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Digitimes is reporting that sources close to Asus say that the notebook producer may be rolling out double screen notebook PCs as early as Q1 of 2009. A prototype of the two paneled device (pictured) was displayed at Computex this year with production models expected to feature panels of less then 12 inches.

Two panel notebooks are intended to take advantage of the enhanced touch screen and multitouch support planned for Windows 7. However,  the proper beta version of the new Windows OS is not due (according to the last word I heard) until December 08, with a release expected sometime mid to late 2009. In that case, this could very easily be a notebook released a year before it’s OS. It is hard to imagine people paying the likely steep price for such a device while it is running Vista, which is not only unpopular with consumers but also would not be able to fully support the hardware. I doubt a coupon for a free install of Windows 7 “when it comes out” will be viewed as a big sales advantage.

However, the always interesting Mike Elgan featured the two screen design (originally kicked around the tech blogs as the proposed OLPC Mark II) as what he viewed as the future of notebooks in his Computerworld blog last June. He defined the usage models for such a device as follows:

1. Tablet mode. Snap the laptop open and flat, and the two screens work together as one giant touch screen.

2. Laptop mode. Open the virtual keyboard, which appears full-size on the bottom touch screen, and use like a regular clamshell laptop.

3. Book mode. Open an e-Book and hold it sideways like an open book. One page appears on the left screen and the next page appears on the right. Touch the corner to turn the page.

4. Two-person mode. Open it flat again like Tablet mode, but click a button to make one screen orient itself for one user and the other toward you.

Personally I am excited about this form, in that I could easily see the lower panel being able to switch depending upon what sort of Human Interface Device is called for. Virtual keyboard, autocad drawing panel, giant trackpad, specialized gaming controls, what have you…just the concept opens up a world of possibilities. As for this Asus device being released well ahead of Windows 7, that sounds like the kiss of death to me, and may even go so far as to poison the well for future products of a similar design.

I hope that Asus exercises caution in releasing what could be their proof that the Eee was not a fluke if they played their cards right…or a disastrous failure if bungled.

Zealot (469 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

By day a department manager and writer for a major network device vendor...by night Zealot stalks the mean magnetic streets, striking fear into the hearts of bandwidth abusers and theme park mascots. Zealot has been involved with mobile devices for more than a decade now, starting off with dumb phones, moving to PDAs and then to smartphones, notebooks and netbooks with the odd PMP thrown in. Most of his mobile time currently is spent on a Treo Pro, Zune HD, Thinkpad T61, Gigabyte M912M or a Hackintoshed Compaq Mini 704. He proudly groks the Geek community and considers himself a Neo Maxi Zune Dweebie (thanks Will Wheaton!).