14 DAY TRIAL // USB monitors aren't the sort of products that come out on a regular basis, so whenever one shows up, the world can be sure the press will not take too long a time to acknowledge its presence.
The one releasing such a product now is ASUS. Said product is called MB168 and only needs one USB 3.0 connection to work.
That means that the 5 Gbps bandwidth of a single port is enough to deliver lag- and stutter-free video, and the power delivered over the connection is sufficient to keep the display running.
In any other occasion, the monitor might need an AC adapter, or a second USB port for extra power.
Anyway, the MB168 Series Portable USB-powered Monitor has a diagonal of 15.6 inches.
That doesn't exactly make it large enough to qualify as a replacement for the screens of normal notebooks, let alone high-end mobile systems.
It does mean it can add a new dimension to ultrabooks though, and really any laptop with a smaller screen size than that.
Also, while it won't make a good screen replacement for better notebooks, it may very well become a good means of extending the desktop when working on something, or multitasking.
The MB168 has a thickness of 8 mm and weighs just 800 grams / 1.76 pounds, give or take. ASUS feels this makes it the world's slimmest and lightest companion display, and perfect for simple dual-monitor set-ups and presentations.
The resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels wins it points, as does the power draw of 5W (0W in standby mode) and the durable metallic finish with a pattern of concentric circles.
Then there's the ASUS EzLink technology, which offloads graphics processing from the PC to dedicated hardware in the monitor. A PC/notebook can drive up to five MB168 Series monitors at the same time because of it, regardless of its own graphics capability. Only USB ports are needed.
Furthermore, the LED backlight and lack of mercury makes the MB168 greener than other displays.
Finally, the product ships with a protective carry case (doubles as an adjustable stand for tabletop use). Prices weren't given, but there will be an expensive and a cheap version (with HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels).