You can only get so many configurations of a certain form factor before people start to lose interest. Witness the recent lapse in Asus’ Eee900 sales forecast, probably due to the multitude of Eee PC types coming out (and its competitors of course). So it wouldn’t be far off the mark to say that new form factors will generate an appreciable amount of interest and in some cases, controversy.

                                               This rendering of V12's laptop makes the keyboard look virtual - which it actually is.

In any case, either of these is a plus for the product, as both generate coverage for the product. And coverage in the case of the V12 Design’s concept dual screen laptop is huge, in many definitions of the word. “Dual screen” in this case means that this laptop does not have a traditional keyboard / trackpad / palm rest area, but instead offers up two same-size LCDs on both sides of the hinge. Stood on one end, it resembles a small, open broadsheet newspaper, or an especially thick and large scrathpad. The possibilities of this configuration seem quite huge, limited only by how well you can read small text or how bothered you are by the hinge in the middle.

                                             Only when you open the laptop will you notice something quite different.

Possible uses could include a super-sized work space for layout, image editing and the such, a large display space for images and browsing, and since one side (or maybe both – no specs have been finalized) are touch sensitive – the laptop acts essentially like a portable “Surface”-type device, one that will be able to use the same applications as the full-size Surface. This includes picture manipulation through hand gestures, map and picture scrolling, 3d representations of common actions like move – and – paste, and lots of fingerprints.

                                             Different configurations are possible, limited only by software and your imagination.

Fingerprints are the least of its possible drawbacks however – as typical haptic and feedback programming hasn’t progressed very far, typing on a virtual, “non-interactive” (no clicking, pressure or recoil) keyboard will be a somewhat steep learning experience for most people. Another concern is the potential for repetitive strain injury, a common ailment for keyboard-bound workers, even more so for something that gives no feedback when typing on it. This of course is dependent on the advance of haptic technology – hopefully a properly configured virtual keyboard will have good-enough haptic support to prevent disorientation for regular keyboard users.

                                              The best configuration in my opinion.

Putting aside the cons, anyone can see how desirable such a device can be outside of true “paperscreens” or holographic displays already in development. Combine them with a virtual input device like the infrared keyboard or a gesture-based input device, and it seals the deal as far as I’m concerned. Hopefully it’s going to be as slim as a Mac Air and as powerful as a Voodoo Envy as well. Hey, one can dream, right?

                                               The ultimate design has yet been finalized, but cues like this "create" button give a distinct artist's touch.