Was wondering when someone would finally do it. Rollable phones next, please?
Ever since the first foldable screens were announced in the 2010s, I've had this idea for a cylindrical tube-shaped phone. Tube contains the battery, cameras, buttons, and ports. Pull on a tab and the screen rolls out. Pull a little more, and now the screen is tablet-sized. Like unraveling a roll of film. I could see this design replacing foldables.
The only part I haven't figured out yet is how to make the screen rigid enough for use. Maybe using some sort of chain-link latching system?
Honest question. Why do you need a selfie camera on a laptop that's more than 2MP? I don't even think Teams/Zoom/Jitsi/etc can stream that much anyway.
Funny you should say that because Lenovo made a laptop with an e-ink screen (as graciously linked by someone else in this thread) about a year ago. But it never came to my market, and I suspect this rollable one won't either. I don't think they're serious about selling any of these, it's just marketing gimmicks.
I want a laptop with a trackpoint, keyboard with good (like Model M) key travel and resistance (and water resilience too), color e-ink display (preferably 5:4 or 4:3 screen ratio) with good refresh rate, everything removable, 5G modem, GPIO, additional SSD slot, good set and amount of interfaces (not an Apple fan), and - important - chassis and hinges not made of shit.
Just in case somebody from Lenovo is lurking here.
Imagine a laptop with a low-profile buckling spring keyboard... just click-clacking away in Starbucks, annoying everyone around you but you don't care because you have the greatest keyboard ever
A lot of current laptop designs are leaving free space around the battery so more AI can be poured in at a later date, through a dedicated nipple presumably.
The no gain part I'll argue against. Having two browser windows open and getting to see both would be really nice a ton of times. Or one browser and a document/pdf whatever.
Like having a Netflix show running up top while doing work on the bottom half. Or writing a paper while having reference material open and visible. Or simply just reading an article without having to scroll as often.
Usage wise, a tall screen would have tons of usage. I just wouldn't pay an extra $2,000+ for the privilage of it. I'd definitely pay like an extra 20% or so to have it, though.
I had thought when I posted that to put 'no justifiable gain' but did not for some reason, maybe it ruined the flow but with hindsight and as you and others have explained perhaps it should be there.
I wouldn't say no gain. I would love that real estate on my bedside stand I use with physical disability. I would not want the sub 17" form factor and keyboard though. I struggle to do anything super technical without a second screen which is a pain in the ass. I can't sit at a desktop and the ergonomics of a laptop are unbeatable in my situation.
It looks like when it's extended it adds a second screen. But it's vertical, one on top of the other. I feel like doing it horizontally would be more natural to use. Baby steps, I guess.
Two or more windows on top of each other. Have you never even put a monitor on its side to get more vertical space?
As a Dev that needs some communication with a team, documentation and potentially a video for entertainment whilst working. Monitors that are taller are great. The LG dual up is my holy grail right now.
Foldable phone screens have been around for 5 years, flexible screens longer than that. The tech has been around and ready there's just not heavy adoption yet.
I've had two Thinkpads ~15 years and neither had hinges break. The first died due to water damage (the water protection can only do so much), and the second has been with me for almost 7 years now. Both were carried around in backpacks, dropped a few times (current one has a chip from falling off the counter onto a hard floor too many times), and the current one has been abused by young children (slamming the lid, standing on it, etc).
If you're buying a Lenovo laptop that's not a Thinkpad, I don't know what to tell you, that's on you.
How does that work on the software side? I guess you can only slide it out fully, will that part be black while it comes up and then your display automatically changes resolution?
Adaptive screen resolution? Maybe like how phones can auto rotate the image? But less annoying hopefully. Sounds like a future feature if this type of thing takes off.
Edit: Whatching the demo in the article, it looks like they're adding a screen when it's extended. Like having another monitor.
Same. A lot of people in here are definitely not the target market. Taller screens are always better for coding. I also think for just general multitasking too. You can have secondary windows up top of on the bottom but you can make the main thing your working on biggest than what it would be on a standard 16:9/10 monitor which is great.
It could have been so simple: the display on a roll with a spring and a sensor to keep track and rescale the resolution accordingly. You pull at the top to extend the display to x2 and more and be done. Maybe add a scissor at the back to keep the foil without wrinkles. It would have been old-Lenovo-style sturdy instead of the plaything with a motor that breaks after 2 years.