Korea-based mintpass announced plans to bring its super-compact mintpad touchscreen device, called the mintpad, to the US. The device is bigger than an iPhone but much smaller than tablets, like those based on Intel's mobile clinical assistant design spec. The mintpad weighs just 90 grams and has a 2.86-inch display, handwriting recognition software, WiFi b/g and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Last November mintpass made the mintpad commercially available in Korea for just $143. The device also supports full internet browsing, various video formats and more. 

The company expects US-bound versions of the mintpad to be ready by April or May, but no official launch date has been announced. The pricepoint for the US market is also still undetermined. Admittedly, the device is not geared toward clinical settings so concerns about cleanliness are not directly addressed by the device, nor are barcode scanners or other advanced functionalities included.

What do you think: Can a device of this size take on MCAs or is it too small for ease-of-use?

Check out this video walkthrough of the device to get a sense of its look and feel: