I got an interesting call yesterday from Belgium-based Slidenjoy co-founder, Charlee Jeunehomme, regarding his highly successful Kickstarter campaign, the first one in Belgium on Kickstarter, according to him. In fact, the crowdfunding service just launched a month ago in that country, and the Slidenjoy portable monitor campaign rose over $420,000 in just 8 days!
Since we started Ubergizmo, ten years ago, we were always looking for additional portable monitors to purchase because we travel a lot to cover international conferences, and we always miss our 3-monitor setup (30-inch, and two 20-inch) from the office. We have seen some products in the past, the last one I remember checking out in person is the HP U160, however, none of them seemed convenient enough for travellers like us, specifically in regard of their weight.
Read the full article after the jump to know why Slidenjoy (also written SlideN’Joy) is uber-cool.
How it works?
A unique patented sliding and rotating system for collaborative use
What sets Slidenjoy apart from other portable monitors for laptops, is its patented sliding and rotating system based on a custom aluminum hinge that is manufactured in Switzerland. Basically you clip the central piece of the triptych behind your laptop, then you slide the two display panels on both sides, and you can rotate them around your laptop (see pictures ).
When Slidenjoy is slided back to its initial state, it is very convenient to carry around, and in case your laptop is a bit old and you are concerned that the back cover will not it properly, you can always use it as a stand alone double monitor.
The 180 degree rotating hinge enables an innovative user experience, never seen before. As described by Slidenjoy’s co-founder, the device has been designed to serve three main purposes:
- To gain productivity by adding screen real estate when you work by yourself
- For sharing information during meetings by allowing easy 180 degree rotation
- To work collaboratively when the device is positioned in a triangle shape (see photo).
Ultralight for ultimate portability
The killer feature is the super light weight, according to co-founder Jeunehomme, each panels will weigh between 50 to 100 grams, depending of the screen size selected among the three options: 13-inch, 15-inch or 17-inch.
The central plate, made of ABS plastic covered with a 1mm layer of different finishes, will be pretty light as well. The total weight should be no more than 400 grams (0.88 lbs), according to the company.
In comparison, the latest 14-inch portable USB monitor from HP, the EliteDisplay S140u, weighs 2.25 lbs (1020 grams), and you only get one additional monitor! But make no mistake, when we saw the HP solution for the first time, we were delighted by the product, since the stand is very convenient and can be wrapped around the display for protection during travelling.
Other competitive products that feature only one portable display panel are heavier. For example, you can check the Asus MB168B+ 15.6-inch Full HD USB portable monitor, which has a net weight of 1.76 lbs (798 grams) without the case.
The Toshiba 14-inch USB Mobile monitor weighs (1,366×768) 1027 grams including the case, and the Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421 14-inch Wide Flat Panel Monitor weighs 1.8lbs (840 grams).
Product Design and Hardware
The product design is very clever, featuring a patented hinge system that allows to slide the two panels in and out the central plate made of ABS plastic. The device can be clipped using magnetic material on the back (check it on the Kickstarter page) or as a standalone external double monitor.
From the videos and the photos of the prototype on the Kickstarter page, the built quality is very decent for a prototype of such an innovative product. The Slidenjoy team told me that what you see is not exactly the final product, however it is “very close”. For instance, the ABS-made central panel is now betewwen 1.6cm and 1.7 cm thin, and it will be 1.5 cm in the final product.
Interestingly, the Slidenjoy is manufactured in Charleroi, Belgium, with the panel displays coming from China, and the hinges are made in Switzerland.
Display
Slidenjoy features two IPS LCD panels compatible with both Mac OS and Windows, and is available in Full HD (1920×1080) in three sizes: 13-inch, 15-inch or 17-inch.
Display quality is the key feature to look at when purchasing a monitor, and it is nearly impossible to evaluate this from a video or from the product photos.
We know that we can see a decent image on those monitors from the demo video, and since the key benefits we are looking for are ultra-portability and innovative user experience for collaborative work, the later outweigh the risks that backers/customers may take on the quality.
Connectivity
Just like other mobile monitors, Slidenjoy is powered via one USB 3.0 cable and in case you have an older laptop, you can use a regular USB cable with two connectors to plug into the two ports available on your computer.
Materials
Surprising for a first product, there is a broad range of material options, from a rigid high-quality plastic available in multiple colors (red, tile, green, purple, blue, yellow, orange, black) to leather, alcantara and aluminum for the premium products. Finally, the limited editions are available only to 500 people, in carbon fiber or full grain leather.
Pricing and availability
The first units will be shipped to backers around December 2015. The two panel version starts at 299 euros ($330) with regular finish options, and the single panel starts at 199 euros ($220) with regular finish in any color available. The premium twin panels versions in premium materials are priced at 449 euros ($496) and the limited editions will cost 749 euros or $ 827.
The innovators
Slidenjoy started about five months ago, in Charleroi, Belgium, when co-founders Laurent Wery, Charlee Jeunehomme and Thomas Castro were brainstorming for another project and needed to share information while looking their laptop. They thought about a better solution to share and discuss information with a laptop.
Key features
- Display: IPS LCD full HD (1920×1080)
- Display: size: one or two display panel 13-inch, 15-inch or 17-inch
- Weight: each display panel weigh between 50 to 100 grams depending on the size
- Total weight: with two panels 400 grams
- Powered by one USB 3.0 cable
- Regular Finish choices: high quality rigid plastic in red, tile, green, purple, blue, yellow, orange, black
- Premium Finish choices: leather, alcantara and aluminum
- Limited Ediion Finish choices: carbon fiber, full grain leather
Filed in . Read more about Crowdfunding, Kickstarter, Lcd Monitor and Monitor.