News - NEC Medias W dual screen Android phone demoed at MWC

[HEXUS]

NEC's smartphone offers some natty two screen features.

Read more.

[Kanoe]

Yes, it looks interesting but I think its a missed opportunity here with the black bar down the middle. If they could get the screens to the device edges it immediately makes it more useful and deserable. I think we could see more of these in the future as it offers a good way to balance portability with big screen size. (and you wouldnt look like a complete tit making a call on it)

[Spud1]

They should have learnt from this...

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/sony-t...p/tab/overview

The black bar in the middle is a killer for this, and the fact that the vast majority of apps don't work on both screens, leaving the second screen redundant for the most part unless using built in apps.
It's a lovely idea - I still really want a Sony P just as a toy..but I don't think it works that well in the real world.

What they need are the Samsung flexible OLED screens that they showed off last week - that will let you build a device like this without that nasty black bar..removing much of the complexity as then tis just a single screen that gets stretched/bent.

All that said, if you are going to release a device like this then Japan in the place to do it - this sort of crazy gadget is very popular over there

[martian_aphid]

plus I would have thought battery life would be a major issue on a device like this having to power 2 displays

[crossy]

Would any HEXUS readers be interested in buying a device like this?

I'm probably the wrong person to ask because the sheer unusualness of it appeals greatly. Downside is obviously going to be crappy battery life, since display seems to be a big consumer of the "juice". Although make it thick enough to hold a decent battery and that argument kind of disappears.

It's a good first attempt - but I can't help thinking that it'd be spectacular if they can get one of those edge-to-edge displays in there. Although even there you're surely going to have a visual discontinuity - unavoidable imho if you're using two screens rather than one folded one.

I particularly like the idea of that screen filling keyboard, although the possibility of reading emails/twitter on one screen while watching a video on the other also has some limited appeal.

[wasabi]

I'm just waiting for well made Android phone with physical keyboards to appear again.

[ed^chigliak]

2nd screen should be eInk. Needs a pen.