Having a second monitor hooked up to your laptop certainly can make life easier, although toting that monitor around and repeatedly setting it up would be a hassle. That's why MIT-backed startup Mobile Pixels created the slide-out Duo, which can be attached to the back of any laptop.
Users start by sticking four adhesive-backed magnets onto the back of their laptop, and then attach the Duo's ABS housing to those via corresponding magnets of its own. When the computer isn't in use, the Duo's 1080p 12.5-inch screen remains safely inside that housing.
Once it's time to get to work, though, the screen is simply slid out from the housing – to either the left or right of the laptop's screen, depending on how the housing is mounted – and then plugged into one of the computer's USB ports using an included cable.
Users can then adjust its angle for optimum viewing, or they can even flip it right back around on itself so that it's facing out from the back of the laptop. In this configuration, once it's set to mirror mode, both the user and someone sitting across from them will be able to see what's on the laptop's screen.
The Duo weighs 1.5 lb (680 g) and is Energy Star-rated, so hopefully it shouldn't draw too much power from the laptop's battery. It's compatible with the Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and Chrome operating systems.
If you're interested, it's the subject of a recently-launched Kickstarter campaign, that has already far exceeded its funding goal. You can get a Duo for a pledge of US$169, which is 25 percent off the planned retail price. Delivery is estimated for next January, assuming all goes according to plans.
It can be seen in use, in the video below.
Potential buyers might also want to check out the successfully-Kickstarted (but yet-to-be-shipped) Sliden'Joy, which is bulkier but houses two screens. Another somewhat-similar device, the DuoScreen, failed to meet its funding goal when it was on Kickstarter in 2014.
Sources: Mobile Pixels, Kickstarter