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General discussion

laptop w/ monitor switched between portrait & landscape

by azell Oct 16, 2009 10:02AM PDT

While there are laptop/tablet combinations, when it used as a tablet, the keyboard cannot be used. Is there, or why isn't there, a laptop made so that the screen can be moved 90 degrees to make it easier to do text that can be seen as a full page i.e. brochure, letter, etc.

Or, is there a way to remove the screen/lid from landscape, extend the wiring so it could be placed in portrait positon?

Or, is there a 15" laptop monitor that could be wired to used with a UMPC such as the Book mini XP or the Viliv S5? (these would call for a travel keyboard)

Discussion is locked

4 Posts
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Second that.
by 21118826526094447552400713125677-21118826526094447 Oct 24, 2009 5:13AM PDT

I'd love a medium sized notebook (e.g. 15" screen) that somehow allowed the screen to be viewed in landscape mode.

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screen flip...
by dlinux Oct 31, 2009 11:21PM PDT

I could, in my old Dell Inspiron 1501 (15.4" screen) use the ATI graphics control center software to flip the screen into portrait mode. The laptop weighed about 8LBs though, so this was of VERY limited use. Plus, it was nearly impossible to control the mouse when you did this. Once, I had to resort to using voice commands to flip the screen back!

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higher res screen...
by dlinux Oct 31, 2009 11:18PM PDT

That would be difficult to do, so I guess they just put higher res screens instead. I'm not sure there would be much demand for such a tablet either. Though, I just thought of an idea, maybe if they could have the screen flip around (like a regular tablet), then have a mini pull-out keyboard on the side for just such a purpose. THAT would be cool!

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laptop with portrait monitor
by azell Nov 2, 2009 7:54AM PST

Qwavel & d_adams. Flybook has something close as the lid/monitor is on an arm that raises it up to a higher level . . more like a desktop monitor would be. However, they don't make it so that it can be rotated physically. Grrrrrrrrr.

Motion Computing has one that can has a keyboard/docking station but it is expensive and heavier that I would like with the keyboard.

I'm told a laptop with a 17" monitor will show a full-page (with open space on both sides) that is about 80% size of a full page. Plus it is very expensive.

What will be interesting to see as the Plastic Logic full page eNewspaper (Que by AT&T) that can be rotated between portrait and landscape position comes out to see how long it will take laptop makers to see that seeing a full page of text on a laptop will have a large marketplace.

We've been stuck with the landscape monitor going back to CRTubes and the computer industry is married to it. Now with HD, they think that this is what everyone wants. Yet, I'd say that the majority of creative work done on a computer or laptop is text . . . and people read text as they would any printed page. The other place that may force the issue is that most magazines (some are already) and newspapers will be on-line, they too are read in portrait format.

This may also affect the web as sites are designed in landscape but viewed in portrait. When sites get designed in portrait and not landscape, it may make the web a more effective marketint and communications tool.

My quest for a laptop with a portrait monitor is because 99% of all of my "creative" work is word processing and having a portrait monitor would save me time and I would not have to print out hard copy to see the finished product.

Alan
Alan J. Zell, Ambassador of Selling, Attitudes for Selling
azell@aol.com http://www.sellingselling.com

You are invited to suggest to your associates, acquaintances, family, friends, customers/clients to read the business articles on our web site to learn why they, like you and I, have something to sell.

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