The Viewsonic Airpanel approximates the dumb screen I was describing above. It is probably the one NatCh saw. You can read about it
on Viewsonic's site. This site was last modified on Saturday, June 09, 2007 10:46:15 PM, so this must be something they are currently selling.
This device has a touchscreen. There are also cursor controls on the right of the screen. Those wishing to view PDFs will find them cramped into the 10.4" screen, though that might be OK for you if your eyes are good.
The reviewer had difficulty setting up the Airpanel as a remote monitor. Part of the problem is that Viewsonic is trying to do everything except make toast with this device. It could be much simpler. There should be a wizard that accepts the WiFi and VNC parameters. This product is more properly classified as a MID (Mobile Internet Device). As such it is a nice product, but pricier than some.
This review gives a price of $995. Yike!
Here is another review.
It operates in portrait or landscape mode. Apparently the 10.4" display will do 600x800 resolution. It runs Windows CE, so it is more than a dumb screen. It supports a PCMCIA slot and Compact Flash. It has audio too. This is closer to a tablet PC than to a dumb screen. You must add your own WiFi card.
Processor 206MHz Intel® StrongARM™
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® CE .NET
Memory: Flash 32MB
Memory: SDRAM 128MB
Graphics Media-Q MQ200 Graphics Controller, 2MB
Display Memory, 128bit 2D Graphics
Video Resolution/ 800x600 in landscape mode
Built-in LCD Display 600x800 in portrait mode
Video Resolution/ 640x480 at 60Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz
External Display 800x600 at 60Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz
1024x768 at 60Hz, 75Hz, 85Hz
Display High Luminance SVGA 10" TFT LCD Display
Touch Panel Resistive Touch Screen
Expansion Slots One Type II PC Card/One Type II CompactFlash™
Audio 18bit A / D stereo, 48KHz sampling rate,
built-in microphone and one speaker
System Ports Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, microphone and audio-out jack,
cradle 16-pin connector, mini-VGA port
One-Touch Access Buttons Jog dial, toggle, four-way directional, enter
Wireless Connectivity Wi-Fi® enabled**
Battery Rechargeable 1800 mAh Lithium Ion Battery Pack
AC Adapter 90–264V AC 50/60Hz; 19.5V DC Output Voltage; 2.0A 40W Power Output
Dimensions 13.81" x 8.0" x 0.5" (W x H x D); 350mm x 203mm x 13mm (W x H x D)
Weight 2.5 lbs/1.1 kg
Warranty 1-year limited warranty on parts and labor
Conclusion:
I think most of the utility of this device can be provided for far less money using a dumb screen running VNC over WiFi. The Pepper Pad 3 provides MID functionality at less cost, though with less screen resolution. C'mon somebody, build a cheap dumb screen!