Review Do you really need an electronic notepad and portable media player, but have tiny pockets in all your clothes? If so, the Mintpad could be the answer. This compact device majors on its touchscreen notepad, but also has multimedia features and Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, in a player less than 80 x 65mm.
Small wonder: the Mintpass Mintpad
Some media players lead on their video playback, some on their audio prowess, but few, as yet, shout about their note-taking abilities. Mintpass, a South Korean company that gets its gear made by iRiver, has put together a little player called the Mintpad which does just this, though it also includes audio and video playback, a Camera, Stereoaudio recording and wireless Internet access.
The Mintpad is small, with just a 2.86in LCD touchscreen as its display and main input. Around the edges there are power and status buttons and a hold switch to lock the display, plus a 3.5mm headphone socket a USB connector and a slot for the stylus.
The 320 x 240 screen is bright and clear and the touchscreen is sensitive and easy-to-use. It supports simple gestures, mainly the flick, with other controls from on-screen buttons. Flicking up and down switches between functions, which include Chatting – more correctly messaging – Schedule, Name card for contact details, Text viewer and Recording, as well as the more obvious video, audio and Memo. Read the rest of this entry »
Review You can argue until the cows come home about what is the minimum screen size a PMP can get away with for watching feature length video on. Most would agree that an iPod Touch-esque 3.5in is the sweet spot, but Samsung reckons there is room beneath that.
Shrinking the boundaries: Samsung’s YP-R1
To all intents and purposes the new YP-R1 is a half pint version of the YP-P3 with which it shares the, now familiar, Samsung widget and icon based TouchWiz touchscreen UI. The main difference is screen size. While the P3 has a 480 x 262 resolution 3in affair, the R1 makes do with 2.6in screen at 400 x 220.
The drop in screen size has allowed Samsung to make the R1 quite a bit smaller than the P3. In fact at 85.2 x 45.5 x 8.9mm and weighing only 50g, it’s just about the smallest PMP we have come across with pretensions to serious video playback. Read the rest of this entry »
Review At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking we were re-running a review from last year – we originally put the Archos 5 through its paces in October 2008. The addition of two extra words to the end of the name may not sound that exciting initially, but while the Archos 5 Internet Tablet may look very similar to its predecessor there is one very significant change: it now runs Google Android.
Archos’ 5: homegrown OS out, Google Android in
Gone is Archos’ own – not exactly super swish – Linux-based OS and in its place sits Google’s Linux-based mobile operating system, the first time that it’s been seen in an official capacity on a shipping product that’s not a phone.
However, it’s probably worth getting this out of the way early on: not all Android devices are created equal. Yes, Android is an open source operating system that any manufacturer can download and install onto its hardware without paying a fee. However, don’t expect it come with all the applications you’re accustomed to seeing on phones from the likes of HTC, for example. Specifically, you won’t find Google’s suit of apps on there by default since Google doesn’t give those away for free. Read the rest of this entry »
