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The Asus Project Precog is a Pioneering Dual-Display Laptop, Due in 2019 (pcworld.com)

At Computex on Tuesday, Asus unveiled the Project Precog, a concept PC formed of two shimmering sheets of glass. PCWorld: It's a vision that appears to be real: Marcel Campos, senior director of PC and phone marketing for Asus, said the company hopes to ship Project Precog in 2019. Until then, we'll have to wonder what it will cost and what its exact features will be. Precog taps into what could be a resurgence of the two-screen design trend that briefly took hold with initiatives like Project Taichi, a dual-screen device Asus showed at Computex in 2012. Precog is much larger, though, and looks more like a traditional convertible laptop that can rotate from a clamshell through tent mode and into a tablet.

52 comments

  1. Why do they want us to not type? by spiritplumber · · Score: 2

    Oh right, keyboards are for content creators, touchscreens are for content consumers.

    --
    Liberty - Security - Laziness - Pick any two.
    1. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because A.I.s are doing all the work, silly! We just have to watch them.

      Hope the lower horizontal screen is cat claw and coffee hardened.

    2. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      If it was a fold out screen so I could have dual monitors in my hotel room I'd be interested. A touch keyboard... Sod off.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades!

    4. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I ilke how the keyboard sort of slides in there magically when they show it on its side. Magic!

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    5. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 0

      Why don't you click on the linked article and watch the video of the device?

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    6. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hope the lower horizontal screen is cat claw and coffee hardened.

      Cats I suppose I'll grant you, but how often are you spilling coffee on your regular laptop keyboard?

    7. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Come on, this is slashdot we're talking about. If reading the article is almost unheard of, then watching the video in said article is really pushing it.

    8. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Why don't you click on the linked article and watch the video of the device?

      He already nailed it, it would be a touch keyboard as it is just an image of a keyboard on a touch screen.

      Why don't you click on the linked article and watch the video of the device?

    9. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We're honored a content creator has come down from their rarefied air to walk among us peasants.
      Please do point us towards the content you create, so we might consume it.

    10. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Jamu · · Score: 1

      You can plug in a real keyboard and use that. Just rest it on the bottom screen where it's most convenient and... oh.

      --
      Who ordered that?
    11. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      Meh. Not news. Apple already did this with their touchbar.

      --
      No sig today...
    12. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      meh, Razer already did this also, before Apple. FOAD.

    13. Re:Why do they want us to not type? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      For the most part that is a true statement. (As I type on a mechanical switch keyboard)

      However if you are going to need the extra processing power of a laptop. Chances are you are going to be some sort of content creator.

      Touchscreens are fine, for mostly web browsing and short posts. most games casual games can be converted to a touch screen, more in depth games probably should have game controller.

      However if you are going to do some serious writing if you are a writer, or coding, or in general creating and altering a lot of data. A good keyboard is important.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    14. Re: Why do they want us to not type? by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      Somebody should invent USB keyboards!

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
  2. How is Apple not here first? by omnichad · · Score: 0

    Apple has already reduced their key travel to almost nothing. I'm surprised they didn't ditch the keyboard first. I'm sure this will also be painful to type on.

    1. Re:How is Apple not here first? by evileeyore · · Score: 2

      i personally love the key travel of the new macbook. I have a pok3r 3 on my home pc which i think is probably my favorite keyboard ever, but i really do enjoy typing on the new macbook keyboard as well.

    2. Re:How is Apple not here first? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      There is a bunch of things I don't get about Apple. They are still reluctant on touchscreens while nearly every manufacturer has one. Their keyboards which use to be on the same stage as Thinkpads have gotten gimmicky.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  3. Would be a perfect Hackintosh by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Or a linux box ... external blue tooth keyboard, which I already have, and there you go.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  4. DRM! by Zorro · · Score: 1

    They are plugging the "Keyboard Hole" for protection of copyrighted content.

    1. Re:DRM! by omnichad · · Score: 1

      If you look closer at photos, it does have a keyboard hole - no plugs in it (except maybe the power cord). In the form of a Thunderbolt / USB 3.1 port. That may also be the charging port, but it can be made to work if it's built to support the proper standards.

  5. Too much like a Dual Screen Gameboy by mykepredko · · Score: 1

    When I first saw the summary, I was hoping there would be a second screen which slid out from behind the first (and the two sliding so that they are centred over the keyboard), allowing for a wider viewing experience. If you're on a plane or other restricted area, leave the second screen behind the first.

    Personally, I find it easier to look side to side between windows on displays than up and down. I never found the dual screen Gameboy to be a great user experience (or better than what I got from a traditional console).

    Oh, and if you decide to take the idea above and create a product from it - remember you saw it here first.

    1. Re:Too much like a Dual Screen Gameboy by MyrddinBach · · Score: 1

      Lenovo had a laptop that did exactly that at one time - had a 2nd 10" screen that slid out from behind the main display screen.
      They don't make it anymore though as far as I know..
      https://www.wired.com/2009/01/...

  6. Should have WTFV before commenting by mykepredko · · Score: 2

    WTFV - Watched The Fucking Video

    Doing so, I did see the rendering of the unit on its side with a keyboard in between. Other than having to keep a separate keyboard, that's not too terrible.

    However, I still like the concept of a dual screen laptop where a secondary screen can slide out behind the primary one so that the system can expand to the space available.

    I guess I'm too much of the mindset that laptops are for meetings and coding requires at least two displays.

    1. Re:Should have WTFV before commenting by Zorro · · Score: 1

      As a foldable portable display it might work.

      But a laptop equivalent? No!

  7. All things old are new again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://www.cnet.com/products/acer-6120-dual-screen-touchbook/review/

  8. How does left+right screen Standup? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    When they are showing left page of code and right page graphics, the two screens are side-by-side and ANGLED backwards for better viewing with a non-connected keyboard in front. How do they screens not fall over?
    IF the side-by-side is flat, there is no way the edge of the unit will keep it standing up.

  9. Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's an interesting looking concept. I'm certain there is a market for such a thing. I mean touch interfaces seem to be getting better and better. But it's not for me.

    I worry about the durability. I generally end up with a crack on my phone within a year of owning it.
    I also worry about the simple tactical feedback that comes from using a real keyboard. I feel like adopting a purely touch interface would be immensely harder on the head than adopting the Microsoft Ribbon UI.

    but... if you connected a keyboard and mouse, there could be a tremendous amount of appeal. Maybe for graphic designers, 3d modelers, GIS or CAD techs? Maybe even virtual table top role playing?

  10. Razer Project Valerie by WhoBeDaPlaya · · Score: 1

    Far more interesting with 3 displays : https://www.razer.com/project-...

  11. Does it float? by jmcwork · · Score: 1

    Does it have to run while sitting in a shimmering white pool of milky liquid?

  12. Musicians have been asking for this for years by davide+marney · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Two high-dpi screens that can display sheet music has been on the wish-list for years and years. If the price is south of $1.5KUSD, I'd buy one.

    --
    "We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
  13. Virtual keyboard? Oh hell no! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    Nope nope nope, not enough nope in the Universe for this, no virtual keyboard, real keyboard only, kthxbye.

    1. Re:Virtual keyboard? Oh hell no! by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      The virtual keyboard where all the keys were 64x64 eInk displays looked awesome. Of course, they were also physical buttons with real travel, and the whole thing was prohibitively expensive.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    2. Re:Virtual keyboard? Oh hell no! by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      Depends on the use case.

      If I'm looking for the proverbial "one laptop for everything", I'd probably be fine with the option of having an on-screen keyboard in case I needed to jot off a quick message and don't want to unpack my keyboard (carried separately).

  14. 0th post! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .........

  15. Sorry to be pedantic, but... by Bearhouse · · Score: 1

    How is it "pioneering", if its been done before? As pointed out in the same post, dammit.

  16. Gradual Approach by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 2

    How is Apple not here first?

    They are taking a more piecemeal approach, removing the keyboard one row at a time. So far only the function keys are gone, next it will be the number keys' turn...

  17. Dual screen gaming phone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They also released an addon for their new gaming oriented phone thta gives it dual screens, though not sure if it's duplicated (and one screen is bigger) or actually acts like a second screen connected for things like controls or custom games.

    1. Re:Dual screen gaming phone by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      The second screen is a removable accessory for the Asus ROG Phone. Could be my next phone, especially if they release a landscape slider keyboard as an accessory...

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
  18. It would need... by Misagon · · Score: 2

    For this concept to work well, it would need screens with very good viewing angles and a good selection of ports on the front.

    Apple selected OLED for the touch bar on 2016+ MacBook "Pro"s specifically because it was expected to be viewed from a 45 degree angle. This is no different.

    In vertical "book" mode, you can't use ports on the bottom, and cables plugged into the top would be in the way and/or easily used to topple the device. The ports would have to be on the sides, and best would be near the bottom corners.

    And of course, it would need a built-in kickstand. None of the images I have been able to find show that the backs are anything but flat. The concepts at Computex are on acrylic stands.
    It goes without saying that the touch keyboard is completely useless. But a keyboard aficionado (like me) would want to plug in his home-made mechanical keyboard anyway.

    --
    "We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
    1. Re:It would need... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >his home-made mechanical k

      How so?

  19. bad idea whose time keeps coming by ooloorie · · Score: 1

    People keep coming up with this idea, and it keeps making no sense: you pay a premium for a second display surface that is mostly going to display an image of a keyboard but actually is much harder to type on than a real keyboard.

  20. 3 screens were announced in 2017 by acoustix · · Score: 1
    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
    1. Re:3 screens were announced in 2017 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gimme 4 screen or GTFO.

  21. Shouldn't it have three screens... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And know what you are going to do? Except sometimes it will forget some of the things you didn't do and get you in a heap of trouble?

  22. No physical keyboard by JustNiz · · Score: 1

    == no thanks.

  23. "Precog" by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

    Does it show the future on one of the screens?

    1. Re:"Precog" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but it can only show how you are going to die.

  24. The Anus project precock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is a Pioneering Testicles.

  25. Courier vibes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This reminds me of the legendary Microsoft Courier ...

  26. Pair this with a Surface style pen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would love to see this paired with a Surface style pen where I could read something on one side and take notes on the other. It would also work great for textbooks where having both pages visible is nice to have.