D-Link SideStage: Hands-On and Video

Sure, there’s nothing novel about attaching a secondary monitor to your laptop. But while in the past people opted for larger displays so that they could magnify the smallish text on their notebook display, lately we’ve seen a lot of ancillary displays that are smaller than notebook screens. These are instead meant to house IM conversations, movie clips, or other programs while you use your main screen to work full screen.

In a way, the D-Link SideStage announced on Tuesday, attempts to combine the best of both worlds. Unlike the Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds, which has a 10.6-inch slide-out display, or the Fujitsu LifeBook N7010, which has a 4-inch touch panel, the SideStage is a standalone display. In fact, the 7-inch screen, which stands atop a stand, looks like a shrunken LCD monitor. And yet, at 1.3 pounds it’s more portable. The fact that users can simply connect it via USB makes it even more so.

In our hands-on, we noticed a few pros and cons. Starting with the positive, the piano black finish makes it an attractive desktop companion. And the 7-inch (800 x 480) screen looked bright and sharp, even with a movie playing. And, again, the fact that users can connect it via USB is appealing. On the other hand, as small as the SideStage is, it’s just large and heavy enough that we can’t really see ourselves toting it around. Then again, this wouldn’t be the first time we recommended a gadget that could be portable, but shouldn’t necessarily be (look no further than the 11-pound W700ds).

Check out our hands-on video to get a better sense of what we’re talking about and while we’re at it, sound off in our poll.