Crave

From this angle the screen almost looks like sunglasses, with cold, dead eyes watching you underneath...

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

They say that once you've had two displays, you'll never walk away. (Well, I don't know if they actually say that, but i think you get the idea.) From my time spent with the EVGA InterView Dual Monitor System I'd tend to agree. Having two screens at my disposal really does seem to increase my productivity. Being able to write on one screen while referencing another--as I'm doing now--really makes for an efficient working environment.

The most unique feature of the display is its ability to rotate each screen back 180 degrees. While the casual user may not have much practical use for this, the business user, especially those who conduct plenty of office meetings, could probably come up with a number of justifications for owning this.

For its purposes, the only real stumbling block is price. At $650 you're going to need lots of justification to convince your IS department that your livelihood depends on owning this. Check out my full review of the EVGA InterView Dual Monitor System to see if that price is worth it. Also, check here for the latest CNET LCD computer monitor reviews.

Now to go buy my IS manager that long overdue lunch.

Yep, that's a doorknob hole in the desk.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

And by closer look, I mean that literally. I put the camera almost uncomfortably close to the monitor and pressed the picture-taking button. I got so close at times that I think I may actually owe the monitor dinner now.

Check out these shots of EVGA's Interview dual-screen monitor that was announced last week.

The screen is crazy reflective, so I can't really be held responsible for the secrets you find in the shots.

I'm hoping to have a review up soon, if there's demand for one, that is. Is there?

Shots of EVGA's InterView

See me, feel me, touch me.

(Credit: Asus)

Spotted at the German CeBit 2009 show was this interesting concept piece from Asus. It's a laptop with two displays, instead of a traditional screen and keyboard. The company calls it "a revolutionary dual-panel concept notebook," and says the design was inspired by "ideas contributed from users from around the world."

Using a Web site called WePC.com, consumers could submit and discuss ideas for innovative laptops, and many of the submitted ideas seem to revolve around multiple displays in a single unit.

These photos represent a stab at bringing one of these crowd-sourced ideas to life, but Asus warns that "the concept is still a work-in-progress which requires continued feedback."

This is how Asus describes the system:

The dual panel offers a flexible working space in which users can adapt to suit their prevailing usage scenarios, for example adjusting the size of the virtual touchpad and keyboard.

Through hand gestures, handwriting recognition, and multitouch, users are presented with a control surface that is both flexible and intuitive. Users can use the dual-panel concept in a myriad of usage scenarios, for example as a conventional notebook with multitouch screens, a virtual keyboard and touchpad; a multimedia hub, in which both dual panels could combine to form a larger display for widescreen entertainment; or an E-book mode in which users can hold the dual panel concept notebook just like they would a conventional book while flipping pages through intuitive gestures or by touch.

These concepts aim to bring convenience to the user through technological innovations and user-centric design.

More pics after the break. ... Read more

(Credit: V12)

V12 Design created some buzz more than a year ago when photos of its dual-screen laptop design were circulated around the Web. It wasn't so much the double LCDs that drew interest--others have done that--but the digital newspaper pages displayed on the screens.

The concept from the Italian design house raised the possibility of a portable device that might come close to replicating the experience of reading an open-broadsheet newspaper. European newspapers have already been experimenting with single-page e-readers that get hourly updates from wireless connections.

Now V12 is reportedly planning to go forward with a real product, complete with a multitouch screen and built-in microphone for voice navigation, but it isn't expected to be ready for 16 months. That's an eternity, especially considering that other dual-screen prototypes are on the horizon, not to mention the recent proliferation of single-page e-book readers on the market.

What's worse is that V12 apparently developed the concept four years ago, according to Gizmodo. Unfortunately, it seems that the company has adopted the pace of the old media it's trying to bring into the digital world.

(Credit: eBay)

Eagle-eyed eBay watchers latched onto an auction this morning for a bizarre dual-screen laptop, made by a company called Xentex. According to the eBay page, this is a semifunctional prototype, but this system was actually sold briefly in 2003, as the $5,000 Flip-pad Voyager.

It features two 13-inch screens, side-by-side, and each screen can pivot around individually, like a convertible tablet. The whole thing looks to be about the size of an HP HDX desktop replacement.

(Credit: eBay)

Bidding is up to $405 right now, but the auction runs until May 29, so there's still plenty of time. Of course, you should note this isn't exactly a system that's ready to run out of the box.

The seller says, "This was a prototype and is missing some parts but does turn on so I have no doubt someone can make this work with the right skills...The keyboard is functional and it does type and you can enter the bios but I have not been able to go past that since I do not have a hard-drive cable (which appears to be a custom cable with 1mm pitch) and I do not have a CD-ROM for the unit. I have tried to getting it to boot of an external USB CD-ROM but it would not detect that."

Buyer, as they say, beware.

(Credit: Technabob)

If LCDs are eventually surpassed by paper-thin OLED technology as some predict, they may still have a life in the timepiece business. The German-designed "MF" wristwatch features twin LCDs--one for hours and minutes, the other to display scrolling seconds. Why? Who knows, but at least we can actually read both screens, which is a lot more than we can say of other models that have only one.

Two-for-one special.

(Credit: Disney)

Portable DVD players seem to come in all shapes and sizes these days--and sometimes in pairs. Yes, the Disney dual-screen Mobile DVD player has arrived at our New York offices, along with one of Disney's new Pix Max digital cameras, which sports a "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme.

The new Pix Max costs $80.

(Credit: Disney)

The idea behind the dual-screen DVD player ($180) is that two backseat riders can watch the same movie at the same time, with neither person having to deal with the perils of off-axis viewing. Both screens feature a 7-inch LCD display that straps onto the back of a headrest; they ship with four Disney-themed faceplate inserts, including "Tinker Bell" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Needless to say, it's perfect for mollifying the kiddies during those 15-hour road trips to Disneyland or Disney World--or anywhere else for that matter.

As for the digital camera, aside from the swashbuckling Jack Sparrow theme, how this 3-megapixel Pix Max differs from last year's Pix Max ($80) is unclear, but we're always curious to check out cheap digital cameras to see if they don't totally suck. Kodak has an even more budget-priced model, the Disney Pix Micro ($50), but that one wasn't included in the shipment.

Earlier this month we mentioned a prototype dual touch-screen laptop but didn't think we'd be seeing anything like it off the drawing boards anytime soon. Shows you how much we know.

(Credit: Estari)

Pennsylvania-based Estari started out as a software company but somehow ended up developing a patented dual-screen computer originally for the U.S. military and is now selling its wares to the public. The specs of its "2-VU" model aren't all that noteworthy--a 1.83GHx Intel Dual Core processor, 1GB of memory, a 60GB hard drive and no conventional keyboard or mouse, according to I4U News. But what makes it special, of course, are its two 15-inch touch-screen displays.

We still don't think it's a great idea to read the newspaper this way, but that's up to you. Just don't expect to get your $4,350 back if you drop it on the subway.