Samsung Syncmaster 2040UX and 940UX: USB monitors
Samsung has unveiled a pair of monitors that hook up to the PC via USB -- and you can connect up to six simultaneously
One of the coolest things we've seen at CeBIT has to be the Samsung Syncmaster Ubisync 2040UX. It's a 20-inch monitor that, get this, can connect to your PC via USB. USB, we tell you!
The monitor has special software built into it, which can interpret the signals given out by your PC as pictures. Up to six Ubisync 2040UX monitors can be connected simultaneously, and you don't even need a graphics card. If you do use a graphics card, an additional two monitors (2040UX or otherwise) can be connected via D-Sub or DVI, to give you a total of eight.
Each can be connected to its own USB port, or they can be daisy-chained to a single port. We've not tried it for long enough to be sure which method is best, but whichever way you look at it, USB only provides 480Mbps of bandwidth so there will be drawbacks. Samsung says you won't be able to play 3D games, but low bitrate MPEG movies should run fine.
Picture quality is pretty good -- it runs at a native resolution of 1,600x1,200 pixels, has a 2ms response time and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. It's also available in a 19-inch variant known as the Syncmaster Ubisync 940UX.
The models will go on sale from the 19 May for £479 and £349 respectively. We want them so bad. -RR