Adding a second screen to one’s laptop computer can come in extremely handy, whether working at home, an office or on the road. After all, it cuts down significantly on the need to toggle back and forth between multiple windows on a PC to find necessary information.
Cinq is a portable, 13.3-inch HD (1600 x 900) monitor that connects via USB to a laptop or Intel-based tablet such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro. It mounts to the laptop in two steps: the user applies a clear vinyl Lid Rail Skin to the laptop lid, and then attaches the Lid Rail using a clamp.
The user just has to slide the clamp on and off each time Cinq is attached and detached. Cinq is expected to ship in February at $299, although early Kickstarter backers can get one at $179. A Cinq Pro version adds an integrated 1-TB storage drive at $100 more. Its maker set a goal of raising $150,000 by Nov. 5.
There have been several similar products, including Packed Pixels and Slidenjoy. Cinq’s maker says that factors setting his product apart from rivals include its unique, patented universal laptop lid attachment. But the two main factors –- just how easy it is to attach the monitor to the screen and the quality of the monitor including its resolution –- are impossible to judge from the campaign video alone.