MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.
Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1471136
As we’ve all grown accustomed to the power and flexibility that laptops have provided, there are a few things we have sacrificed along the way. One of those is screen real estate. Our pursuit of smaller, thinner, lighter computers often means our screens get smaller and smaller. Thankfully, we’ve appeared to enter the era of portable second screens. The SideTrak Swivel, for instance, latches right on to the back of your laptop with magnets to provide a lightweight, second screen and granting you a full-blown workstation at the coffee house, on the road, at your hotel, or anywhere else you decide to work. The SideTrak Swivel is a 1080 by 1920 resolution TFT panel available in 12.5” and 14” formats. It has everything you need to extend your laptop display to a whole other screen, or mirror your display for on-the-go presentations. While it’s not the most frequent use case, it sure is nice not to have colleagues leaning over your shoulder to share something on your screen! When you don’t have the Swivel positioned to share with someone else, it can be used in landscape mode or portrait mode. It also has a built-in kickstand, so if you’d rather not have the screen attached to your own monitor, it can stand on its own. The neat stand design is incorporated right into the hinge, so there is no need to pack any additional mounts or accessories. That hinge features four powerful magnets that latch on to a metal plate that is attached to the back of your laptop (each Swivel comes with two plates, already equipped with the necessary adhesive tape). When traveling, the Swivel’s screen is positioned facing your laptop to protect the panel, and it quickly unfolds when needed. It reminds me of handheld camera screens before we threw those all away in favor of just taking pictures with our phones. If you’re trying to stay slim and trim, this magnetic design lets you leave the Swivel at home if you want, with almost no added bulk to your laptop. The only other piece of the equation that’s needed is a single USB-C to USB-C cord to both power your SideTrak Swivel and to pass data through. Appreciably, the end that attaches to the Swivel itself has an elbow design to cut down on cord clutter. If your laptop doesn’t have a supported USB-C port, SideTrak is nice enough to include a USB-A adapter (for power) and an HDMI cord (for the display signal) out of the box. So, with a quick flip of the screen and a single cord, you’ve now doubled your laptop screen space. It’s that simple. The 60 Hz refresh rate, 16:9 aspect ratio, and 300 nit screen make the Swivel great for catching a movie on the side, extending your spreadsheet, having a dedicated chat window, or any other function you’d use a secondary monitor for. The SideTrak Swivel will truly open up your options for where you can work effectively, without sacrificing your second screen productivity. For more information, visit: www.sidetrak.com