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If you thought the dual-screen laptop died with Microsoft’s Courier concept, then you have another thing coming. Computer giant Acer has just revealed the Iconia, a dual-screen laptop that can work as a multi-touch tablet. It’s a bit like Toshiba’s Libretto W105, to which a number of people have already compared it.
As for specs the Iconia is relatively tame for a laptop, but it’s definitely not some underpowered tablet with a mobile phone processor. It runs an Intel Core i5-480M processor (up to the 580M), 4GB DDR3 RAM, Intel integrated graphics, and packs up to 750GB of storage. The real hardware is in the displays though–it has two 14-inch 1366×768 panels that can handle multi-touch input. There is integrated 3G mobile brandband if you plan on taking this someplace out of range of its 802.11n WiFi. The OS is Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, in case you were wondering.
There is a full-sized virtual keyboard that appears on the lower half if you need to input text, but there is also a UI element known as the Acer Ring. This gives the user easy fingertips controls for popular functions, like getting to the keyboard, and doing other basics. There will be a reliance on gesture controls in order to be able to navigate the OS without relying on a hardware keyboard or mouse.
The main problem with running two 14-inch displays at once? You guessed it–battery life. The Iconia is said to be only good for three hours of usage. And at a bit over 6 pounds, don’t expect to see a larger battery hitting this computer any time soon. It’s also been pointed out that while the clamshell design allows for a lot of real estate, it’s not possible to fold the screens back around and give the user a single-page slate layout for reading.
US pricing information isn’t available yet though Tech Radar reports it will sell for £1499 ($2369), so it’s not looking like this will be cheap
