Compal shows two dual-screen laptops and a model with a tilting screen
The laptop manufacturer Compal has shown three new laptop designs. Two of them, the Duo360 and the Duo360 X, have two touch-sensitive screens with detachable keyboards. The third laptop, the PivoBook, has a tiltable screen with a landscape and portrait mode.
The Duo360 is a dual-screen laptop that comes with a detachable leather keyboard that doubles as a protective case. The laptop can work with two modes; as a laptop and in a Dual Screen Mode. In Laptop Mode, the keyboard is on the bottom screen and the laptop works as a ‘regular’ laptop.
In Dual Screen Mode, the keyboard folds under the bottom screen and both screens are visible and usable. The Duo360 can also be set up as a ‘tent’, where two people can use the device at the same time. The keyboard has a loop in which a stylus can be stored. The Duo360 is similar in design to the Microsoft Surface Neo.
The Duo360 X is a device with two 13.3″ screens, with the lower screen having a kickstand. This gives the user two upright screens, which are on top of each other. This has ergonomic advantages, according to Compal. the Duo360 X gets a detachable bluetooth keyboard, though it appears to be made of metal rather than leather, and the keyboard can be tucked between the two screens of the X.
The third Compal model is the PivoBook. This laptop has a 14″ full-HD OLED screen that can be tilted from landscape to portrait mode and vice versa. The screen does not have to be removed from the device for this, it also seems that the screen is not detachable. Compal says to have used an ‘ingenious’ hinge for this, although it is not clear exactly how this hinge works. According to Compal, the screen can be tilted with one hand.
The models were made public through the design prize IF World Design Guide Award, just like the Compal FullVision. This is a laptop with a sliding screen, which fits a second tablet screen next to it. Compal is an original device manufacturer that does not market laptops itself, but produces them for other laptop manufacturers who market these devices under their own brand name.