14 DAY TRIAL // At last year's CeBIT, ASUS showcased what looked like a dual-display laptop concept that did away with the keyboard, relying solely on touch input. However, touch technology was not as advanced last year as it is now, which is likely the reason why ASUS has not been able, so far, to find a practical implementation for that device. Now, however, after a year's worth of technological advancements, MSI is showcasing a similar idea at the Hanover expo, although its product roadmap is just as vague as ASUS' was in 2009.
We have already managed to score some close-up shots of MSI's GT660 high-performance gaming notebook, the company's Hydra 200-enabled Big Bang Fusion motherboard and its 3D all-in-one desktop PC. With the short-term now covered, the company was able to look somewhat farther into the future of mobile computing.
Basically, Micro-Star international has set up a nice exhibition of dual-display mobile PCs in multiple color themes. Dual display, in this case, does not refer to configurations that put two screens side by side in order to enlarge the workspace. Instead, the second display is built where the keyboard and touchpad usually lie. This means that MSI aims to eventually do away with the keyboard and touchpad entirely, relying solely on multitouch input.
The concept of dual-screen laptops could be seen as a preview of what all portable computers might eventually look like. Of course, the PC maker will somehow have to solve the problem of deteriorating touch films and use a more efficient backlighting technology in order to allow a decent battery life. Still, one cannot argue that the idea is, at the very least, interesting.
It remains to be seen whether the future of computing will inevitably bring about the death of keyboards, although, even if this eventually occurs, it will likely not be in the near future.
Live report by Traian Teglet from CeBIT 2010 in Hanover, Germany.
