Look, I’m using the word netbook loosely here, because I’d be shocked if Kohjinsha’s new laptop cost less than $800 if and when it came to market. But the company is showing off an awesome little concept device at CEATEC with two 10.1 inch LCDs that can sit side by side. If you only need a single screen, one folds behind the other and the device is about the size of a 10.1 inch netbook.
Each screen can handle either 1024 x 600 or 1366 x 768 resolutions. And the computer is powered by an AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 chipset and DirectX 10 compatible ATI graphics. it supports up to 4GB of RAM, runs Windows 7, and weighs less than 4 pounds.
Engadget reports that the laptop is a bit thicker than most netbooks, thanks to that extra display. It measures 1.7 inches at the thickest point, although it slims down to 0.75 inches at its thinnest.
I’m also guessing this machine will get roughly an hour of run time from a standard battery. The AMD MV-40 processor isn’t exactly known for its energy efficiency, and the LCD is typically one of the power-hungriest components of any netbook. So having two of them probably doesn’t help.
via Akihabara News
Sweet! Imagine portability with 2 screens… hopefully they can pack a better battery on that one to have at least half the battery life of an Asus EEE PC 1000HE.
Interesting idea and smart looking setup. But I’d rather see the 3rd generation o such tech where the screens are lighter thinner and thus take up less space and weight.
The way I see it multiple screen laptops will be one of many solutions that might be in use in the coming years. One screen when you just need that two when you need more room or multiple views.
I’m not sure about the state of the technology for making screens significantly thinner — OLEDs, perhaps? They might be better since they don’t need a separate backlight. The structural elements for holding them probably adds thickness, just as the structure for a convertable tablet does. Overall, I’m not sure if this will end up being a curiosity or the wave of the future, but it sure is cool looking.
BTW, Lenovo ships a super-high-end 17″ ThinkPad with a second screen. But the second screen is much smaller and oriented vertically. And no one expects a 17″ mobile workstation to be thin or light or have decent battery life anyway, so it seems like a good fit there.
energy efficiency wouldn’t be an issue if you stick to the dual screen usage at home (gaining a considerable work area), still you would have the choice when you have to rely on the battery… interesting concept!