Capsule Review: GeChic's On-Lap 1302 Laptop Monitor
by Dustin Sklavos on April 15, 2012 12:00 AM ESTPerformance and Screen Quality
What GeChic hasn't changed is the panel used in the On-Lap 1302; both the 1301 and 1302 list the same panel model, which is detected as "MTC6655." Once again we have a 13.3", 1366x768 TN panel that they again rate for 200 nits and 500:1 contrast. For the most part GeChic is honest about the remaining specifications, though, listing very limited viewing angles and 262,000 colors.
I measured that the 1302's backlight does seem to have improved on the 1301, interestingly enough. Where the 1301 at maximum brightness only rated 142 nits, the 1302 goes up to 186 nits. The flipside is that the increase in backlight intensity has resulted in a corresponding increase in black levels; the 1301's black level was measured at 0.7 nits while the 1302's measures at 1.19 nits. Our net result is a marginal improvement in contrast, going up to a still middling 156:1 and well short of the 500:1 contrast quoted.
Color gamut and delta-E remain essentially unchanged, which is expected given it's the same panel used in the 1301 and near identical backlighting.
Given the increased backlight intensity, it stands to reason the GeChic On-Lap 1302 might also be a bigger strain on the battery. Since I didn't have the Acer TravelMate I used in the previous review on hand anymore, I opted to test it with the HP Folio 13 I have in house. In our internet usage test, the Folio 13 lasts for 425 minutes before going into hibernation. With the On-Lap 1302 connected, set to its maximum brightness (its default), and configured to mirror the Folio 13's internal display, the Folio 13's running time was reduced to just 236 minutes. That's still a cut under four hours, and you can definitely eke more battery life out of the 1302 by reducing the brightness.
It's pretty clear the increased default brightness of the 1302 can take its toll on running time, but given the otherwise identical configuration, you should be able to adjust it to the point where the hit is more manageable. Still, we're talking about driving an entire second display off of the notebook's battery when the internal display was already one of the biggest power hogs in the system.
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dicobalt - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
1366x768Dustin Sklavos - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
Are you kidding me? Did you not see what this was? Do you understand that driving a high resolution screen increases power consumption?dicobalt - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
It's just that I can't imagine someone using this in a place where you can't plug in the laptop anyway *shrug*This Guy - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
And how much power does a spec USB socket provide? 2.5W?dicobalt - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
Perhaps a battery inside the screen (like a tablet) so it's not drawing off the laptop battery at all?FrederickL - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
I had written this post before I noticed in your posting below that the thought had already occurred to you. Oh well, I'll post it anyway - you know what they say, "great minds think alike"!How about going the whole hog with the concept. I.e. A battery-powered touch-screen thin client (wireless) connected to a box running Win8? If the tech was well implemented you would have an ass-kicker of a tablet that you could use around the office/home without have to sync/administer two separate os installs. It would of course be restricted in range (not fully mobile in that sense) but I could well imagine a user case for being able to work wherever I want in the house (or at work) and not being nailed to our home-office chair or my workplace desk. You could literally take your desk-top with you to work-place meetings. Just a thought -:)
dicobalt - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
I have thought of that as well, a device that is literally nothing more than a mobile display (using WiDi) and touch input device (using wireless USB). You would have more casual and mobile access around the house. There is no reason a weak mobile CPU should be hammering away at running a cut down mobile OS and software when you have a powerful desktop in the next room.It would even work with decently powerful laptops. You could have the laptop tucked away in your backpack or briefcase while using it with the removable display. All the computing would be done on the laptop base but the display would be totally wireless and you could carry it around. Perfect for places with little or no desk space or standing room only. It would be handy for presentations where people could connect their displays to your computer and get your display output in their hands instead of on an often awful projector in a dark cave.
I have the sneaking feeling this is what Intel has been planning all along in order to combat the tablet market. It's like getting a free tablet with every laptop purchase and it's perfect now that Win8 is on the way.
FrederickL - Monday, April 16, 2012 - link
"I have the sneaking feeling this is what Intel has been planning all along in order to combat the tablet market. It's like getting a free tablet with every laptop purchase and it's perfect now that Win8 is on the way."
This is by way of reply to both your new postings.
I have to say that I would be astonished if the idea had not already occurred to them and some of the more ingenious OEMs. They want to distinguish themselves by adding value? What about your home office pc + thin-client remote touch-screen bundle? "The complete flexible solution for your home office" - damn, I could write their ad-copy for them! If they were to include a dock which in turn could accept keyboard/mouse input via wireless USB with HDMI out to your front-room telly then your full song with choruses stack in your home office could be your working pc, your tablet and your front room "from-your-armchair" pc. Indeed if you ran a sort of Windows or Linux server setup (with some reasonably heavy-lifting hardware) you could in principle have a completely flexible home computing network (with separate accounts for all family members + guest account) all run around one install. Now that would simplify things at home for me as our domestic sys-admin!
FrederickL - Monday, April 16, 2012 - link
Yet another thought. How about it having enough grunt to accept both touch and stylus input plus being equipped with a microphone. You install some proper voice recognition software (the latest version of Dragon Naturally Speaking perhaps) on your home-office rig and voila you have a tablet that is "the state of the bad-ass art" (if I may be permitted to recycle a favorite quote) with touch, stylus and voice input without it having to be anything other than a remote monitor. Hell, that would be a package I would be willing to pay some serious money for when we next upgrade our home-office.dicobalt - Sunday, April 15, 2012 - link
Not to mention the fact that such a device would be cheap because it doesn't need so much hardware jam packed into it. You could have one waiting to be used in every room of your home and office with no need to carry something around with you.