A year ago, an MIT-backed startup called Mobile Pixels launched crowdfunding efforts for a slick-on, slide-out second screen for laptops called Duo. Now the team is back with a similar setup, this time adding up to two screens per laptop.
Mobile Pixels ran two crowdfunding campaign for the Duo, with the Indiegogo jaunt attracting over US$1.2 million in pledges while the Kickstarter raised more than $860k. Renamed the Duex, the second screen attachment is now available for sale so the team has listened to customer feedback and gone for the triple with Trio.
As before, adhesive-backed magnets are stuck to the back of a laptop's lid. The frame of the Trio hosts magnets of its own so that an extra screen can be secured to the laptop.
Users can opt for a Duex-like setup with just one extra screen – which can be swiveled all the way around to mirror the main display for someone sitting opposite – or can grab two Trio monitors and make a three screen setup. Those two extra screens can be angled to suit personal preference, or rotated to form a display triangle. Or you could have one screen slide out of a Trio frame, and the other leaned against a kickstand in portrait orientation.
The 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) Trio is designed to work with 13-14-inch laptops and offers an additional 12.5 diagonal inches of 1080p screen real estate per monitor. The 1.8 lb (0.8 kg) Trio Pro is suited to bigger devices, and offer 14 diagonal inches of Full HD visuals per display. Each Trio display is powered by the USB port it's plugged into, with one cable serving both data and power needs.
Mobile Pixels has launched on Kickstarter to bring the Trio system to production. Pledges for one frame, one kickstand and one Trio 12.5-inch display start at $179, with a two monitor setup coming in at $349. The 14-inch Trio Pro starts at $199, or $389 for two. If all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in January 2020. The pitch video below has more.
Sources: Mobile Pixels, Kickstarter
