Does such a device exist?
I currently use a normal tablet for watching lectures + taking notes in splitscreen mode, but I've been thinking that this would be the ideal device for my workflow. Essentially a hinged, dual-pane tablet with stylus support – prefarably with Android. Does anyone know if something like this exists, or if there are any tablets that I can buy a second hinged screen for?
LOL the second I read it I was like "so you want a better Nintendo DS"
thicc af
Asus zenbook duo. Probably the best of this type.
This looks neat! A bit bigger than my tablet but I'll look into it
That looks so unstable, with just that small back rest holding the whole thing up. I'm sure it's better than it looks, but wow.
Its not nearly as Dinky as it looks in this picture. Its almost the entire width of the device. I got to play with it a bit and its actually super stable, its obviously not 100% rigid and personally I wouldnt use it like that because its a bit awkward. But its a really cool device.
Here's the store page with some more pics of it.
It's very stable. You can also stand it upright so you have the two screens side by side.
The keyboard also docks on the bottom screen so you can use it like a normal laptop as well. https://youtu.be/K6Cr73w8CJE
The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 is the only one I know that does that. Yes Microsoft makes Android devices.
Alternatively, two tablets and a little bit of duct-tape would also achieve a similar result.
When Red Green gets into consumer electronics...
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy
I thought about going down the two tablets route, but having to deal with two parallel OS instances would get very confusing.
Is it more confusing than dealing with splitscreen/dual screen android? Two distinct devices sounds easier to me honestly.
I can't comment about your ability of course, but it seems to me more like you're limiting yourself with this mindset. I'm not really sure how it is confusing to handle two devices, because one device is already so incredibly easy. Changing one incredibly easy one to two seems to still be incredibly easy.
Well, not anymore, they discontinued the Duo line.
Lenovo has the "yoga book" which is a dual screen laptop with stylus support but it's pretty expensive (discounted to $1599 on their website at the time of writing) although they look like they do offer a student discount
ASUS Zenbook Duo is a dual-screened laptop. It might be bigger than you are looking for, but it is exactly that form factor.
I’d look to see if your tablet could drive a USB-C monitor for the video/textbook screen. You can pick up pretty good 14” ones from HP and Dell for like $130.
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadx1/thinkpad-x1-fold/len101t0047 This & some window tiling
I connect an external monitor to my tablet. It’s not a portable setup though.
If you want it to run android, Surface Duo. I've used it that way all the time.
There are also display extenders for laptops or using TVs as wireless displays.
I have a Remarkable Paper Pro. I use it for notes, organization, reading books, etc. I love it.
The new Supernote is also a compelling option.
The ePaper display means I rarely have to worry about battery and the pen feeling is MILES better than any LCD I've ever tried.
My files all sync to my laptop and my phone, and it is way more comfortable to write on than a double screen device because I can have my 'pad' in letter orientation and my hand doesn't run into the screen which can happen on the double screen devices.
It's also fantastic for taking notes in meetings because I don't have a laptop between me and the others and I don't get distracted by notifications. It's also light enough to disappear into my bag next to my laptop.
I just switched from a remarkable 2 to the new Supernote manta. I like the feel of the remarkable pen/screen better but I prefer the software on the Supernote and the ceramic pen tip.
Yea, if the Supernote Manta had been available that is probably the way I would have gone. I'm really interested in their repairability/upgradeability angle. I've had a Framework laptop for ages that just grows with me. Less waste, less cost.
How is the Remarkable thing for those of us with... questionable handwriting?
I have objectively terrible handwriting, and I find taking written notes is far slower than just typing it out in OneNote/Joplin/what have you.
My handwriting isn't great but it's legible (by me at least). I'm old (40s)and still find it quicker to jot notes - especially when I need to add figures.
You could use a Samsung Tablet with Dex that supports the Samsung pen, and connect a portable monitor to it. There are decent portable monitors under $100, certainly enough for watching lectures. The two displays wouldn't be connected by a hinge but by a usb C cable. In return the display sizes and orientations wouldn't have to be the same. If the portable monitor doesn't support touch, I recommend throwing a bluetooth mouse into the mix to make navigation easier.
Edit: I could also confirm it working with an iPad (Air, M1) and said portable display. But iOS forces you to connect a bluetooth mouse and keyboard to be able to extend the display instead of mirroring it.
Now there's an idea! This sounds like the most affordable option, seeing as I'd be happy to keep my current tablet (which is a samsung) for the note taking.
LG v60 in phone form factor. They should have made a sequel and a tablet. Awesome device.
So, I thought I bought this... It's a kickstarter called the OKpad. Word of warning: it is not OK.Run screaming! The e-ink bit? No backlight, no rotation, no keyboard. The LCD bit? Meh. Takes a day and a half to charge, runs out in three or four hours. Runs out while plugged in! Four releases back on Android. So, yeah, OKpad sucks.
I read a review with 3.8/5 rating on a e-reader review website:
This means the device is essentially a hodgepodge of leftover parts glued together with some of the biggest bezels we’ve ever seen. The top tablet is pulled from the bottom of the bin, so it is maxed out at Android 10 and cannot be updated.
Cons
- Absolutely zero dual-screen applications
- Old tablet and old e-reader screen
- Stock Pen is terrible
- Only Supports Android 10
With a review like that they still give 3.8/5???? Sponsored much, huh? It should be 1/5
When it wouldn't charge, I assumed I had a defective unit, so I emailed them and got no response. Posted on the kickstarter page, nothing. Straight onto the "I'm never using this but can't bring myself to chuck it" shelf.
People, both users and reviewers, have skewed perception on reviews scores since a long time
I'm not sure how that happened
I really wish MS would have put these people in charge of shit. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFQWc79TYcU
You could put an external display on your tablet. Support is hit or miss, but possible.
There are some devices that do this, but as you've already noted, they're crazy expensive. There's cheap(er) ways to accomplish the same thing, though.
Assuming you don't need to do any heavy-duty computing on either screen, you could probably get away with a very cheap laptop for the primary display, and something like a Wacom display tablet for the touchscreen element. I'm not sure how compatible such touchscreen displays are with Chromebooks, but most Chromebooks easily have Linux installed on them, which I'd imagine has much better support. Or pretty much any low-spec Windows laptop would also work just fine.
You could probably get away with a decent setup like this for the $500-600 range. The tablet could rest over the keyboard of the laptop, or if you're clever with drafting and have access to a 3D printer, you could probably easily print yourself a mount of some sort to secure the touch display over the laptop keyboard to avoid pressing keys and give it a more intentional design. I don't know how well using an on-screen keyboard would feel, so something modular like this, where you could easily expose the real keyboard without too much fuss, may be a good route to take.
Would a laptop with a touchscreen not work for you?
The only ones I know about are the ones with folding displays.
A shame, those get very expensive.
You can make it right now, get two tablets and a piece of software called unified remote, done