The Slim still has a 7-inch 800x480 display, but this one folds up into a clamshell shape when not in use. When in use, it can be positioned either vertically or horizontally (like the previous gen), and draws power solely from your USB port. It's not a bad idea if you need another small monitor, but if you have the money and space, you should go with a standard-sized monitor and save your eyesight. [Car Computer via Engadget]

The thing isn't exactly lightweight at 1.3 lbs, but it's nice and small, and displays 800x480 resolution. Since it's both driven and powered by USB 2.0, I can't imagine it's super fast on the refresh, either, but then again, it probably depends more on what else you have going on. My sense from reading the press release below is that it's PC only, but so are most of the cool USB-video products out there. No pricing yet, but stay tuned.

Original Watchmen image:

D-LINK INTRODUCES 'SIDESTAGE™', A USB-POWERED MONITOR FOR MULTI-TASKING PC USERS

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2009 - You've embraced interactive computing and your desktop proves it. All sorts of cool widgets, gadgets and programs keep you informed in real time.

The problem is, you also need to get some work done. D-Link, the end-to-end network solutions provider for consumers and business, has made it easy to move your desktop to a side monitor, freeing your main monitor for productivity with the introduction of the D-Link® SideStage™.

The Fountain Valley, Calif.-based company is introducing the SideStage, a 7-inch monitor designed for multi-tasking computer users who prefer to have their main screen for viewing Windows applications, and another smaller screen for extending their desktop to display instant messaging, watch videos, conduct video conferencing via webcams, display Yahoo® Widgets™ and Microsoft® Gadgets™, or house common tools from programs such as Adobe® PhotoShop®.

The SideStage is a stylish and compact USB 2.0-powered monitor with a 7-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) screen featuring 800 by 480 resolution with both landscape and portrait modes. Weighing only 1.34 pounds and housed in a sleek black frame, it is 7 inches wide, 4.6 inches tall and only ¾-inch thick.

It will be on display this week at CES 09 in the South Hall Meeting Room S218 of the Las Vegas Convention Center and by appointment at off-site demo hotel suites.

"This latest addition to our family of digital home solutions is designed to add productivity to PC users while providing a convenient and friendly way to view smaller applications," according to Steven Joe, president and CEO, D-Link Systems, Inc. "The SideStage solves the problem of needing a bit more screen space, providing quick access to commonly accessed applications hidden behind larger Windows on the desktop."

The SideStage is compatible with virtually all CRT and flat panel monitors, has standard and wide screen aspect ratios, 32-bit True Color depth for high-quality images and ultra low power consumption, consistent with the D-Link Green™ initiative.

Price and Availability

Pricing for the SideStage will be announced when the product ships later this year to D-Link's vast network of retail outlets.

The Price: $130 for UM-710, $170 for UM-730, $200 for UM-750.

The Verdict: Decent, but not phenomenal. Regular readers should know how much I love adding monitors onto my setup, so having a 7-inch, 800x480 display for widgets or chat windows or small, always-open apps is a great idea. Well, it is, but the implementation is slightly lacking.

The Mac support, after a good amount of back-and-forth with DisplayLink, works just fine. It's plug-and-play and can be detected automatically (and rearranged) using the built-in OS X system control panel. Even the webcam is usable, which is semi-notable because of OS X's finickiness at accepting webcams. The Windows support has no notable problems either, even under Vista, provided you install the correct drivers in the correct order.

What's lacking about all versions—no matter what webcams or touchscreen features are added on—is that 800x480 is really hard to read on a 7-inch screen. It's usable, but you don't want to stare at it all day. The 7 inches are suitable for your calendar, or your email alert window, or your Twitter client; something you want to keep visible but don't check all that often.

Touchscreen feature works alright, but is finicky under Windows, and the webcam isn't quite as good as the built-in iSight on our MacBook Pro. But it is a webcam, and you can have conversations with it.

So as long as you're using this as a second, third or fourth monitor, or are tight on desk space, or don't have a spare DVI/VGA output, it's not a bad solution. We love having extra display space for things you want to have access too quickly. However, For $130~$200, you could get a regular-sized monitor and use that instead, meaning only people who fall into the above categories should consider this product. [The Gadgeteers]