devices organized on their desks.
As seen in the above picture, the Mintpad uses a proprietary 20pin USB cable. It would be nice if they used a standard mini USB or micro USB cable but since it's included, the blow will be lessened. I want to know why it's using a proprietary cable when a mini USB or micro USB would be more cost effective and more appealing.
This picture displays the battery of the Mintpad. As you can see, the battery is removable and rechargable, meaning you could buy a second battery for longer battery life on the go. This would make for a great addition if you plan to go on a long trip with out charging for a while.
In this last picture, we can see the camera that is implemented on the back side of the device. It is a 1.3 megapixel camera and supposedly has pretty good image quality. Although, we can't confirm it. We can say the camera will not replace your dSLR but it may be better than the average 2.0 megapixel camera on cell phones.
This product is coming out soon to the international market, currently they are low on stock on the English versions. We hope to see more innovation on the market, just like the Mintpad. Kudos to the designers over at Mintpass for designing such a unique product. We hope you achieve your goal of reaching the consumer one step at a time. Come to think of it, I believe we helped. That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, anyways that was the Mintpass Mintpad
We are currently trying to get a sample of this product in our office right now. They are currently only available in limited quantities and can be picked up for $169.99 plus shipping. We have some good news for Netbook Update readers, we have a contact at Mintpass who can offer to sell you the limited supply of English units right now and they also offered to throw in a free silicon case, just for us. If you would like to purchase one you can contact us through our contact form: http://netbookupdates.com/contact or you can leave a comment below. We hope to get in a review unit for ourselves when they have more stock for the English version, we will just have to wait until they have more units for us to review. Their website can be found at: http://www.mintpass.com/product/p_mp100_conc.asp.
*UPDATE*: As of July 27, 2009, there has been an updated firmware for the Mintpass Mintpad. The new features can be found here http://www.mintpass.com/guide/090723/us_firmup_090723.asp