Onkyo announced a notebook computer sporting two 10.1-inch displays, for a total work area of 2732 x 768 pixels. The DX offers an AMD Athlon MV-40 processor, a touchpad and optical pointing device, up to 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard disk drive, according to the company.
According to Onkyo, one of the DX's displays may be used singly, for a 1388 x 768 work area, while the other one slides out from behind it, creating a 2732 x 768 workspace. If the idea seems familiar, that's because the device appears to be a rebadge of Kohjinsha's DZ, which was announced last week.
Onkyo's dual-screen DX (Click to enlarge)
Apart from a new label and color scheme, however, the Onkyo version steps up to higher-resolution displays -- Kohjinsha's DZ had two 1024 x 600 panels. The Onkyo product appears to omit the DZ's "1seg" TV tuner, useful only in Japan, and includes 320GB of hard disk storage instead. Those who want to export one of the devices from its homeland should consider these good tradeoffs, particularly since Onyko's notebook costs little more than Kohjinsha's.
As shown in the video (featuring the Kohjinsha version) at the end of our story, the DX's displays also turn around 180 degrees, allowing a desktop-style keyboard and mouse to be used with the resulting setup. The bezel on the right-hand display features an optical pointing device that supplements the device's standard touchpad and mouse buttons, according to Onkyo.
OUR VERDICT: Onkyo's variant seems to be the way to go, if you're bold enough to use one of these contraptions in public
Apart from these niceties, the DX has relatively standard ingredients, including an Athlon MV-40 processor, presumably with AMD's RS780 northbridge and SB710 southbridge. Onkyo says the system comes with 2GB of RAM but is expandable to 4GB via two SODIMM slots. Mass storage, as noted, is provided by a 320GB, 5400rpm hard disk drive, the company adds.
Like most netbooks and notebooks, the DX features a gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/n wireless networking, and Bluetooth 2.1. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel webcam, thee USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, plus card readers that accept SD, MMC, or microSD formats, according to Onkyo.
According to Onkyo, the DX runs the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, and can run for approximately 3.7 hours using its 5200mAh battery pack (Kohjinsha quoted 4.5 hours for its DZ, so the higher-resolution displays are apparently detrimental to battery life). Power consumption for the notebook is said to range from a "normal" 31 Watts to a "maximum" 65 Watts, the latter presumably involving the use of both displays.
Features and specifications listed by Onkyo for the DX include:
Processor -- AMD Athlon MV-40 clocked at 1.6GHz
Memory -- From 2GB to 4GB of RAM via two SODIMM slots
Displays -- 2 x 10.1-inch screens, each with 1366 x 768 resolution
Camera -- 1.3 megapixel webcam
Storage -- 320GB, 5400rpm hard disk drive
Expansion -- SD/MMC and microSD slots
Networking:
LAN -- Gigabit Ethernet
WLAN -- 802.11b/g/n wireless networking
PAN -- Bluetooth 2.1
Other I/O:
3 x USB 2.0
1 x VGA
Headphone jack and microphone input
Battery type/life -- 5200mAh battery lasts up to 3.7 hours
Dimensions -- 11 x 8.26 x 1.65 inches (280 x 210 x 42mm)
Weight -- 4.05 pounds (1.84kg)
A promotional video showing off Kohjinsha's DZ, a lower-resolution version of the Onkyo DX Source: Kohjinsha(click to play)
Further information
Onkyo's DX appears to be available now in Japan, priced at 84,800 Japanese Yen (about $966). More information may be found on the Oknyo website, here.
