In brief: The jack-of-all-trades OKPad from Bluegen is a convertible-style 2-in-1 sporting an 8.9-inch (800 x 1,280) IPS display in the usual position. A second screen – a 7.8-inch (1,404 x 1,872) e-ink panel – resides where you'd normally find the keyboard on an ordinary laptop. Both screens are touch-enabled, and a stylus is included for use with the e-ink panel.
A Hong Kong-based tech startup has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a dual-screen device that delivers a traditional color IPS display alongside an e-ink screen like you'd find on an e-book reader.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon Kryo 250 CPU handles processing duties, and is teamed with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of local storage. Other notable specs include 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C, a pair of 1W speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a 7,000 mAh battery reportedly good for up to 10 hours of usage on a single charge.
Bluegen bills the OKPad as the ultimate versatility tool – one that can effectively act as a laptop, a tablet, and an e-book reader. You'll no doubt want to pair it with a standalone keyboard for any serious productivity tasks that don't involve handwriting, however.
As intriguing as the dual screen OKPad seems, you may want to temper expectations a bit. The octa-core Kryo 250 CPU the machine utilizes is an entry-level mobile chip that was first announced in 2018, making it ancient in tech time. As such, performance in modern apps is probably going to be lacking. The Android 10 operating system is also showing its age at this point. What's more, buyers will have to live with those chunky bezels around both displays.
On the bright side, it is priced within reason. A pledge of $249 ensures you will be among the first to receive an OKPad when they start shipping in August. Bluegen has already smashed its initial goal, having raised nearly $100,000 from 369 backers with 24 days to go as of this writing.
The "OKPad" combines E-Ink and IPS displays in new bargain dual-screen laptop
