Recent days have seen the release of AOC's catchily-named E1649FWU display. Its name isn't important. What is important is that this is a portable 15.6 inch 16:9 LED display with a maximum resolution of 1366x768 at 60 Hz. Most impressive is that the e-fwoo (as I'm calling it) is solely USB 2.0-driven, which means a single cable, connected plug and play to your computer, for video signal and power.
AOC is pushing the portability hard. There doesn't seem to be any official word on the precise weight, but Gizmag gathers it's in the order of 2 pounds. It has a built in, rotatable stand for both landscape and portrait orientations. As an added draw, the display knows which way round it is and adjusts the picture accordingly. It draws a meager 8W of power so, although we think this will noticeably affect your laptop battery life, it shouldn't empty it before you can say "Powerpoint." All in, portability does not appear to be an idle boast.
Speaking of Powerpoint, AOC suggests that presentations could be a terrific use of the e-fwoo (no, I'm not backing down), and for once the marketing spiel may just be on to something. Thinking back to my dark, corporate past and the endless hours lost trying to get laptops talking to projectors, I reckon a salesman that had been able to whip out an e-fwoo would have walked out with an eight-figure business deal, just out of sheer gratitude. But I can envisage many more uses for this as a secondary display on my own desk, and it may be that flexibility, not portability, is the E164 ... the e-fwoo's best feature.
The final need-to-know specifications are these: The E1649FWU has a 5-millisecond response time, a 500:1 (50,000,000 dynamic) contrast ratio and a typical brightness in the order of 200 - 250 cd per meter squared. The display does not include built-in speakers, but since your computer likely does, it's probably a smart move on AOC's part on grounds of cost, weight and size.
AOC recommends retailers price the E1649FWU at US$139. We've seen USB-powered displays before, but AOC's offering strikes a compelling balance between performance and portability. You can see a video of the display in action on AOC's Facebook page.
