Mintpass Mintpad MID/PMP Gets US & European Release, Pricing [Mintpad WiFi Internet Tablet PMP Hits Us & Europe, at Last]

It’s been a while coming (and when we say ‘a while’ we mean ages – see: Mintpass Mintpad Internet Tablet Set for US Release) but, at long last, the WiFi touting, and pretty desirable, Mintpass Mintpad, which serves as a touchscreen MID with a heavy does of PMP functionality has gained its release in the US and Europe.

Those unfamiliar with the Mintpass Mintpad – and there really isn’t any excuse not to be as the Mintpad has been widely covered by just about everybody that matters, and a few besides – the device comes with 2.9″ 320 x 240 LCD touchscreen, 4GB of RAM with additional capacity being offered up thanks to the device coming with an SD card slot as well as integrated speakers and microphone and, of course, a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera (meaning the device can be utilised for VoiP calling and video conferencing as well as for capturing stills and video for posterity).

Other notable highlights on and above its WiFi connectivity, thus allowing for wireless net browsing, include the aforementioned PMP functionality which sees the Mintpad happily playing ball with APE, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA audio and DiVX, MPEG-4, WMV, XviD video file formats. And it doesn’t stop there as you can also factor in it serving as a text reader, a digital photo frame complete with slideshow and it even comes with PIM features such as a calendar, appointments scheduler and contacts facility.

Mintpass Mintpad Mid/PMP/PIM Key Features:

CPU: ARM9 400Mhz
Display: 2.9″ TFT LCD @ 262000 colors
Memory: 4GB (w/ MicroSD (up to 16GB))
Wireless LAN: 802.11b/g
Camera: 1.3MP
Speaker: mono
Size: 78.2 X 63.8 X 15.2mm (90g)
Battery life: 30hr music / 5hr video
OS: winCE 5.0 professional
Audio Support: MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, APE, FLAC
Video Support: MPEG4, WMV7/8/9, MPEG1/2

Billed as offering a battery endurance of up to thirty hours of audio playback or up to 5 hours of video, the (let’s be honest here) frankly luscious (not a word I use often, if ever, till now) Mintpass Mintpad will set you back 139GBP, 158EUR or, if you’re US based, $230 – which is a little harsh for those of you who reside in the US but its ‘nice’ to see things working the other way round for a change (we won’t mention the EOS 7D’s US vs UK pricing now will we as its sure to get me fired up).