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June 28, 1999
Web posted at: 12:37 p.m. EDT (1637 GMT)

In this story: Big pictures, micro displays Magnifying the solution Portable keypads RELATED STORIES, SITES

by Tom Spring

NEW YORK (IDG) -- One hard-to-miss trend at PC Expo this year is the shrinking size of computers. If the trend continues -- and it will -- I shudder to contemplate the resulting eye strain, backaches, and hours squandered clumsily typing into computers no bigger than notepads.

Without some heavy-duty genetic engineering to give future generations tiny hands and eagle-eye vision, PCs won't get much easier to use before they get a whole lot smaller.

With that in mind, several companies at PC Expo were showing off new portable keyboards for palmtop devices, and futuristic headsets to help you see the big picture even if you're stuck with a tiny display.

Big pictures, micro displays

Daeyang E&C of South Korea was showing off its B2000, a bulky binocular head-mounted display that plugs into the 15-pin VGA monitor port found on laptops, mininotebooks, and some handheld PCs. The prototype on display at PC Expo was twice the size and weight of the finished product, set to ship early next year with a price tag under $800.

Peering into the headset, you see what appears to be a huge, flat monitor suspended in space. What you're actually viewing are two dime-size LCD monitors that sit an inch away from your eyes. Together they emulate a 50-inch, full-color, flicker-free monitor with 800-by-600 resolution.

The concept and technology have been around for years, but demand for products like this remains low because prices are so steep. Daeyang, however, says it has managed to bring manufacturing costs down far enough to make the product attractive to a wider audience.

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A competing product from Sony Electronics, the PC Glasstron Personal Video Headset, sells for $2599. Like the B2000, the Glasstron works with DVD players and a variety of video sources, but Sony's pitch is portability.

"As computers get smaller and smaller we believe the monitor is eventually going to move off the mobile computer," says Lloyd Klarke, business manager for Sony. He sees the Glasstron becoming a monitor replacement for an emerging class of wearable computers.

Right now most Glasstron buyers tell Klarke they use the headgear because they're worried that someone might pilfer secrets over their shoulder while they're using their laptop on a train or airplane. But he suspects that a good portion of those buyers are most interested in watching DVD movies or playing games.

Magnifying the solution

A more affordable option is available from eyewear expert Bausch & Lomb. The $295 PC Magnifier, which works with desktop PCs, is a low-tech device that places a huge magnifying glass between you and your monitor.

Bausch & Lomb says it is targeting aging Baby Boomers with worn-out eyes who have a hard time seeing their desktop monitor -- never mind a notebook display. The big oval magnifying glass makes your display 175 percent larger, turning a 15-inch monitor into a 40-inch monitor.

Portable keypads

An awkward keyboard -- or none at all -- has been the bane of users of palm-size computers for years.

Those who haven't wanted to master the art of point-and-tap typing have found the options few and hard to handle. Applications such as Graffiti, the handwriting-recognition program for the Palm organizer, have been tough to deal with when writing anything longer than a calendar entry.

For the frustrated, LandWare was demonstrating GoType, a portable keyboard that sells for $79. The 10-by-4-inch keyboard is large enough for touch-typing and comes with a cradle to plug your Palm into. No batteries are required for the keyboard, which won't weigh you down and is easy to tote around with your Palm.

LandWare was also showing a new model designed for the Palm V, the $89 GoType Pro. This version comes with a charger and serial-cable port connector for synching with a desktop PC.

For palm-size Windows CE devices, the pickings are slim. About the only player is Hewlett-Packard, which had a $79 keyboard that attaches to its palmtop Jornada device on display.