Bear Flag Republic Radio Weblog

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"Estari Inc., a leader in providing digital document management solution software, will bring to market the patented dual-screen laptop in the fourth quarter of 2002. Estariís 2-VUô product line will include an eBook, handheld, laptop and portable desktop models.

The laptop version will have two, full-sized 15î diagonal screens and a Microsoft Windows XP Operating SystemÆ, giving Estariís 2-VUô all the features of a laptop, paired with a reading experience that is superior to that of a PC or a dedicated electronic reader. The 2-VUô comes loaded with DocAble Organizer Professionalô, a digital document management software package that will organize and manage information in virtually any file format ñ whether the information is located on a single PC, network servers, the web or any removable media....

Unlike electronic tablets, the 2-VUô allows users to view two full-page files or documents simultaneously. Users can page through two books at once, or take handwritten notes in a notebook on one screen while paging through a book on the other screen.

The 2-VUô, which is based on technology licensed from the former Everybook EB Journal, is patented in the United States, Canada and Australia." [TwoMobile, via Daypop Top 40]

This is interesting because the Dualscreen 2-VU could become the basis for my idea about circulating local history ebooks/devices within a community (although it doesn't look like it does audio). It's 802.11b and Bluetooth compatible, and it has a USB port for connecting a keyboard. Both screens are touchscreens, it has a DVD drive, and a 20GB hard drive for plenty of storage. According to Estari's web site, the Wall Street Journal has this to say about it: "As the unit can hold a massive 1,000 books on each removable PC-card, youíre in for a lot of reading." More positive media reviews here.

I'd love to get my hands on one of these and test it for myself, but I can't find any pricing or availability info. At the TUG meeting today, Tom was joking that we should start an "ebook device ranch" similar to the Cadillac Ranch in Texas. Only time will tell if the Dualscreen 2-VU will join its ancestors, buried in the sand.

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