Reasonably priced, though a little lacking in power.
Briefly: The Bluegen OKPad is a versatile 2-in-1 device with an 8.9-inch (800 x 1280) IPS display in its usual place. A second screen – a 7.8-inch (1404 x 1872) e-ink panel – is located where you would normally find the keyboard on a regular laptop. Both displays 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 offers a traditional color IPS display alongside an e-ink screen like the one you'd find on an e-book reader.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon Kryo 250 processor handles the processing and is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Other notable specs include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C, a pair of 1W speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a 7,000mAh battery that is said to offer up to 10 hours of use on a single charge.
Bluegen presents the OKPad as a versatile tool, capable of serving as a laptop, tablet, and e-book reader. You may want to pair it with a standalone keyboard for any serious productivity tasks that don't involve handwriting.
While the dual-screen OKPad may look interesting, you might want to temper your expectations a bit. The Kryo 250 octa-core processor the device uses is an entry-level mobile chip that was first announced in 2018, making it outdated in the age of technology. As such, performance in modern apps is likely to be lacking. The Android 10 operating system is also showing its age at this point. Additionally, buyers will have to live with those thick bezels around both displays.
Fortunately, it’s affordable. A $249 pledge guarantees you’ll be among the first to get your hands on the OKPad when it starts shipping in August. Bluegen has already surpassed its initial goal, raising nearly $100,000 from 369 backers as of 24 days of this writing.
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