BenQ unveils the Joybook Q41 SideShow-equipped laptop

There's not a big pack of SideShow laptops out there, but BenQ's leapt to the front with the 14.1-inch Joybook Q41, which adds Skype support to Microsoft's under-utilized auxiliary display tech. In addition to the usual RSS, email, and media controls, you can make and receive Skype calls from the 2.5-inch SideShow screen without having to open and fully boot the machine, which runs an unspecified Core 2 Duo. No word on pricing or availability, but honestly -- isn't it time we saw way more SideShow-equipped machines?

[Via Laptops Blog]

[Affe @ Dec 21st 2007 1:33PM]

"a unspecified Core 2 Duo"

Should that not be "an"?

[Flashpoint @ Dec 21st 2007 1:37PM]

That is REALLY a nice case design.

Maybe in 2 years Apple will do the same to its iBOOK and everyone will hail it as "inventive, ingenuitive and innovative"...and worst of all..."original"

[Halfmad @ Dec 21st 2007 2:12PM]

only Apple do anything innovative, even if it's been done many times before by smaller companies - I couldn't agree more.

It's a nice design, slightly pointless and therefor perfect for Apple and Microsoft to rip off mercilessly.

[Blank @ Dec 21st 2007 2:42PM]

I doubt would Microsoft rip it off. It's their tech.

[lassi @ Dec 22nd 2007 5:49AM]

doesn't add that much to usability though.. in all fairness, you're not likely to use a 14 inch lappy as a to-go mp3 player, maybe as a dvd player or such attached to something else, like tv, but then you'd have tv as the display. And since it's on the backside of the screen you can't use it to view email etc activity while watching a movie or playing a game.

and booting from a state where it can run skype to a fully booted state can't take more than a sec or two. if it ran skype while detached, then yes, useful.

[Evan @ Dec 21st 2007 1:38PM]

Um, I think a more "complete" picture of the laptop, as opposed to just the SideShow integration.

[vpr @ Dec 22nd 2007 6:22AM]

http://www.slashgear.com/benq-joybook-q41-is-a-sideshow-freak-219159.php

more pictures there.

[Superevil @ Dec 21st 2007 2:22PM]

Exactly which part of the laptop am I looking at?

[silverblackvoid @ Dec 21st 2007 3:03PM]

cant be the bottom, obviously the top

[Michael @ Dec 21st 2007 3:50PM]

This is a top view of the computer, with the hinge at the bottom of the picture.

[thetinguy @ Dec 21st 2007 9:58PM]

The side.

[silverblackvoid @ Dec 21st 2007 3:02PM]

want

[Xin @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:12AM]

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=5&l2=75&l3=157&l4=0&model=1531&modelmenu=1
-Cough-