Proving that the third time really is the charm is Mobile Intelligent Ubiquitous (MIU) Technology’s third incarnation of its Hybrid Dual Portable Computer (HDPC), which offended our eyes when it first stepped out in public two years ago but actually looks quite stylish (albeit a tad rendered) now. Details have always been a bit vague on what exactly warrants the "dual" in its name, but the latest set of product pages and "MIU Notices" contain enough information to put together a clearer picture of what the HDPC is all about.
It turns out that the D in HDPC is incredibly well deserved because the device has two screens, two processors, and two operating systems.
The 4.1-inch screen (800 x 480, TFT) may look like a typical slide-and-tilt display (similar to the AT&T Tilt, HTC Shift, or Willcom D4), but it actually goes one step further by flipping over to reveal a 2.4-inch screen (320 x 240, AMOLED) set above a keypad. You can see the screen sliding, tilting, and flipping in this video of what the HDPC used to looked like.
Fast-forward to 0:34 to see about 20 seconds of the screen doing its thing.
An unspecified ARM processor is used for handling small-screen tasks like taking photos, talking on the phone (VoIP or GSM/GPRS/CDMA), texting, playing music, and navigating the WinCE-based system. The larger screen, on the other hand, is designed for working in the Windows XP environment, surfing the web, in-car navigation, and DMB. For these activities, the HDPC relies on an unspecified Intel Atom processor (it was VIA-powered at CES).
It isn’t clear how the processor-switching is handled, but it likely has something to do with the "manual selection buttons" and "dual mode (small/wide screen, low/high power consumption" mentioned here.
The HDPC was scheduled to launch for ~$500 in Korea over the summer. I believe it is available there now, but the MIU website doesn’t provide any information on how to get it.
Thanks, jeraldyne!
