Mintpass has announced plans to develop a portable computer that’s a cross between a tablet and a notebook. Instead of a keyboard and touchpad, the device will have two touchscreen displays. You can fold the computer like a notebook and use a virtual on-screen keyboard on the lower screen, or unfold both screens and use them side by side.
The concept sounds a lot like the Toshiba Libretto W100 or the concept device MSI was showing off at CES in January.
CNET Asia reports that unlike the Toshiba and MSI laptops though, the Mintpass tablet won’t just have two displays — it will also have two operating systems. It will run Windows 7 and Google Android, allowing users to run full Windows apps, or boot into Android for longer battery life.
Mintpass is also hoping to receive certification from Google to include the Google Android Market and other apps — which implies to me that Mintpass may be waiting until Google releases Gingerbread or Honeycomb or whatever version of Android the company deems is fit for tablets.
Mintpass has been around for a few years, and made a tiny splash with the Mintpad mini-tablet and media player in 2008. The new dual screen, dual OS computer sound like the company’s most ambitious move to date.
It is thicker then it looks in that pic, but still somehow very neat.
The accompanying image is so suspicious. Mintpass obviously ripped off Apple’s new iPod Nano with its tiny, square, touch based, PMP/MID. You would think that a company that could invent a Time Traveling Machine and use it to go back in time in order to release this blatant theft-of-innovation before Apple could instead leverage their technological prowess for real device innovation. <–Sarcasm.
In all seriousness, when I read this earlier I found it odd. I'm wondering if this is really going to have Windows 7 or if it's going to be Windows Phone 7, given the fact that Mintpass has previously used Microsoft's embedded OSes for their products. If on the other hand this news is accurate, Mintpass is really step out of its ordinary comfort zone.
Your “Sarcasm” is worded a bit confusingly but if you actually meant to suggest Mintpass copied Apple then it should be pointed out that the Mintpass Mintpad was announced way back in 2008, as Brad also mentioned but here’s an actual link to an article posted back then…https://www.pocketables.net/2008/11/mintpass-unveil.html
Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what he was actually saying. 🙂