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Hardware

Multi-head Meets the Laptop 211

Posted by timothy from the good-ideas-make-good-vapor dept.
PARENA writes: "Estari comes with a Dual-Screen Laptop! "A what?!" Yes: Dual-Screen. In fact, they are 2 15" TOUCH screens. According to TwoMobile: 'Unlike electronic tablets, the 2-VU(TM) allows users to view two full-page files or documents simultaneously. Users can page through two books at once, or take handwritten notes in a notebook on one screen while paging through a book on the other screen.' Sounds pretty cool!"
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Multi-head Meets the Laptop More

Multi-head Meets the Laptop

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  • Is see it already..... (Score:5, Funny)

    by curtisk ( 191737 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:19AM (#3483869) Homepage Journal
    when you see someone holding this laptop sideways it means one thing......

    they're on Playboy dot com, checking out the centerfold, the way they were meant to be checked out!

    :)

    Cool device though.....
  • "or take handwritten notes in a notebook on one screen while paging through a book on the other screen"

    You can keep notes in class, teachers can make lesson notes in it the night before, they can point out stuff in the book. Another nice feature would be a highlight function, so you can use your stylus as a highlighter. Very cool

  • Everyone thought this [slashdot.org] was cool, except it should have been in colour.

    Now it is. Nice.

    • Re:Read our minds (Score:2, Interesting)

      by janimal ( 172428 )
      The black and white solution was superior in quality. You have to remember that this is meant for READING.. in this area, resolution is far more important than colour, and so a black and white screen with the same pixel density as colour will provide 3-4 times (depending on pixel geometry) the resolution. This is an INSANE advantage over this thing.

      J

  • Remember when.... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by hachiman ( 68983 )
    Laptops were there to be carted around because you need a computer on the move? You chose something that was small, light and just powerful enough to do what you needed.

    That's the reason I still use my Thinkpad 760xl. It's tiny by modern standards, but it's rugged as h3ll and has survived two 4 foot drops.

    Then we have the sort of laptop that execs use to show off with.... 17" screens, more memory than you can shake a stick at and all that jazz... They weigh a ton, last about 30 minutes on battery and spent all their life in the docking station. What's the point?

    It's the same with this new laptop. How the hell are you going to find the space on a plane to use both screens? Or on a train. Yes, it's toy. Yes, it's shiny (and shiny is good) but it's got very little practical use as far as I am concerned.

    • Did you even look at it? it's not a dual head laptop, it's more like an ebook with a folding screen.. Probably not much bigger then a normal book.
      • Some of my points still stand. The whole thing is toy. I hate it when people bring out stuff like this. How long before the connectors fsck up and break? How long bfore you get a crack in the screen.

        Also, if it is supposed to be book size, how can future models have a 15" diagonal screen on either side? It's going to be like holding a very expensive, breakable world atlas. Now that will be comfy won't it?

        • Some of my points still stand.

          Actually, you seem to have formed an opinion based on gut reaction and are formulating weak points to bolster your conclusion.

          Connectors: That argument would also apply to laptops (unless yours is permanently fixed in the open position).

          Cracked Screen: How does this not apply to laptops seeing they use the same technology in this area?

          Holding expensive, breakable world atlas: Again, the size appears to be that of a standard laptop. The only difference is orientation. In fact, holding it like a book would certainly lessen the chances that you'd drop the silly thing - two hands grasping the sides as opposed to two hands resting on the keyboard.

          I honestly can't see in your arguments anything that would justify your conclusion. Think about what you're saying and then compare that to the devices you currently don't have problems with (laptops specifically - discounting those that use power resources too quickly if you like).
          • I beg to differ on some of your counterpoints.

            Connectors: That may well be the case. I stand corrected, even though I have had this happen to my laptop

            Cracked screen: Again, true. However, with this laptop, you have two screens and no keyboard. If something gets trapped in the middle, there will be little or no give (as would be found in a normal laptop with the keys providing some suspension). I think this would lead to a higher than average incidence of screen crack/damage.

            Holding: If you are going to be holding it with two hands the whole time, how are you going to write on it. If you assume that the weight is the same as a normal laptop, then when you have to write something, all the weight will have to be taken by the hand that doesn't write. Since laptops are heavy(ish) I think it would be easy to drop one. Also, one handed operation would put a fair bit of strain on the hinge, again, it's a point of failure that you would not normally find on a laptop.

            Are these reasons any better?
            • Are these reasons any better?

              Well, the only one you seem to be left with is the awkwardness in holding (I think if someone is going to close their screens or laptop with something bulky and hard between them they'll eventually crack either one).

              As for shifting weight distribution when you go to write, I think the attitude of the device would change at that point and would be laid flat on the lap or a table rather than being held upright like a book. Think about how you do these things with notepads and pen. It would be just as awkward to hold your notepad aloft on one edge and write with the other hand. That's why nobody does it. It may also be possible to fold one screen under, hold the device in the crook of your arm and write if you are standing. Have you ever tried to type on a laptop while standing? Now THAT's awkward!
      • Did you even look at it? it's not a dual head laptop, it's more like an ebook with a folding screen.. Probably not much bigger then a normal book.

        Did you read the article? These are two 15" diag screens. What kind of books do you consider "normal"?
    • Most people have no trouble finding space on a plane or train to use a magazine or a newspaper. This should fall somewhere closer to magazine size judging by picture and description. As far as practical use, your own use of a laptop must be very limited if you can't see any practicality in this form factor. Get those aging executives with bad eyes to review and mark up documents during their commute or business flight using this since many of them still don't (won't) type anyway.

      I do wonder if it has a keyboard how practical it is to use both screens while typing though. I could see having reference material open on one screen and typing to a document in the other.
  • Very nice, cute but how practical is it realy?
    It would be nice for the novelty factor but one think that springs to mind is all the weight is "in one screen". And comming from command line, I like my keyboard :-)

  • Early promotions (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Mattygfunk ( 517948 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:24AM (#3483908) Homepage
    It isn't due out until the 4th quarter 2002. Why would their marketing department allow this out now? Their concept is new(ish). Why give potential compeditors a break by announcing it now. If I was them I'd announce with a month or two tops before I even acknowledged I had a product like this.


    Watch out for the cheap rip-off with a similiar design released soon (before this one is???).

    • If they announce it now they look like they thought of it first. If they wait 6 months someone else will announce one and they'll lose their marketing lead, which is what impresses most people.

      Having said that, some people are impressed when a product is *released*, not when the press release comes out.

    • It isn't due out until the 4th quarter 2002. Why would their marketing department allow this out now? Their concept is new(ish). Why give potential compeditors a break by announcing it now. If I was them I'd announce with a month or two tops before I even acknowledged I had a product like this.

      It's VERY expensive to take a concept (even a good one) through to market, including publicity and everything. They probably need more money to make it a reality. The only way they can get more money is by publicizing what they CAN do if you invest in them...

      My guess is that if they hadn't publicized now, they wouldn't be able to EVER release it due to finacial constraints.. so allowing the competition time to develop one is better than having no product at all.

    • From reading the release, I assume they hold patents for dual-screen laptop technology (no idea if the patents are valid or not).

  • oh puhleaze (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gnudutch ( 235983 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:25AM (#3483917)
    >The 2-VU operates in the Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP® environments and features the Adobe Acrobat Reader®. This strategy avoids the problems of a propriety, closed environment while maintaining the file integrity offered through these state-of-the-art digital rights management platforms.

    Win2k and Acrobat. Could this thing be any MORE proprietary and closed???

    • Re:oh puhleaze (Score:5, Insightful)

      by lblack ( 124294 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:31AM (#3483953)
      Nope.

      The general public has caught on to all this brouhaha about how proprietary, closed environments are bad for business. They can even see how that might be so. Unfortuately, they still have no idea what it means.

      In the last six months, there's been a definite upswing in the inclusion of sentences like the one you quoted in marketing literature. Most of the time, it's a complete misnomer.

      "Our new workstation comes pre-loaded with Windows XP, Microsoft Office and the Adobe Suite, allowing you to create documents in industry-standard formats and avoid being locked into a proprietary model." Uh, what?

      It's sort of like when "portability" was a big thing, and you saw references to it in the literature for virtually every product, even those that were designed to run on very specific hardware/software setups.

      This is what happens when capitalism takes it up the ass from marketing. It stops being a battle of the better products and becomes a battle of the better brands.

      And there is so much market-space that nobody can really claim to be an authority on everything they will buy. You and I might know something about computers, but I know virtually nothing about refrigerators (I recently bought one and was amazed at the amount of research I had to do!). Sometimes, people just don't have the time or inclination to research a purpose. The marketers target those people with nebulous claims that fall roughly in line with what they've been reading in the Business and IT sections of their newspapers (always the most whorish sections, of course).

      Bleh.

      l

      • It's sort of like when "portability" was a big thing, and you saw references to it in the literature for virtually every product, even those that were designed to run on very specific hardware/software setups.

        Game Boy Advance games run on very specific hardware (16.8 MHz ARM7TDMI processor with custom sound and graphics chips) and software (GBA BIOS). The runtime environment feels like PC DOS (that is, minimal with direct hardware access). Yet GBA software is still called "portable" because the layman's conception of portability is not "runs on several different brands of CPUs" but closer to "fits in my pocket".

      • Come to think of it your right,
        for example:
        My work PC is Windows 2000,
        At home I have WinME,
        both have word and acrobat...
      • I think they're referring to the e-book readers, which are so proprietary they're locked to a specific piece of hardware reading a specific file format. The point being that on their pc tablet thingy you could open doc files, acrobat files, text files, html files, xml files - many formats. It's true that acrobat is a proprietary format. But if you're looking for a common format to read print formatted layout, what else are you going to find it in? Yes it has annoying and horrible drm crap built into it, but it also looks a lot more like print than a web page or a text file. And you will find a lot of content already out there that is in acrobat format, so anything that truly wanted to be a book-like reader would need to be able to read those files. And since the monitors are in portrait mode, one acrobat formatted page should fit exactly on one screen, making the experience fairly similar to a book. Because the one thing I hate above all else in acrobat is the freaking scrolling where you have to give up the hand grabbing the paper icon and go click on the scroll bar because it doesn't recognize that you want to go to the next page. Take out that annoyance and I really wouldn't mind using acrobat to read print formatted material, proprietary warts and all.

  • How about battery life? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by diatonic ( 318560 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:25AM (#3483918) Homepage
    I would think that since the display is typically the biggest load on the battery of a portable device (laptop/handheld/etc.) that they will have to work really hard to get a decent amount of time with those big bright displays lit up. If you were using it as an e-book reader you would need the battery to last longer than a few hours.

  • Cool idea but... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by nochops ( 522181 )
    That's a pretty cool idea but when I look at that picture, I can't help but wonder why they're trying to emulate a pad of paper. For about $1, you could get yourself a nice real pad of paper and a real pencil.

    I didn't read the whole article, bit I bet this thing is gonna cost some serious bucks. Why not make it look like something sleek and techno-sexy, instead of a cheap little paper binder.

    Why try to emulate pencil and paper when we already have real pencil and real paper for much less money, that work much better than any fancy laptop. Why not exploit all the technology that goes into things like this and make them truly useful. Let the pencil and paper be it's own pencil and paper. These two simple items have a use.
    • Why try to emulate pencil and paper when we already have real pencil and real paper for much less money, that work much better than any fancy laptop.

      I think you get that impression from the ring-binder graphics that do make it look like a 3-ring portfolio. Given that though, your argument applies to any laptop. Here are just a few problems with your analogy:

      I must get to a fax machine to send my paper.
      I store my paper in a bulky file cabinet.
      It's easier to type in a moving vehicle than it is to write.

      On the other hand, if you're stuck in the john you can't wipe with a laptop.... well, you can, but I don't want to go into that here.
  • Why didn't they just make an extra large screen and virtually partition the "screens"??? That would be more useful I think.
    • It would not fold (easily that is, heck i can fold my LCD down, the unfolding part is tricky).

    • Here's a potential market: (Score:5, Interesting)

      by jc42 ( 318812 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @10:02AM (#3484146) Homepage Journal
      I've been involved with people doing music online. This is "music" in the sense of something that you put on a music stand and read, not "music" as in something that you put in a player and listen to.

      One major barrier to use is getting the screen sitting on the music stand. Your typical big screen is hardly portable. Your typical laptop opens up in a way that just doesn't physically work on a music stand. This device opens sideways and lies flat, giving it a lot of potential.

      Remaining questions: Can I get it with wireless IP access? If not, forget it. Setting up an Internet connection for N of them at a gig would typically take far longer than the gig itself takes. And if wireless access is via the usual phone-company route with per-minute connection charges, forget it. The cost of N phone connections would typically be more than you make at the gig. Unless it's a true "always on" IP setup, it's not usable.

      Also, what happens when someone bumps the music stand and the gadget hits the floor? Do I buy a new one?

      Also, forget Windows. If you want quality sheet music on a screen, you want a Mac or linux. Windows only supports commercial music packages with proprietary file formats. If I can't exchange the music files with other musicians, I won't even look at it.

      There have in fact been experiments with using computers to display sheet music. One of the things that kills the idea is when the musicians discover that they can't write on the music. This is a total showstopper. In particular, no orchestra or band musician would consider using music if they couldn't write their own notes and comments on it. The article implies some sort of handwritten input ability. How good is it? Can I write on the displayed text itself? If not, forget it.

      So we still have a way to go before it's usable. But this gadget shows some slight promise to solving some of the physical problems of current hardware.
      • The article states that it comes with a tripod adapter. Probably be better off using that then a music stand.
      • Omigod - I just reached karma 50! Gaaak! I've been far too serious and responsible lately. What'll all my friends think? I hope it's not too easy to find out who's really behind a /. id ...

        I promise I won't do it again, really!

        (Actually, I suspect this problem is easy to fix. I've noticed that when I write things that I think are funny, and forget the smiley, they get modded down. Oh yeah, before I forget:-)

    • Erm yeah...I can already do this on my laptop: ctrl-X 2 in emacs.
  • I can't see why I would use this over a normal notebook. And for those that would use such a device, isn't portability, weight, and ergonomics key features? I would love to see their thoughts on potential markets.

  • The dark side of the eBook (Score:5, Insightful)

    by groupthink ( 568205 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:29AM (#3483939)
    This is why eBooks coupled with insane legislation like the DMCA are such a threat. Once a digital book is comfortably readable, the textbook industry will move to eBooks [dclab.com], keeping the students, who are required to purchase them, from exercising the rights we have become used to.

    The concept of no longer owning the book, is introduced. For a price, you get access to the text for a period of time. Still want access to it after a year? Gotta pay.

    Such concepts as selling the book back to the bookstore when you're finished with the class, or selling it to another student, will become things of the past.

    Sure this is a great device, but with the textbook industry drooling over the students as a captive audience, the ramifications of such a device are worth considering.

    • Let them do it.

      People will crack their technology and upload books by the truckload to Anonymous P2P Networks.

      Also, If books have their own underground scene, people might start reading them again =)
    • While you and I might think this is a bad thing, I know most students will love this. Of course, these are the students who sell back every textbook for an insanely low amount of money, simply because they know they'll never need a book on macroeconomics in their life.

      Now, they'll be able to pay an (initially) cheaper price for a book they won't have to have the inconveniance of when they're done with it. Sheer Bliss! More time at the bar! And who would ever read a college textbook for any reason?

    • I'm not sure you are making sense. You complain about not "Owning" a book, yet when you are done with it you sell it back. So in reality you are only renting it.

      If you pay full price for it and keep it, the book depreciates on your shelf until the data in it is out of date and worthless.

      With E-Books, you pay for it the time you use it. Presumably at a much cheaper price than what you would pay for the dead tree version. When it gets updated, then you pay to use the newer version. I think this applies to most college textbooks particularly ones involving technology.

      Now, the complete unabridged works of shakespeare on the other hand -- just buy the dead tree version and put it in a prominent place on your bookshelf to tell the world how cultured you are.

      • If you pay full price for it and keep it, the book depreciates on your shelf until the data in it is out of date and worthless.

        As you mentioned, a literature textbook does not depreciate. Neither does a history textbook nor a Newtonian mechanics textbook (for Physics I).

        With E-Books, you pay for it the time you use it. Presumably at a much cheaper price than what you would pay for the dead tree version.

        Except in practice, monopolistic effects ensure that you won't see your "much cheaper price" for electronic textbook rental once dead-tree textbooks are driven off the market. There is an inelastic demand for textbook rental, and basic microeconomic theory predicts that inelastic demand + no significant competition = high prices for students.

        I'm also afraid that you'll also see EULAs on such electronic textbooks: "You may not use a Braille terminal to read this book." "You may not allow more than one person to read this book." "You may not read this book off campus." Richard Stallman explains it [gnu.org] better than I can.

        • Even a book where the actual information does go out of date still has value. The building code of 1975 isn't useful to tell me how to build a house today, but it does tell me how a house build then will have been built.
        • for the basics in most subject, things havent changed much in a while:
          take math for example-
          there haven't been many advances in algebra, calculus, trig, numerical methods, etc that would make it into most undergraduate classes.

          i'm a chemical engineer, and most of the work in fluid mechanics, thermo, and chemical transport havent changed in almost 50 years. what some would consider the ``bible'' of transport phenomena was first written by bird, stewar, and lightfoot in 1960... the second edition cameout last year.

          sure there have been changes in more advanced topics, but the nature of science and math have changed very little lately. i frequently goto used book stores and get old schuams outlines on different mathematical subjects because they still apply today.

          what does suck is the following:
          i have th 5th edition of a book. the class is being taught with the 7th edition. the content in the books is _not_ very different, but the arrangement has changed. so when the prof says read pages 434 to 482, you have to talk to some other person in the class to find the corresponding pages in your book. i sometimes wonder if the publishers move things arround and changed the questions at the end of the chapter to force students to purchase new books.

      • Last year I went up in the attick and found my grandfathers old textbooks, the "depiciated" information made for wonderful entertainment. And the pages were covered in 60 year old doodles (ADD must run in the family)

        My grandkids will never go into my attick and find my old e-books, digital photos, and MP3s. Digital formats have convenience, but the accidental permanencs of old media makes them wonderful.

        In short: you can have my books when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers.
  • Wouldn't mind seeing the possibilities of this with the appropriate version of Quake, or something.

    Although airport security might be sceptical.

  • ...what would be really cool would be a dual-screen system with a two-sided display. Think sales presentation, with sale guy on one side, and client on the other. No more elbow bumping and reaching over shoulders, etc. I've lost track of how many of our sales reps have asked me about this...
    • They have these nifty things called projectors that can "project" an image on a wall in any direction you choose.

    • Re:NIfty, but... (Score:3, Informative)

      by GoRK ( 10018 )
      Have them carry a little 14-15" LCD monitor with them. There are some that are very thin and have detachable stands. ViewSonic and Sony both have some new ones that are only about 1-2" thick and the casing is not much bigger than the screen on either side. In any case, it's probably just about as big as a laptop and could be carried in a similar bag for a presentation. Not bad compared to the cost of a projector that small.

      ~GoRK
  • This format for printed publications is widely accepted, based on a study of 30 centuries of graphic design and consumer testing.... Wow! With that kind of thorough research, it's sure to succeed!
  • It really seems like a good idea on paper, but I don't think these things are going to become commonplace until the software gets better. What do we always drool over? The hardware, of course. (Unless it has Linux support, which is just an added bonus - think Sharp Zaurus)

    Defenestrate Windows, and it could be a much better product :)

  • Cute, yes. Practical? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Clovert Agent ( 87154 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:35AM (#3483977)
    It looks funky, but I'm not convinced it'll play in the form factors they're planning.

    Mainly, it's the notebook (ironically enough) form factor that I'm not sure about. Some vertical markets might love it - those that need real computing and portable computing but struggle with the average handheld. Healthcare, education...that sort of thing.

    But for the rest of us? Dunno about you, but I just don't work like that. I'm used to scrolling through long documents. I like being able to have wide windows for some tasks (mainly spreadsheets).

    In its handheld/subnotebook model, now that could work. My feeling is that would suit the type of use you'd expect - holding a gadget like a book is pretty natural for some tasks.

    I'm particularly dubious of the exec's claim that the book format is "proven to be better" for comprehension. That's because people are used to it. Same way that people who type on a standard keyboard struggle to use a Dvorak layout, but that doesn't mean the former is better. And that, to me, sums up a lot of their arguments in favour of the thing.

    But hey. Maybe I'll recant when I've had the chance to play with one at a tradeshow and get hooked :)
  • Does it have a keyboard? Not mentioned in the article. I'd think with the PDA market spawning numerous foldable keyboards and folks learning to thumb-type on the smaller adjunct keyboards that this would be a feature they need to keep. Most of us can still type far faster than we can write (especially when you consider having to correct what handwriting recognition couldn't get right).
  • Never thought I'd hear myself say this, but isn't that monitor a bit big? I'd think something closer to 10' to 12' would be more convenient.

  • Shame... (Score:2)

    by GC ( 19160 )
    it doesn't have a keyboard... so you have to carry that around as well...

    probably also has a heavy external PSU...

    • Why not have a virtual keyboard on one of the touch screen when you need to use it :-)
      Imagine the cool factor :-)

      You could type what ever you need on it and use the other screen as a display. Could be pretty nifty ... Then flip it upside down and have your screen converted to keyboard and keyboard to screen ... yea whatever ...

      even though it much be a real pain to do any decent amount of typing on it!
    • it doesn't have a keyboard... so you have to carry that around as well...

      Note that it DOES have a USB Keyboard port:

      http://www.dualscreen.com/specs.cfm [dualscreen.com]

      I think that's very smart... they might be right in saying the future of mobile computing is keyboard-less, but that's a hard sell to make to those of us that are so used to using them.

      The early PDA people thought the same way.. they said that a stylus was all you needed... or maybe an onscreen keyboard, but those fold-up portable keyboards are VERY popular for folks that actually need to do substantial amounts of work on their PDA.

      But yes, you do need to carry the keyboard around too, unless it somehow attaches to the system.

      probably also has a heavy external PSU...

      According to the spec sheet, it's got a "Lithium Ion battery for 2 Hours+ usage between charges". Granted two hours is pretty dang short compared to most laptops, but what do you expect for dual 15" screens (even if the shape makes them smaller than regular 15" screens)?

    • Well, you always could try to use it in the classical laptop way, with one screen being used as a virtual keyboard / mouse pad combo. Shouldn't be too hard to implement this?
  • whats the difference between this and the ebook?

  • Estari partners hold patents for the dual-screen laptop

    Oh please! Geez that must be truly worth a patent, I don't think anyone has thought of this before...

    Thankfully this is such a crap idea, that it doesn't matter much in the big line of things...

    • Oh please! Geez that must be truly worth a patent, I don't think anyone has thought of this before...

      I had thought of the idea for a "Portable Electronic Book", with much the same design in mind -- this around 1980-1985. My idea was to have books on CD (having just gotten a portable CD player, and noticing how small it was), in a foldable unit, with one or two LCD display elements (monochrome, lousy resolution at the time, etc.)

      I actually tried to raise some $$$ to get the project off the ground, but there was no interest.

      I'm sure I was not the only one with this idea.

  • Being that the LCD is the most expensive part in a laptop, I wonder how much this will cost?

  • Unenforcable patent (Score:5, Informative)

    by MouseR ( 3264 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:42AM (#3484031) Homepage
    This thing has already been dreamed up by Apple more than 10 years ago.

    See their Knowlege Navigator [billzarchy.com] QuickTime movie.

  • Power and simplicity? (Score:5, Funny)

    by PhilHibbs ( 4537 ) <snarks@gmail.com> on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @09:43AM (#3484038) Journal
    From www.dualscreen.com [dualscreen.com]:
    the 2-VU combines the power of a computer with the simplicity of a book
    So it doesn't need batteries, then, and boots instantly? Cool!
  • On that same website there's another page [twomobile.com] about mp3 players being sewn into shirts or jackets. They also mention some interesting medical uses.
    As for the 2-VU, it looks pretty interesting. And I think a touch screen is rather forward thinking. But I don't like the fact that there's no keyboard anywhere on it. Just because I can type faster than I can write. And my writing is really messy :)
  • Someone is going to have to at some point rig this thing up to play networked doom with itself.
  • could it be cheaper if wasn't built on XP? Could they saved a lot of programmers time and money if produced it with LINUX or other free/open software? Is there a reson for this to be sold with proprietary software? I really liked the think, very similar to a notepad, but xp on that? why?
  • ....i can see all the campus book stores switching to ebooks already......i won't have much use for one, seeing as it's going to cost both arms and one leg.....
  • is it possible to use one of the lcds as a touch screen? that would be a phat box, no key board or mouse. just displays.

  • I don't think this kind of thing is going to get popular until e-paper becomes an affordable reality. Really, what's the advantage over say, a notebook? Besides the geek factor, that is.

  • We could call it "Slashdot Vapor Extermination, Inc." Everyday, we would take a different piece of cool-sounding vaporware that gets reported on Slashdot's front page, and then produce it before the original company puts out the press release saying they've had "implementation difficulties" (they weren't smart enough to figure it out) or "that was a concept never destined for production" (we just wanted to tease you so you'd read our press releases).

    So, what will it be? A multi-processor quantum teleported dual monitor touchscreen e-ink notebook with a fuel cell running Duke Nukem Forever anyone?
  • The 2-VU operates in the Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP® environments and features the Adobe Acrobat Reader®. This strategy avoids the problems of a propriety, closed environment...

    Ummmmm.... How much more closed and proprietary do you get? Not to mention that the writer was unable to deduce that even though his spell-checker told him that "propriety" is spelled correctly, it isn't the right word. Sheesh.

  • What's the point - it looks almost unusuable.

  • Stealth marketing research? (Score:4, Funny)

    by TheConfusedOne ( 442158 ) <the@confused@one.gmail@com> on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @10:14AM (#3484215) Journal
    My favorite quote from the article: "This format for printed publications is widely accepted, based on a study of 30 centuries of graphic design and consumer testing." Wow, those Pheonecians were really ahead of the curve. Graphic design and consumer testing? Do you recall anyone surveying you after you read a book? Also, you'd think a 3,000 year old marketing program could produce results a little earlier then Q3 2002. Someone better fire the exec who started the program. Of course, they might have to dig him up first...

  • AnyKey! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Atzanteol ( 99067 )
    From the specs: "AnyKey - External User-Assignable "ENTER" Key" Finally, we will be able to hit the AnyKey!
  • said Estari CEO Dr. Crist

    The competition should just give up now. They have the savior working for them! Jeez, talk about name recognition.

  • Wierd.. Three Rings (Score:2, Funny)

    by CLorox ( 7 )
    Anyone notice it has pictures of three rings on each lcd? Just in case a confused reader isn't confused as to the functionality of this device.

  • Laptop? (Score:2, Troll)

    by n-baxley ( 103975 )
    I'd hardly call this a laptop. There's no keyboard, and no mention of an alternative input method! This is just a portable monitor.

    • Re:Laptop? (Score:2, Informative)

      by bethel ( 170766 )
      It is a laptop, it's got a CPU and memory and screen, and it takes USB keyboard. More specs: http://www.dualscreen.com/specs.cfm [dualscreen.com]
      • Sounds more like a small footprint iMac. I don't think that I'd be able to work with this thing on my lap with a keyboard attached. I certainly see it as a portable somthing, and I guess now-a-days portable == laptop, but it is certainly not a replacment for your typical laptop.
    • from the PR:

      will bring to market the patented dual-screen laptop in the fourth quarter of 2002. Estari's 2-VU(TM) product line will include an eBook, handheld, laptop and portable desktop models.

      Which implies that it's the eBook model, the dual head laptop probably looks like something else, however you are making the corrrect assumption from another misleading /. headline.

      -Jon

  • Handy.. (Score:2, Funny)

    by new_breed ( 569862 )
    ..if your name is Zaphod Beetlebrox
  • ... at 1400x1050 mode on my laptop, I can nicely put two word processors side by side. Useful when doing long software engineering documents and you have to trace requirements back through who knows how many documents. Not that this doesn't look like a cool toy. =)

  • Best feature (Score:3, Insightful)

    by GoRK ( 10018 ) on Wednesday May 08, 2002 @12:23PM (#3485100) Homepage Journal
    The best feature of this puppy nobody is mentioning - screw-in tripod mount! Why in the hell someone didn't do this sooner is beyond me. You can carry a small tripod for your laptop and forego a work surface anywhere you either dont have one or need more room. A lot of these newer machines get so toasty you don't want to *actually* set them on your lap anyway -- sweat up your legs, and re-press your pants (if you are wearing the sort of pants that get pressed anyway)..

    As far as I'm concerned, this design sucks with no integrated keyboard, and its requiring the user to hold the screens up to view them at any kind of angle is a total failure -- the thing is going to be HEAVY and HOT. Holding it in your hands for long enough to actually *READ* the eBook you've got on it is going to pain a lot of people.

    ~GoRK
  • I dont know about anyone else, but im sure one of these weighs alot less then 2 or three textbooks. if it is as readable as they say it is, and you can take notes, i would definitly opt to take one of these instead of the 5 textbooks i have to lug around from class to class... prodivded i can get the textbook on the laptop in the first place :) if i could, it would definitly save my spine.
  • Useful for the person named in reference A607727 [bbc.co.uk] of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy....
  • I'll just keep using my iBook thank you very much.

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