split-screen

View two pages at once with Split Screen

If you've ever found yourself switching back and forth between browser tabs, or between your browser and a text document, and wished there was some way you could just look at both at the same time, wish no longer. Split Screen is an extension for Chrome that lets you view two Web sites side-by-side, or view one Web site next to a text editor. It's extremely handy and easy to use, and we think it's a great tool to add to Chrome's capabilities.

Once installed, Split Screen appeared as an icon to the right of Chrome'… Read more

LG's Dual Play gets serious with split-screen gaming

LG wants to bring the joy of split screen gaming back--minus the cheating that inevitably goes with it--with its Dual Play technology.

Split-screen gaming has enabled players to compete against each other on the same machine since the early days of consoles, popularized by games such as the original "Goldeneye."

LG's passive Dual Play mode, available on 2012 TVs with passive 3D, enables two people to play on the same screen and is presumably compatible with any console game that includes a top-bottom split screen. With LG's Dual Play enabled and the special Dual Play glasses, … Read more

'Desktop' app turns iPad into split-screen toolbox

I've now been an iPad owner for exactly four hours. First impressions? It's heavier than I thought, and I'm furious with iTunes for hanging--repeatedly--during my initial sync attempts. (Weird workaround: After successfully syncing my iPhone, the iPad started syncing normally.)

Newspaper apps? Fantastic. JamPad? Dazzling. Netflix? I think a tear escaped my eye. But you know which app I'll probably end up using the most? The ingenious 99-cent Desktop, which divides the iPad screen in half so you can run two apps at once.

Well, OK, not apps, but any of the 10 "applets" built into Desktop. These include a Web browser (complete with thumbnail-enhanced bookmarks, a nice touch); an e-mail composer; Google Maps; unit and currency converters; a calculator; a dictionary; and a weather monitor.

So think of it: when your iPad is pulling desk duty (resting in one of these five cheap/DIY stands, no doubt), you can keep, say, a browser and calculator running all the time. Or a unit converter and iPad stat monitor. It's your choice, and Desktop gives you the option of dividing the screen side-by-side or top-to-bottom. (You can also run any tool full-screen if you prefer.)

Great idea, right? Just one problem: Desktop lacks a few tools it desperately needs, and a few of the tools it has aren't fully baked.… Read more