Faster than you can say Eee PC, the auxiliary USB monitor range has exploded. They’re all about the same size and resolution and they work with PCs and some with Intel-based Macs. Here’s a quick (but not exhaustive) list of what’s currently available:
Buffalo 7″ USB Monitor – Definitely the quirkiest looking one in the bunch. The screen rotates 90�, it’s got 300cd/m� brightness with a resolution of 800 x 480. Priced at US$163.
Century Plus One LCD-800U – This is an 8″ monitor with a screen resolution of 800 x 600 and it uses a kickstand with 3 positions to help with viewing angles. It also has a unique feature with it’s DVI pass-through which I presume lets you plug in another monitor via DVI. US$171.
Century also make a 800 x 480 4.3 inch USB monitor , (pictured at the top) however it’s US$143 and doesn’t make a lot of sense price-wise.
Doublesight DS-70U – The “Smart” 7″ monitor from DoubleSight is a 16:10 monitor with 800 x 480 resolution. It’s fairly limber too, and you can adjust the height as well as the tilt, and you can remove it from the stand if you want to transport it. Priced around US$139 and there are also 9″ versions with 1024 x 600 resolution and with a webcam .
I-O Data 7″ – The I-O Data 7″ is a bit of a power miser, consuming a maximum of 2.9W however it only packs a brightness of 200cd/m�. It’s got a resolution of 800 x 480, an LED backlight and a price of US$165.
Mimo iMo 7″ – the confusingly named iMo from Mimo is the replacement for their original Mimo 710, one of the first auxiliary USB monitors. The iMo sports a ball-and-socket pivot stand that allows the screen to be rotated and tilted ad nauseum . The monitor can also be removed from the stand to sit on a flat surface via a kick stand. It has a 400:1 contrast ratio, 800 x 480 resolution and a power button integrated into the USB cable. Just hope you don’t lose it. US$129.99 from Mimo US.
Mimo 710s – is a folding version of the discontinued 710. It can be rotated into either orientation and folds flat with the screen against the base to protect it while in a bag. It has the same screen as the iMo but is lighter, weighing less than 0.5kg and is also available with a touchscreen. US$149.99
Samsung U70 – 7″ USB monitor, 800 x 480, 400:1 contrast ratio and rotates 90� with integrated kickstand. Prices vary but seem to be around US$120.
Tags: gadget, usb, auxiliary+monitors, usb+monitors, usb+external+monitors
Shame you can't use any of these as an external camera monitor – when they come up with something that will work that way, a whole new market will open up.