The Mirabook is a device that looks like a laptop. But it’s not really a standalone computer. It’s meant to be connected to a smartphone, allowing you to run your mobile apps on a big display while using a keyboard and touchpad to control them.
First unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the Mirabook is expected to ship in December… assuming the company behind the laptop dock manages to raise at least $50,000 through a crowdfunding campaign that kicked off this week.
This isn’t the first laptop dock for phones we’ve seen. HP already offers one for its Elite x3 smartphone. Last year a model called the NexDock began shipping after a crowdfunding effort. And this summer a new model called the Superbook should hit the streets, following yet-another crowdfunding campaign.
So what makes the Mirabook special?
First up, this model has a 13.3 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS display. Second, it has a nifty design with a built-in USB cable that folds into the case when it’s not in use, and which you can pull out to plug into your phone when you need it. The design means there’s one less thing you need to carry around.
The device features an aluminum case, stereo speakers, a battery that you can use to power the system and charge your mobile device, a USB Type-A port, HDMI port, and USB Type-C port (for charging) as well as an SD card reader.
French startup Miraxess says the Mirabook is designed for use with smartphones, but it can also work with a Raspberry Pi, Intel Compute Stick, or other mini PCs.
The Mirabook connects to mobile devices using SlimPort technology, which allows you to connect Android or Windows phones from Samsung, LG, HTC, Microsoft, or Acer to the device.
Eventually Miraxess is hoping to add Miracast wireless display support as well, but the Mirabook doesn’t currently support that feature.
The Mirabook measures about 12.6″ x 8.7″ x 0.6″ and weighs about 2.2 pounds. Miraxess says the full retail price of its laptop dock is expected to be $299, but early backers of the Indiegogo campaign can reserve one for a pledge of $180.
In a few days the starting pledge level will go up to $199.
Or you could just opt for a Superbook. A full HD model is currently up for pre-order for $184, while the HD version is priced at $119. The prices for both models should go up by about $30 when the Superbook begins shipping in June.
SlimPort kills this for me. I don’t change my phone every year so my current Samsung doesn’t support it and my next phone will likely not be from one of the manufacturers who support it either.
This would be great for a phone with MaruOS.
So my question is if this will work with ubiquitous Android and Windows ‘sticks’…
eh…I think for the price these devices are going to be pretty limited. I pre-ordered a superbook from kickstarter and it won’t ship until june now. And I missed cancelling the order by a few days. I would be wary of ordering anything like this on a crowdfunding site. Keep in mind you likely won’t get a refund and the actual product won’t ship for months after the expected date.
The Nexbook was completely open, it interfaced just as a HDMI display and a USB keyboard. Made it super versatile, unlike this.
To me, the built-in usb cable is a possible point of failure based on my experience with usb cables.
The Superbook doesn’t come with anything bigger than a 11.6″ screen though.
Nowhere in the campaign do I see HDMI. It seems to be displayport over type c.
There’s an HDMI port, but as far as I can tell it’s for output not input.
https://c1.iggcdn.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_limit,w_620/v1492100401/sjo71ipmamxjp8wvjprp.jpg
Thanks for the clarification.
It would be awesome if a dock device like this would also have VGA/HDMI and USB connections so it could act as a portable KVM console. The rack-mount KVM consoles are so expensive for what they are.
The description says it has usb-a and hdmi, so I don’t see why it couldn’t work in a rack (assuming your servers had hdmi).