Slashdot Mirror


Ask Slashdot: Portable High-Resolution External Displays?

First time accepted submitter paragonc writes "I am a software engineer who works remotely. I'm amazingly lucky to live in Austin, Texas where I have access to multiple high quality co-working facilities within biking distance. While these places are great for networking and establishing a rhythm to daily life, not having a permanent desk forces me to pack my gear in and out each day. This means i pack light. My current Go Bag includes a 13.3 inch MacBook pro, and an iPad running avatron Air Display. This has worked well, but i'm sorely missing having a real high resolution external monitor. I've looked at a few of the USB powered external displays, but the resolution seems to only hit 1366 X 768. I'd be curious if slashdotters have any tricks up their sleeves on how to implement a high resolution portable external displays."

141 comments

  1. Depends. by nospam007 · · Score: 0

    "This has worked well, but i'm sorely missing having a real high resolution external monitor. I've looked at a few of the USB powered external displays, but the resolution seems to only hit 1366 X 768."

    WTF is a 'real high resolution' monitor for you and what do you consider 'portable'.
    Your Mac and iPad are already pretty good, so what are you actually looking for?
    There are USB2HDMI adapters that work up to 1080p so this must not be enough for you.

    1. Re:Depends. by ACluk90 · · Score: 2

      The thing is... he is not looking for an USB powered adapter, but actually for an entire USB powered display.

      As he seems to be looking for a replacement of his iPad as an external monitor, I suspect that he is looking at something like 1080p and somewhat larger, maybe the size of his macbook pro.

      The only thing that comes to mind for me is the old, ridiculous ThinkPad W700ds with the built-in second screen.

    2. Re:Depends. by ranton · · Score: 5, Insightful

      WTF is a 'real high resolution' monitor for you and what do you consider 'portable'.

      While he should have been more explicit, it is obvious that what he wants is more vertical lines of text on screen and more characters per line. High resolution displays like retina screens are great for images and crisper text, but they don't actually help fit more text on a screen. The new MacBook Pro Retina may have 2880 x 1800 resolution, but for software enginers it isn't much better than a 1440x900 screen because it doesn't fit more text (at a readable size) than this smaller resolution.

      For someone like myself who is used to working on either two 27" 2560 x 1440 monitors at work or a 30" 2560x1600 + 24" 1920x1200 monitor at home, the removal of the macbook pro 17" laptop left a big hole in the marketplace for 'high text density' laptops. If someons starts making a 1920x1200 laptop again along with a 1200 vertical resolution portable external monitor, they would have my business.

      Since I won't need a new laptop for a couple years, I am really hoping that a 17" Retina display laptop comes out by 2015. That would be essentially the same thing as the old 17" macbook.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    3. Re:Depends. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what do you consider 'portable'

      USB2HDM

      "USB powered"

      RTFP before you WTF

    4. Re:Depends. by flargleblarg · · Score: 1

      The new MacBook Pro Retina may have 2880 x 1800 resolution, but for software enginers it isn't much better than a 1440x900 screen because it doesn't fit more text (at a readable size) than this smaller resolution.

      I disagree. The rMBP runs very nicely in "more space" mode, which is the equivalent of 1920x1200 mode. It's quite usable for smaller and still readable text.

    5. Re:Depends. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is actually a 17" MBP with the hi-res 1920x1200 display in the Apple refurb store right now link.

    6. Re:Depends. by wvmarle · · Score: 2

      And you just hit the big issue of portability: it's not resolution as much as overall size of the screen that's the most important factor.

      So what the original poster is looking for is a huge screen that is somehow still portable... and until we have foldable/rollable screens, that's always going to be a trade-off.

    7. Re:Depends. by David_Hart · · Score: 2

      "This has worked well, but i'm sorely missing having a real high resolution external monitor. I've looked at a few of the USB powered external displays, but the resolution seems to only hit 1366 X 768."

      What do the co-working facilities offer in the way of office facilities? If they are cubes, then you'll have to go with a LCD display. If you have an option of an office where you can close the windows and dim the lights, then a small digital projector might work.

      My opinion is that the best option would be to see if each facility has a locker area where you can store the display. Then buy a display for each facility that you use on a regular basis. This would be a much better option than lugging a LCD display back and forth on your bike.

    8. Re:Depends. by SydShamino · · Score: 1

      Still readable text is wholly subjective. And I'm still holding on to this 2008 17" MBP until I can buy a 17" replacement.

      --
      It doesn't hurt to be nice.
    9. Re:Depends. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In that case a Surface Pro is probably what he wants for portable and high resolution. Dump the Macbook entirely.

    10. Re:Depends. by bemymonkey · · Score: 1

      The Retina MBPs can be run scaled (1680x1050 for the 13"er and 1920x1200 for the 15"er), or in their native resolutions (using third party software). If you like OSX and Apple, they're pretty awesome for high-res coding and so on.

      For the OP, I'd recommend simply replacing his MBP with an rMBP, or at least a device with a 1080p display (available anywhere from 12" [Zenbook] to 17")... since external high-res displays aren't to be had, a decent internal display is the next best thing.

    11. Re:Depends. by stenvar · · Score: 0

      the removal of the macbook pro 17" laptop left a big hole in the marketplace for 'high text density' laptops.

      There are plenty of 17" HD laptops around, just not from Apple. That's what you get if you tie yourself to a single vendor for your software and hardware.

    12. Re:Depends. by SerpentMage · · Score: 1

      Sorry disagree with you. I use a Macbook Pro 14", but have a REALLY old Dell Inspiron 6000 (10 years old now), with native 1920x1200 res. Yes Dell had such a beast back then. It was only for a year or so and I bought it right away. Even though the CPU is woefully underpowered I use it as thin client for my Server VM's and have to say it is awesome working on such a screen. You really have quite a bit of real estate to code, debug, etc... So yes Apple should bring out another 17" notebook.

      --

      "You can't make a race horse of a pig"
      "No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
    13. Re: Depends. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow really.

    14. Re:Depends. by ranton · · Score: 1

      The Macbook Pro 17" was the only one with 1920x1200 resolution. There are now no vendors that sell that level of resolution or higher on a screen big enough for the equivalent of 1920x1200 to be very readable.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    15. Re:Depends. by mattr · · Score: 1

      My 2009 MBP can do 1920 but honestly the current 1344x840 is fine.
      Scary to hear same format is not available anymore.. It may be back-breakingly heavy but it can do anything.
      (except run 10.7 apps.. once in a while I see one)

    16. Re:Depends. by stenvar · · Score: 1

      You're saying that 17" 1920x1200 is good enough but 18.5" 1920x1080 is not? Sorry, that's silly.

    17. Re:Depends. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If someons starts making a 1920x1200 laptop again along with a 1200 vertical resolution portable external monitor

      I don't know of any 'portable' monitors that do 1920x1200 - MMT has their Monitor2Go HD+ which is 1600x900 and not all that portable as the battery module hasn't been released so you do need the AC adapter for now.

      However the Panasonic Toughbook line still does 1920x1200 resolution on some of their lines. Primarily their semi-rugged Toughbook 52 line with the 15.4" display.

    18. Re:Depends. by dfghjk · · Score: 1

      Which is interesting because Apple was the LAST vendor to offer a 1920x1200 17" display in a laptop. Every PC vendor did that until the price fell out. Apple had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the >100 dpi club. Now they pretend to have invented it.

      And, of course, there are 1920 displays available, it's just that 16x10 is regrettably gone.

    19. Re:Depends. by ranton · · Score: 2

      You're saying that 17" 1920x1200 is good enough but 18.5" 1920x1080 is not? Sorry, that's silly.

      Why is that silly? 1920x1200 has 200 extra vertical pixels, meaning quite a bit more vertical room for text. Considering most development environments probably lose around 300-400 pixels to toolbars, debug windows, etc., that is around a 15% increase in vertical screen size for your actual code.

      I agree that a 18.5" 1920x1080 screen is very readable but it loses significant screen real estate that some laptop owners have enjoyed for over 10 years.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    20. Re:Depends. by stenvar · · Score: 1

      1920x1200 has 200 extra vertical pixels, meaning quite a bit more vertical room for text

      No, it has 120 extra vertical pixels, i.e. 10% more. But that's irrelevant, since HD resolutions on laptops are high enough that you simply choose a 10% lower DPI and your text is going to look fine. On an 18.5" diagonal laptop with 1920x1080 resolution, you are going to have more room, not less, than on a 17" 16:10 display, even if your DPI are a little lower.

      Apple is just a run-of-the-mill laptop vendor; they have no magic source for 16:10 displays or any other special display. Like everybody else, they shipped 1920x1200 when LCD manufacturers made it. Now they have to ship 16:9, like everybody else.

  2. storage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't know about the ones in Austin, but some co-working facilities offer a little bit of lockable storage space. I've never used them but I've seen people stash docking bays and widescreen monitors (standing in portrait mode). I'd say the monitors were probably about 22".

    If your preferred facility doesn't offer lockers, you might want to suggest it to them.

  3. Re:This is retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I took it to mean an "extra" external monitor.

  4. Not much that is retail, can make your own by plopy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have been facing the same problem, and have just accepted the fact I either will have to buy the "smallest" retail display that has at least 1080p (like a 19 or 20"), or custom make something. I have been looking at using an ipad 3/4 LCD connected to a small board and using the displayport on my Macbook air.

    I bought a panel off ebay for around $60 USD and am looking at a either a pre-made board at http://dp2retina.rozsnyo.com/ or seeing if someone makes a board for less money. The ipad 3/4 display is eDP so the boards are pretty simple. Then its just making a case for it, which is the hardest part for me!

    1. Re:Not much that is retail, can make your own by plopy · · Score: 2

      Here is another link, I read off Hack a day a while ago: http://emerythacks.blogspot.com/2013/04/connecting-ipad-retina-lcd-to-pc.html

      I also bought a few old motorola lapdocks, and one of them I gutted to just a controller and panel. Its only 1366x768, but it accepts HDMI input, and is a good conversation starter at my desk at work when I use it for the occasional 3rd monitor. Other than stuff like that, there is not much that is higher resolution you can just buy.

    2. Re:Not much that is retail, can make your own by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then its just making a case for it, which is the hardest part for me!

      There are plenty of commercial 3d printing companies online. And if the pro's are too expensive for a DIY job, you might find a local hobbyist willing to help for just the price of filament. (With a hobbyist, you might have to make the case in, say, four quarters due to size constraints, then glue them together around the project.)

    3. Re:Not much that is retail, can make your own by Stephan+Schulz · · Score: 1

      I have been facing the same problem, and have just accepted the fact I either will have to buy the "smallest" retail display that has at least 1080p (like a 19 or 20"), or custom make something. I have been looking at using an ipad 3/4 LCD connected to a small board and using the displayport on my Macbook air.

      I bought a panel off ebay for around $60 USD and am looking at a either a pre-made board at http://dp2retina.rozsnyo.com/ or seeing if someone makes a board for less money. The ipad 3/4 display is eDP so the boards are pretty simple. Then its just making a case for it, which is the hardest part for me!

      I smell a Kickstarter here...

      --

      Stephan

    4. Re:Not much that is retail, can make your own by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about a high res DLP projector?

      Assuming he uses it for coding work, he could live with the image degradation that surrounding light has on the projector image.
      Since projectors are actually made to project to quite large image areas, if you restrict them to a 30" image size you can get quite high brightness, which in turn translates to acceptable performance in office lighting environments.

      Plus, projectors are a lot more portable than monitors.

      All you need now is a projector screen that is 30" small.
      You could custom build a detacheable aluminum frame and stretch a piece of projector screen over it.

  5. I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I keep the monitors in two oversized suite cases. The trick is to get foam padding that fits the suite case and the monitors.
    I found a place that cuts the form. I went with my suite case and monitor and they cut everything just right.
    The form cost me about $200. The suite case is about $300 (each).
    I've been all of the world with the monitors. My only issue is that international airlines only allow one bag
    and the cost of check a heavy second bag can be equal to the cost of flying business class. So my solution
    is to fly business class.

    I don't think you would be so crazy to travel with a 27" monitor but the short answer is you should get custom form made so you can travel with any monitor you like.

    1. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I meant 'foam' not 'form'. sorry.

    2. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by ranton · · Score: 1

      That is pretty awesome. Can you provide the names of the suit case you bought that is big enough for this, along with the type of foam you bought? I don't travel very much for work, but if you have found a reasonable way for me to transport my two apply thunderbolt displays I would be very interested in knowing the details. It would be useful even for times where I have to move my monitor setup to another area of the office to work with another team temporarily.

      --
      -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
    3. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure if you're trolling or not. Lets assume you're not.

      This should do it,

      It does seem like overkill to use a foam padded case, where you could just throw them on a cart. Well, assuming your office is so big that you couldn't just carry them.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    4. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by wvmarle · · Score: 2

      I am thinking he may be using flight cases, like musicians use for their instruments and equipment. They are custom made, including the foam. Usually made of wood with aluminium framework, very sturdy, relative light weight.

    5. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by Ronin441 · · Score: 1

      relative light weight

      In my experience, custom-made transit cases of this style (plywood panels with thin aluminium sheets over them and aluminium corner and edge pieces) are heavier and more expensive than a similarly sized Pelikan cases.

      If you left out the plywood and used something like Ayres composite panels, you could save a lot of weight, though.

    6. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by sosume · · Score: 1

      Your math does not add up. A ticket Paris-NYC is roughly USD 700. The business class ticket is roughly USD 2200. The case solution you mention costs about USD 800, the monitors are USD 1000 each.So for the surplus of business class alone, you can buy a brand new cinema display every flight. Looks like you take the least economic option possible. But since you travel around the world first class carrying two cinema displays in tailored cases, you must be loaded. Right.

    7. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by realityimpaired · · Score: 1

      You could also buy a storage locker at the far end and leave the monitors there (assuming you don't have an apartment or office you could leave them at)... if you travel often enough, it'll be more economical that way. You aren't factoring in the cost of extra oversize baggage.

    8. Re:I travel with 2 27" apple cinema displays... by BenJury · · Score: 1

      Surly for the price difference between an international economy and business class ticket, you could buy a new monitor in the country of your destination!

      A 27" ASUS monitor costs ~£200 odd quid, a economy ticked from London to NYC is ~£700 a business class ticket must be about £1500?

      --
      Blatant Advert: Android Apps!
  6. You've left something out by techno-vampire · · Score: 1

    What do you need a high resolution monitor for? Are you doing graphics, or some other type of work where you need the highest resolution you can get because anything less makes it hard for you to get things done, or is it simply something you'd like to have but can live without? I'm asking because if your work actually requires that kind of high-end equipment, your company should be supplying it, even if you're bringing in your own computer. And, if you don't really need it, the question becomes how much are you willing to spend to satisfy your ego, because buying a fancy monitor you don't actually need is mostly a matter of status and showing off how much you make.

    --
    Good, inexpensive web hosting
    1. Re:You've left something out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You seem to not know what "co-working" is....google is your friend.

    2. Re:You've left something out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Err...and how is the secondary monitor important for simply working in a co-working place?

    3. Re:You've left something out by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      Exactly. If he writes software, I don't see how the 13.3" screen of his MBP wouldn't be enough.

    4. Re:You've left something out by SydShamino · · Score: 2

      I dont' know about you, but the last time I was writing code - Friday - I had eight source code windows open, and was referring to four of them simultaneously. And that excludes the windows for the compiler and reference materials.

      --
      It doesn't hurt to be nice.
    5. Re:You've left something out by nschubach · · Score: 2

      Of all the things I do on a computer, software development has been the major reason for multiple monitor setups. I can think of no other single reason to use multiple displays greater than that of development. It surprises me how many people assume that developers only need one screen because of their shortsighted vision that a developer is "just showing text so therefore must not need a fancy set of displays."

      On top of that, some of they guys at work have been moving to Macbooks for their development machines and I can't figure out why they'd want to lug around thunderbolt adapters and everything else to plug in multiple screens when they had a perfectly capable docking station with their Dell laptop previously. Why don't Macs have docking ports?

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    6. Re:You've left something out by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Because it is not?
      You run your IDE on the internal monitor, and the software you develop on the external one, so you can use the software and debugg it without constantly swichting windows back and forth.
      And that is only the most obvious reason why you need an external, monitor when you develop seriously ...

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  7. How about... a second notebook? by ACluk90 · · Score: 1

    How about a second notebook? It could have very low specs, just wlan and a good screen resolution. Of course it is a little less portable, but still cheap and a comfortable solution.... Maybe you even have one at home, or you could easily get one on ebay.

  8. Projector? by gman003 · · Score: 1

    I can't really think of a *portable* monitor that would work. A mini-projector, and maybe a little screen to project on, would probably be your best bet.

    Alternately, there's this. Someone's figured out how to drive an iPad display using DisplayPort. You'd need to do some difficult soldering, and you wouldn't end up with a very professional-looking product (no casing), but it would be portable, high-def and somewhat cheap.

  9. Re:This is retarded by ranton · · Score: 2

    Buy a retina 15" macbook pro?
    Buy a chromebook pixel?
    Do you live under a rock?

    Don't be an ass. He said he was a software developer, so it is doubtful that the nicer images you get from a retina display mean much to him. A 2880x1800 resolution on a 15" monitor is basically somewhere between a 1440x900 and 1920x1080 as far as reading text goes. That is worse than laptops that have been on the market for at least the past 10 years (I had a 1600x1200 laptop in 2002).

    --
    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
  10. Re:This is retarded by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Funny

    I took it to mean an "extra" external monitor.

    It is still a retarded question. He has a MacBook. MacBooks have Thunderbolt. There are adapters for Thunderbolt -> DVI, Thunderbolt ->VGA, Thunderbolt -> HDMI. Which means he can use pretty much any monitor in existence. The only thing that determines whether it is "portable" or not, is the size of his backpack. So basically his question is: "Can someone tell me how big my backpack is?"

  11. Retina MacBook + Retina iPad = 2x HighRes Screens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have a 13" Retina Display MacBook Pro using Retina DisplayMenu that gets me up to 2560x1600 plus AirDisplay streaming to my iPad as a second 2048x1536 monitor. While there is a slight delay when working on the iPad, it is a great place to put the extra windows that are not graphic intensive (terminal windows, word processors) or I need to see but not use regularly (control panels, toolbars). It is an incredible amount of screen real estate in such a small package.

  12. Re:This is retarded by ranton · · Score: 2

    It is still a retarded question. He has a MacBook. MacBooks have Thunderbolt. There are adapters for Thunderbolt -> DVI, Thunderbolt ->VGA, Thunderbolt -> HDMI. Which means he can use pretty much any monitor in existence. The only thing that determines whether it is "portable" or not, is the size of his backpack. So basically his question is: "Can someone tell me how big my backpack is?"

    Are one of the people who correct someone for saying it is 3:00pm by saying it is actually 2:59pm?

    A 27" Thunderbolt Display is obviously not what he means about portable. People can technically transport houses to new locations, so I don't think that simply being able to lift and move a desktop monitor is enough to qualify it as portable.

    I am fairly confident that by portable, he means he wants it to fit in a large laptop bag along with a laptop, a few papers/books, and likely a tablet. A convenient stand would also likely be a requirement, or the ability for it to flip open like a laptop. Being powered by USB would be nice, but probably not a requirement.

    --
    -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
  13. field monitors or retina display hack by unami · · Score: 1

    there are some field monitors for video/film work out there that have fullhd resolution. you'd still need an external battery and they are probably way more expensive than anything you'd want to spend on a monitor (think 1-3 13inch MBPs), but still... maybe - with a little bit of hacking - you could get something like an ipad retina display and hook it up to your computer. have a look at this: http://emerythacks.blogspot.co.at/2013/04/connecting-ipad-retina-lcd-to-pc.html

  14. I recommend by NEDHead · · Score: 2

    A larger basket for the bike

    1. Re:I recommend by Gerald · · Score: 1

      They're called panniers. Some are specially made for laptops, or at least have compartments for them. They'd probably work well for a similar-sized monitor. (I'm assuming you weren't trying to make a smartass comment about biking to work.)

    2. Re:I recommend by dasunt · · Score: 1

      Actually, he could do something like a Surly Big Dummy, a Bullitt Cargo Bicycle or a BOB bicycle trailer or even a BAW trailer.

  15. Large Format PC Tablets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Finally large format PC tablets have a use. Two of these placed on either side of your primary machine. Since they also have decent hardware there shouldn't be ay issue with dedicated a wireless link. Personally i can't stand OSX support for multiple monitors, and unfortunately portables are not made with more wireless capability. You will be limited to USB graphics adapters right now. For some reason there isn't short distance 5ghz video linking. And you a limited again by short sighted large format tablets, you cant just turn it into awesome 23" monitor, or can you...

    1. Re:Large Format PC Tablets by csirac · · Score: 1

      There are apps to make your tablet (at least for android anyway) a second display, but they're almost exclusively for windows. I've hacked up some scripts with VNC/x2x/etc. over WiFi in Debian with my 10" Galaxy Tab, but it was too clunky and I rarely want to travel with a tablet anyway. So I went for a Lenovo LT1421 USB DisplayLink screen instead.

  16. Find a better co-working space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At the co-working space I use in Mountain View, CA. every workspace has as ~23" monitor. Sure, many of them are only 1920x1080, but hey it's right there and the vending machine sells HDMI and DVI cables for $5-$20 depending on if you have a MacBook or not.

  17. Ask the co-working providers to fill this gap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The non-technical solution is to simply inform the co-working space providers that this is something they could help with. Hopefully they'll be interested in the opportunity to make a few bucks for a service you'll find useful. Work with them -- if they say "no," ask what their concerns are and what it would take to get them interested.

  18. 22" 1920x1080 USB Powered Portable Monitor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like the AOC e2251Fwu is what he needs.

    http://us.aoc.com/monitor_displays/e2251fwu

    1. Re: 22" 1920x1080 USB Powered Portable Monitor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now just make one (justblike that) with Thunderbolt for Macs!

    2. Re: 22" 1920x1080 USB Powered Portable Monitor by shitzu · · Score: 1

      Why? Its a USB monitor that works with a mac. It essentially includes an external USB gpu.

    3. Re:22" 1920x1080 USB Powered Portable Monitor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because all data goes via USB 2, this monitor has significant lag for many use cases. I returned it for this reason and my main use case is writing software.

  19. Re:This is retarded by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 4, Informative

    Exactly. He also mentioned "biking" to locations and I can't think of a lot of monitors I'd like to bungee to a bike frame... unless said bike had a really nice softail. Laptops will take a bit of shaking, monitors, not really. I do see a 5.8 pound, 22" ( 1920 x 1080) LED/LCD unit under $130.
    http://us.aoc.com/monitor_displays/e2251fwu

    --
    You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  20. asus n56 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I use this laptop for work and while it's not marketed as a business machine, it does have a super bright, clear matte 15.4'' display 1920x1080. And it's fast. Only disadvantage is that linux support is poor (random freezes, not being able to use both graphics adapters reliably, keyboard backlight not working, wired network adapter not working, Fn keys not working) it does run windows 7 just fine, and I run an ubuntu on top of it in virtualbox without problems. Then at only 850 euro it's a bargain too.
     

  21. Why? by jittles · · Score: 1

    Why exactly do you need this? This sounds like a waste. I work from home every single day of the week an have a nice Dell Ultra Sharp 27" display at 2556xwhatever. It's wonderful. And if I want to socialize, I go out with my friends. What does this co-working facility offer exactly?

    1. Re:Why? by jones_supa · · Score: 1

      At least I can get way more shit done if I have a context change between leisure and work.

    2. Re:Why? by jittles · · Score: 1

      At least I can get way more shit done if I have a context change between leisure and work.

      Well certainly if you have young kids / nagging spouse then it can be difficult to concentrate at home. For my context switch I always make sure that I get up and get ready, just like I was going to go to work. I don't have a TV anywhere near my work area, and avoid having other distracting things in that area. If that is what s/he is looking for is a context switch, then that makes sense. I still think this portable monitor thing is silly. Maybe he should start a business of a co-working facility that supplies fast internet and great monitors for those road warriors who need a temporary place to work in Austin? ;)

  22. iPad screen hack by Tagged_84 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you're comfortable with hardware you could pick up an iPad LCD screen ( around $60 on ebay ) and add a display port connection to it, the only outstanding issue is an enclosure but access to a 3d printer could solve that.
    http://hackaday.com/2013/04/22/connect-a-retina-display-to-a-regular-computer/

  23. USB displays by Collin · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'll take my guess at what the OP is asking. He refers to USB-powered displays, but complains that they are too low-res. They really are a great idea and I could see a bunch of uses for them.

    Here is a 16" USB-powered display, which combines a DisplayLink USB display adapter with a flat-panel LCD display. The problem is that its pixel resolution is only 1366 x 768, which is pretty low density for that panel size. It's like a typical entry-level 15.6" laptop panel. If you look at 15.6" laptops, they start at 1366x768, then as you move up the model range, the pixel res goes up to 1600x900, then further up, 1920x1080 is about as high as it goes at this size.

    I suspect that the OP would like a product just like this display, but with a 1600x900 or 1080P display panel like those used on higher-end laptops. This would totally make sense, but some quick searches didn't turn anything like this up on Amazon. So his real question is if anybody knows of one of these types of displays that has a higher-res panel. Personally, I'd consider one of these as well for on-site video editing.

    There is a similar 21" USB-powered display which does run 1080P but it's up to the OP as to whether he still considers that portable or not.

    1. Re:USB displays by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why not a second laptop?
      It can be second hand and thus would be fairly inexpensive. E.g. look at a ThinkPad T61p which has a 1920x1200 screen. Can be had for around USD 200.
      There are a multitude of ways to make that work seamlessly. VNC, XDMX (in case of X11), Synergy, NFS, CIFS, AFS, ...
      I've traveled with up to 3 laptops and worked that way. It's fairly convenient, fits into ONE backpack and a works really well.

    2. Re:USB displays by fa2k · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's a bandwidth issue. At 480Mbit/s you can push 1366x768 24 bit colour at 20 Hz. There would possibly be some compression, but it can't be too fancy as you'd have to drive it from USB power (if you allow an external adapter then just use DVI or DisplayPort anyway). Now with USB3 there is 10x as much bandwidth and more power, but that only equates to a factor sqrt(10)~3 in linear resolution (i.e., bandwidth increases greatly with pixel density). Still, a factor 3 on 1366x768 is amazing resolution, so USB3 would be the way to go.

    3. Re:USB displays by Collin · · Score: 1

      well, they do have a 1080P 21" version, so it's unlikely bandwidth is the gating issue. DisplayLink has been doing this for a while with USB video adapters. I am not exactly sure how they implemented the link protocol, but it likely isn't pushing raw pixel data since it needs special drivers. It likely sends API calls for the chip at the other end to execute and only sends raw pixels for bitmap areas like photos or videos.

  24. Portable projector by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Depending on the lighting in your office, you could use a portable projector. Very convenient and easy to read. Just have to make sure you have enough lumens to overcome the ambient light.

  25. HP makes one by flargleblarg · · Score: 0

    It's not exactly what I'd call "high resolution" (it's 1366x768 horizontal, 768x1366 vertical), but it is USB-powered and portable (15.6" diagonal, 3.4 pounds):

    http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/hp-u160-usb-monitor/

  26. I use a Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421 by csirac · · Score: 1

    Which is one of the 1366x768 resolution monitors you said you didn't want: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/monitor/lt1421/. Given that portable productivity is my main concern though, I thought I'd share my experience with it. I use this display with a maxed-out i5 Lenovo x230 which itself is only 1366x768 - something that nearly put me off buying this brilliant little machine in the first place; but in the end I knew I'd be docking into a proper monitor for any serious work.

    I take the display with me if I'm away for more than a day or two and expect to get some serious work hours in somewhere. It sits quite comfortably in my backpack which goes everywhere with me, next to the notebook. Setup is quick and painless, after some custom udev scripts at least, and in Linux also don't expect to (easily) have shared clipboard/window-dragging across screens: I've only ever been able to make this DisplayLink stuff work as a separate X11 server (with some extra bits like x2x to make it nicer).

    Surprisingly, it's not the extra real-estate that I've come to appreciate most: it's the ergonomics. I position the USB display above my notebook, resting on whatever I can find up and away from the keyboard so I can look straight forward at it rather than spending hours hunched down over a little 12" notebook screen where the keyboard is.

    At my home office I dock into a decent workstation setup with 27" WQHD 2560x1440 IPS display, as an almost-30-year-old I'm regretting all the terrible posture/ergonomics I've inflicted on myself over the years - so I make sure I'm setup properly for any work which stretches for more than an hour or so.

    I run the USB display at 16 bit colour depth to improve responsiveness over the USB 2.0 connection. This is just fine for coding/browsing/email/project-management stuff but any full-screen multimedia (movies/games/etc) is going to happen on your main laptop screen, unless you find a USB 3.0 DisplayLink screen perhaps. The LT1421 also isn't IPS, so it's not quite as nice to look at but to be honest any time I find myself setting it up for a decent coding session it's in an appropriately lit/quiet area anyway.

    1. Re:I use a Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      there is new Lenovo LT1423p that ups the specs significantly (1600x900, touch, IPS)

  27. Isn't this the one the OP was complaining about? by tlambert · · Score: 1

    It's not exactly what I'd call "high resolution" (it's 1366x768 horizontal, 768x1366 vertical), but it is USB-powered and portable (15.6" diagonal, 3.4 pounds):

    http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/07/hp-u160-usb-monitor/

    Isn't this the one the OP was complaining about?

    "I've looked at a few of the USB powered external displays, but the resolution seems to only hit 1366 X 768."

    Sounds like they want more than that resolution. They must have implanted microscope lenses...

  28. It looks like you now have a new company idea by tlambert · · Score: 2

    It looks like you now have a new company idea. Assuming the market for one of these is anything other than minuscule for whatever price point you are able to hit while building them in China or Japan, assuming you can drive something of that resolution from USB power in the first place. Personally, given the proce differential between "retina: and "non-retina" devices, all other things being equal, I think that these would be of limited use for everyone except professional video editors or the idle rich.

    If you are actually serious about needing the external display space for something other than field video editing, then you have picked the wrong coworking space, since plenty of them have pluggable displays available, and some of them even have cable vending machines, in case you are lacking the necessary cable to hook up to your laptop.

    For the Austin area, I know of at least Conjunctured is one company that has so-called "community monitors", but they are first come, first serve, so if you wanted one there, you'd need to get there pretty early to claim one before they were all spoken for already.

  29. Re:This is retarded by mcmonkey · · Score: 1

    It is still a retarded question. He has a MacBook. MacBooks have Thunderbolt. There are adapters for Thunderbolt -> DVI, Thunderbolt ->VGA, Thunderbolt -> HDMI. Which means he can use pretty much any monitor in existence. The only thing that determines whether it is "portable" or not, is the size of his backpack. So basically his question is: "Can someone tell me how big my backpack is?"

    I am fairly confident that by portable, he means he wants it to fit in a large laptop bag along with a laptop, a few papers/books, and likely a tablet. A convenient stand would also likely be a requirement, or the ability for it to flip open like a laptop. Being powered by USB would be nice, but probably not a requirement.

    So the question isn't, "can someone tell me how big my backpack is?" It's "Can someone tell me how big my laptop bag is?"

    May be I don't move my computer set-ups enough, but I don't get the issue this questions is trying to address. In the age of thin LCD monitors, the screens on my desk are thin, light, and require 2 cables--1 signal, 1 power. How would a "portable" monitor be different?

    1 cable instead of 2? If you compare the 30 seconds to plug in a cable vs. the hours spent looking at the monitor, it's doesn't make sense to sacrifice resolution or size just to get USB powered.

    The best bet for size/mass per image size is a projector.

  30. Re:Isn't this the one the OP was complaining about by flargleblarg · · Score: 1

    Ah yes. Missed that. Damn.

  31. Re:This is retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This HP L2201X 21.5-Inch Led Monitor has good reviews on Amazon too, and only weighs 7.3 pounds. Requires a DisplayPort on the laptop.
    http://www.amazon.com/HP-L2201X-21-5-Inch-Led-Monitor/dp/B0055PKLHW

  32. No lockers? by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 1

    Don't any of these places have lockers where you could leave a monitor and any other misc equipment? 22 1920x1080 monitors are pretty damn cheap nowadays, you could probably afford to leave one at each site. Use it in portrait mode and you've got tons of lines of text visible at once.

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.
  33. Wacom Cintiq 13HD by charlesism · · Score: 1

    I had the same requirements as 'timothy' and there really is very little on the market that meets them. I suspect all the sufficiently small HD screens are being snapped up by tablet manufacturers. It's a shame Apple seems to have banished USB pass-through apps, or the iPad + AirDisplay would make a nice choice. I looked at the AOC E2251Fwu, a "semi portable" product. Bit large for me, and the build quality and design don't suit me. This HP-U160 seemed cute, but is not HD, so I ruled it out. I eventually settled on the Wacom Cintiq 13HD It is actually designed for pen input, and is rather expensive because of this. Since I have also the occasional need to use a graphics tablet, it works okay for me. The only issue is that there's no decent portrait-mode stand for it yet. Makes coding less pleasant. Over all I'm satisfied with it though.

    1. Re: Wacom Cintiq 13HD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well what do you know - after all the naysaying and pointless bickering it turns out that there actually is a portable 13 inch Full HD display. Yet your answer has been blithely ignored by the moderators...

    2. Re: Wacom Cintiq 13HD by charlesism · · Score: 1

      Ha, well to be fair to the moderators, I posted rather late. I believe another poster already pointed out there is a solution for "makers" that is about a tenth as costly as my Cintiq. If I had more free time(or better hardware chops) I'd try to make one.

  34. Convertible laptop with Synergy or VNC? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    If you've got the cash to spend, you could get a 1080p convertible notebook. I'm aware of two 1080p models below 13 inches, though the market may have expanded since I bought mine. Sony makes an 11.6-inch Vaio, and the Dell XPS 12 (which I have) is 12.5" and works pretty well. In addition to working as a standalone separate computer if desired (including running your OS of choice in a VM), you can flip it into tablet mode in your orientation of choice, and share the keyboard and mouse from your MBP using Synergy or something similar.

    If you want it to work as an actual second monitor, this is somewhat more speculative, but might be worth experimenting with: build a dongle that tricks your MBP into thinking there's a second monitor attached with the resolution of your tablet, and configure it to run VNC as a server. Set up a full-screen VNC client on the tablet, and have it only view the (virtual) second monitor. There may be a more elegant way to attain this result, and I'd be interested as well.

  35. Re: This is retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But ironically there are no "laptop size" external monitors. The are all giant and thick and heavy. The guy is obviously looking for a Thunderbolt powered 15" display pulled right from another MacBook.
    Legitimately, this isn't a hard question, an external laptop spec screen (ie the same SIZE as right off the laptop) with USB power... But why is it so hard to find? The would be fragile as hell, because they aren't really ridged enough to support THEMSELVES in a backpack of books. Which is probably why nobody sells them.

  36. Lots of solutions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you an Apple dev of some kind? If not, why not just get a windows laptop? There are tons of laptops out there with high resolution and much larger displays. Off the top of my head, I know that Toshiba and MSI both offer laptops with screens over 17". Toshiba's Satellite line hits 17.3, and it's still pretty damn light. It's not insanely powerful, but then again neither is an MBP. Though I like both companies, I think in this particular situation, going with a windows machine might serve your needs a little better.

  37. DisplayLink ~$90 USB to HDMI/DVI 2048x1152 adapter by chadwickboggs · · Score: 2

    DisplayLink sells ~$90 USB to HDMI/DVI 2048x1152 adapters.

  38. No one suggested this, use 2 usb displays by Nyder · · Score: 1

    So a usb display doesn't have the resolution you want? Use 2 of them.

    Use 3, use 4. I don't care. Next time, think a little.

    --
    Be seeing you...
  39. iPad with AirDisplay by otuz · · Score: 1

    I've been using an iPad (2048x1536) with AirDisplay. It works just fine for your scenario. The frame rate is dependant on the connection speed, so it's not suitable for games and video, but there are other solutions for that.

    1. Re:iPad with AirDisplay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He already says in the summary that he is using AirDisplay.

    2. Re:iPad with AirDisplay by RulerOf · · Score: 1

      I tried the same thing and couldn't stand the awful performance---turns out the performance woes are caused by the virtual display adapter. Try Splashtop, and just force your computer to connect a second monitor to your existing video card. You can usually force it with Windows, but a simple resistor in a dvi adapter will work too as a dummy plug.

      Even at 2048x1536, I was able to watch movies, play 3D games, and more all as if it was connected locally. It's rather impressive, though it's a shame that Splashtop's Virtual Display product doesn't work this way... the only thing that isn't automated in my approach is the attach/detach, and Splashtop liked to fuck the display positioning, so I'd fix it manually. I ended up ditching the setup because I don't have more than one OEM iPad charger, and I haven't seen a non-OEM one that is wired properly for the iPad, so it'll die if I use anything other than the stock charger, and also because the app doesn't background... which meant I had to unfuck positioning every time I locked the device or got up from my desk to do something else and took it with me....

      I probably should have written them about it but I didn't care enough and attached a second monitor. If you use this daily, you might be interested though!

      --
      Boot Windows, Linux, and ESX over the network for free.
  40. so by Osgeld · · Score: 1

    you bought a laptop that doesnt suit your needs and now want to carry more crap to compensate it

    dude, large screen laptop would weigh the same as carrying around all that crap

  41. Re:This is retarded by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 1

    I want to know what a "co-working facility" is.

    Is it "secure"? Can't he store a monitor in each facility?

    --
    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
  42. Re:This is retarded by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 1

    I want to know what a "co-working facility" is. Is it "secure"? Can't he store a monitor in each facility?

    I agree it is an ambiguous term, technically I guess you could say a Starbucks qualifies...
    Reduce overhead but have nomadic, slightly vibrating employees.
    You know, a "if it's Thursday this must be Ben White Blvd" type of thing.
    Not saying that's what we are talking about in this case...

    --
    You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  43. Not USB-powered, but could work. by nakedhitman · · Score: 1

    Not USB-powered, but could work:
    http://www.amazon.com/Monitor2Go-15-6-HDMI-Portable-Monitor/dp/B00AYH7AIE

    It's 15", has a 1600x900 resolution, and does everything else perfectly. I doubt it would be hard to get one of those portable battery extenders to interface with it and make it untethered as well as portable. Something like this, perhaps? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NGLTZQ

  44. Has anyone considered a projector? by Cyfun · · Score: 2

    Aren't there all kinds of cheap 1080p projectors on the market? I got one from Costco a few years ago for about $900. Use it to play Xbox mostly, but somehow it's still working on the original bulb, and is still plenty bright when projecting onto a 9 foot wide screen.

    A projector is often smaller than a monitor, and your screen size is only limited by your available wall dimensions.

    --
    In Soviet Russia, dot slashes YOU!
    1. Re:Has anyone considered a projector? by Osgeld · · Score: 1

      900$ is cheap for 1080? you are a special kind of stupid

    2. Re:Has anyone considered a projector? by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Well, he is projecting a 9 foot wide screen. Even assuming that's diagonal, that's the equivalent of a 108 inch display. If you wanted an LCD panel that size, you'd be paying thousands, if they even exist. I think the largest consumer LCD I've seen is around 80 inches. So $900 for a 108 inch display isn't that bad at all.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  45. Re:This is retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, it isn't.

    Run your MBP-R in full-screen terminal, and you have a 2880x1800 resolution. You can make the text any size you want. It compares very well to a MBP17 in 1920x1200.

  46. Make your own case by dchamp · · Score: 1

    Get an inexpensive LCD screen (about $140 at Newegg), I have a slightly older version of this Asus 21" 1920 x 1080 LCD back-light monitor, works great and is fairly light weight:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100

    Make a case with some foam padding and cloth that won't scratch the screen. Maybe something like a Pelican case (the monitor above is about 15" x 20").

    Looks like there is a Hackerspace in Austin. Go visit them and maybe they will be able to help you hack something together.

    http://atxhs.org/wiki/Main_Page

  47. Connecting an iPad retina LCD to a PC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This might be of interest. Unfortunately it is not a finished product. Also, it is probably too small to use as a "desktop".

    http://emerythacks.blogspot.co.il/2013/04/connecting-ipad-retina-lcd-to-pc.html

  48. Re:This is retarded by SydShamino · · Score: 1

    May be I don't move my computer set-ups enough, but I don't get the issue this questions is trying to address. In the age of thin LCD monitors, the screens on my desk are thin, light, and require 2 cables--1 signal, 1 power. How would a "portable" monitor be different?

    How easily do your monitors fold flat with their stand and fit into a backpack? They don't? How well do your monitors withstand daily shock and vibration on a bicycle? Not well? How much do your monitors weigh? More than you'd want to carry in and out every day?

    The best bet for size/mass per image size is a projector.

    Unfortunately, I think you're correct. There's nothing better on the market than a projector.

    --
    It doesn't hurt to be nice.
  49. Re:This is retarded by SydShamino · · Score: 1

    Run your MBP-R in full-screen terminal, and you have a 2880x1800 resolution. You can make the text any size you want.

    So on your laptop, when you want 2880x1800 effective resolution and a 30 point font, does your monitor physically grow in size to accommodate the font? If it doesn't, then these statements do not compute. If you make the text larger, and all you have on your screen is text, then the effective resolution of the monitor is no better than what's been on the market for 10 years. That's exactly what the OP meant. I don't care how curvy the curves in my esses are when I'm writing code.

    --
    It doesn't hurt to be nice.
  50. 1920x1200 in 10.1", 600g by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TF700T tablet.
    Strictly speaking not a monitor, lower dpi than retina display, but still an extremely nice display.

    I've never tried to use it as a second screen, and neither do I dual-boot GNU/Linux on it, but I'm confident there are ways to (wifi + VNC for one, maybe through USB too ?).
    You'll probably want a stand, and I don't know if any exists.

    1. Re:1920x1200 in 10.1", 600g by Cederic · · Score: 1

      Yeah. Get the keyboard dock for it - even if you dont want the keyboard, it's got a spare battery and additional connectivity ports in it, including USB host.

  51. Re:This is retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stop being intentionally obtuse.

  52. Chromebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get a Chromebook Pixel then. 2560x1700, 12.85", 3.3 lbs.

    1. Re:Chromebook by cowdung · · Score: 1

      nice screen, lousy hard drive, not a lot of ram

  53. I don't believe you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    For the cost of the difference between business class and economy on most international flights you could outright purchase 2 27" monitors when you go there. Plus, if your presence is sufficiently valuable to be worth a business class flight then your employer should be more than happy to provide you with the screens. The only possible exception I can think of is if you need color calibrated displays, in which case you'd be better off carrying a 1kg calibrator instead.

    1. Re:I don't believe you by RockDoctor · · Score: 2

      For the cost of the difference between business class and economy on most international flights you could outright purchase 2 27" monitors when you go there.

      IF you could get them. Finding such equipment in a strange town in a country you don't know and in a language you don't speak more than a few words of, can take a significant chunk of your time.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  54. Re:This is retarded by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    I got the impression that it was more about the power requirement. Laptops run off batteries but most monitors don't. At best you can get a USB monitor, but only the small ones can actually run off the USB ports. Yes, ports with an 's', even the small ones need two.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  55. Re:This is retarded by bemymonkey · · Score: 2

    Why does everyone forget that you can use the native resolution of an rMBP with the addition of a simple 3rd-party app?

  56. Head Mounted Display by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have a look at MetaAR, or the OculusVR!

  57. Re:This is retarded by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He wanted high resolution, so if 22" is acceptable, a second hand IBM T221 would be an excellent choice for pixels/kg.

  58. Re:This is retarded by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

    Almost all monitors come with standard VESA mounting holes in the back. I would be extremely easy to make your own stand that did fold flat, or I'm sure there's 100 different ones for sale.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  59. Re:Retina MacBook + Retina iPad = 2x HighRes Scree by gl4ss · · Score: 1

    well, I assume the point of his question was to have something that's a real display without the lag, since he is already using an ipad with air display.

    there's kits now to attach those sceens as displayport monitors.

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  60. Thunderbolt adapters are your docking station by tepples · · Score: 1

    I can't figure out why [MacBook users would] want to lug around thunderbolt adapters and everything else to plug in multiple screens when they had a perfectly capable docking station with their Dell laptop previously. Why don't Macs have docking ports?

    The MacBook has a docking port. It's called Thunderbolt. What's the difference between a "docking station" and a "Thunderbolt adapter"?

    1. Re:Thunderbolt adapters are your docking station by nschubach · · Score: 1

      A docking station you just place your laptop on and you can control things like power, plug in multiple monitors, keyboard/mouse, headset, etc. All with one motion. With the current state of Apple devices you have to plug in about four things before you start working. It doesn't sound like a lot, but if you regularly attend meetings, plugging and unplugging throughout the day can get tedious. A docking station is much more convenient. I would agree that Thunderbolt in theory should be able to daisy chain multiple devices, but I do not believe their are any thunderbolt monitors with passthrough so you eat up one TB port (last time I checked, they only come with one and I do not believe there is a hub on the market yet.) This means one external monitor at the end of your chain... not two. On top of that, the cheapest TB "dock" that I've seen is $200+ and that's without the $50 cable.

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
  61. monitors2go appears to get close. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    While their monitors are not quite HD they are close and may fit your need.
    Www.mmt2g.com. look for their HD+ monitor. At $329 for a 15.6" display at 1600x900 not bad.

  62. Magnifying glass by tepples · · Score: 1

    Because the user would need a magnifying glass to read text that small.

    1. Re:Magnifying glass by bemymonkey · · Score: 1

      Nope, just decent vision. :)

    2. Re:Magnifying glass by tepples · · Score: 1

      Someone without decent vision can't just buy decent vision.

    3. Re:Magnifying glass by bemymonkey · · Score: 1

      Correct - that's something they'll have to live with. No need to ruin high-resolution displays for the rest of us though.

  63. Exceeding the eye's resolution is pointless by tepples · · Score: 1

    The amount of text that can fit on the screen is limited by the physical size of the display and the smallest physical size of text that the user can comfortably read. This remains true even as the display's resolution increases without bound because the eye's resolution cannot increase without bound in parallel. This means that for a given pair of eyes and a given monitor, there's a specific amount of text that will fit, and the only way to increase that is a physically larger monitor.

  64. Re:This is retarded by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

    The obvious question really is as to why he doesn't just work from home.

  65. Monitor2go by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm heading out on a year trip to Latin America and have similar requirements. What I have found is Monitor2Go HD+ which is 1600x900 in a 15" screen and folds like a laptop, it's a few pounds. it also doubles as a presentation display for an iPad. The other option that I considered, but ultimately is to big for my use is the 1080p AOC USB monitor which eliminates the need for a power brick.

    I'm planning to use the monitor2go with an iPad for a portable 3 monitor setup. Only thing I wish is that they would have 1080p, maybe next year.

    A third option is to see if there is good software on the Mac that would allow you to use a second laptop as a second monitor.

  66. Re:Depends. - projector by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get a portable projector!

    $500 for 1.8 lbs with SVGA, $850 for 2.5 lbs and WXGA
    http://www.projectorcentral.com/portable-computer-projectors.htm

    Resolution on these is not great, but perhaps you can find better?

    Display size is very large, weight and size is pretty small, price is high compared to a monitor, but low compared to a laptop.

    Other options to consider:
    Buy an old 17" laptop on eBay, use network screen sharing to run it as a second display. Bonus, can run off battery.
    Replace your MacBook with an iMac: 21.5" 1920x1080 and 12.5 lbs.

  67. Connect an iPad3 Display To Your MBP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have a look at http://dp2retina.rozsnyo.com/. A 10" addon display with 2048*1536 pixel. Works fine on a Mac.

  68. Re:This is retarded by dfghjk · · Score: 1

    Except they aren't portable and macs don't support them.

  69. Re:TWEET AOC ABOUT IT by Collin · · Score: 1

    I tweeted this to @AOCusa, so maybe if enough people get on their case about it, they will make a 1080P version: "@AOCusa Please make your 16" USB Display with a higher-res panel (1600x900 or 1080P). Great idea, but 1366x768 too low to add much value."

  70. I know this is late, but... by silenthorn · · Score: 1

    I just saw this article: http://blog.laptopmag.com/asus-mb168b-portable-monitor Looks like ASUS is coming out with a 2lb 15.6" 1080p monitor for ~$200. Comes with case that converts to stand, and monitor can be driven by a single USB 3.0 connection. Looks like a steal.

  71. Older but still by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Samsung LD220g. Smaller than the AOC 22" , it very well might be the smallest full HD monitor.