[HN Gopher] Dual-screen laptops make more sense with this spiral...
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Dual-screen laptops make more sense with this spiral notebook-like
hinge
Author : LorenDB
Score : 63 points
Date : 2024-08-24 13:33 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (arstechnica.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (arstechnica.com)
| mkl wrote:
| Neat form factor, but no stylus support when you fold it down
| with a screen out? Students would love that. I'm pretty dubious
| of the longevity of such a complex looking mechanical hinge
| though.
|
| Here's the official page:
| https://acemagic.com/products/acemagic-360-horizontal-dual-s....
| Video demos some neat screen-mirroring to both sides when folded
| all the way back, so two people can talk face to face but both
| see what's on the screen.
| okasaki wrote:
| I would rather have one 4:3 display than two 16:9 displays
| awkwardly stacked.
| waynesonfire wrote:
| I miss 4:3 as well.
| adastra22 wrote:
| Framework has you covered.
| okasaki wrote:
| Framework is 4:2.666.
| amlib wrote:
| Weird way of saying 3:2 but ok...
| okasaki wrote:
| The point is that it's not 4:3.
| walterbell wrote:
| Apple Silicon iPad + Magic Keyboard is 4:3.
|
| Apple could put MacOS on the same hardware and sell it as a new
| product, if their goal was to make money.
| okasaki wrote:
| Yes. ThinkPad X1 Fold is also 4:3.
|
| Kind of niche devices both though, and expensive.
| nouripenny wrote:
| On MacOS, you can install whatever you want. On iPadOS,
| Apple's the rentier middleman with the App Store.
|
| If the iPad could run MacOS, I'd search for a lightweight
| stand (like Roost or Nexstand K1), and use my own keyboard.
| Closer to ultralight computing. For a 2nd monitor, I'd use
| another iPad with Sidecar.
| ndsipa_pomu wrote:
| I just recently bought a dual-screened laptop with 10.95 inch
| screens: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007494713654.html
|
| I bought it mainly out of curiosity (and I needed a newer laptop)
| and am now having fun trying to configure Linux on it. Got Ubuntu
| running well on it, but KDE doesn't seem to have any touchscreen
| calibration tools, so for the moment, I'm ignoring them and just
| using a trackball instead.
|
| It came with Windows 11 on it, but I half expected it to have
| some custom software to use one screen as a touch keyboard, but
| it was just the standard Microsoft software. I considered dual
| booting it, but there's really only one or two things that I ever
| use Windows for (e.g. CheckPoint firewall configuration).
|
| Edit: Forgot to mention that there's an issue with the Bluetooth
| keyboards if you want to use full Luks encryption with Linux -
| you really need a USB keyboard (I've also set a power on password
| which also requires a USB keyboard).
|
| From my limited tinkering with the touchscreens, they both
| present as ID_MODEL_ID=abcd and ID_VENDOR_ID=1234.
| rowanG077 wrote:
| Wow that looks like an amazing product TBH. If I wouldn't have
| a new laptop I would try it out.
| ndsipa_pomu wrote:
| Yeah, I got it with the (Bluetooth) keyboard stand but
| without the stylus as I never use one (I've got a collection
| of about 5 unused styluses from other devices). I'm still in
| the process of setting it up, but I'm pleased with the
| performance for web browsing (I got the 32GB ram with 2TB
| disk model) and the build quality is great. Delivery was
| surprisingly quick - 5 days after ordering to the UK.
| seltzered_ wrote:
| You may want to talk to who-t or others if you have an interest
| in touchscreen calibration tools, or possibly try kde under
| x11: https://who-t.blogspot.com/2024/06/?m=0
| ndsipa_pomu wrote:
| Thanks - I'll see if I can find some tips there. Currently,
| I've got the screens rotated correctly (for me - both
| landscape) and the bottom screen recognises touches but in
| the wrong place and orientation. The standard KDE touchscreen
| and touchpad controls don't recognise that there's any device
| attached.
| dylan604 wrote:
| "But if you know AceMagic, it's probably because of their Mini
| PCs--or because of the malware that was discovered inside of some
| of its Mini PCs (AceMagic has responded to this)."
|
| Oh good grief. This is exactly the type of thing that fuels my
| desire to never buy any of these unknown brands. Confirmation
| bias or whatever you want to call it, but all of these fly by
| night brands you find online like Amazon just have my spidey
| senses tingling every time I see them. Especially with their
| suspiciously low prices, I'm always wondering how they'll have me
| paying for it in the long run.
| avhon1 wrote:
| The known brands aren't much better. The Lenovo and Sony
| rootkits come to mind.
| nox101 wrote:
| That seems unusable on a plane? Yea, you can use it in tablet
| mode but you can't work unless you extend the monitor out of your
| seat area right?
| 3np wrote:
| Not if you fly business (or even whatever couch+ thing the
| airline has) I guess
| SAI_Peregrinus wrote:
| The second screen can fold all the way around, making it a
| single (thick) screen with knyboard.
| sigio wrote:
| Looks like impossible to use it with just the one screen, as you
| are then looking at the back of the display. Don't think this is
| gonna be a great success. The other 'folding'/double display
| laptops seem to have a more practical layout.
| throwaway22032 wrote:
| The second screen flips all the way to the back like a tablet
| conversion laptop.
|
| I suppose you'd have to make sure it was turned off to not be
| broadcasting your screen to the world.
| Medox wrote:
| The perfect laptop for interviews and 1:1 meetings!
|
| - Just look at the back of my laptop instead of the
| projection/TV.
|
| - You want to see more? Sure, let me tilt it. Now I see less.
| Perfection!
| 3np wrote:
| I've also seen external (touch) monitors that come attached with
| a hinge to fit on normal laptop for similar effect. It seems very
| attractive but so far been a bit sceptic about the real-life
| experience to try one out.
| seltzered_ wrote:
| Regarding 'spiral note-book-like hinge', I'm surprised they
| didn't mention the "watchband hinge" which older lenovo Yoga
| models had from 2012-2018.
|
| Personally, I havent understood this design and think it may be
| better to reuse an old tablet if one really needs a second
| screen.
| TiredOfLife wrote:
| It's ars. You don't go to ars to read factual or technically
| accurate information, same with the Onion.
| thomastjeffery wrote:
| This would be really nice if you put them both in portrait
| orientation. The only time I want landscape is when I am watching
| video content, and I don't need a keyboard for that.
| axegon_ wrote:
| I've been rocking an Asus zenbook duo(first gen from like 2020)
| for a few years now. Well... Since 2020. It has to be said, in
| the case of the zenbook, there's a lot of compromise in terms of
| user experience. The small screen is useful on the go but I do
| use a desktop computer 95% of the time. I'm ignoring the fact
| that the linux drivers are a bit of a pain in the ass. The bigger
| problem is the fact that although you gain some additional screen
| area, the keyboard is a bit awkward but nowhere nearly as awkward
| as the trackpad. It is practically unusable so you need to carry
| around a mouse with you.
|
| Setting those things aside, I have mixed feelings about adding
| more hinges to laptops. In my experience the hinges have always
| been the Achilles' heel of laptops. Also any additional screen
| adds up a fair bit of weight which seems trivial until you end up
| stranded on an airport for 20 hours and have to figure out how to
| take a nap on the bench while your stuff is secure(looking at my
| dumb younger self who decided to buy a 17 inch Sony laptop at the
| end of my first year in university). And the extra screen means
| your battery life will suffer. I mean yeah, I have 4 monitors on
| my workstation and when it comes to work, they actually make
| sense: one for a terminal and logging, one for actual code, one
| for documentation and one to manage chats and music. But when it
| comes to laptops... I'm not so sure anymore.
| dspillett wrote:
| _> I 'm ignoring the fact that the linux drivers are a bit of a
| pain in the ass._
|
| I find it reassuring to know said drivers exist at all. I have
| a Duo, and at some point in the future want to sack off
| Windows, I've not got around to checking Duo compatibility with
| Linux.
|
| ----
|
| [1] neither my desktop nor "spare laptop that goes out with me
| where it might get (more) damaged so I don't want to take the
| good one" are going to see an upgrade to Win11 (the Duo came
| with 11 and couldn't switch).
| axegon_ wrote:
| Well I'm the one that patched the driver for the bottom
| display brightness control for kernel >= 5.8. There's a good
| community around these laptops so long term suffering is
| pretty unlikely :P
| fragmede wrote:
| with folding screens now possible, my fantasy device is a
| transformers-ish laptop that has a large height, where the laptop
| screen and keyboard folds into thirds so it's closer to a
| cube/rectangular prism than a flat square plate.
| cmiller1 wrote:
| And phones could fold into the dimensions of a cigarette pack
| so I can roll it up in my shirt sleeve.
| fragmede wrote:
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is basically that.
| adrianmonk wrote:
| It's clever, but the ergonomics seem bad. Laptop screens are
| already vertically too low, requiring you to awkwardly tilt your
| head down. With this, you have to also turn your head pretty far
| to the side. Hello neck pain.
| nemomarx wrote:
| If you use this, you should set the laptop up on a stand or at
| least an adjustable height desk and use an external keyboard.
| With two screens it's not very mobile already so no sense using
| the built in kb too much
| adrianmonk wrote:
| If it's only useful when docked, then just using an external
| monitor seems better. Yes, you have to buy the external
| monitor, but presumably this dual-screen laptop costs more
| than a normal laptop too.
| LorenDB wrote:
| I'm still waiting for somebody to make a version of Razer's
| Project Valerie.
|
| https://www.razer.com/concepts/project-valerie
| alexisread wrote:
| Not really my cup of tea, would prefer the GPD Duo when it
| launches. https://gpd.hk/gpdduotechspecs That's a proper
| workstation, only thing I don't know is if the sdcard slot is
| fully recessed.
|
| Nice to have the second screen as an input monitor as well.
| skeeter2020 wrote:
| Feels like if you want (need?) dual screens you've transcended
| the laptop and would be better served with a docking/desktop
| setup. I struggle to think of situations where I need the extra
| real estate (and have the space & power) that's not one of 2
| fixed locations.
| chx wrote:
| I have two PackedPixels and when I was still running around
| with a 14" laptop , it was great to have a little extra screen
| real estate without needing a backpack large enough to house a
| 16" laptop. Which is what I use now. With much regret I sold my
| ThinkPad 25 because the hardware is no longer adequate and I am
| using the ThinkPad X1 Gen 4 for the time being, I will upgrade
| next year again. Luckily the Greenroom136 Rainmaker M can house
| the X1E4 if barely while still being personal item sized.
| excalibur wrote:
| This seems to be designed for left-handed people. To use this
| like a desktop you need enough space on the left of the laptop
| for the second screen and enough on the right for your mouse.
| Something like this with the second screen on the right would
| provide more utility in cramped spaces (for the majority).
| epoxia wrote:
| It "makes more sense" to use a tablet as a second display when
| you need it. You just have to set up a headless display and use
| moonlight/sunshine. But then again, I couldn't tell you how to
| set up a headless display in Windows, in X11 it's 3 commands to
| set up and 2 to toggle on/off.
| hennell wrote:
| Indeed, I use my android tablet as a second screen for a
| Windows laptop and love it. No idea about headless displays
| though, I found the app superDisplay so just connect via usb
| cable and it all works like magic.
|
| I've actually got a little clip thing that attaches the tablet
| to the side of my laptop screen so I can dual screen easier.
| Setup also works for watching Netflix on a tablet while using
| the laptop on a bed or couch... Only downside is the tablet
| pulls charge from the laptop so you get less battery life
| especially if the tablet isn't fully charged to start.
| pipeline_peak wrote:
| These Asian companies get too cocky with screens that flip bend
| extend and twist.
|
| Laptops are pretty set in stone. Call me a fanboy but if Apple or
| Dell didn't try it 20 years ago, it probably wasnt a good idea.
|
| I'd rather broaden my choices to all the single screen laptops
| and just get one of those portable monitors.
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