Toshiba debuts 14-inch USB-powered LCD monitor

By Geoff Duncan March 23, 2011

Notebook computers may have revolutionized the way most people think about computing, but if there’s one thing desktop systems still have going for them, it’s screen real estate. Desktop systems can support substantially larger monitors than a typical notebook—after all, there’s a desk to put it on, and it doesn’t have to fit in a bag! Moreover, many desktop systems these days support multiple monitor setups, and numerous industry studies have demonstrated the productivity benefits of multiple-display configurations.

Toshiba 14-inch USB Mobile LCD Monitor — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Now, Toshiba is taking an interesting stab at letting notebook users tap into this world—without losing too much portability. Toshiba has just announced its new 14-inch USB Mobile LCD Monitor, a portable 14-inch secondary display that can be hooked up to most notebook computers. And part of the appeal is that the monitor can run off USB power, so there’s no need to carry around an extra power brick for your additional screen real estate.

“The Mobile Monitor allows traveling businesspeople and students to conduct on-the-spot presentations and share content without the need for a bulky projector or having to crowd around a laptop screen,” said Toshiba America Information Systems director of accessory marketing Paul Collas, in a statement.

The 14-inch USB Mobile LCD Monitor gets its video via USB, so no separate VGA, HDMI, DVI, or DisplayPort output (or cable!) is required. The display measures 14 inches diagonally and sports a native resolution of 1,366 by 768 pixels, a 400:1 contrast ratio, a 16 ms response time, and up to 220 nits (cd/m²) of brightness. Although the unit supports only 256,000 colors (so it’s not going to be a good choice for high-end content creation of video editing), the unit offers dedicated power and brightness controls, is less than one inch thick, and weighs just 2.8 pounds. Toshiba offers a separate AC adapter if folks are really keen to power the unit separately (and thus get the highest possible brightness).

The 14-inch USB Mobile LCD monitor is compatible with systems running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 computer that have USB ports, and it’s available now for a suggested price of $199.99.

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

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