Dual-headed Laptops

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Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday March 16, 2003 @03:32AM from the now-thats-different dept.

Baloo Ursidae writes "ABC News is reporting that some little upstart in PA is making dual headed laptops. Orient it like a book, you have two portrait-oriented touch sensitive monitors. Orient it like a laptop, and one of the monitors becomes a soft keyboard. Not cheap, however, they start at $4,000." That is absolutely nuts. More power to 'em!

13 of 108 comments (clear)

Been there, done that... by dinivin · 2003-03-16 03:35 · Score: 5, Informative

Repost

Dinivin
1. Re:Been there, done that... by telstar · 2003-03-16 03:37 · Score: 5, Funny
  "Repost"
  Yeah, but it's one post for each screen just in case your eyes were looking at the other side.
So if you're running Windows... by revividus · 2003-03-16 03:41 · Score: 5, Funny

and your keyboard freezes, how do you press CTRL-ALT-DEL?

--
philcrissman.com.
1. Re:So if you're running Windows... by Little+Brother · 2003-03-16 06:38 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Can't just turn it upside down and shake it? That's how I reboot my "Laptop"
  
  --
  
  Little Brother, watching the watchers
Tablet PC Alternative? by path_man · 2003-03-16 03:41 · Score: 5, Insightful

Well, despite the negative comments at the head of the Slashdot article, I think that this is actually a good thing. Let more tablet PC alternatives enter the market so we can really test the usability factor of !!!OMG!!! different ways in which we use computers.

I don't think there are many ./'ers who don't agree that market forces are how we weed out what is really good and what really stinks. If the company manufacturing these happens to stumble onto a new idea that changes the way in which we compute, they'll succeed fiscally, and hopefully shift (for the better) the way we use laptops and mobile computers. If, on the other hand, this turns out to be another lead-balloon idea based on the notion that "a fool and his money are soon parted" that will play out as well.

I, for one, am excited to see different form factors for mobile platforms. I admit I'm a compute gadget fan, but that's the only way we can improve the status quo.

--
The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. -- Calvin & Hobbes
1. Re:Tablet PC Alternative? by Blondie-Wan · 2003-03-16 04:19 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I agree with most of your post, except (ironically) for the part where you specifically say what you think /.'ers might agree with:
  I don't think there are many ./'ers who don't agree that market forces are how we weed out what is really good and what really stinks.
  
  I think most /.'ers would agree market forces haven't been much good at weeding out what stinks from what what's good when it comes to OSes, actually, among other things (or is Windows really soooo much "better" than Linux, Mac OS, Be, etc.?).
Dirty screen? by Lally+Singh · 2003-03-16 03:44 · Score: 4, Insightful

One of the two screens are going to get very dirty after being used as a keyboard for a while.

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1. Re:Dirty screen? by RLiegh · 2003-03-16 04:05 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  If you smoke, or live in some place dusty (such as arizona) and use your laptop for any extended period of time, that's a problem already.
  
  I don't think this would make that much of a difference?
  
  Or were you going for +1 funny?
No, no, no... by RighteousFunby · 2003-03-16 03:48 · Score: 5, Funny

There are two uses for this thing. Only one isn't boring.

a) office apps
b) PORN!!!!

Yup, two pornos at once. Make watching porn like reading one of those crappy books on Harry Potter!

Actually, I wish I hadn't just associated Harry Potter with porn, the mental image will make me kill people some day. (runs into forest to plot murders, then comes back after reading this and realising (if the floon is right) planets will do it for him).

I don't know why I just said all that. Neh.

--
If you're happy and you know it read my blog
Mobile phones by MrWorf · 2003-03-16 04:04 · Score: 4, Interesting

All we need now is for the cellphone companies to catch on. Replacing the keyboard on the phone with a touchscreen would allow for better input (where the "keyboard" would change depending on what the application needs). And if designed into one of those clamshell phones, the risk of damaging it would be minimal.

So, instead of adding an extra display on the outside, place it on the inside (hey, maybe we even can have three screens? Scaaary ;-) )
Man... by AnonymousCowheart · 2003-03-16 04:05 · Score: 5, Funny

Man, I could go for some dual head, on my laptop! (mod me down, that was lame, but i couldnt resist)
Interesting but... by Billy+the+Mountain · 2003-03-16 04:24 · Score: 4, Interesting

if you are after screen area, why waste a lot of it displaying a virtual keyboard? This laptop might be a good candidate for those projection keyboards. I bet you could set up the keyboard so that it's repositionable (or use mirrors) so that you can use it while in "dual-portrait" or "dual-landscape" And (not sure if this is feasible) if you are wanting to eliminate the whole touch-screen concept how about a projection mouse pad as well?

BTM

--
That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
Easy by TheMidget · 2003-03-16 04:27 · Score: 4, Funny
These 3 step-instructions should help you:
1. open window
2. throw
3. close window
Should solve any problem...