Both versions of the device have a magnesium alloy lid and frame and are 16.5 inches wide, one and seven-eighths of an inch thick, and 12 and five-eighths of an inch deep. The more expensive i7 version ($2,795) packs eight gigabytes of RAM and an Intel 740QM 1.73-gigahertz processor. The i5 version ($2,395) has four gigabytes of memory and a 560M 2.66-gigahertz processor.
Second Screen Powers Down
Both versions of the Spacebook, which looks like a mission-control center, have 1920x1080 HD LED displays. Plenty of storage space, too, with a 500GB hard drive. Using the second screen is optional, and it folds out when needed. gScreen isn't making any promises about the life of its six-cell lithium-ion battery, which will be strained by dual-screen use, although the second screen is powered off when not in use.
Pre-orders of the device (in North America only) require a 50 percent deposit that is refundable, minus a $50 processing fee. The company's web site says the units are in stock but not when they will ship. The pre-order prices represent a $300 discount for the i7 and $400 for the i5.
Anchorage-based gScreen's web site says it was founded in 2003 by Chief Designer Gordon Alan Stewart as an R&D company with a focus on developing dual-screen laptops for filmmakers, photographers, video and graphics designers, and CAD engineers. gScreen didn't respond to our e-mail request for comment in time for publication.
"In late 2003, my wife and I were planning a six-month-long working vacation in Hawaii as part of a tourism video that included traveling to every island," Stewart writes on the web site. "I realized one morning that I did not want to haul my desktop and extra monitors around to every hotel for editing with the Adobe suite. I started drawing pictures of my dual-screen laptop on a McDonald's napkin, and the rest is history."
Good for a DJ or Presenter
So in an age of powerful tablets, netbooks and MacBook Airs, can the Spacebook make a dent in the market?
"Let's see, they are heavier, more expensive, have horrid battery life, and are relatively fragile," said technology consultant and commentator Rob Enderle.
The machines could be useful to users who need portability but can still plug into outlets, he said.
"It could actually be ideal for a digital DJ, or for someone that had to bring up two large web pages at once (for security, maybe)," he said. "A public speaker could use it to show both the current and coming slide in full size. But as a laptop alone, it sucks, so it would need to be something else, something unique that can use both screens."
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