Three years ago, former Intel Chief Executive Officer Craig Barrett used his keynote speech at the Intel Developer Forum to show the company’s vision of what future laptops will look like.Called Newport, the notebook design had some cool features, including a small, secondary display on the outside of the case that let users scan their e-mails, access their calendar and check network connections. The idea was to give users access to information stored on the notebook while the case was closed.Secondary displays never caught on with laptop makers, largely because of the added software work required to support the interface. But that could be set to change with the introduction of Vista, the next version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system. ECS second display [1] “Microsoft, with Vista, has added some advanced capabilities that support multiple displays,” said Keith Kressin, Intel’s director of mobile platforms marketing, at the Computex exhibition in Taipei. Secondary displays won’t become a feature on mainstream notebooks anytime soon, Kressin said. “But I think for a certain market, it’s very compelling,” he said.After Newport was introduced, some notebook manufacturers built prototypes of notebooks that had secondary displays. While these never made it to market, manufacturers may revisit the idea once Vista, with its support for multiple notebook displays, is available. ECS second display [2] “We’ll have to wait and see,” Kressin said.Computex runs through June 10.-Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service (Beijing Bureau)This article is posted on our Microsoft Informer page. For more news on the Redmond, Wash.-based powerhouse, keep checking in.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by SAP When natural disasters strike Japan, Ōita University’s EDiSON is ready to act With the technology and assistance of SAP and Zynas Corporation, Ōita University built an emergency-response collaboration tool named EDiSON that helps the Japanese island of Kyushu detect and mitigate natural disasters. By Michael Kure, SAP Contributor Dec 07, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by BMC BMC on BMC: How the company enables IT observability with BMC Helix and AIOps The goals: transform an ocean of data and ultimately provide a stellar user experience and maximum value. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by BMC The data deluge: The need for IT Operations observability and strategies for achieving it BMC Helix brings thousands of data points together to create a holistic view of the health of a service. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business IT Skills Backup and Recovery Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe