When the new MacBooks were announced, I shared my skepticism regarding rumors that its trackpad would become a touch screen citing the impracticality of using the area for both cursor control and secondary controls. Fujitsu though has resolved that conflict by placing a 4″ touch screen between the keyboard and main display of its 16″ n7010 and Laptop seems mostly pleased with the results.
So perhaps there is potential for laptops with second screens, albeit serving a different purpose than Microsoft envisioned with SideShow. Or perhaps he Microsoft concept and Fujitsu implentation could be combined by having the touchscreen swivel 360 degrees so that it could be used as a secondary display/control pad when the laptop was open or as more of an independent quick read of PC information when it’s closed.
It seems, though, that cost is not what has been killing SideShow but rather that master of convergence the smartphone. Need instant access to e-mail, appointments, pictures and music when you’re PC is hibernating in its bag? Check check, check and check. And of course the smartphone also enables you to act on that information performig tasks such as replying to that e-mail.
i always liked the concept of SideShow better as a display detached from the PC such as a digital picture frame.