Wifi, Web Browser, Memo Pad, and much much more. That's what you get with the touchscreen MintPass MintPad. It is also possibly the best portable music player you'll ever find. Detailed specs can be found here.
There is no other device like the Mintpass that I know of on the market. Billed as a PDA, with WinCE OS underneath it's skin, it doesn't even come with headphones. Yet copy your highest quality rips to it, plug in the best headphones you own, then sit back to be amazed. There seems to have been considerable effort put into the Mintpad to make it a superb sounding device. I've been greatly enjoying my music off this Mintpad as I write this blog post. They have not exaggerated it's music playback capability.Source: I picked this one up from JetAudio, Inc via Amazon.com.
Dimensions: 78.3 x 68.8 x 15.3 (mm) or 3.08 x 2.7 x .6 (inches)
Weight: 90g or 3.17oz (Battery included).
Screen: 2.86" (diagonal) color TFT LCD, 262,000 colors, 320 x 240 resolution.
Weight: 90g or 3.17oz (Battery included).
Screen: 2.86" (diagonal) color TFT LCD, 262,000 colors, 320 x 240 resolution.
Included: USB Cable, Quick Start Guide, Mintpad and Battery. Self storing Stylus. Supports microSD HC cards up to 16gb (not included). Online User Manual. 
Main Apps: 
- Memo Pad. Use the included Stylus to write or draw notes to yourself or a friend.
- Camera. The 1.3 mega pixel camera will take still photos (up to 1280 x 1024) and (supposedly) video. There is no flash, so as usual you'll get better photos and video in areas with brighter light.
- Camera. The 1.3 mega pixel camera will take still photos (up to 1280 x 1024) and (supposedly) video. There is no flash, so as usual you'll get better photos and video in areas with brighter light. - Schedule. The calendar allows recording appointments, with an optional alarm to remind you about them.
- Name Card. Attach a photo to the name, address, and phone numbers of your contacts.
- Internet. You can use the MintPad's Browser or IE Mobile. Neither is great on the small screen, but they'll do when you have no other option. Internet gets a C+. Better than the web browsing on my Sony X series though. 
- Music. MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV APE, FLAC. Name the music control feature you want, and they will have already included it. The only thing it doesn't do is play music tracks gaplessly, as with no audible gaps between consecutive songs. The Now-Playing screen gives you access to nearly all the options. There is an excellent 12 band equalizer with 12 more presets. You also get three User EQ settings to create and choose from. Music gets an A+. 
- Videos. WMV, AVI, and MP4 will play. Some need to be rescaled to 320 x 240 though. SMI formatted subtitles also supported. Web streaming of videos is something I haven't figured out yet. The MintPad doesn't come with any addresses, and I can't seem to get any I find on the web to work on it. Instructions are non-existent. Something for a future update to address I hope. Video gets a B.
- Pictures. JPG(except progressive), BMP, and PNG up to 2048 x 2048. There is one double-tap zoom level, and when zoomed it is smooth and easy to pan around the photo. A timed Slide-Show can be set as well. Pictures get an A. 
- Recording. Records to a WMA file from the internal microphone. You get to choose quality and duration, and between auto-detect or not. You can also save either to the internal memory or microSD card. Recording gets a B.
- Text Viewer. TXT files only. The G-Sensor work great in this app. Change font and colors. Text Viewer gets an A.
- Chatting. You'll need at least one friend with a MintPad, as this feature uses local adhoc networking to share quick sketches/notes with other MintPads. Can't test so no grade.
- Connect. Your wireless and USB connection settings.
- Settings. Menu, Display, Sound, Time, G-Sensor, Password, Alarm, Smart Button, and Misc Settings.
- Programs. Your access to the underlying Windows Mobile UI and Programs. It appears that you can run any WinCE apps too, although I haven't tried it.
Summary: The web browser(s) are a little touchy. The chatting function is pointless unless you have several friends that own a MintPad. As a portable media player this is a great little device. For music it is excellent. The G-Sensor could be better utilized. A YouTube app would be nice. It'll be nice to see the internet TV option working.
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Conclusion: At $140 This little player is a great value. The 4gb internal memory does seem limited, but access to media on an inserted microSD (HC up to 16gb) card is easy and music is integrated between the two. At almost exactly 3" x 2.5" by 5/8" it is easy to pocket. I'm loving mine. Highly recommended. It's also likely to get better with time and "funware" updates. You can get accessories including silicone and leather cases, replacement batteries, and styli at mintpass.com. I expect to see them eventually at Amazon.com as well. If you are interested in something original that is also fantastic at music playback, this little MintPad may be perfect for you.
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Interesting. How easy is it to interact with the player without the stylus?
ReplyDeleteEasy except for the tiny corner icons that bring up submenu access. The Stylus self-stores in the MintPad, so I've found it very convenient to use. It also helps keep the screen clean from fingerprints.
ReplyDelete4D
ok i looked on videos and it gust froz from jeff
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what "gust froz" means, Jeff. If you mean the player froze up when you tried to play a video, then all I can recommend is deleting that video from the player. It may be corrupt or simply not in a format the Mintpad can handle. If you need to reset the player, simply open the battery compartment and take the battery out for a moment. When you put it back in the player should re-boot.
ReplyDeleteI hope that helps. 4D